Sunday, December 14, 2025

2025-12-08 Pitchers whose solo home run accounted for the only run in a game

MONDAY  — 08-Dec-2025

Q.  Who pitched the first National League perfect game in the Modern Era?

Hint: #1  He was the first twentieth century pitcher to rack up a thousand career strikeouts in each league (NL/AL).

Hint: #2  After his playing and coaching career, he began representing players as their agent.

A.  JIM BUNNING  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  The only NL perfectos preceding Bunning’s on Fathers’ Day 21-Jun-1964, were both in 1880.  There have been 6 since.

-  #1  Bunning’s K total was 2,855 — 1,406 w/DET & 1,449 w/PHI, PIT & LAD.

-  #2  He had at 30 clients contracted when he first entered politics.

FCR -  Brett Moore, Studio City, California

Incorrect guesses:  Dave Stewart, Cy Young

 

 

TUESDAY  — 09-Dec-2025

Q.  In the half-century between 1953 (Billy Pierce) and 2003 (Esteban Loiza) who was the only White Sox pitcher to lead the American League in strikeouts?

Hint: #1  Mickey Mantle hit more home runs off him than Mantle did off any other pitcher.

Hint: #2  The year he finished third in Most Valuable Player voting, the two ahead of him were teammates.

A.  EARLY WYNN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Wynn led the AL in Ks for CHW in his 1st year with the team, 1958 (179).  He also led the AL in 1957 (184), but he was with CLE then.

-  #1  Mantle hit 13 HR off Wynn.  Mantle was also the leader on Wynn’s HR surrendered list.

-  #2  Wynn was 3rd in the 1959 AL MVP voting, behind only Nellie Fox & Luis Aparicio.  Teammates Jim Landis & Sherm Lollar also finished in the Top Ten that year.

FCR -  Scott Morrisey, Hamilton, Ontario

Incorrect guesses:  Billy Pierce, Robin Roberts, Wilbur Wood, Joe Horlen, Hoyt Wilhelm, Jim Kaat, Wes Ferrell

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 10-Dec-2025

Q.  Which Hall of Famer drove in more runs in his career than any other pitcher in major leagues in the Modern Era?

Hint: #1  He was drafted into the Army Air Corps during WWII, despite being nearly 38 years old and missing four toes.

Hint: #2  The year he led the league in complete games, he led the majors in losses.

A.  RED RUFFING  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Ruffing’s 273 is considerably ahead of Walter Johnson’ 255.  Cy Young leads all pitchers with 290, but the 1st 10 years of his career were in the 1800s.

-  #1  He was drafted 04-Jan-1943.  When Uncle Sam points at you, well…

-  #2  In 1928, playing for the Red Sox, Ruffing had 25 complete games, but his won/loss record was 10-25.

FCR -  John Burbridge, Timonium, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Lefty Grove, Hoyt Wilhelm, Warren Spahn, Herb Score, Carl Hubbell, Bobo Newsom, Bob Gibson, Walter Johnson

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS — 11-Dec-2025

Q.  Who holds the Yankees franchise record for the largest total contract for a pitcher?

Hint: #1  He is the franchise record-holder for strikeouts in a single season for two different franchises.

Hint: #2  The year he led the league in ERA, win-loss percent, shutouts, innings pitched and ERA+ and led the majors on pitchers’ WAR and WHIP, he was unanimously elected the Cy Young Award winner.  He had previously finished in the top five in CYA voting in five separate seasons.

A.  GERRIT COLE  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  On 16-Dec-2019, the Yankees signed Cole to a franchise record 9-year, $324 million contract, the largest contract total in major league history for a pitcher

-  #1  He has the season K record for HOU (326 in 2019) & NYY (257 in 2022).

-  #2  Cole won the 2023 AL CYA w/30 1st-place votes.  View his stats here.

FCR -  Bill Henry, East Greenwich, Rhode Island

Incorrect guesses:  Roger Clemens, Kevin Brown, CC Sabathia, Mike Mussina, Alex Rodriguez

 

 

THURSDAY  — 11-Dec-2025

Q.  Which Toronto Blue Jays first-round draft pick was traded to the Mets for a Cy Young Award winner?

Hint: #1  This BLTR hurler played under major league managers Joe Maddon and Terry Francona.

Hint: #2  He tied Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for most shutouts in the majors one year and was only one behind leading MLB the following year.

A.  NOAH SYNDERGAARD  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Syndergaard was taken by TOR in the 1st round of the 2010 Draft, 38th overall.  On 17-Dec-2012 he was traded to NYM with Wuilmer Becerra (minors), John Buck & Travis d'Arnaud to the NYM for 2012 CYA winner R.A. Dickey, Mike Nickeas & Josh Thole.

-  #1  He bats right & throw left.  He played for Maddon on the 2022 Angels & Francona on the 2023 Guardians.

-  #2  In 2018 Syndergaard, Verlander, Scherzer and a few (16) others tied for the major league lead with a single, solitary shutout apiece.  In 2019, Bieber, Giolito & Alcantara led MLB w/2 each.  “Thor” only needed 1 more to tie them.  Those two are his career total.

FCR -  Chris Betsch, Albay, Indiana

Incorrect guesses:  Travis d’Arnaud, Jeff Kent, James Paxton, Dave Stieb,

 

 

FRIDAY  — 12-Dec-2025

Q.  Hall of Famer Randy Johnson surrendered 411 home runs to 279 batters during his career.  Which one was a pitcher?

Hint: #1  That pitcher, in a twelve-year career in the majors, was chosen for the All-Star team once, won a Silver Slugger Award once and received Cy Young Award vote once.

Hint: #2  He’s a Double-Unique and not just in his native country.

A.  YOVANI GALLARDO  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  On 08-Apr-2009, in San Francisco, new Giant Johnson was seeking is 296th career win.  Instead the opposing pitcher hit a 3-run HR in the 5th inning which proved to be the margin of victory for Milwaukee.

-  #1  Gallardo was an All-Star and Silver slugger in 2010.  He was 7th in CYA voting in 2011.

-  #2  He attended high school in the U.S. but was born in Mexico.  No other major leaguer has ever had that first name or that last name.

FCR -  Pat Ray, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Incorrect guesses:  Mike Hampton, Dae-Sung Koo, Greg Maddux, Doug Davis, Jason Marquis

 

 

SATURDAY  — 13-Dec-2025

Q.  Which Puerto Rican pitcher won a World Series with his team in his first season in the majors?

Hint: #1  He made the All-Star team as a member of the White Sox.

Hint: #2  Whether or not others agree, at the time of his death, he was pronounced the best pitcher Puerto Rico had ever produced.

A.  JUAN PIZARRO  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Pizarro broke in with the Braves in 1957 who promptly treated Milwaukee to its first and only World Series Championship.  He was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, birthplace of 30 major leaguers n all.  Santurce is the largest & most populated barrio of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital.  It is also the birthplace of 30 major leaguers in total.

-  #1  He was an AS for CHW in 1963 (pitched a scoreless 7th inning) & ‘64

-  #2  One comment was especially fitting.  Jorge Colón Delgado, historian of Puerto Rican baseball, observed, “Juan Pizarro is the best Puerto Rican pitcher of all time.”

FCR -  Andy McCue, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Roberto Hernandez, Orlando Hernandez, Jose De Leon, Javier Vasquez

 

 

SUNDAY  — 14-Dec-2025

Q.  Which Michigan-born moundsman was the first pitcher to with two hundred career wins without ever compiling a twenty-win season?

Hint: #1  He once produced an “immaculate inning”, fanning Phillies Greg Luzinski, Don Money and Mike Anderson with 3 pitches apiece.

Hint: #2  He was scouted by the same Michigander who first recommended Derek Jeter to a major league organization.

A.  MILT PAPPAS  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Pappas finished with 206 W but the most in any one seasons was 17 which he did twice.  He was born & raised in Detroit.

-  #1  In the 4th inning of 24-Sep-1971, pitching for CHC, Pappas threw 9 consecutive strikes, resulting in Ks swinging, looking & swinging.

-  #2  Pappas was signed out of high school by BAL at the suggestion of HOF pitcher & major league talent scout Hal Newhouser.  Newhouser had recommended Jeter to the Astros before losing him to NYY.

FCR -  Andrew Jett, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:  Jaimie Moyer, Rick Reuschel, Jack Morris, Frank Tanana

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Pitchers whose solo home run accounted for the only run in a game

 

Pitcher                        Date                                        Off              WAR

Bunning............ 05-May-1965...................... NYY/Spahn........... 59.4

Cole.................... 26-Aug-2017 – 7.0  IP....... CIN/Castillo........... 42.3

Gallardo............. 29-Apr-2009 — 8.0 IP....... PIT/Snell................ 22.3

Pappas.............. 18-Apr-1962........................ NYY/Stafford......... 43.8

Pizarro............... 16-Sep-1971....................... NYM/Seaver.......... 19.6

Ruffing............... 13-Aug-1932 – 10 IP......... WSH/Thomas....... 68.6

Syndergaard..... 02-May-2019...................... NYM/Mahle........... 15.7

Wynn................. 01-May-1959...................... BOS/Brewer.......... 61.0

 

 

Also qualifying –

 

Pitcher                        Date                                        Off               WAR

Bob Welch.......... 17-Jun-1983....................... CIN/Soto................ 43.7

Nate Karns......... 21-Jul-2015 – 5.0 IP.......... PHI/Nola.................. 3.1

Johnny Klippstein 06-Aug-1962 – 3.0 IP..... HOU/McMahon..... 11.0

Gene Packard.... 29-Sep-1915....................... SLM/Davenport....... 9.2

Odalis Perez...... 28-Aug-2002 — 8.0 IP...... ARI/Helling.............. 8.9

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (after Syndergaard)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Wed     -  Pitchers with Most Hits Allowed in a Game with 7+ IP and 0-2 Runs Allowed

-   HOF pitchers who had 4+ hits in a game

-   AL pitchers in HOF with 4+ hits in a game

-   Hall of Fame pitchers with career ERAs over 3.25

-   HOF pitchers with lower WAR than....Fernando

-   Pitchers with four or more hits in a single game

 

Fri        -  Pitchers who led the league in IP and SO in the same season


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