MONDAY — 01-Dec-2025
Q. Who
has played more major league games than any other played born in the Dominican
Republic?
Hint: #1
Only he and Ray Jablonski drove in more than one hundred runs in their
rookie seasons for the Cardinals.
Hint: #2
He got his 3,000th career hit on a broken-bat single.
A. ALBERT PUJOLS [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Pujols retired with 3,080
games to his credit. That’s 5th
all-time, one behind Rickey Henderson.
-
#1 Jablonski had a career-high
112 RBI in 1953, hitting behind Hall of Famers Red Schoendienst,
Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter.
Pujols had 130 in 2001, but had 14 seasons with 100+ RBI.
-
#2 His 3,000th was in Seattle on 04-May-2018.
FCR - Mark
Pattison, Washington, DC
Incorrect guesses: Orlando Cepeda
TUESDAY — 03-Jun-2025
Q. Who
has played the second-most major league games by a player born in the Dominican
Republic?
Hint: #1
He was the first National League player to have a two-hundred-hit season
without hitting a triple. He had another
season without a triple when he had one hundred ninety-nine hits.
Hint: #2
He only needed one vote to secure his pace in Cooperstown.
A. ADRIAN BELTRE [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Beltre retiree after playing
in 2,933 games, 2nd only to Pujols among Dominicans.
-
#1 In 2004 , playing for the
Dodgers, he had 200 hits and 0 triples. In
2013, 2-13, as a Texas Ranger, he had
199 hits, but never made it to 3rd base on a triple.
-
#2 He was elected to the Hall of
Fame in his first possible election, 2024, with 95.1% of votes.
FCR - Fred
Worth, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses: Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Vlad Guerrero
TUESDAY AGAIN — 04-Jun-2025
Q. Which
one-time Dodger was the first Atlanta Braves player to hit a home run in his
first world Serie at-bat?
Hint: #1
He once homered in a game where his teammates hit nine additional home
runs setting a major league record that still stands: Ten home runs by one team in a single game.
Hint: #2
He grew up four blocks from the spring training home of the Cincinnati
Reds
A. FRED McGRIFF [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. McGriff took CLE starter
Orel Hershiser deep leading off the 2nd inning of Game 1 of the 1995 WS in Atlanta. McGriff
played for LAD in 2003.
- #1 Toward
the end of McGriff’s rookie season, 14-Sep-1987, a half dozen Blue Jays launched a decury of dingers against
the O’s:
Ernie Whit - 3
Rance Mulliniks - 2
George Bell - 2
Lloyd Moseby - 1
Rob Ducey - 1
McGriff - 1
10
-
#2 According toe SABR, “McGriff
grew up four blocks from Al
Lopez Field, the longtime spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds,
which gave him a lot of exposure to major-league baseball at an early age.”
FCR - Andy
Knobel, Columbia, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Andruw Jones Freddie Freeman, Brett Butler, Jorge
Soler
WEDNESDAY — 03-Jun-2025
Q. Whose
career on-base percentage of .700 is the highest in World Series history?
Hint: #1
He was the first National League player to hit at least thirty home runs
a year for thirteen consecutive seasons.
Hint: #2
He led the league in home runs only twice during that span.
A. BARRY BONDS [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Bonds’s numbers came in the 2002 WS when the Angels upset the Giants 4-3. From that same series Bands also has the
all-time career WS records for slugging 1.294
and OBP 1.994 all accomplished in the qualifying 30 WS AB.
-
#1 From 1992 to 2004, Bonds never
hit fewer than 33 HR in a year.
-
#2 NL HR leader in 1993 w/46
& in 2001 w/73.
FCR - Jim
Casey, Savannah
Incorrect guesses: Johnny Mize, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Willie
Stargell,, Bobby Bonds
THURSDAY — 04-Dec-2025
Q. Who
was the first number one overall draft pick to hit four hundred career home
runs?
Hint: #1
He got his number retired in high school — while still enrolled.
Hint: #2
His first hit in the majors was off a pitcher who, six months later,
would be that year’s World Series MVP.
A. KEN GRIFFEY Jr [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Griffey was the #1 pick in the 1987 MLB June Draft. Hit his 400th HR on 10-Apr-2000. His career HR
total is 630.
-
#1 Archbishop Henry K. Moeller HS in Cincinnati retired his #24 before he left for the pros. 14 other major leaguers, including another
Hall of Famer, claim Moeller as their alma mater.
-
#2 In the 1st inning on
03-Apr-1989, Griffey doubled in his 1st MLB AB off A’s
starter Dave Stewart. Stewart was MVP of the 1989 Bay Bridge Series when OAK swept SFG
(with some help from Mother Nature).
FCR - John
Rickert, Terre Haute, Indiana
Incorrect guesses: Chipper Jones, Reggie Jackson, Alex Rodriguez,
Mike Trout, Bryce Harper
FRIDAY — 07-Mar-2025
Q. Who trails
only Babe Ruth for career home runs hit in the American League?
Hint: #1
After Lou Boudreau in 1944, he was the next American League shortstop to
win a batting title.
Hint: #2
He was the first high school player to ever try out for the U.S.
National Team.
A. ALEX RODRIGUEZ [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. A-Rod hit 696 w/SEA, TEX
& NYY. Ruth hit 708 HR in the AL.
-
#1 In his first full MLB year, playing
for SEA, he led the majors, hitting .358.
-
#2 The unanswerable question is
sometimes raised, “Is A-Rod the greatest high school player ever?” His success came early and often.
FCR - Waker
Arnold, Jay, Vermont
Incorrect guesses: Mickey Mantle, Harmon Killebrew
SATURDAY — 06-Dec-2025
Q. Who
is baseball’s career leader in total bases?
Hint: #1
He led his league eight times in that category with four of those times
leading the majors.
Hint: #2
An Eagle Scout himself, he donated his voice to a promotion for the BSA.
A. HENRY AARON [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Aaron stands alone at 6,856 TB. The current active leader is Freddie Freeman
at 4,145.
-
#1 Aaron led in TB in 1956 (340),
1957* (369), 1959 (400), 1960 (334),
1961(358), 1963 (370), 1967 (334) & 1969 (332).
-
#2 Sportswriter Michal Clair tells us Aaron fondly remembered directing traffic as a
scout down the busy main thoroughfare in Mobile and even recorded a commercial
for the Scouts in the 1970s.
Savvy researcher Dave Raglan got us some very interesting
additional information: There seems to be a question on whether or
not Aaron was an Eagle Scout. MLB's web site claims Aaron was an Eagle
Scout (https://www.mlb.com/news/hank-aaron-facts-you-might-not-know?msockid=02d382bea2ce60eb337297eaa3dc61f4), but the BSA magazine
Scouting America has a piece (https://scoutingalumni.org/about/notable-scouting-alumni/aaron-hank/) that links to this
piece (https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2021/01/25/hank-aaron-former-scout-baseball-legend-and-lifelong-friend-of-scouting-dies-at-86/) that claims that it
is a misperception that Aaron was an Eagle Scout.
*The year of Aaron’s only MVP.
FCR - Michael
Schneider, Wilmington, Delaware
Incorrect guesses: Stan Musial
WEEKEND BONUS — 08-Jun-2025
Q.
Which slugger once endorsed a brand of athletic underwear?
Hint: #1
He was the first player to hit three home runs in a game in each league.
Hint: #2
A Canadian coach was his biggest athletic influence.
- Ans. It
was called “Babe Ruth All America
Athletic Underwear.” (Sales figures were not available at press
time.) The only thing he was responsible
for more of than product endorsements was home runs.
- #1 Amazingly,
Ruth only did it one time each. On 21-May-1930, he hit 3 HR off 2 A’s
pitchers in a losing , 15-7 effort in Philadelphia. The Babe was responsible for 6 of his team’s
7 runs. More dramatically, Ruth hit the
last 3 HR of his gargantuan career on the same day as he finished his playing
career with NL’s Boston Braves. Playing
in Pittsburgh (same state) on 25-May-1935, Ruth took 2 Pirate
hurlers deep thrice, hitting career HR # 712, 713 & 714. The Bambino only played 5 more games, 9 more
AB, without a hit in any of them.
- #2 At
St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore, “little George” met a giant
of a man (6'6") named Brother Matthias. Ruth said he was the most influential person
in his life.
FCR -
Jim Lovelace, Kent, Ohio
Incorrect guesses: Miguel Cabrera, Johnny Mize
SUNDAY — 08-Jun-2025
Q. In the “Year of the Pitcher”, the major
league All-Star Game ended 1-0. Who
grounded out twice, struck out and was picked off but scored the game’s only
run?
Hint:
#1 He once stole a home run with a
bare-handed catch.
Hint:
#2 Some of his teammates once broke into
his hotel room and he was thankful for it.
A. WILLIE MAYS [SABR Bio]
- Ans. On
09-Jul-1968, in the bottom of the 1st,
Mays singled but was picked off by Luis Tiant then ruled safe on Harmon
Killebrew’s error & eventually scored.
Details here.
-
#1 In his first weekend in
organized ball with the B-level Trenton Giants in 1950, Mays went
back on a deep drive vs. York, leaped at the fence
& caught it with his bare hand against the wall. A teammate recalled that the ball would have
gone over the fence.
- #2 In
the latter days of racial segregation, some white teammates broke into his
hotel room & slept on the floor so the young rookie would feel more
comfortable.
FCR - Jim Cochran, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Incorrect
guesses: Kevin Mitchell, Lou Brock
WEEK’S
THEME – Career
HR leaders by inning:
1st: Pujols (154)
2nd: Adrian Beltre, Fred McGriff (tie, 72)
3rd: Bonds (102)
4th: Bonds (100)
5th: Griffey, Pujols (tie, 87)
6th Rodriguez (111)
7th : Aaron (97)
8th : Mays (90)
9th: Ruth (55)
Extra innings: Mays (21)
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Who hit the most home runs in each
inning? Thanks to Ed Baranoski for this
research.
Incorrect
theme guesses:
Tues - Players
with the most RBI in the 9th inning in a career
Fri - Players
with 400+ doubles and HRs
-
Player’s
with at least one season with an OPS over 1.000
-
Players
who hit 3 or more home runs in one game
Sat - Players
who led their leagues in HR, RBI, and BA, but never won a Triple Crown
-
Players
with 600+ home runs
-
450
career HRs to play past age 40
Sun - All-time
HR hitters
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