MONDAY — 24-Nov-2025
Q. Which
owner built a “monument to the fans”, a ballpark that bore his name?
Hint: #1
He was known for profanely berating umpires during games.
Hint: #2
Her is said to have revolutionized the first base position by ranging
far from the bag during play.
A. CHARLIE COMISKEY [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. The have been a few serious changes, but the name Comiskey Park remains.
-
#1 Records of ejections were not
as carefully recorded in his day.
-
#2 He is credited with other
innovations still in use today: Boxes for base coaches, for example.
FCR - Jim
Conrey, Chesterton, Indiana
Incorrect guesses: Charlie Ebbets, Connie Mack, Clark Griffith,
Cap Anson
TUESDAY — 25-Nov-2025
Q. Which
Brooklyn native once played on a team where he and six of his teammates are now
in the Hall of Fame?
Hint: #1
His wise counsel on hitting is known by many but practiced by few.
Hint: #2
He once had more than 200 hits in each of eight consecutive seasons,
averaging 132 games played per year in that streak.
A. WILLIE KEELER [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Alongside Keeler on the 1894
National League Champion Baltimore Orioles were Hall of Famers John McGraw 1937, Dan Brouthers 1945, Hughie Jennings 1945, Wilbert Robinson 1945, Joe Kelley 1971 & Ned Hanlon 1996. Keeler was born in Brooklyn in 1872 & was
voted into the HOF in 1939.
-
#1 “Hit ‘em where they ain’t”,
“they” being opposition fielders. Story here.
-
#2 Between 1894 & 1901, he
had 219, 213, 210, 239, 216, 216, 204
& 202 hits respectively.
FCR - Chris
Pika, Baltimore
Incorrect guesses: Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, Al Simmons, Pee Wee
Reese, Lou Gehrig
WEDNESDAY — 26-Nov-2025
Q. Which
Oklahoma native has the record for the highest batting average by a National
League rookie since 1901?
Hint: #1
He also holds the major league Modern Era record for runs scored by a
rookie.
Hint: #2
He was proud when the BBWAA elected his famous brother into the
Hall of Fame with 83.3% of the votes.
A. LLOYD WANER [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Waner hit .355 w/PIT in 1927*. The team made it
to the postseason that year with a lineup that read, in part, “Waner, Waner,
Traynor”. Lloyd Waner was born in Harrah,
Oklahoma in 1902.
-
#1 He scored 133 times
that year placing him above a very impressive group of rookies & the runs
they scored in their 1st year:
Joe DiMaggio 132, Ted Williams 131.
-
#2 Lloyd’s older brother Paul broke into the majors,
also w/PTT, just the year before Lloyd. The writers put Paul in the HOF in
1952. Lloyd was inducted as player in 1967, voted in by the
Veterans Committee.
*Waner did set the rookie record, but it was
broken by the Cardinals’ George
Watkins who batted an impressive .373 just 3 years later, in 1930,
a year that would have required him to hit .402. to win the league title. Bill Terry of NYG hit .401, the last NL
player over .400.
FCR - Gary
Wolcott, Annandale, Virginia
Incorrect guesses: Paul Waner
MIDWEEK BONUS — 26-Nov-2025
Q. Which
Alabama-born Hall of Famer had two brothers and a cousin who played in the
majors?
Hint: #1
He was the second player to have more than one thousand consecutive games
played, a little behind someone else who would also be a teammate of Lou Gehrig’s.
Hint: #2
He once said of his consecutive games streak, “No one made a big fuss
about playing streaks 50-60 years ago.
At that time, my straight games plus a dime would be good for a cup of
coffee.”
A. JOE SEWELL [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Sewell, born in Titus, Alabama in 1898,
played 14 years in MLB. His brother, Luke Sewell , a catcher, played a
full 20 & was an All-Star in 1937. Their brother Tommy Sewell balanced things out by
having exactly one (1) pinch at-bat for CHC in 1927. He did not make it to 1st base, a
”Cub of coffee” if you will. Cousin Rip Sewell compensated for a
battlefield injury by inventing—and succeeded with—what was called the “eephus” pitch.
-
#1 Joe’s streak lasted 1,103
games, began on 13-Sep-1922 (where he pinch-hit
for his brother Luke) and lasted until 30-Apr-1930. From 1931-1933 Sewell played for NYY, a
teammate of Lou Gehrig. The player whose
record Gehrig broke, Everett Scott with 1,307 straight
games, was also briefly a teammate of the Iron Horse.
-
#2 Another coffee reference?!
FCR - Phil
Williams, Charlotte, North Carolina
Incorrect guesses: Everett Scott, Billy Williams, Hank
Aaron
THURSDAY — 27-Nov-2025
Q. Which
Hall of Famer is said to have popularized letting short fly balls drop in front
of him, potentially starting double play?
Hint: #1
After his playing days, he coached baseball at three different
distinguished New England educational institutions.
Hint: #2
His mediocre career playing stats cause many to question his inclusion
in the Hall.
A. TOMMY McCARTHY [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. One imagines the runners
freezing half-way, waiting for McCarthy’s decision.
-
#1 McCarthy served as the head
baseball coach at Holy Cross (1899–1900, 1904–1905,
& 1916), Dartmouth (1906–1907) & Boston College (1920).
-
#2 Some writers have reasoned
that McCarthy was well respected in is day for his inclusion of several aspects
of the game we now assume without
questioning. McCarthy does own, however,
the lowest WAR of any player in the Hall, 14.6.
FCR - Bill
Deane, Cooperstown
Incorrect guesses: Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, Harry Hooper, Rabbit
Maranville
FRIDAY — 28-Nov-2025
Q. Who
was the last payer to win the National League hits title for three straight
seasons?
Hint: #1
He was the first National League first baseman to win the BBWAA Most
Valuable Player award.
Hint: #2
He won in a year he was instrumental in helping his team win their first
undisputed World Series title in the Modern Era.
A. FRANK McCORMICK [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. McCormick led the Senior
Circuit in H in 1938 209, 1939 209 & 1940, tied with the
Cubs’ Stan Hack with 191. Luis Arraez has a chance to tie
him in 2026.
-
#1 Won the NL MVP in 1940 after finishing 5th & 4th in the MVP voting in
the previous 2 seasons. Twelve NL 1st
basemen have won the NL MVP 14 times since then.
NL first
Basement MVPs since McCormick:
1941 - Dolph Camilli w/BRO
1945 - Phil Cavarretta w/CHC
1967 - Orlando Cepeda w/STL
1969 - Willie McCovey w/SFG
1974 - Steve Garvey w/LAD
1979 - Willie Stargell w/PIT
1979 - Keith Hernandez w/STL
1994 - Jeff Bagwell w/HOU
2995 - Albert Pujols X3 w/STL
2006 - Ryan Howard w/PHI
2020 - Freddie Freeman w/ATL
2022 - Paul Goldschmidt w/STL
-
#2 CIN beat DET 4 games to 3 in
the 1940 Fall Classic. The Reds were also WS champs in 1919, but it was discovered
some of their wins in that series were handed to them.
FCR - Stephen
Krevisky, Middletown, Connecticut
Incorrect guesses: Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Ginger Beaumont, Rogers
Hornsby Tony Perez, Jake Dauber, Steve Garvey, Eddie Stanky, Bill Terry
SATURDAY
— 29-Nov-2025
Q. Who
is credited with the first home run in professional baseball history?
Hint: #1
He had the first hit in National League history.
Hint: #2
He got his first black ink at age thirty-five.
A. EZRA SUTTON [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. On 08-May-1871, playing in
the newly-formed National Association, Sutton hit the first HR in professional
baseball* history for the Cleveland Forest Citys against the Chicago
White Stockings. He hit another HR later
in the game, but Cleveland lost 14–12.
-
#1 In the first recorded NL game
on 22-Apr-1876, Sutton doubled. No other
NL hit can be found that predates that one.
-
#2 Sutton led the NL in hits in
1884 with 162 in 110 games; in singles with 124 & in runs. He turned 35 a month before the season ended.
*Horsehide Trivia holds that the NA was the
first major league.
FCR -
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Several good
guesses, but…
Incorrect guesses: Ross Barnes, George Hall, Tim Murnane, Joe
Borden, Ross Barnes, Jim O’Rourke, Deacon White, George Wright
SUNDAY — 30-Nov-2025
Q. Who led the majors in assists and double
plays by a second baseman, playing for a team in its last year of existence?
Hint:
#1 He was one of the principal reasons
for the re-naming of a major league team, a name that is still used.
Hint:
#2 American-born, he was still in
professional baseball at age forty-eight, playing for the London Tecumsehs.
A. LOU BIERBAUER [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Playing
for the Players League’s Brooklyn Ward's Wonders in 1890, Bierbauer had
468 assists & 77 double plays. The Players League & all 8 of its teams existed for only one season.
- #1 We
know them as the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Details here.
- #2 His
stint in London (Ontario) is documented in
Baseball-Reference’s “B-R Bullpen”.
FCR - Dan Joslyn, Las Vegas
Incorrect
guesses: Jim Thorpe, Joe Gordon, Nap
Lajoie
WEEEK’S
FINALE — 30-Nov-2025
Q. Who was first major league player to appear
in twenty or more games at all eight non-pitching positions?
Hint:
#1 He was so good at defensive chatter
that his teammates often called him “Calliope”.
Hint:
#2 As manager of the St. Louis Browns,
he took his charges to a shooting range each morning, believing it would
improve their hand-eye coordination. He
often didn’t understand why others lacked the eagle-eyed acumen he displayed
when batting.
A. GEORGE MILLER [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. He
was his team’s catcher, but he eschewed the protective equipment then becoming
popular. As a result, the team used him
wherever he might be needed as he recovered and prepared for his next stint
behind the plate.
- #1 “Foghorn”
was another, quite descriptive sobriquet based on his vocal skills.
- #2 There
is no evidence that shooting helped. Miller’s
playing and managing careers were diverse and interesting, but his overuse of
alcohol was his eventual undoing. He
died of kidney disease at age 44.
FCR - Scott Morissey, Hamilton, Ontario
Incorrect
guesses:
WEEK’S THEME
– Players with 5,000+ career at-bats but fewer than 200 career strikeouts.
Player AB SO % G H WAR
Sewell........... 7,132... 114.... .016.... 1,903... 2,226...... 54.9
Keeler........... 8,591... 136.... .016.... 2,123... 2,932...... 54.3
Waner........... 7,772... 173.... .022.... 1,993... 2,459...... 29.9
Comiskey...... 5,796... 132.... .023.... 1,390... 1,529........ 7.7
Miller............ 5,171... 129.... .025.... 1,318... 1,381...... 19.1
Bierbauer...... 5,713... 160.... .028.... 1,385... 1,524...... 13.9
McCormick.. 5,723... 189.... .033.... 1,534... 1,711...... 31.9
Sutton........... 5,360... 182.... .034.... 1,263... 1,574...... 32.9
McCarthy..... 5,120... 185.... .036.... 1,273... 1,493...... 16.2
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Few good guesses.
Incorrect
theme guesses:
Mon - Managers
of the World Series played between the American Association and the National
League 1884-1890
Tues - Players
elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939 who had played in the 19th century
-
-
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