MONDAY
Q. Which
Detroit Tiger won the American League MVP Award between Hank Greenberg’s two
MVP seasons?
Hint: He
is the only player to make the American League starting lineups in the first
six All-Star games.
Hint: He
was the first player elected to the Hall of Fame using the “runoff” rules.
Twint: He
was one of the “G-Men”.
A. CHARLIE
GEHRINGER (MVP 1937, Greenberg 1935 and ‘40; Started 1933-38
ASG; There was no first ballot winner in 1949, and a complicated “runoff”
ballot occurred where only Gehringer made the cut; Gehringer/Goslin/Greenberg
played together winning ’35 WS)
FCR - David
Ramsden, Barcelona, Spain
Incorrect answers: Goode Goslin, Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser
MONDAY DEUCE
Q. Who
is the only Brave to win a league Most Valuable Player Award more than once?
Hint: His
were consecutive.
Hint: He
led his league in RBI both seasons and in homers the next two consecutive
years.
Twint: Nolan
Ryan said of him “I can’t imagine Joe DiMaggio was a better all-around player.”
A. DALE MURPHY
(MVP 1982-3 (list of multiple
winners); led RBI
109/121 then HR 36/37 1984-5; Ryan’s full quote:
"I can't imagine Joe DiMaggio was a better all-around player than
Dale Murphy.")
FCR - Dean Kloner, New York, NY
Incorrect answers: Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn
IN MEMORIAM
Q. Who
was the first pitcher to win an ERA title for a major league team domiciled on
the west coast?
Hint: He
was the winning pitcher in the only All-Star game he ever played in and did it
on his home field.
Hint: He
was the first pitcher with 100 career saves in Baltimore Orioles’ history.
Hint: He
and a teammate are the only pair to combine in a losing no-hit effort against
an American League team.
Twint: The
137th career home run he surrendered was Mickey Mantle’s 500th.
Twint: Unfortunately,
he is probably best remembered for an occurrence that never occurred.
Twint: He
is the Giants pitcher in Danny Kay’s immortal “The Dodger Song”.
A. STU MILLER
(ERA title 1958 for SFG; 1961 ASG; Exactly 100 Sv for BAL; With
Steve Barber no-hit DET 30-Apr-1967;
Mantle HR 14-May-1967;
Stumbled awkwardly from the mound during a wind-up during his only All-Star appearance. It was at Candlestick Park on a day [11‑Jul‑1961]
when winds were swirling. A balk was
called, but Miller always claimed that was NOT blown off the mound.)
FCR - Richard
Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD
Incorrect answers: Hoyt Wilhelm, Arthur Rhodes
TUESDAY
Q. Who
is the only Houston Astro to win the Rookie of the Year Award?
Hint: He
is also the only Astro to win MVP despite breaking his wrist after playing only
110 games that season.
Hint: He
and his American League counterpart that were born on the same day.
Hint: He
holds the Astros single season records for home runs, batting average, on base
percentage, slugging percent, OPS, games played, runs scored, total bases,
bases on balls, intentional bases on balls, sacrifice flies and at bats per
home run.
Twint: He
wasn’t an “A”, but he was a “Killer”.
Twint: 55.7%
A. JEFF
BAGWELL (ROY
1991; MVP
1994 strike-shortened season, he
broke his wrist on a pitch by Andy Benes 10-Aug-1994; AL MVP Frank Thomas
born 27-May-1968; HOU team
records 47 HR, .368 BA, .454 OBP, .750 SLG, 1.201 OPS, 162 GP, 152 R, 363 TB,
148 BB, 27 IBB, 13 SF & 10.3 AB/HR; "Killer
B’s” Biggio and Bagwell plus several others such as Berkman, Beltran, Bell,
Berry; Hall of Fame voting percentage in
the most recent election)
FCR - Mark
Jones, Birmingham, AL
Incorrect answers: Craig Biggio, Ken Caminiti, Curt Blefery, Jim
Wynn, Glenn Davis, Joe Morgan, Cesar Cedeno
TUESDAY DEUCE
Q. Name
the only National League infielder
who passed these statistical thresholds:
200 home runs + 400
stolen bases + 600 doubles.
Hint: One
year he collected 88 RBI hitting in the leadoff spot.
Hint: He
is the only player from his franchise to win a Gold Glove Award as a second baseman.
Hint: He
did it in four consecutive seasons.
Twint: He
will be the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame as an Astro.
A. CRAIG
BIGGIO (291 HR, 414 SB, 668 2b [Among ALL players, Barry Bonds, Rickey
Henderson & Paul Molitor also qualify.]; 88 RBI in 1998; GG 1994-97; HOF
2105)
FCR - Neil Cohen, Brooklyn, NY
Incorrect answers: Joe Morgan, Chase Utley, Ryne Sandberg, Jeff
Kent
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who
holds the record for most consecutive seasons leading his league in stolen
bases?
Hint: When
the streak ended he never led the league again.
Hint: Ironically,
he once contributed to his team not making the playoffs due to a base running
error, leaving his team in the odd position of finishing ½ game out of first.
Twint: After
he was released by the Red Sox, he ended his career despite a “fill in the amount”
offer from the Yankees.
Twint: His
reply read, “Dear Mr. Steinbrenner, thank you very much for your offer but I
just get released once in my lifetime.”
A. LUIS
APARICIO (SB leader
9 seasons 1956-64 [In only 4 did he also lead in CS.]; 02-Oct-1972
blunder left them ½ game behind in a strike shortened season where games
could not be made up; SABR
BIO regarding the interchange with Steinbrenner mentions that he considered
playing another year)
FCR - Howard
Wasserman, Pembroke Pines, FL
Incorrect answers: Tim Raines, Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman,
Maury Wills
WEDNESDAY DEUCE
Q. Who
was the first native of Venezuela to win the All-Star Game MVP award?
Hint: He
once worked a walk against Rick Wise, turning a perfect game into a mere
no-hitter.
Hint: He
was one of the inaugural inductees into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
Twint: He
claimed he didn’t spit in the umpire’s face.
Twint: He
once was tied up and robbed at his farm in Venezuela during the 2002 World
Series, forcing him to miss part of a game (his biggest complaint that day)?
A. DAVE CONCEPCION
(Wise BB 23-Jun-1971;
Latino
HOF 2010 inductees included, among others, Luis Aparicio, Rod Carew, Juan
Marichal, Tony Perez, Orlando Cepeda, and Roberto Clemente; b6 BB 23‑Jun‑1971;
Spitting
story; Robbery)
FCR - Dave
Williams Glastonbury, CT
Incorrect answers: Orlando Cepeda, Omar Vizquel, Zoilo Versalles, Fernando Valenzuela,
Luis Aparicio, Juan Marichal
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Name
the last National League pitcher to win thirty games in a season.
Hint: He
helped lead his team to a World Series victory that year, though he gave up the
only home runs the opponents hit.
Hint Granted,
each was hit by a future Hall of Famer.
Twint: Both
he and his brother were the only winning pitchers for their team in that
series.
Twint: In
the last World Series appearance of his career, he gave up Joe DiMaggio’s
second career World Series home run—a shot that sealed the victory for that
game.
A. DIZZY
DEAN (30-7, 1934, only NL’ers Mathewson, Alexander and McGinnity won 30
in the modern era, all before Dean; 1934 WS
Hank Greenberg game 1, and Charlie Gehringer game 5; He won games 1 &
7, brother Paul Dean won G 3 & 6; 1938 WS
game 2 NYY win 6-3 over CHC, DiMaggio belting a 2-run shot off Dean in the top
of the 9th.)
FCR - Bob
Flynn, Chandler, AZ
Incorrect answers: Denny McLain, Warren Spahn, Denny McLain,
Pete Alexander, Carl Hubbell, Lefty Grove
THURSDAY
Q. Who
was the only qualifying pitcher with a season ERA under 2.00 in the 1950s?
Hint: He
once hitch-hiked to get home from the airport with two teammates who would
become Hall of Famers.
Hint: Ironically,
home had been friendly to him that year.
His record was 13-0.
Twint: He
surrendered pitcher Ellis Kinder’s only career home run, a grand slam.
Twint: While
pinch-hitting for Roger Maris, Carroll Hardy hit his first career home run off
him.
A. BILLY
PIERCE (1.97 ERA on 1955; Hitch-hiked home with Willie McCovey &
Orlando Cepeda after flying back from Los Angeles 03-Oct-1962; Kinder HR
06-Aug-1950; Hardy HR 18-May-1958)
FCR - Blake
Sherry, Dublin, OH
Incorrect answers: Hoyt
Wilhelm, Jim Konstanty, Whitey Ford, Elroy Face, Dean Chance, Bob Friend,
Sandy Koufax
THURSDAY DEUCE
Q. Who
was the next New York Yankees to win an American League batting title after
Mickey Mantle’s in 1956?
Hint: No
Yankee ever hit more doubles in a season than he did.
Hint: His
restaurant became a favorite destination in the Midwest.
Twint: His
record of six grand slams in a season was tied by Travis Hafner in 2006.
A. DON
MATTINGLY (.343 in 1984; 53 2b in 1986; Mattingly’s 23; 6
GS in 1987)
FCR - Andrew
Distler, New York, NY
Incorrect answers: Yogi Berra, Lou Piniella, Dave Winfield, Paul
O’Neill, Moose Skowron, Bobby Richardson
FRIDAY
Q. Who
was the last first baseman to bat over .380 for a season (qualified for batting
title)?
Hint: He
was expressly named after the doctor who delivered him.
Hint: When
speaking of how a player will adjust his position to defend against him he said,
“It goes right by his glove and I
laugh.”
Twint: A
Hall of Fame pitcher said of him: “He has no weakness as a hitter. Anything you throw he can handle.”
A. ROD
CAREW (1977 BA .388
with George Sisler (twice) and Bill Terry prior to that; Born in Panama, named
after Dr. Rodney Cline; Catfish Hunter quote from Carew’s HOF web page; Full quote from
Bref Bullpen: "I get a kick out
of watching a team defense me. A player moves two steps in one direction and I
hit it two steps in the other direction. It goes right by his glove and I
laugh.")
FCR - Mark
Jones, Birmingham, AL
Incorrect answers: Norm Cash, Bill Terry, Babe Herman, Andres Galarraga,
George Sisler, John Olerud
FRIDAY DEUCE
Q. Who
was the first of Fernando Valenzuela’s five consecutive All-Star whiffs?
Hint: His
3,000th career hit it was off a (future) Hall of Fame pitcher and it
drove in a (future) Hall of Famer.
Hint: In
a 22-season career, he only led the league once in a Triple Crown category and
only once finished as high as third in MVP voting.
Twint: He
was the first player to collect 100 RBI in a season after his 40th
birthday.
A. DAVE
WINFIELD ([ERRATUM!: Winfield
was Fernando’s 1st K in 1984 ASG,
but that was a 1-inning appearance.
Valenzuela’s famous string of 5 Ks came in the 1986
game where Don Mattingly was the 1st victim.]; RBI drove in Kirby Puckett,
video: 16-Sep-1993;
1979 NL RBI leader with 118; Career Stats
and MVP votes; 108 RBI 1992, Harold Baines had 103 in 1999 at age 40)
FCR - Doug
Greenwald, San Francisco, CA
Incorrect answers: Eddie Murray, Wade Boggs, Eddie Murray,
Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor
SATURDAY
Q. Who hit the first postseason
inside-the-park homer in Yankee stadium?
Hint: The bases were empty, but it broke a tie
and was the eventual game winner.
Hint: He
was the first Brooklyn player to lead his league in on base percentage.
Hint: It
was the only major category in his playing career where he put up a league
leading number.
Twint: As
a successful Hall of Fame manager, the only season he won 100 games his team
finished second.
A. CASEY
STENGEL (1923 WS
G1 top 9th inning and, famously, it was the first homer of any
kind in The House That Ruth Built; Video
of the “fast footed feat; Brooklyn Robins 1914 OBP .404;
NYY1954 103-51 second
to CLE 111-43)
FCR - Larry
Farin, Plano, TX
Incorrect answers: Pee Wee Reese, Dolph Camilli, Carl Furillo
SATURDAY AD IN
Q. Who
was the first Brave to hit forty home runs in a season?
Hint: He
is also the only Brave to have done so in three consecutive seasons.
Hint: He
won two World Series rings, one each for helping to beat the teams that now
have most World Championships in their respective league.
Twint: The
last hit of his career was in the 1968 World Series against a future Hall of
Fame pitcher.
A. EDDIE MATHEWS
(47 HR 1953; 47/40/41
1953-5; Rings with the 1957 MLN over NYY, and 1968 DET over STL; Game 4
single 2nd inning against Bob Gibson)
FCR - Bill
Deane, Cooperstown, NY
Incorrect answers: Dale Murphy, Joe Adcock, Davey Johnson
WEEKEND BONUS
Q. Who
is the oldest pitcher ever to win a league Most Valuable Player Award?
Hint: The
last team he played for was one he had played for earlier in his career, but in
a different capacity.
Twint: He
was the first pitcher to accumulate fifteen postseason saves.
Twint: Lon
Simmons said to him during the 2004 HOF induction speeches, "OK, you can
stop taking the ugly pills. They're not
working."
A. DENNIS
ECKERSLEY (MVP
1992, 38 yrs. Old; Played for BOS 1978-84 as a starter. Finished in the bullpen in 1998.)
FCR - Adrian
Fung, Toronto, ON
Incorrect answers: Barry Bonds, Rollie Fingers, Don Newcombe,
Sandy Koufax
SUNDAY
Q. Who
was the National League player representative during the 1994-95 players'
strike?
Hint: He
once broke a rib vomiting on a team flight.
Twint: He
briefly went on the DL, but still had five starts in every calendar month that
season and finished second in the Cy Young Award voting…
Twint: …a
step lower than he had finished the prior season.
A. TOM GLAVINE
(Rib break 1992;
CYA
1991)
FCR - Mary
Shea, Milwaukee, WI
Incorrect answers: David Cone, Joe Girardi, John Smoltz
SUNDAY AD OUT
Q. Who
is the only American-born Hall of Famer to die outside the United States?
Hint: He
was the last player to hit a grand slam at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Hint: He
was replaced by Rick Monday.
Twint: He
hit Opening Day home runs twice (different years).
A. DON
DRYSDALE (Died 03-Jul-1993 in Montreal; GS off Don
Nottebart 09-Aug-1961;
Monday
replaced him as a Dodgers announcer; Opening Day HRs 11-Apr-1959
& 12-Apr-1965)
FCR - Warren
Campbell, Toronto, ON
Incorrect answers: Earl Weaver, Ed Delahanty
WEEKLY THEME – Prime retired numbers:
Retiree # Team
Gehringer 2 Tigers
Murphy 3 Braves
Bagwell 5 Astros
Biggio 7 Astros
Aparicio 11 White Sox
Concepcion 13 Reds
Dean 17 Cardinals
Pierce 19 White Sox
Mattingly 23 Yankees
Carew 29 Angels
Maddux 31 Cub & Braves
Stengel 37 Yankees & Mets
Mathews 41 Braves
Eckersley 43 A’s
Glavine 47 Braves
Drysdale 53 Dodgers
First Correct Respondent
to Identify Theme – Carl
Morton, Vernal, UT
Incorrect theme guesses:
Monday - Consecutive MVP
winners
- Guys famous for being quiet
Tuesday - Players
eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2015
- Eligible
players not voted into the Hall with this year’s class
Wed - Players who have led
their position in games played for a 10-year period while winning at least
one gold glove
We archive our questions here: http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/
Horsehide Trivia home page: https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia
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