2020-12-28 Players active in 2020 whose team career WAR scores are in their franchises’ Top 5

MONDAY  —  Dec 28

Q.        Whom did Alex Rodriguez tie for most home runs ever hit in the month of April when he clobbered 14 in 2007?

Hint:     He still holds the National League record for most RBI in a season by a rookie.

Hint:     He is the only player in major league history to bat at least .300 with thirty or more home runs and 100 or more runs batted in every one of his first ten seasons.

Hint:     He is the all-time leader in a dubious category, but there’s little shame in it since the next four players behind him are all first-round Hall of Famers.

A.         ALBERT PUJOLS  [B-R Bio]

-  One year earlier Pujols hit 14 HR in Aril of 2006.

-  120 RBI in 2001

-  It’s true.  You could look it up:  Pujols.  He hasn’t hit .300 in any of the 10 seasons since.

-  Pujols is the all-time leader in GIDP at 399.  The next four are Cal Ripken (350), Ivan Rodriguez (337), Hank Aaron (328) & Yaz (323).

FCR -  Tony Hughes, Woodbridge, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Willie Stargell, Hank Aaron, Mel Ott

 

TUESDAY  —  Dec 29

Q.        Which American League star was banned from his county fair as a youngster because he won so much at the booth where bottles are to be toppled by thrown baseballs?

Hint:     He was intentionally walked three times during a high school state playoff game, once with the bases loaded.

Hint:     He is the only American League player whose Rookie of the Year election was unanimous and whose AL Most Valuable Player election voting two seasons later, was also unanimous.

A.         MIKE TROUT  [B-R Bio]

-  Mike Trout and his brother Tyler used to attend the Cumberland County (New Jersey) Fair when they were younger.  The fair, naturally, had games of skill, one of which was the well-known game where fair goers throw baseballs at stacks of heavy metal bottles to knock them down.  Mike played the game so often and was so good at it that fair officials banned him because he kept winning all of their prizes.

-  Cherry Hill East, the opponents, explained their strategy.  Their coach in an interview with the local newspaper said:  “…if we want to move on we can’t let Mike Trout beat us, so we had talked that over and that’s what it came down to, let’s just walk him every single time he comes up.”  They did and they lost to Trout’s Millville High, 11-5.

-  ROY in 2012; MVP in 2014.   Trout won additional MVPs in 2016 & 2019.

FCR -  Alexis Voulgaris, Old Greenwich, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  Bob Feller, Ichiro Suzuki, Kyle Lewis, Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, Bryce Harper, Fred Lynn, Jose Canseco, Mickey Mantle, Jose Abreu, Jeff Burroughs

 

WEDNESDAY  —  Dec 30

Q.        Who is the last National League pitcher to strike out more than 300 batters in a season?

Hint:     He is the National League’s all-time leading pitcher in Adjusted ERA+.  (= ERA adjusted to reflect home ballpark and league environment.)

Hint:     He was in the top five in Cy Young Award voting for seven straight seasons.

Hint:     In career Hits per Nine Innings Pitched, he trails only Nolan Ryan and is just ahead of Sandy Koufax.

A.         CLAYTON KERSHAW  [B-R Bio]

-  301 K in 2015 for LAD.  (In 2018, WSN’s Max Scherzer had exactly 300 K.)

-  His career number is 158, behind only Mariano Rivera’s 205.

-  Top 5 CYA voting = 2011-2017

-  H/9 IP => Ryan 6.5553; Kershaw 6.7741; Koufax 6.7916

FCR -  Kevin Decker, Hillsborough, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Randy Johnson, Max Scherzer, Curt Schilling, Steve Carlton, Greg Maddux, Justin Verlander, Pedro Martinez, J.R. Richard

 

WEDNESDAY BONUS  —  Dec 30

Q.        Which All-Star first baseman has only popped out to first base once in 7,595 career plate appearances?

Hint:     He has thrice been in the top three in MVP voting.

Hint:     He won the Tip O’Neill Award seven times in eight seasons.

A.         JOEY VOTTO  [B-R Bio]

-  From a stat tracked by FanGraphs: On 17-April-2019, Dodger reliever Pedro Baez finally induced Votto to pop out to first base.  Votto has only had 20 infield popups over his entire 14-year major league career.

-  MVP in 2010 (A single 1^st-place vote for Albert Pujols kept this vote from being unanimous.); Finished 2^nd in 2017 to Giancarlo Stanton in one of the closest votes in MLB history; and finished 3^rd behind Bryce Harper’s unanimous vote in 2015.  Votto has also received MVP votes an additional 5 X.

-  Won the Tip O’Neill 7 X 2010-2017, losing only to Justin Morneau in 2015.

FCR -  Steven Glassman, Warminster, Pennsylvania

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  —  Dec 30

Q.        Which All-Star third baseman is married to a police woman who was once the Playboy magazine “Playmate of the Month:?

Hint:     The Dirtbags were the only four-year school to offer him a scholarship to play for them.

Hint:     He was the Most Valuable Player of the famous Cape Cod League.

Hint:     Not everybody thinks that his hirsute demeanor ameliorates his otherwise incontrovertible public demeanor.

A.         EVAN LONGORIA  [B-R Bio]

-  Jaime Faith Edmondson married Longoria 31-Dec-2015.  They have 2 children.

-  Played for the Long Beach State Dirtbags, which is the alma mater of Jason Giambi, Troy Tulowitzki and 5 additional players who became major league All-Stars.

-  Longo played 2^nd base for the Chatham A's in the Cape Cod League.  After leading the league in home runs (9), RBI (35), slugging percentage (.500) and extra-base hits (16), he was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

-  Bearded.  Otherwise.

FCR -  David Skelton, Woodway, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Justin Turner, Aaron Boone, Mike Piazza, Kevin Youkilis, Mickey Vernon

 

THURSDAY  —  Dec 31

Q.        Who has hit more career home runs in the majors than any other Jewish player?

Hint:     He helped his country reach the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic.

Hint:     He was voted Rookie of the Year and later won his league’s MVP, but by a more comfortable margin.

Hint:     He was offered baseball scholarships by D-1 schools but chose to accept an academic scholarship instead.

A.         RYAN BRAUN  [B-R Bio]

-  Braun finished 2020 w/352 career HR.  He passed Hank Greenberg in 2019.

-  Team USA reached the semi-finals of the 2009 WBC with Braun on the team.

-  Braun out-polled COL’s Troy Tulowitzki 80% to 79% for 2007 ROY honors.  When he was named NL MVP in 2011, he had 388.0 MVP voting points to Matt Kemp’s 332.0.

-  Attended the U. of Miami on academic scholarship, but also played baseball there.

FCR -  Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:  Hank Greenberg, Shawn Green, Ian Kinsler, Kevin Youkilis, Alex Bergman

 

FRIDAY  —  Jan 01

Q.        Who is called America’s First Baseman in spite of being, according to one sportswriter, the most overlooked, ignored, underappreciated and forgotten superstar in the game?

Hint:     He hit more home runs off two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum than any other batter.

Hint:     He helped lead his baseball team to the national high school championship.

A.         PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT  [B-R Bio]

-  MLB’ Terrence Moore writes here about Goldschmidt.

-  Took Lincecum deep 7 times.  Timmy was Goldy’s fave in this regard.

-  Goldschmidt was a teammate of future MLB pitcher Kyle Drabek at The Woodlands High School in Texas, helping the school’s team win the 2006 national high school championship.  Drabek was drafted in the 1^st round of that year’s June MLB draft.  Goldschmidt was taken in the 49^th round!  They were also later teammates on ARI, but only for a single game.”

FCR -  Preston Salisbury, Starkville, Mississippi

Incorrect guesses:  Freddie Freeman, Ryan Howard, Paul Konerko, Fred McGriff, Joey Votto, Anthony Rizzo, Todd Helton, Albert Pujols

 

T.G.I.F. BONUS  —  Jan 01

Q.        Who is the youngest player to rack up a total of 100 career home runs for the Colorado Rockies?

Hint:     He gets his hair cut at an exclusive Hollywood hairstylist called The Arena who gives an individualized haircut called the Arena Do.

Hint:     He helped his country win a World Baseball Classic.

A.         NOLAN ARENADO  [B-R Bio]

-  His 100^th HR was 08-Aug-2016 off Cole Hamels. Arenado was just 25 years, 3 months, and 23 days old at the time.

-  There is no such place.

-  The U.S. won the 2017 WBC despite Arenado’s slashing just .161/.212/.290 with a tournament-worst 11 Ks and a “golden sombrero” in the semi-final versus Japan.

FCR -  Mike Eisenbath, St. Charles, Missouri

Incorrect guesses:  Larry Walker

 

SATURDAY  —  Jan 02

Q.        Which pitcher was the first in more than ninety years to make four straight starts against the same team?

Hint:     Late in his rookie season, he struck out the first eight batters he faced, tying the major league record.

Hint:     Only Tom Seaver, Justin Verlander and he have won Rookie of the Year honors and more than one Cy young Award.

A.         JACOB deGROM  [B-R Bio]

-  He faced MIA on 9-Aug, 19-Aug, 26-Aug & 31-Aug-2020, with no other appearances in between, posting a 1.50 ERA with a tidy 36 Ks in 24 IP.  NYG’s Freddie Fitzsimmons last did this in 1929.  He squared off against CIN on 30-Jul, 02-Aug, 09-Aug & 13-Aug.

-  On 15-Sep-2014, he fanned the first 8 Marlins he pitched to.  P Jarred Cosart (career .121 BA) broke the skein with a single to right.  Record originally set by Jim Deshaies of HOU in 1986.

-  ROY in 2014; CYA in 2018 & 2019.

FCR -  Jeff Cohen, Wantagh, New York

Incorrect guesses:  Fernando Valenzuela, Kerry Wood, Zack Greinke, Roger Clemens

 

WEEKEND BONUS  —  Jan 02

Q.        Who re-branded himself the same year that his team did the same thing?

Hint:     That same year, he hit a home run off a slow-ball pitcher that left his bat at 122.4 MPH, the fastest exit velocity to date.

Hint:     No current player has signed a lengthier contract than his.

Hint:     He had two infield hits in his major league debut game.

A.         GIANCARLO STANTON  [B-R Bio]

-  In 2012 Stanton put “Michael” & “Mike” on the back burner and began to use his given name “Giancarlo” full time.  2012 was the last year that the Marlins claimed the whole state and presented themselves as the Miami Marlins.

-  HR was off Colorado’s Jaime Moyer 21-May-2012, the fastest during the ESPN Home Run Tracker Era (2006-2014).  Thin air didn’t help as the game was played in Miami.  Since the advent of the MLB StatCast Era in 2015 (which measures the exit velocity of all types of hit balls, not just home runs), Stanton has also posted the fastest EV—122.2 MPH on a ground ball single 01-Oct-2017.”

-  Bryce Harper’s 13-year contract with PHI matches Stanton’s for the longest contract in baseball history.

-  Over his 11-year career, he’s averaged less than ten infield hits per season

FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma

Incorrect guesses:  Melvin Upton, Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Bobby Bonilla, Carlos Gonzalez

 

SUNDAY  —  Jan 03

Q.        Who was the first center fielder to win the coveted Platinum Glove Award?

Hint:     He is an active supporter of the LGBTQ community.

Hint:     His defensive prowess led to his nickname.

A.         KEVIN KIERMAIER  [B-R Bio]

-  PG in 2015; MIN’s Byron Buxton won 2 years later.  LF Alex Gordon has won twice.

-  In the immediate aftermath of the horrible events that happened in Orlando at Pulse night club, Kiermaier and his team of Tampa Rays honored victims and their families by wearing “We are Orlando” shirts.

-  Nicknamed “The Outlaw” for stealing so many would-be hits.  He didn’t exactly coin it himself, but almost.  (Article “The” omitted on his B-R page.)

FCR -  Sarah Grynpas, Toronto

Incorrect guesses:  Andre Dawson, Andruw Jones, Yadier Molina, Matt Chapman, Justin Upton, Jacoby Ellsbury, Adam Jones, Byron Buxton

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Players active in 2020 whose team career WAR scores are in their franchises’ Top 5 all-time, although in a couple of cases, they are now with a different organization (…as presented in Baseball-Reference on each team’s main page.  Just click below for each visual.)

 

Player                       Team               Position

Arenado.................. Rockies............... 4^th

Braun..................... Brewers.............. 3^rd

deGrom..................... Mets................. 4^th

Goldschmidt...... Diamondbacks......... 2^nd

Kershaw................. Dodgers.............. 1^st

Kiermaier.................. Rays................. 4^th

Longoria.................... Rays................. 1^st

Pujols.................... Cardinals............. 4^th

Stanton................... Marlins............... 1^st

Trout........................ Angels................ 1^st

Votto......................... Reds................. 5^th

 

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – [Nobody]

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tuesday -  Most hits through 1,000 games

               -  Players who hit 250 (or more!)  homers before age 28

               -  Rookies with 30 HRs and BA over .300

               -  Active players with the highest career WAR

               -  People who will never win a World Series while playing for the Angels

               -  Highest WAR for Position Players

 

Wed        -  Active players with a score over 100 on the Hall of Fame Monitor

               -  Active 3-time major award winners

               -  Active WAR leaders

               -  Los Angeles Sports Greats of the 21st Century

               -  Best player at their position in 21st century by WAR

               -  The active leaders in WAR

               -  50 WAR in the 21^st century

               -  Active players with career WAR above 50

 

Thursday-  Top 50 draft picks of the 21st century to win an MVP

 

Friday     -  I Am Second baseball roster

               -  Jewish MVPs

               -  Jewish All Stars

 

Sunday   -  Highest paid players in baseball

               -  Players who won both the ROY and MVP

 

 

 

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2020-12-21 Pitchers who started combined no-hitters

MONDAY  —  Dec 21

Q.        Who built Yankee Stadium?

Hint:     He was called up to the Red Sox at the same time as Carl Mays.

Hint:     He dreamed of managing a Major League team, but it wasn’t to be.

A.         BABE RUTH  [SABR Bio]

-  OK, anybody who thought he REALLY built it or who thought that’s what we meant—raise your hand. 

-  In the book “The Pitch that Killed”, Carl Mays's BOS debut is nicely detailed.  Mays & Ruth were brought to Boston from the minors, and shared a taxi into the city for Mays's first taste of city life.  Ruth had already had a brief stint with the Sawx, so he blustered like a veteran while Mays shrank and tried to remain as invisible as possible.  They both made their mark as members of the '15 BOS staff.

-  Twice, immediately following his playing days, Ruth was lured to NL jobs with the possibility of the manager’s job made to seem very possible.  History has shown that neither the Braves not the Dodgers intended for the Babe to be anything but a draw at the gate.

FCR -  Evan Thompson, Mesa

Incorrect guesses:  Ed Barrow

 

TUESDAY  —  Dec 22

Q.        Who is the only pitcher to win a game for both leagues in the All-Star Game?

Hint:     His owner offered him a bonus if he would change his first name to “True.”

Hint:     He teamed with Bud Black in Kansas City, but neither was a bruiser at that point in their careers.

A.         VIDA BLUE  [SABR Bio]

-  ASG W 1971 AL representing OAK, Won again a decade later representing the NL’s SFG.  These were the 1^st and last of Blue’s 6 AS selections.

-  In 1971, one-of-a-kind A’s owner Charles O. Finley offered Blue a $2,000 bonus (about $13,000 in 2020) if he’d legally change his first name to “True”.  Blue dismissed the paltry offer, but that season, and in following ones, used his first name “Vida” on the back of his jersey instead of his last name, to spite the owner's effort.

-  W/Black on the 1982-83 KCR.

FCR -  Kevin Decker, Hillsborough, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Bret Saberhagen

 

TWOZDAY  —  Dec 22

Q.        Which pitcher’s arm ailment was cured when he was shocked while changing a spark plug in his truck?

Hint:     He was the wide receiver and safety on a state champion football team.

Hint:     Only the supernova that was Albert Pujols kept him from being National League Rookie of the Year.

A.         ROY OSWALT  [B-R Bio]

-  In 1999, when Oswalt was with the Class A Michigan Battle Cats in the Midwest League, he suffered an apparently serious shoulder injury.  After a month of pain in his upper shoulder, Oswalt was convinced that his shoulder was torn.  Shortly thereafter, he was checking the spark plug wires on his pickup truck when he touched one of the bare ones, causing the truck's engine to start.  The truck’s electric current flowed through Oswalt's body, tightening the muscles in his hand on the spark plug wire.  Unable to let go of it, he grasped the wire for almost one minute.  Then his foot slipped off the truck's bumper and he was finally thrown off.  "My truck done shocked the fire out of me, and my arm don't hurt no more.”  The electric charge had loosened scar tissue in his shoulder.  Oswalt claims he has not felt any pain in his shoulder since the incident.

-  Played both ways for Weir High School, Mississippi’s state champion for 1994.

-  Finished a strong 2^nd behind Pujols for NL ROY in 2001, though Pujols captured all the 1^st-place votes.

FCR -  John Rickert, Terre Haute

 

WEDNESDAY  —  Dec 23

Q.        Which former All-Star was traded to the Expos for Randy Johnson in 1989?

Hint:     His career pickoffs are in the all-time top ten.

Hint:     He finished second to teammate in Rookie of the Year voting.

A.         MARK LANGSTON  [B-R Bio]

-  On 25-May-1989:  Langston was traded by SEA with a player to be named later to MON for Gene Harris, Brian Holman and Randy Johnson.  In July, SEA sent Mike Campbell to MON to complete the trade.  Langston had been an All-Star in 1987.

-  Baseball-Reference ranks Langston 6^th all-time in career pickoffs w/78, just ahead of Warren Spahn.

-  Debuting with SEA, he finished behind Alvin Davis in the 1984 ROY voting.

FCR -  Matt Clairmont, New Minas, Nova Scotia

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  —  Dec 23

Q.        Who took it upon himself to teach a star rookie a lesson?

Hint:     To this day, no one is certain what the lesson was.

Hint:     He was voted MVP in consecutive postseason series.

Hint:     He said pitching in his major league debut against his childhood hero was like being in a video game.

A.         COLE HAMELS  [B-R Bio]

-  On 06-May-2012 during the season where he was to become the unanimous NL ROY, Bryce Harper was intentionally hit with a pitch thrown by PHI’s Hamels.  Harper, having been advanced to 3^rd on Jason Werth’s single,  stole home, straight steal, to break the scoreless tie.  WSN pitcher Jordan Zimmerman reciprocated the next time Hamels came to bat and sent him to first base I the most painful way.

-  Hamels was MVP on the 2008 NLCS and 2008 WS.

-  In Hamels’ first career inning on 12-May-2006, he struck out Ken Griffey, Jr., looking, on an 0-2 pitch.

FCR -  Dan Greder, Ames, Iowa

Incorrect guesses:  Madison Bumgarner, Blake Snell, Brooks Robinson

 

THURSDAY  —  Dec 24

Q.        Who became the youngest Dodgers pitcher to throw six or more scoreless innings in a World Series game in over 60 years?

Hint:     He appeared to get stronger over the course of that game.

Hint:     Life moves pretty fast, but he has stopped and looked around so as not to miss it.

A.         WALKER BUEHLER  [B-R Bio]

-  Only Johnny Podres in G7 of the 1955 World Series, was younger than Buehler when he twirled his G3 gem in the 2018 Fall Classic. 

-  Buehler's 1^st WS pitch was clocked at 97.9 mph.  7 innings later, Buehler's 108^th and final pitch hit 98.2 mph.   

-  For Halloween 2019, Walker Buehler and his girlfriend McKenzie dressed up as Ferris Bueller and Sloan, the character's girlfriend. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the John Hughes teen comedy classic from 1986 that starred Matthew Broderick in the title role.

FCR -  David Krassin, Los Angeles

Incorrect guesses:  Fernando Valenzuela, Sandy Koufax, Johnny Padres, Julio Urias, Larry Sherry, Rich Hill, Yu Darvish, Clayton Kershaw

 

SUGARPLUM BONUS  —  Dec 24

Q.        What pitcher received the Tony Conigliaro Award after recovering from a cerebral hemorrhage?

Hint:     He was the winning pitcher of the game in which Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record.

Hint:     He and Paul O’Neill are alumni of the same alma mater.

A.         KENT MERCKER  [SABR Bio]

-  Shared the 2000 Tony C. Award with Tony Saunders

-  W on 08-Sep-1998

-  Attended Otterbein University in Westerville, OH

FCR -  Sarah Grynpas, Toronto

Incorrect guesses:  Steve Trachsel

 

FRIDAY  —  Dec 25

Q.        Who outpitched rotation mates Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine in a season when the team won more than 100 games?

Hint:     No Texas Ranger pitcher has started more consecutive Opening Days’ games.

Hint:     When he retired, he was the active career leader in strikeouts among major league righties.

A.         KEVIN MILLWOOD  [Wiki]

-  During the brilliant 1999 ATL 103-win season, Millwood bested all three of the squad’s future Hall of Fame pitchers with the lowest ERA and WHIP, the best Winning Percentage, struck out more batters and earned the highest WAR.

-  From 2006 to 2009, Millwood got the ball for 4 straight ODs, going 1-3.

-  When Millwood hung it up on 3-Feb-2013, his total of 2,083 career Ks was the highest among all major league northpaws.

FCR -  Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan

Incorrect guesses:  Nolan Ryan, Doyle Alexander, Denny Neagle, Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bolin

 

CELEBRATION BONUS —  Dec 25

Q.        Which one-time San Francisco Giant boldly wore uniform number thirteen for the Seattle Pilots?

Hint:     He was the first pitcher to win twenty games in a season for his team, but wasn’t the first to do it for the franchise.

Hint:     He was cut by the Brewers in spring training in both 1970 and 1974

A.         STEVE BARBER  [SABR Bio]

-  He had also worn #13 when he pitched for BAL 1961-67.  Played for SFG for 13 G in 1974 to end his career in the majors.

-  Barber’s record was 20-13 in 1963, BAL’s 10^th season in Baltimore as the Orioles.  When the franchise was the Browns and played in St. Louis, 10 different pitchers had 20-win seasons, led by Urban Shocker’s 27 in 1921.

-  After his best years in Baltimore, he was plagued by arm trouble and never got back to the form that earned him MVP votes in his 1^st 2 years in the majors and was twice selected for the AL AS team.

FCR -  Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario

Incorrect guesses:  Jim Colborn, John Morris

 

SATURDAY  —  Dec 26

Q.        Who was the first American League pitcher to steal a base after the advent of the designated hitter?

Hint:     He starred for a high school team that won consecutive state championships and then played for a team that        won three straight at the major league level.

Hint:     He used to hate his unusual nickname but grew to love it.

A.         BLUE MOON ODOM  [SABR Bio]

-  SB 25-Apr-1973

-  Odom led Ballard-Hudson High School in Macon, Georgia to two consecutive state championships while personally amassing a 42-2 pitching record.  He was a member of the Oakland A’s who won the World Series 1972, 1973 & 1974.

-  Given the nickname “Blue Moon” by a fifth-grade classmate.

FCR -  Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan

Incorrect guesses:  Catfish Hunter, Gene Nelson, Jim Palmer, Roy Lee Jackson

 

BOXING DAY SPECIAL  —  Dec 26

Q.        Who was the last twentieth-century American League pitcher to have a season with ten games started but no victories?

Hint:     He shut out the Yankees in his third major league start and did it in the season when his team posted its then worst record since their move to their current city.

Hint:     His first three starts after being called up, two of which he won, were the team’s only wins in their last twenty played that season, which, believe it or not, was still better than their first twenty games that year.

A.         BOB MILACKI  [SABR Bio]

-  Started 10 G in 1994 w/a record of 0-5 for KCR in his one season with them.  (The strike that year probably didn’t help; his 6.14 ERA definitely didn’t.)

-  Shutout NYY 28-Sep-1988.  BAL record that season was 54-107.  (However, 30 seasons later, BAL’s woeful 47-115 2018 record ‘surpassed’ the 1988 team’s and was the worst in the 120-year history of the franchise, including the years spent in Milwaukee and St. Louis.)

-  BAL began 1988 0-20 and won their 1^st G on 29-Apr.

FCR -  Rich Klein, Plano, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Bruce Chen, Roger Craig 

 

SUNDAY  —  Dec 26

Q.        Who posted the highest ERA (min. 25 IP) in any month of June in the Modern Era?

Hint:     He was the winner of the playoff game with the most talk-about bat flip of the last decade.

Hint:     His step-father was the community college baseball coach in the town where he grew up.  He did not play there however, because his performance in high school was so good that he was drafted into the majors the first round.

A.         AARON SANCHEZ  [B-R Bio]

-  Sanchez’s all-time June record-high 12.00 ERA in 2019 was the result of allowing 36 ER in 27 IP.  In his six starts, he surrendered 44 hits, 19 BB and 7 HR.

-  In the top of the 7^th of 2015 ALDS deciding G 5 on 24-Oct-2015, TOR catcher Martin’s threw the ball back to Sanchez on the mound but his throw deflected off the hand of batter Shin-Soo Choo allowing TEX runner Roughed Odor to score a contested go-ahead run.  In the bottom of that same inning, Bautista became the hero and earned Sanchez the victory.

-  Step-father Mike Shipley coached Barstow Community College but any chance of Sanchez attending there was scuttled when he posted a 9-1 win-loss HS record w/a 1.12 ERA with 125 strikeouts in 87⅓ IP.  TOR took him in the 1^st round of the 2010 MLB draft.

FCR -  Benjamin Chase, Huron, South Dakota

Incorrect guesses:  Roberto Osuna

 

IN MEMORIAM  —  Dec 27

Q.        Which Hall of Famer’s pitch was so effective that it actually became his nickname?

Hint:     No other pitcher won more games after the age of forty than he did.

Hint:     He, together with his younger brother, racked up an amazing aggregates of 539 wins, the most by any two or three brothers combined in major league history.

Hint:     His brother’s sole career home run came at his expense.

Hint:     His total of twenty-four years pitching in the majors places him in very select company and no pitcher with his specialty pitched longer or tallied more wins, innings pitched or strikeouts.

Hint:     During his time in professional baseball, he witnessed the administrations of seven different U.S. presidents.  In fact, he holds the record for most years pitching with one National League team.

Hint:     No slouch on defense, he won five Gold Glove awards.

Hint:     He was five times an All-Star and although he didn’t win a Cy Young Award, he received consideration for the award in five separate seasons.

Hint:     He said “Mr. Baseball” turned his career around.

Hint:     One of his childhood friends is a Hall of Famer in another sport.

A.         PHIL NIEKRO  [SABR Bio]

-  “Knucksie” became the master, as much as one could, of the knuckleball.  His signature pitch is actually thrown with the fingernails dug into the baseball’s seams or cowhide cover.  The delivery of this whimsical floater was taught to him by his father.

-  A full 121 of his career 318 career pitching victories came after he turned 40

-  Brother Joe had contributed 221 wins to the fraternal total.

- Joe’s HR 29-May-1976.

-  Among knuckleballers, Niekro sands alone with 318 W, 5,404 IP (4^th all-time among all pitchers) & 3,342 K.

-  Niekro’s first year in the minors was 1959 and he retired in 1987.  Presidents during that span were Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan.

-  Won GG in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982 & 1983.  In all, 24 season in the majors, with 21 years pitching the Braves, beginning in Milwaukee in 1964, is the most for any player for an NL team.

-  An All-Star in 1969, 1975, 1978, 1982 & 1984.Received CYA votes in 1969 (2^nd), 1974 (3^rd), 1978 (6^th), 1979 (6^th) & 1982 (5^th).

-  While teammates for ATL in 1967 Niekro had a young catcher who was not about to call for a knuckleball with a runner on third base, fearful of a passed ball that would allow the runner to score.  But another catcher, Bob Uecker, told Niekro that if he was ever going to be a winner he had to throw the knuckleball every pitch and that he, Uecker would try to catch it.  Niekro led MLB in ERA (1.87) that season despite Uecker also pacing the majors, but in passed balls—(27) in only 62 G.

-  He, his brother Joe and NBA great John Havlicek grew up playing many sports together in Lansing, Ohio. Phil delivered the eulogy at his friend’s funeral just last year.

FCR -  John Michael Pierobon, Ft. Lauderdale

 

SUNDAY BONUS  —  Dec 27

Q.        Who was the starting pitcher the only time in major league history when two native Mexican pitchers combined on an extra-innings no-hitter?

Hint:     He, however, was the only major leaguer born in Blue Hill, Mexico.

Hint:     He was the only Pirate to earn Player of the Week honors during the 1997 season.

A.         FRANCISCO CORDOVA  [B-R Bio]

-  On 12-Jul-1997, at a sold out Three Rivers Stadium, Cordova pitched nine innings of a combined 10-inning no-hitter for the Pirates.  Ricardo Rincon pitched the 10^th inning.  PIT won the game on a dramatic 3-run, pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 10^th by Mark Smith, pinch-hitting for Rincon.  It is also the only combined, extra-inning no-hitter by pitchers of ANY nationality.

-  Born in the city known locally as Cerro Azul.

FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota

Incorrect guesses:  Ricardo Rincon, Esteban Loaiza, Oliver Perez, Vicente Palacios John Candelaria

 

VESPERS —  Dec 27

Q.        Which former Cougar was the starting pitcher in the Angels' first home game after the tragic death of teammate Tyler Skaggs?

Hint:     He went public with his criticism of the shenanigans of the 2017 Houston Astros.

Hint:     He was born near the location of a Presidential Library.

A.         TAYLOR COLE  [SABR Bio]

-  On 12-Jul-2019, he made his most memorable appearance as a big leaguer.  Cole was the “opener” in a bullpen game against SEA.  It was an emotional occasion, the Angels’ first home game after the tragic death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs on 01-Jul.  Cole pitched two hitless innings the Felix Pena then took over, not giving up a hit the rest of the way.  It was a 13-0, combined no-hitter.

-  Cole pushed for additional investigation of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.  He attended Brigham Young University.

-  Born in Simi Valley, California, home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

FCR -  Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:  Mike Fiers

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers who started combined no-hitters

 

Starter      Relieved by                 Date              Opponent

Barber⁴..... Stu Miller.............. 30-Apr-1967(1)..... Tigers

 

Blue*........ Glenn Abbott²......... 28-Sep-1975........ Angels

                  Paul Lindblad²

                  Rollie Fingers

 

Buehler*... Tony Cingrani......... 4-May-2018........ Padres

                  Yimi Garcia

                  Adam Liberatore

 

Cole.......... Felix Pena*............. 12-July-2019....... Mariners

 

Cordova... Ricardo Rincon*...... 12-Jul-1997........ Astros

 

Hamels..... Jake Diekman........ 01-Sept-2014....... Braves

                  Ken Giles

                  Jonathon Papelbon

 

Langston*. Mike Witt³............... 11-Apr-1990........ Mariners

 

Mercker*... Mark Wohlers²........ 11-Sep-1991........ Padres

                  Alejandro Pena³

 

Milacki*.... Mike Flanagan²....... 13-Jul-1991........ A’s

                  Mark Williamson²

                  Greg Olson³

 

Millwood... Charlie Furbush...... 8-June-2012........ Dodgers

                  Stephen Pryor*

                  Lucas Luetge²

                  Brandon League²

                  Tom Wilhelmsen³

 

Odom*...... Francisco Barrios³.. 28-Jul-1976........ A’s

 

Oswalt...... Peter Munro............ 11-Jun-2003........ Yankees

                  Kirk Saarloos

                  Brad Lidge*

                  Octavio Dotel

                  Bill Wagner

 

Ruth......... Ernie Shore*......... 23-Jun-1917(1)...... Senators

 

Sanchez*. Will Harris................ 3-Aug-2019........ Mariners

 

*Got the win

²Credited with a Hold

³Credited with a Save

⁴Took the Loss

 

 

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Tom Byrne, Old Greenwich, Connecticut (after Vida Blue)

 

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Monday  -  Players who later became product placements

               -  Best players ever

               -  Inaugural class of the HOF

               -  Appeared in the WS as a pitcher and a position player

               -  Career WAR above 150

               -  Career OPS above 1

 

Tuesday -  Players who won the ERA title at age 21

               -  Players whose first and last names both have 4 letters

               -  Players who won 20+ games at age 21 or under

               -  Lefty pitchers who have been on three World Series-winning teams.

               -  Lefty pitchers before age 26.

               -  Lefty pitchers before age 30.

               -  Lefty pitchers for the same franchise.

               -  Lefty pitchers who have led the league in ERA exactly once.

               -  Lefty pitchers who have posted a sub-2.00 ERA over a full season.

               -  Lefty pitchers who have posted a sub-2.00 ERA in a season with over 300 IP.

               -  Lefty pitchers who have led the league in shutouts exactly once.

               -  Pitchers who led the league with an ERA below 2.00

               -  Pitchers who led the league in ERA and shutouts in the same season

               -  Players whose most commonly used first and last names have 4 letters each and who led the AL in ERA at 21 years old

               -  Players with the same number of letters in their first and last names.

               -  Pitchers having had the lowest ERA for their franchise?

 

 

Wed.       -  Pitchers who participated in multi-pitcher no-hitters

               -  All Star pitchers who participated in combined no hitters.

               -  Lefties that started combined no hitters

 

Thursday   Left-handed pitchers with 4 letter first names that won WS games.

 

 

 

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