Thanks to Preston Salisbury for the work he did assembling this week’s quiz.
MONDAY —21-Feb
Q. Whose
shutout performance was noted in Robert F. Kennedy’s final speech?
Hint: He was the
last active major league pitcher who had been a Brooklyn Dodger.
Hint: While he is
mentioned in a Tom Waits song, opposing batters didn’t find him a sight for
sore eyes so much as a cause of sore bodies.
A. DON DRYSDALE [SABR
Bio]
- Drysdale carried a recording of Kennedy’s speech with him until the day he died.
- Joined the Dodgers
in Brooklyn in 1956 and was still in the
majors in 1969. However, while he may have been the last
Brooklyn Dodger pitcher in MLB, further research shows that utility
player Bob Aspromonte played a full year w/NYM in 1971 after having
had 1 PA w/Brooklyn in 1956. (He struck out.) John Roseboro also played past Drysdale’s
retirement.
- Drysdale is the
only non-Yankee mentioned in the line “let’s toast to the old days and DiMaggio
too/Drysdale and Mantle, Whitey Ford and to you”. His reputation for hitting opposing batters is
well known.
FCR - Steven Harmon, Sacramento
Incorrect guesses: Sal
Maglie, Johnny Podres, Sandy Koufax, Claude Osteen, Don Newcombe, Bob
Gibson
TUESDAY —22-Feb
Q. Which Bluejay
was once offered to sign with basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters?
Hint: Tim McCarver
credits him with helping him to overcome racial prejudice.
Hint: He is
honored in at least four Halls of Fame.
A. BOB GIBSON [SABR
Bio]
- The Creighton Bluejays’
basketball star played with the Globetrotters when they visited Omaha. He made quite an impression.
- McCarver still
credits Gibson with many life insights.
- HOFs as they exist for
Creighton University, the Missouri Valley Conference & Omaha Sports in
addition to Cooperstown.
FCR - Tony Hughes, Woodbridge, Virginia
Incorrect guesses: Roberto Alomar, Rico Carty, Dave Winfield,
Fergie Jenkins, Joe Carter, Danny Ainge
WEDNESDAY —23-Feb
Q. Which lefty, once traded from the
Mariners to the Astros, had been recruited to play defensive back in college?
Hint: He struggled with multiple elbow and
shoulder surgeries throughout his career.
Hint: His lone World Series start was notable for
a throw by his opposite number.
A. MIKE HAMPTON [B-R Bio]
- After debuting in SEA, he was traded to HOU in the 1993-1994
offseason. In high school, Hampton was
recruited as a defensive back for football powerhouses Notre Dame, Miami &
Florida State.
- Missed two full seasons in 2006 & 2007,
was expected to miss all of 2010 but came back for exactly 4⅔ innings with ARI.
- Was the starter in G 2 in the 2000 WS (his only season with NYM), when Roger Clemens
threw a broken bat in the direction of Mike Piazza.
FCR - Ethan Beanes, Montclair, California
Incorrect
guesses: Mark Langston, Larry Dierker,
Randy Johnson
MIDWEEK BONUS —24-Feb
Q. Who holds the Georgia state high school
record for most home runs?
Hint: He was the first pitcher since Whitey Ford
to have multiple four hit games in the same season.
Hint: By OPS+, he was 33% better with the bat
than a position player who shares his last name (no relation).
A. MICAH OWINGS [B-R Bio]
- Hit 69 home runs, fourth in the entire
country, per Wikipedia
- Multiple four hit games in 2007
- His OPS+ of 106 is higher than any that Chris
Owings (career OPS+ of 73) has posted in any season with more than 50 at bats.
FCR - Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario
Incorrect
guesses: Archie Bradley, Madison
Bumgarner, Charlie Root, Christin Stewart, Jeff Francoeur, Earl Wilson
THURSDAY —24-Feb
Q. Which one-time Marlin no-hit the Astros
in Milwaukee?
Hint: He was well-known for altercations with
teammates.
Hint: If he had pitched better, the world might
never have heard of Bartman
A. CARLOS ZAMBRANO [B-R Bio]
- Played with the MIA in 2012. Pitched the 1st
neutral-site no-hitter at Miller Park for CHC on 14-Sep-2008.
- Michael Barrett and Derrick Lee were two notable targets
of his ire.
- Started Game 5 of the 2003 NLCS, which was the first
opportunity for the Cubs to clinch.
FCR - Michael Schneider, Wilmington, Delaware
Incorrect
guesses: Livian Hernandez, Mark Prior, Kyle
Farnsworth
FRIDAY —25-Feb
Q. Which well-traveled veteran ironically but
got lost on the way to his first professional team?
Hint: He set a record for pitchers when he homered
in 4 consecutive starts.
Hint: His early career was briefly interrupted by
military service.
- He played for 10 teams in the majors but got
lost on his way to play for the level A Red Sox in Oneonta, NY in
1966.
- Bret hit a home run in each of: 09-Jun;
18-Jun: &
- Following the 1967 World Series Brett spent
six months in the U.S. Army Reserve and missed spring training in 1968.
FCR - Bill Carle, Lee's Summit, Missouri
Incorrect
guesses: Wes Farrell, Pascual Perez, Bartolo
Colon, Ken Holtzman, Bill Lee, Rick Wise, Warren Spahn, Joe Niekro, Roger Maris
SATURDAY —26-Feb
Q. Which pitcher allowed the fewest hits in
a complete World Series game?
Hint: He was later traded for the most famous
hitter produced by North Dakota.
Hint: That hitter’s standout season is also the
year that puts the pitcher on this week’s list.
A. DON LARSEN [SABR Bio]
- Larsen not only didn’t give up a hit, he
didn’t allow a single batter to reach first base! …the only perfect game in World Series play.
- On 11-Dec-1959, Larsen was traded by NYY
w/Hank Bauer, Norm Siebern & Marv Throneberry to KCA for Joe DeMaestri,
Kent Hadley & Roger Maris, who, although born in Minnesota (Hibbing),
grew up in North Dakota (Fargo).
- 1961 would prove pivotal for both players.
FCR - Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario
Incorrect
guesses: Ralph Terry, Bill Bevans, Jim
Lonborg
SUNDAY —27-Feb
Q. What Kansas City native won 20 games for
a World Series winning team and failed to get a single Cy Young vote?
Hint: His Hall of Fame teammate, who is also in
this week’s theme, did not get any Cy Young votes that year either.
Hint: He led the majors in losses during the
“year of the pitcher”.
A. RAY SADECKI [SABR Bio]
- Born in Kansas City, Kansas, he led STL
in 1964 /20 W (Gibson had 19). There was
only one CYA award in 1964. Dean Chance
won it & the other votes went to Larry Jackson & Sandy Koufax.
- Lost 18 games with SFG in 1968.
FCR - Tony Hughes, Woodbridge, Virginia
Incorrect
guesses: Dave McNally, Luis Tiant, Clay
Kirby, Mickey Lolich, Pat Dobson, Claude Osteen, David Cone
MONDAY —28-Feb
Q. Which original MLB San Diego Padres
pitcher, has the same name as a subsequent Padres manager?
Hint: He received Cy Young votes one year despite
a losing record, finishing ahead of Juan Marichal in the voting.
Hint: He holds the Padres record for lowest ERA
in a full season.
A. DAVE ROBERTS [SABR Bio]
- Played with SDP 1969-71. SDP mgr was another Dave Roberts who guided the team for
1 interim G in 2015 before heading north
to lead LAD where he had more success.
- Went 14-17 with a 2.10 ERA in 1971. In 202’s shortened season, Received 2 CYA voting points, good for 6th
place in the NL voting that year (the only season he received any CYA
attention). Marichal had 1.
- Had an ERA of 2.10 in 1971, 2nd behind Tom
Seaver’s amazing 1.76. In 2020’s
shortened season, Dinelson Lamet set a new franchise
record w/2.09.
FCR - Tom Lee, Nashville
Incorrect guesses: Randy Jones, Johnny Podres, Greg Harris
WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers
with seasons of multiple home runs and greater than a .300 batting average,
expansion era. Additional pitchers
meeting criteria are Zach Duke and Eddie Watt. Brooks Kieschnick in 2003 is not counted, as
he was a two-way player.)
Pitcher Year HR Avg WAR
Brett..................... 1974......... 2......... .310..................... 16.3
Drysdale*............ 1965......... 7......... .300..................... 67.1
Duke..................... 2011......... 2......... .300..................... 12.2
Gibson................. 1970......... 2......... .303..................... 89.1
Hampton............. 2002......... 3......... .344..................... 28.1
Larsen................. 1961......... 2......... .311..................... 18.4
Owings................ 2007......... 4......... .333....................... 3.2
Roberts............... 1978......... 2......... .327..................... 23.5
Sadecki............... 1966......... 3......... .341..................... 19.3
Watt...................... 1966......... 2......... .304....................... 7.7
Zambrano............ 2008......... 4......... .337..................... 43.9
* Avg higher than any
Dodgers position player that year
** Hampton also hit the
same number of home runs in 2001 and 2002 combined as he allowed in the entire
2000 season, 10
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan
(after Roberts)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Hall
of Famers married to Hall of Famers
- Baseball
players who played themselves on TV shows
- Players
mentioned by presidents/candidates
- MLB
players married to professional athletes
Tuesday- Pitchers who hit .300 plus in a season
- HOF
pitchers who spent their entire careers with one team and hit more than 20 home
runs
- Hall
of Famers who won Cy Youngs and World Series and became broadcasters
- Hall
of Fame pitchers who led the league in HBP
Wed - Pitchers
who hit .300 plus with a .500 plus slugging average
- Pitchers
who hit at least five home runs in a season
- Single
season 20+ Game winners with .750 or over win percentage
- Last
Pitchers to lead league in wins with 22 or more victories
- Pitchers
who had a .300+ season at the plate
- Pitchers
with a season batting average of .300 or better AND the same last name as a
U.S. city
- NL
pitchers with 4 or more Home Runs in a season since 1960
Thu - Pitchers
who had 15 rbi's in a season
- NL
Pitchers with Pinch Hit Home Runs
- Pitchers
who hit .300 and also pinch hit
- Pitcher
who hit .300 who hit home run off pitcher who started against him
Fri - Pitchers
with highest Home Run to AB ratio since 1960
- Most
hr in a season by a pitcher with a 300 batting average since 1960
- Pitchers
who hit 9 or more HR in the Expansion Era
Sat - Pitchers
who have hit Home Runs not batting ninth
- Pitchers
who won the offensive Triple Crown among pitchers—in other words, as batters,
they led all pitchers in HR, RBI and BA
Sun - Pitchers
who hit HRs for two different teams in the same year
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