MONDAY — 28-Apr-2025
Q. Which
former Dodger pitcher broke Luis Tiant’s record for opponents’ lowest batting
average in any season?
Hint: #1
His brother (not Tiant’s) pitched for the Pirates the following season.
Hint: #2
He (not the brother) was caught in untimely infield sprinkler action
during a game in the 2005 season.
-
Ans. Martinez surpassed the.168
set by Luis Tiant in 1968, "The Year of the Pitcher”. In 2000 Pedro’s was .167. He had pitched for LAD in 1992 & 93.
-
#1 Ramon Martinez, Pedro’s older
brother, pitched for PIT in 2001.
-
#2 View the unexpected sprinklers
here.
FCR - Stefan
Grossman, Bethesda
Incorrect guesses: Orel Hershiser
TUESDAY — 29-Apr-2025
Q. Who
is the only National League player to hit home runs in his first two World
Series at-bats?
Hint: #1
He is a member of an elite club of only four members, the other three
being Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt & Ken Griffey, Jr.
Hint: #2
He is the youngest player ever to start a season for the oldest
franchise in major league history.
A. ANDRUW JONES [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. In G 1 of the 1996 WS, Jones homered off Andy
Pettitte in the 2nd inning & off Brian Boehringer in the 3rd. At 19 years, 180 days old, he became, &
still is, the youngest player ever to hit a home run in the WS.
-
#1 Mays, Schmidt, Griffey &
Jones each have 10 GG & 400+ HR.
-
#2 In 1997, at 19 years old,
Jones was the youngest Opening Day starter in the history of the Braves
franchise, which dates to 1876, when they began as the Boston Red Stockings.
FCR - Jeff
Cohen, Wantagh, New York
Incorrect guesses: Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Cesar Cedeno, Mel
Ott, Bryce Harper, Dan Driesen, Dale Murphy, Joe Nuxhall
TUESDAY TWICE — 29-Apr-2025
Q. Who
has hit more doubles in a season than any other player in the one hundred
fourteen year history of the Dodgers?
Hint: #1
He led the majors in doubles that year but also did twice before.
Hint: #2
Eight times he has finished in the Top Ten in league Most Valuable
Player voting.
A. FREDDIE FREEMAN [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. Freeman hit 59
2B in 2023.
-
#1 He hit 47
2B for LAD in 2022 & hit 23
for ATL in shortened 2020 season, his MVP year. He also led the NL in 2B for ATL w/44
in 2018.
-
#2 Going chronologically, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023.
FCR - Brian
Barris, Oneida, New York
Incorrect guesses: Tommy Davis, Mookie Betts, Duke Snyder
WEDNESDAY — 30-Apr-2025
Q. Who
hit the first, second, third and fourth most home runs in any season for the
Montreal Expos?
Hint: #1
He is also the only Expo with a hitting streak of at least thirty games.
Hint: #2
Didn’t win an MVP until he changed leagues.
A. VLADIMIR GUERRERO [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Guerrero hit 44 (2000), 42
(1999), 39 (2002) & 38 (1998) for Montreal — the top four single-season
home run totals in Expos history. He also owns their best four seasons of
slugging percentage and total bases.
-
#1 Hit in 31 straight G in 1999.
-
#2 Although he had been on 6 consecutive
NL MVP ballots, he was voted the AL MVP in his first year with ANA, 2004.
FCR - D.J.
Pisano, Cape Town, South Africa
Incorrect guesses: Andres Galarraga, Andre Dawson
THURSDAY — 30-Apr-2025
Q. Who
is the only player to hit for the cycle in a season where he had only one
triple?
Hint: #1
He did it twice!
Hint: #2
He was an all-conference pitcher in college.
A. JOHN OLERUD [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. On 11-Sep-1997, Olerud hit for the
cycle for NYM. The triple in that game
was his only one of the season. His
previous cycle had come 405 games earlier, on the final day of the
strike-shortened 1994 season.
-
#1 Then, playing for SEA on 12-Jun-2001, he again hit for the
cycle again. That triple was also his
only one of the year—and came during a five-season span in which he hit no
other triples (1999–2003).
-
#2 Olerud's pitching record at
Washington State University was 26-4 with a 3.17 ERA over his 3 seasons. He also threw 241.1 innings, setting
multiple PAC-10 & PAC-10 North records.
FCR - Scott
Morissey, Hamilton, Ontario
Incorrect guesses: Benjie Molina, Bob Watson, Mark McGwire, Jim
Ray Hart, Jim Rice
THURSDAY AGAIN — 01-May-2025
Q. Who
was named Baseball America Freshman of the Year and the next year
Baseball America College Player of the Year?
Hint: #1
He hit the first of almost three hundred major league home runs off
Roger Clemens.
Hint: #2
He is the only player to hit two grand slams in a single game AND hit
grand slams in each game of a doubleheader.
A. ROBIN VENTURA [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. At Oklahoma State U.,
Ventura burst onto the college baseball scene in 1986 & 1987 with one of the
most explosive beginnings ever.
-
#1 HR off Clemens was on 18-Apr-1990.
-
#2 Two slams in one G = 04-Sep-1995, 1 each off SEA’s Danny
Darwin & Dennis Cook. His
doubleheader slams were on 20-May-1999(1) off Jim Abbott & 20-May-1999(2) off Horacio Estrada.
FCR - Jim
Cochran, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Incorrect guesses: Toby Harrah, Pete Incaviglia, Fernando Tatis,
Tom Brunansky
FRIDAY —
02-May-2025
Q. Who
led the majors in WAR and ERA+ and led the American League in ERA, but came in
a distant third in the only season of his sixteen in the majors when received
even a single Cy Young Award vote?
Hint: #1
It was also the only season he received votes for the league’s Most
Valuable Player where he finished behind twenty-two other players—including five
pitchers!
Hint: #2
Among all pitchers since 1901 with at least 2,500 innings pitched and a career ERA+ of more than 120, only he had fewer
than 170 wins and no Cy Young Awards or 20-win seasons.
A. KEVIN APPIER [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. In 1993 his WAR of 9.3
& ERA+ of 179 were both best in the majors while his 2.56 ERA
led the AL.
-
#1 1993 AL MVP voting.
-
#2 Appier’s career of 2,595⅓ IP &
169 W remains one of the most underappreciated in baseball history.
FCR - Jason
Winston, Riverside, California
Incorrect guesses: Rudy May, Dave Stieb
SATURDAY — 03-Mar-2025
Q. Which
diminutive one-time Colorado Rockies’ pitcher is the only pitcher to begin his
career with fifteen straight wins against another team in his league?
Hint: #1
He led the majors in pitchers’ WAR just two years after consecutive
twenty-win seasons.
Hint: #2
He appeared on the Late Show With David Letterman to read the “Top
10” list.
A. ROY OSWALT [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. Oswalt beat the Cincinnati
Reds 15 times (over 19 starts) before he ever lost to them. He played for COL in 2013 in the last season of his career. Oswalt’s relatively slight stature
(5'10", 150 lbs.) scared away early scouts.
-
#1 His 6.6 WAR was
the pitchers’ best in 2007, but nobody could beat A-Rod’s 9.4 for
all players, all positions. In 2005 Oswalt’s
record was 20-10 & 20-12 the following year.
-
#2 He appeared on the Late
Show With David Letterman to read the “Top 10 Perks of Getting Into the
World Series”, in 2006,Season 13, Show #2447.
FCR - Warren
Kent, Whitehall, Michigan
Incorrect guesses: Tom Gordon, Mike Hampton, Tim Lincecum, Jamie
Moyer
WEEKEND SPECIAL — 04-May-2025
Q. Who
is the only shortstop with more than two hundred home runs and more than four
hundred stolen bases?
Hint: #1
His total games playing shortstop, rounds to 100%.
Hint: #2
One year, halfway through his major league sojourn, he set the records for
the most plate appearances and most at-bats in one season. Both records have stood the test of time.
A. JIMMY ROLLINS [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. Rollins racked up 231 HR
& 470 SB in his 17 seasons in the majors, 15 w/PHI. Stats.
-
#1 Of his 2,228 G, 7 were at 2nd
base & he DH’ed once.
-
#2 In 2007, Rollins had 778 PA of
which 716 were at-bats.
FCR - Fred
Worth, Henderson, Arkansas
Incorrect guesses: Walt Weiss, Derek Jeter, Miquel Tejada
SUNDAY — 04-May-2025
Q. Who played
in the most postseason series of any non-Yankee or non-Brave in the 1990s?
Hint: #1
He was an All-Star for three different expansion franchises.
Hint: #2
He was the first California Angels player to hit home runs from both
sides of the plate in the same game.
A. DEVON WHITE [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. White was in 8 such series:
1991 ALCS – TOR;
1992 ALCS & WS – TOR (2 series);
1993 ALCS & WS – TOR (2 series);
1997 NLDS, NLCS, WS – FLA (3 series)
-
#1 ASG for AL CAL in 1989, for AL TOR in 1993 [with 6 teammates] & for the NL… ARI in 1998.
-
#2 Switch-hit HRs = 23-Jun-1987.
FCR - Daavid
Wise, Hyde Park, New York
Incorrect guesses: David Justice
WEEK’S FINALE
— 04-May-2025
Q. Which
outfielder was once traded for Ken Griffey Jr.—and had previously been traded
for Paul Konerko?
Hint: #1
He once homered four times in a single game, half of those in the first
inning.
Hint: #2
He won Gold Gloves in both leagues and reached the 20–20 club with four
different franchises.
A. MIKE CAMERON [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. Cameron was dealt from CHW
to CIN for Konerko in 1998, then from CIN to SEA in the 2000 blockbuster that
sent Griffey to the Reds.
-
#1 On 02-May-2002, he hit 4 HR
for SEA at CHW, including two in the 1st inning off Jon Rauch and Jim Parque.
-
#2 Gold Glove CF for SEA (AL) and
SD (NL), he had 20–20 seasons with SEA, NYM, MIL & SD.
FCR - Will
Middleton, Salt Lake City
Incorrect guesses: Mark Whiten, Reggie Sanders
WEEK’S THEME
– Rookies who finished behind unanimous
Rookie of the Year Award winners, but built a solid major league careers (35.0+
career WAR)
Yr Lg Unan. ROY Also-ran Place WAR
1993
NL... Mike Piazza..................... Martinez............ t-8th...... 83.9
1997
NL... Scott Rolen...................... Jones................. 5th........ 62.7
2011
NL... Craig Kimbrel................... Freeman............ 2nd........ 61.1
1997
NL... Scott Rolen...................... Guerrero........... 6th........ 59.5
1990
AL... Sandy Alomar.................. Olerud............... 4th........ 58.1
1990
AL... Sandy Alomar.................. Ventura............. 7th........ 56.1
1990
AL... Sandy Alomar.................. Appier............... 3rd........ 54.5
2001
NL... Albert Pujols..................... Oswalt............... 2nd........ 50.0
2001
NL... Albert Pujols..................... Rollins............... 3rd........ 47.9
1987
AL... Mark McGwire.................. White................. 5th........ 47.3
1997
AL... Nomar Garciaparra.......... Cameron........... 6th........ 46.7
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Really?!
Not even a bad guess?
Incorrect
theme guesses:
Mon - Hall
of Famers whose last MLB appearance was in a World Series
Tues - One-time
LA Dodgers who won a gold glove and a World Series
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