Sunday, March 24, 2024

2024-03-18 Certain players who skipped the minors when they first played in the majors

MONDAY  — 18-Mar

Q.  Who holds the record for the most doubles hit in All-Star games?

Hint: #1  He was the first outfielder to win multiple Gold Glove awards in each league.

Hint: #2  He was not drafted by the NHL in spite of attending a school very strong in hockey.

A.  DAVE WINFIELD   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Winfield hit 7 2B in ASG.

-  #1  His 1st 2 GG were won w/SDP of the NL.  His next 5 GG were as a member of NYY.  Mookie Betts (BOS 2016-2018) & (LAD 2020, 2022) has now matched Winfield’s GG feat.

-  #2  A graduate of the University of Minnesota, the multi-talented Winfield was drafted by the NFL, ABA & the NBA as well as MLB.  Being a gentleman of proper upbringing, he chose baseball.

FCR -  Phil Hertz, Kamuela, Hawaii

Incorrect guesses:  Larry Walker, Frank Robinson, Mookie Betts

 

 

TUESDAY  — 19-Mar

Q.  Who threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season after just having been chosen in the major league draft the year before?

Hint: #1  He was the best-known purveyor of the knuckle-curve pitch.

Hint: #2  He hit his first career home run, a grand slam, off Tom Seaver after Seaver had walked the bases full.

A.  BURT HOOTON   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  No-no on 16-Apr-1972, for CHC, blanking PHI 4-0; Drafted in the 1st Round of the 1971 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase.

-  #1  As opposed to finger nails for a knuckleball, Hooton used his actual knuckles.

-  #2  In the 3rd inning on 16-Sep-1972, with Hooton starting for the Cubs that day, NYM’s Seaver walked Ron Santo, Rick Monday then intentionally walked Elrod Hendricks to get to Hooton.  When Hooton homered, Yogi pulled Seaver.  It was the 1st GS Seaver had ever surrendered.  He would only give up 2 more in his entire career.

FCR -  Steve Hild, Oswego, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Bobo Holloman, Mike Mussina

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 20-Mar

Q.  Who is still the NCAA Division I all-time leader in home runs in a career and home runs in a season?

Hint: #1  He was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame the same year as Christy Mathewson and Lou Gehrig.

Hint: #2  He led both leagues in strikeouts as a major league rookie.

A.  PETE INCAVIGLIA  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans. Incaviglia homered 48 X for Oklahoma State University in 1985 & 100 X 1983-85.

-  #1  He was elected to the CBHOF in Lubbock, Texas in 2007, as were 14 other college immortals.

-  #2  His 185 K w/TEX in 1986 were the then most ever by an MLB rookie.

FCR -  Matt Dicker, Chicago

Incorrect guesses:  Robin Ventura

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  — 20-Mar

Q.  Which BLTLFL moundsman gained international acclaim when he threw a no-hitter against a team whose lineup contained six All-Stars, one of whom became a Hall of Famer?

Hint: #1  He finished third in Cy Young Award voting one season when his team that year did not even have a winning record.

Hint: #2  He once said, “People will tell you that I overcame obstacles… maybe.  But the truth is I was incredibly blessed in my life.  More was given than was ever taken away.”

A.  JIM ABBOTT   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Abbott no-hit CLE on 03-Sep-1993 in Yankee Stadium.  Among those not getting a hit against him that day were Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome & Sandy Alomar.  Bats Left; Throws Left; Fields Left.

-  #1  Abbott finished behind only Roger Clemens & Scott Erickson in 1991 AL CYA voting. CAL finished 81-81 that year.

-  #2  Born without a right hand, Abbott was known to comfort and encourage more fortunate teammates.

FCR -  John Fahey, Oak Forest, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Curt Simmons

 

 

THURSDAY  — 21-Mar

Q.  Which one-time St. Louis Cardinal was a corner infielder who was never actually seen sitting in the corner?

Hint: #1  He is the only Modern Era player to hit four home runs in a game his team lost.

Hint: #2  He was the first player to top twenty-five home runs in a college season at the same school where Reggie Jackson and Barry Bonds played.

A.  BOB HORNER   [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  In his MLB career, Horner played 330 G at 1st & 684 G at 3rd.  His namesake, Jack Horner, was a fruit tart afficionado made famous by his self-congratulatory announcement.  Baseball player Horner finished his career in the majors with 1 season w/STL after 9 seasons w/ATL.

-  #1  On 06-Jul-1986 in Atlanta, Horner homered 4X vs. MON, but the Expos homered thrice themselves and won the G, 11-8.  Montreal journeyman Al Newman hit his only career home run in that same G.

-  #2  One of the best NCAA schools in the country for producing baseball talent, Arizona State University (ASU) is the alma mater of all three of those sluggers.

FCR -  Carter Doney, Provo, Utah

Incorrect guesses:  Glen Allen Hill, Mark Whiten, Sal Bando, Albert Pujols

 

 

FRIDAY — 22-Mar

Q.  Who was the last twentieth-century pitcher to have an ERA lower than 1.50 at home for a season?

Hint: #1  He surrendered home runs to Bobby Bonds and his son.  (Not in the same game.  That’s a Griffey thing.)

Hint: #2  He was once on the wrong end of a perfect game.

A.  MIKE MORGAN   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  1.38 ERA at Wrigley Field in 1992

-  #1  Morgan gave up a HR to Bobby Bonds on 25-Aug-1979.  Son Barry took him deep on 13‑Jun‑1993 & 15-Aug-1993.

-  #2  On 28-Jul-1991, Montreal’s Dennis Martinez completely shut down LAD whose starter was Mike Morgan.  Morgan went the distance, though, & didn’t give up a single earned run.

FCR -  Adam Foldes, New York City, Charlie Hough

Incorrect guesses:  Bob Gibson, Bob Hendley

 

 

T.G.I.F. SPECIAL — 22-Mar

Q.  Whose franchise record for doubles in a season did Carlos Delgado break?

Hint: #1  He played for five teams in the majors and his cousin played for seven teams and they were in the majors for ten years at the same time, yet they were never teammates.

Hint: #2  He is the all-time leader in the same offensive category for two separate expansion franchises.

Hint: #3  The year before he first played in the majors, he had a pitching record of 15-0 for a D-1 NCAA school.

A.  JOHN OLERUD   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Olerud doubled 54 X in 1993, leading the majors.  He was the 1st Blue Jay with more than 50 in a year.  Delgado had a great year in 2000, including 57 doubles which led the AL.

-  #1  Olerud’s teams were TOR, SEA, NYM, NYY & BOS, 1989-2005.  Cousin Dale Sveum played 1986-1999 for MIL, PHI, CHW, OAK, SEA, PIT & NYY.

-  #2  Olerud’s .363 in 1993 is the best ever for 1 season for TOR & his .354 in 1998 is the best season average for any qualifying player for NYM.  Both marks would have been MLB bests, but for 2 COL players, Andres Galarraga in ’93 & Larry Walker in ’98.

-  #3  For the 1988 season, Olerud was named collegiate Player of the Year nationally after batting .464 to go with his 15-0 record on the mound as a Washington State Cougar.

FCR -  Joe Haardt, Bethany Beach, Delaware

Incorrect guesses:  Dave Winfield, Gary Sheffield, Shawn Green, Jose Canseco, Dave Winfield, Tony Fernandez

 

 

SATURDAY — 23-Mar

Q.  Which rookie pitcher received a surprise set of weights from a future Hall of Famer teammate?

Hint: #1  One season pitching in college, his win total of thirteen games, led the nation with a 1.50 ERA and was named the school’s “Athlete of the Year”.  The following season, an opposing team’s coach called him “… the best college pitcher in America.”

Hint: #2  His drafting team traded him after three seasons; he then led the league pitching losses the first year with his new team.

Hint:  #3  He chose college after being 473rd and 8th by major league teams.

A.  DICK RUTHVEN   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 28-Apr-1973, in his 3rd start in the majors, Ruthven held the Big Red Machine to a single hit and no score, but developed soreness during the course of the outing.  Steve Carlton knew certain weight-lifting exercises that might help the rookie and so arranged for delivery to Ruthven a complete weight-lifting set a his house the next day.

-  #1  His amazing college ERA was in 1971.  In 1972, after throwing a one-hit shutout at Long Beach State, the 49ers coach, John Gonsalves, called Ruthven “the best college pitcher in America.”

-  #2  He had a 3-season record of 17-24 w/PHI 1973-75; his record in 1976 w/ATL was 14-17.

-  #3  Ruthven was selected in the 20th round by BAL in 1969.  His jump to the 1st round in 1972didn’t quite do the trick either.  When he was drafted first overall by PHI in the 1973 MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase, he became a major leaguer and immediately joined the big club.

FCR -  Frank Ittner, Atlanta

Incorrect guesses:  Carson Fulmer

 

 

WEEKEND BONUS — 23-Mar

Q.  Which starting pitcher wore uniform no. 8?

Hint: #1  He was the first person to win the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year Award in consecutive seasons.

Hint: #2  He was convicted of stealing $60 worth of t-shirts in a Cincinnati department store.

A.  MIKE LEAKE   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  The #8 uniform was Leake’s number at ASU.  STL, SEA & ARI allowed him that number when he asked.

-  #1  Pitching for Arizona State, Leake won myriad awards including the Academic All-American of the Year, the only student-athlete from the Pac-10 to earn Academic All-American honors.

-  #2  .  His plausible explanation eventually led to dismissal of the case.

FCR – Obrey Brown, Tallahassee

Incorrect guesses:  Tom Seaver

 

 

SUNDAY  — 24-Mar

Q.  Which BLTR utility player needed eighteen whole or partial seasons in the majors to accumulate a career WAR of 12.0?

Hint: #1  He played for the Tigers after attending Brookdale Community College.

Hint: #2  After turning down an opportunity to play for the Giants when they took him in the eight round at number 187, he waited one year and was selected by Oakland the first overall.

A.  DENNY WALLING   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 15 of those seasons, he played more than half of the regular season games. 

-  #1  Walling played for the Clemson Tigers after Brookdale.

-  #2  The draft where the A’s took him was the 1975 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase.

FCR -  John Salvino, Denver

Incorrect guesses:  Rick Monday, Matt Chavez, Eric Chavez, Brad Ausmus

 

WEEK’S THEME –  A sampling of major leaguers who, since the amateur draft was instituted, skipped the minors & accumulated a WAR in double figures in the majors

 

 

Player                 Debut         Team      Yrs      Sch                            WAR

Abbott............... 08-Apr-1989.......... CAL...... 10.... Michigan......... 19.6

Hooton.............. 17-Jun-1971.......... CHC...... 15...... Texas........... 35.5

Horner.............. 16-Jun-1978.......... ATL....... 10....... ASU............ 21.8

Incaviglia.......... 08-Apr-1986.......... TEX...... 12....... OSU............ 10.3

Leake................ 11-Apr-2010.......... CIN....... 10....... ASU............ 16.2

Morgan............. 11-Jun-1978.......... OAK...... 22... Valley HS........ 26.2

Olerud.............. 03-Sep-1989.......... TOR...... 17....... WSU............ 58.2

Ruthven............ 17-Apr-1973.......... PHI....... 14... Fresno St......... 18.4

Walling............. 07-Sep-1975.......... OAK...... 18.... Clemson......... 12.1

Winfield............ 19-Jun-1973.......... SDP....... 22....... Minn............ 64.2

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying themeWarren Kent, Whitehall, Illinois (after Horner)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Players who went from the draft directly to MLB who have won a World Series title.

            -  Players who went straight to the majors and never played in the minors

 

Wed     -  Players who made it to the majors in their first year of professional ball & never went back.  Or, more specifically college players

-   Played in the college World Series and then debuted in the majors later that year

-   College players to go straight to the majors

-   Top 10 picks who played in the college World Series who went straight to the majors

-   First round picks who went straight to the majors after the draft

 

Thur     -  Players who reached the majors without playing in the minor leagues

-   Golden Spikes winners

-   Post-expansion players who began their MLB careers with fewer than 15 games in the Minors

-   Players who were all Americans in college who went straight to the majors without playing a game in the minors

-   Players who went straight from college to MLB since the amateur draft was instituted

 

Fri        -  Players Alma maters have gone to at least one elite eight [NCAA basketball]

-   College hall of famers to go straight to the majors

-   Never played MiLB

-   College All Americans who were first round picks who bypassed the minors altogether

-   First round picks, who bypassed the minors

-   First round picks, who bypassed the minors & were All-Stars

 

 

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This site has this week’s quiz compete with incorrect guesses as well.  Scroll back and you’ll find has this week’s quiz complete with incorrect guesses as well.  Scroll back and you’ll find Horsehide Trivia quizzes posted back to 2010. Quizzes before that may also be available upon request.

 

Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.  ⚾️

 

 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

2024-03-11 American League Dead Ball ERA season leaders under 1.50

MONDAY  — 11-Mar

Q.  Which Modern Era righty is the only pitcher to hit more than two hundred batters in his career on a major league mound?

Hint: #1  He had thirty-eight pitching victories where the final score was one to zero.

Hint: #2  Of his twelve season strikeout crowns, eight were in consecutive seasons.

A.  WALTER JOHNSON   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Johnson is the owner of 205 HBP.  Eddie Plank & Randy Johnson are tied for 2nd at 190.

-  #1  He also lost 27 G by a score of 1-0.

-  #2  Won the AL K crown 1912-1919.

FCR -  Matt Dicker, Chicago

Incorrect guesses:  Don Drysdale, Lefty Grove, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Bob Gibson, Bob Feller, Pedro Martinez

 

 

TUESDAY  — 12-Mar

Q.  Who is the most recent pitcher to rack up forty wins in a single season?

Hint: #1  His career earned run average would have won a season ERA crown one hundred eight times since the beginning of the Expansion Era.

Hint: #2  He is the only American Leaguer to pitch two complete-game victories in one day and then repeat that performance three years later.

A.  ED WALSH   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Walsh won 40 G playing for CHW in 1908.  Hard to imagine what the team’s 88-64-4 record that year might have been without him.  Only 1 other P won 40+ in the Modern Era—Jack Chesbro won 41 in 1904 for NYY.

-  #1  Walsh’s ERA of 1.84 is the best all-time.

-  #2  In the G on 26-Sep-1905(1), Walsh came in to relieve Doc White after White had surrendered a hit  and pitched 9 complete innings.  Next G, same place, same teams 26-Sep-2905(2), Walsh started and pitched the whole G.  On 29-Sep-1908(1) & 29-Sep-1908(2), he started and finished both games.

FCR -  Steve Berman, Bergenfield, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Jack Chesbro, Hoss Radbourne

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 13-Mar

Q.  Which Hall of Famer pitcher is the only one ever to throw a perfect game against a team whose starter won forty or more games that season?

Hint: #1  Statistics show his WHIP to be the best of all-time.

Hint: #2  He was a sports writer in the off-season.

Hint: #3  His Double-Unique status remains intact still, more than one hundred twenty years later.

A.  ADDIE JOSS   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 02-Oct-1908, in his penultimate start of a watershed season, Joss kept Ed Walsh from celebrating his 40th W of the year by throwing a perfect game against the White Sox.  It was a G emblematic of the Deadball Era, lasting just 1:40 as 2 of the finest moundsmen of any era faced off against each other.  Joss threw a total of 74 pitches.

-  #1  WHIP (Walks+ Hits/Innings Pitched) is naturally better when it’s low & now pitcher’s career number is lower than Joss’s 0.968.

-  #2  Off the field, Joss worked as a newspaper sportswriter in Cleveland from 1906 until his death.

-  #3  No other “Addie”; no other “Joss” ever in the majors, measured since his debut in1902.

FCR -  Andy McCue, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Cy Young, Urban Shocker, Nolan Ryan

 

 

THURSDAY  — 14-Mar

Q.  Which lantern-jawed pitcher’s record for strikeouts in an American League season did Nolan Ryan break in 1973?

Hint: #1  He (not Ryan) was the first pitcher to lead his league in strikeouts for six consecutive seasons.

Hint: #2  He threw the first Immaculate Inning ever recorded in the American Leagued.  It was also the first in the Modern Era.

A.  RUBE WADDELL   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Waddell’s record of 349 K in 1904 was the major league record until broken by Sandy Koufax’ 382 in 1965.  It wasn’t until Ryan’s eye-popping 383 in 1973 that Waddell’s record fell.

-  #1  Wadell led the AL in K in 1902, pitching for PHA, w/210.  He then led the majors for the next five straight years w/302, 349, 287, 196, 232.

-  #2  On 01-Jul-902 in the 3rd inning, Waddell fanned Billy Gilbert, Harry Howell & Jim Cronin of the Baltimore Orioles.  He threw only 9 pitches, all strikes, 3 apiece.

FCR -  Lincoln Mitchell, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Christy Matthewson, Bob Feller, Sam McDowell, Walter Johnson, Amos Rusie, Lefty Grove, Eddie Plank

 

 

FRIDAY — 15-Mar

Q.  Who was the ace of their pitching staff when the Boston Red Sox won the first World Series of the four they would win that decade?

Hint: #1  He also won the first, fourth, eighth and final game of that World Series.

Hint: #2  His son later played for the Red Sox.

A.  SMOKY JOE WOOD   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Wood had a pitching record of 34-5 in 1912.  No BOS pitcher has ever won more in 1 season.  Cy Young is 2nd (33), 3rd (32), 4th (28) & 5th (26) on that list.  BOS won the WS in 1912, 1915, 1916 & 1918.

-  #1  In a best-of-9 WS, Wood quieted the bats of NYG in G 1, 4 & 8.

-  #2  His son, Joe Wood, had a brief 3-G career w/BOS during WWII.

FCR -  Julian Keifetz, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Dutch Leonard, Bill Dineen, Curt Schilling, Herb Pennock

 

 

SATURDAY — 16-Mar

Q.  Which former major league pitcher owned extensive California vineyards?

Hint: #1  He became a hero to Japanese Americans.

Hint: #2  His pitching records are well-documented, but he collected records outside of baseball too.

A.  DUTCH LEONARD   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Raised in Fresno, California, Leonard returned there after his playing days & ran a profitable enterprise for many years.  Fellow Fresno HS alum Tom Seaver was also a successful vintner.

-  #1  His humane approach to previously interned Japanese American during and after WWII is a story worth reading.

-  #2  Leonard collected vinyl records too, amassing as many as 150,000 at his home in Fresno.  For his baseball records, it's hard to beat his all-time best ERA in 1914 of 0.96 (Not a typo.)

*Perfect game

FCR -  Steve Riach, Southlake, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Hideo Nomo, Tom Seaver, Lefty O’Doul, Joe Blanton

 

SUNDAY  — 17-Mar

Q.  Which young hurler had an unmatched start to his major league career, when, in the first ten starts of at least seven innings, he surrendered two runs or fewer?

Hint: #1 He is a member of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

Hint: #2  He is the last one qualifying for this week’s theme.

A.  HARRY KRAUSE   [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Krause’s 1909 for PHA feat has not been matched since then, but CIN’s Johnny Cueto in 2014 started the year with 9 such starts , putting Krause’s name prominent in the news for the first time in a century.

-  #1  Krause won a total of 249 games in the PCL over 16 seasons.

-  #2  See below.

FCR -  Steve Riach, Southlake, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Fernando Venezuela, Steven Strasburg, Lefty Gomez, Von McDaniel, Mike Mussina, Vean Gregg

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – AL Dead Ball ERA season leaders under 1.50

 

Waddell.......... 1905............ 1.48.............. PHA............... 58.4

Joss............... 1908............ 1.16.............. CLE............... 45.3

Krause........... 1909............ 1.39.............. PHA................. 8.7

Walsh............. 1910............ 1.27.............. CHW............... 65.9

Johnson........ 1912............ 1.39.............. WSH............. 165.1

Johnson........ 1913............ 1.14.............. WSH............. 165.1

Leonard......... 1914............ 0.96.............. BOS............... 37.0

Wood............. 1915............ 1.49.............. BOS............... 40.1

Johnson........ 1918............ 1.27.............. WSH............. 165.1

Johnson........ 1919............ 1.49.............. WSH............. 165.1

 

First Correct Respondent identifying themeKen Kirk, Corning, New York (after Wood)

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Pitchers with the most games won by the score of 1-0

            -  Pitchers on Strat-o-Matic’s original American League Hall of Fame A team

            -  Pitchers whose career batting averages (times 10) were higher than their ERA's

            -  Pitchers with more than 10 shutouts in a season

 

 

Thur     -  Hall of fame pitchers with the lowest career ERA

-   Lowest career ERA for a pitcher, modern era

-   Pitchers with highest career percentage of Starts that were Shutouts

 

Fri        -  Career franchise leaders in ERA for original American League teams

-   Deadball Era pitchers with sub 2 ERAs

 

If you know someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, they need only drop an email message to horsehidetrivi@aol.com.

 

This site has this week’s quiz compete with incorrect guesses as well.  Scroll back and you’ll find quizzes that were sent out as early as 2010.  Qualification exam will be waived.

 

Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.  ⚾️