MONDAY — 05-Oct-2026
Q. Which
Cuban native was the first American League player in the Expansion Era to hit
three triples in one game?
Hint: #1
He set a record by playing in eleven no-hit games.
Hint: #2
He once threw his bat in a playoff game after the pitcher hit him in
ankle with a pitch.
A. BERT CAMPANERIS [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. On 29-Aug-1967, Campaneris tripled off each of CLE’s George Culver, Sonny
Siebert & Stan Williams, but the A‘s lost in 10 innings. Triple triples has been done since by 4 additional AL players. Campaneris was born 09-Mar-1942 in Pueblo
Nuevo, Cuba.
-
#1 Amazingly, Campy was on the
winning side in 5 no-hitters in:
04-Jul-1983 (Dave Righetti)
22-Sep-1977 (Bert Blyleven)
28-Sep-1975 (Vida Blue, Glen Abbott, Paul Lindblad & Rollie Fingers)
08-May-1968 (Catfish Hunter)
21-Sep-1970 (Vida Blue)
He also played in these 6 no-hitters when he
was not on the winning side:
14-May-1977 (Jim Colborn)
28-Jul-1976 (Blue Moon Odom & Francisco Barrios)
19-Jul-1974 (Dick Bosman)
30-Jul-1973 (Jim Bibby)
13-Aug-1969 (Jim Palmer)
03-Jul-1970 (Clyde Wright)
-
#2 In the 7th inning
of game #2 of the 1972 ALCS, Detroit’s relief pitcher Lerrin LaGrow threw a pitch that
hit Campaneris in the ankle. Campy wad
so angry that he flung hit bat mound-ward, fortunately hitting no one. Watch here.
FCR - Mary
Hums, Louisville
Incorrect guesses: Tony Oliva, Minnie Minoso
TUESDAY — 06-Oct-2026
Q. Who was the first post-WWII American League
Baltimore Oriole to have a season qualifying batting average of .320 or higher?
Hint:
#1 He began his career in the majors
with a franchise that would move cities before he was through and ended their
season in last, 46 games out of first place.
His last team was an outfit that had famously relocated just a few years
before, but was now so loaded with stars that he only able to play in 18% of
the schedule and add 0.1 WAR.
Hint:
#2 He played for seven teams (6
franchises) in his twelve MLB seasons and racked up an impressive number of
teammates whose plaques are now on display in Cooperstown.
A. BOB NIEMAN [SABR Bio]
- Ans. In
388 AB in 1956, Nieman hit .322.
- #1 Nieman
debuted in 1951 with the St. Louis Browns who would move to Baltimore 3 years later. He ended with the San Francisco Giants, who had begun its
west coast stay 4 seasons prior, & ending that year as NL champs.
- #2 Nieman
wore the uniforms SLB, BAL, DET, CHW, STL, CLE & SFG. Nieman’s teammates included Satchel Paige, Larry
Doby, Al Kaline, Hal Newhouser, Nellie Fox, Minnie Minoso, George Kell, Dick Williams,
Brooks Robinson, Luis Aparicio, Hoyt Wilhelm, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Red Schoendienst,
Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal &
Gaylord Perry not to mention Eddie Gaedel*.
*Gaedel’s
contract had been voided before Nieman joined the team.
FCR - Greg Wells, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Incorrect
guesses: Bob Boyd, Paul Blair, Luis
Aparicio
IN
MEMORIAM — 07-Oct-2026
Q. Which Pennsylvania multi-sport high school
phenom received a signing bonus offer from each major league team?
Hint:
#1 Pitching for Cleveland, he trails
only Bob Feller in career strikeouts for the franchise.
Hint: #2 At
the height of his career, Sports Illustrated put him on its cover and asked
whether he threw faster than Sandy Koufax.
Hint: #3 In
one start, he temporarily became a second baseman before returning to the mound
and finishing with fifteen strikeouts.
Hint: #4 He
once threw consecutive one-hit shutouts.
Hint: #5 He
was a six-time All-Star who twice struck out more than three hundred batters in
a season.
Hint: #6
After alcoholism helped end his playing career, he spent decades helping other
professional athletes overcome addiction and depression.
A. SAM McDOWELL [SABR Bio]
- Ans. McDowell
played football, basketball, baseball & ran track at Pittsburgh's Central Catholic High
School. As a high-school senior, he did not allow a
single earned run in 63 innings while striking out 152. There were 16 major league baseball teams in
1960. He had 16 offers.
- #1 Feller
retired with 2,581 K after 18 seasons in MLB, all spent with CLE. McDowell was with the Indians for 11 years &
struck out 2,159 with them, behind only Feller.
In 3rd place is a distant total of 1,461 held by Corey Kluber.
- #2 Click
here for SI cover.
- #3 SABR Article on his brief move to 2nd
base.
- #4 In his
starts on 25-Apr-1966 & 01-May-1966, McDowell held the A’s & White Sox to one hit apiece, no
runs, no bullpen help required. McDowell
outhit CHW on his own that day—he had 2 hits at the plate.
- #5 All-Star
in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970 & 1971. He was the only pitcher besides Nolan Ryan
with multiple 300-K seasons in the 1960s & 1970. He had 325 K in 1965 & 304
in 1970.
- #6 He
was also the Keynote Speaker at SABR’s convention in Clevland in 1990.
FCR - Ken Edwards, Ferrisburgh, Vermont
Incorrect
guesses:
THURSDAY — 08-Oct-2026
Q. Which Home Run Derby contestant set a record
for the longest and shortest within a half hour of each other?
Hint:
#1 He is the only player to hit six home
runs in the first four games of his major league career.
Hint:
#2 He once had a season that, while not
peculiar in any way, features a combination of accomplishments that only he can
claim this century: 35+ home runs, 25+ stolen
bases, 40+ doubles, 5+ triples, 100+ runs batted in.
A. TREVOR STORY [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. Story
hit a 518-foot home run in the first round of
the 12-Jul-2021 Home Run Derby in Coors Field on , breaking Aaron Judge's
Statcast-era Derby record of 513 feet from 2017. Billionaire-to-be Juan Soto hit a
520-footer
approximately 20 minutes later, breaking Story's brand-new record! A.) Record for length; B.) Record for
shortest time such a record was held.
- #1 To
wit: 04-Apr-2016 (2 HR); 05-Apr-2016 (HR); 06-Apr-2016 (HR); 08-Apr-2016 (2 HR). Note that only the last of these games was
played in Denver.
- #2 His
totals in 2018 include 37 HR, 27 SB,
42 2B, 6 3B & 108 RBI.
FCR - James Farrell, Massapequa, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Harmon Killebrew, Ken Griffey
Jr
FRIDAY — 09-Oct-2026
Q. Which BBTR utility player from Princeton is
credited with the career record “range factor per game” for his games played
third base?
Hint:
#1 Photographs show him playing defense
bare handed.
Hint:
#2 He was also the first player to have
four hits, including two home runs, in his first major league game.
A. CHARLEY REILLY [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. Reilly,
a BBTR was born in the city of
Princeton, New Jersey. His career RF/G
at 3rd base is 3.81. For comparison, here is the same stat for
some of the game’s greatest third basemen:
Frank Baker............... 3.43
Brooks
Robinson....... 3.20
Ron Santo.................. 3.13
Stan Hack.................. 3.10
Mike Schmidt............. 3.00
Graig
Nettles.............. 2.95
Nolan Arenado........... 2.79
Scott Rolen................ 2.75.
- #1 Click
on his name above.
- #2 On
the day of his inaugural MLB game, 09-Oct-1889, he had 4 hits 2 of which were
home runs, the first one off the highly-lauded pitcher Gus Weyhing.
FCR - Bill Deane, Cooperstown
Incorrect
guesses: Junior Caminero
SATURDAY — 10-Oct-2026
Q. Who replaced Glenn Sherlock as the Mets’
catching coach?
Hint:
#1 Not only did he homer on the first
pitch he saw in the majors, he hit his team’s first home run in his first full
season the next year.
Hint:
#2 He is the only player who has been
able to finish a season with twenty or more home runs yet have an OPS under
.600.
A. J.P. ARENCIBIA [Wiki Bio]
- Ans.
Arencibia took over as the Mets’ catching coach in 2026. Sherlock had been in the position since 2023
& retired following the 2025 season.
- #1 The
Jays’ first HR of 2011 was in the 4th inning of the first game on 01-Apr-2011 in Toronto.
- #2 Who
knew? Click here. His 2013 line was 21 HR, .592 OPS. No other player has finished a major-league
season with 20+ HR with an OPS below .600.
FCR - John Michael Pierobon, Fort Lauderdale
Incorrect
guesses:
SUNDAY 11-Oct-2026
Q. Which former Orioles’ assistant hitting coach
tied Mitchell Page’s 1977 mark by amassing 15 RBI in his first ten MLB games?
Hint:
#1 He finished 3rd in Rookie
of the Year voting in his first full year in the majors but finished ahead of
future MLB stalwarts Bengie Molina, Adam Kennedy & Barry Zito.
Hint:
#2 He passed an esoteric record by
hitting more career home runs than Jamie Quirk.
A. MARK QUINN [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. Quinn’s
15 RBI in 1st 10 MLB games:
From 14-Sep-1999(2) to 24-Sep-1999. He added a 16th the next day. Michell’s record was itself a tie since Dale
Alexander had 15 RBI in his 1st 10 games in 1929. Quinn was the BAL asst. hitting coach in 2016.
- #1 2000
ROY
vote
- #2 Quinn’s
45 career HR passed Quirk’s for the most MLB HR by a player whose last name
starts with Q. He was passed by Carlos Quentin in 2008. Quentin sailed past the mark with 145 HR by
the time he retired.
FCR - Jaston Winston, Riverside, California
Incorrect
guesses: Carlos Quentin
THEME: Rookies who hit multiple home runs in their regular-season
MLB debut. Many thanks to Ed Baranoski
for helping assemble this list.
Rookie # Date for Opp. WAR
Campaneris.. 2......... 23-Jul-1964...... KCA.. @... MIN...... 53.1
Story.............. 2........ 04-Apr-2016...... COL.. @... ARI....... 35.4
Nieman.......... 2........ 14-Sep-1951..... SLB... @... BOS..... 17.6
Reilly............. 2........ 09-Oct-1889...... COL (AA).. PHA........ 6.8
Quinn............. 2...... 14-Sep-1999(2).... KCR......... ANA........ 3.3
Arencibia....... 2........ 07-Aug-2010..... TOR......... TBR........ 1.0
And three (3 !) more who did it in 2926…
Joshua Báez........ 3..... 15-Aug-2026.... STL... @... CHC...... 0.1
Chase DeLauter... 2..... 26-Mar-2026.... CLE.. @... SEA...... 3.5
José Fernández... 2..... 31-Mar-2026.... ARI........... DET...... 0.2
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Steve Berman, Wanaque, New Jersey
(on Tuesday)
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