2026-09-28 HOF CYA-winning Pitchers who never led their leaques in Ks

MONDAY  — 28-Sep-2026

Q.  What New York Yankee broke Babe Ruth’s most cherished record in 1961?

Hint: #1  He is the only left-handed batter in major league history with a thousand career at-bats who never hit even one triple.

Hint: #2  He once settled a $400 wager with Giants owner Horace Stoneham on an issue involving Willie Mays.

A.  WHITEY FORD  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 1918, Ruth set an impressive career record of 29⅔ consecutive scoreless World Series innings.  Following a 1^st-inning ITP HR run in a 14-inning complete G in the 1916 WS, then a 9-inning shutout in the 2^nd G & 7⅔ scoreless innings in G 4 of the of the 1918 WS, Ruth had amassed 29⅔ scoreless WS innings.  However, Ford fashioned a 33⅔ scoreless innings skein during the 1960, 1961 & 1962 WS, but Ruth’s record fell G 4 in ’61 vs. CIN.

-  #1  Had 1,023 AB w/NYY from 1950 through 1967, but nary a triple.

-  #2  See complete story in Ford’s SABR Bio.

Incorrect guesses:  Roger Maris, Norm Cash

 

 

TUESDAY  — 29-Sep-2026

Q.  Which major leaguer has won the most Gold Glove Awards?

Hint: #1  He is the only pitcher to start seven hundred games in the National League.

Hint: #2  He was the first pitcher to surrender a home run in the All-Star game to a player who started the game as the designated hitter.

A.  GREG MADDUX  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Maddux won NL GGs in 1990-2002, 2004-2006, 2007-2008 for a total of 18.

-  #1  Between 1986 & 2008, Maddux was the starting pitcher in 740 MLB games.

-  #2  In the 2^nd inning of the 1997 ASG, HOF* Edgar Martinez homered off HOF* Maddux.

FCR -  Shaun Montana, Medway, Massachusetts

*Eventual Hall of Famers, of course.

Incorrect guesses:  Jim Kaat, Phil Niekro, Brooks Robinson, Keith Hernandez, Rick Reushal, Don Sutton

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 30-Sep-2026

Q.  Who was the winning pitcher of Sandy Koufax’ last game?

Hint: #1  Since his major-league-leading total nearly fifty years ago, only five pitchers have had more complete games in a season than he had that year.

Hint: #2  He is the only pitcher to win a World Series game in each of three different decades.

A.  JIM PALMER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In Dodger Stadium in game #2 of the 1966 World Series in front of a crowd of some 56,000, Palmer threw a 6-0 shutout.  Dodger starter Koufax was pulled after the 6^th inning, having given up 4 runs (one 1 earned).

-  #1  Tied with Nolan Ryan in 1977 Palmer pitched 22 CG.  Only Mike Caldwell (23 in 1978), Phil Niekro (23 in 1979), Rick Langford & Mike Norris (28, 24 in 1980) & Bert Blyleven (24 in 1985) have exceeded his total.

-  #2  Palmer won 1969 WS G 2; 1971 WS G 2; & 1983 WS G 3.

FCR -  Leonard Epstein, Dallas

Incorrect guesses:  Sandy Koufax, Jim Kaat, Dave McNally, Johnny Podres, Hoyt Wilhelm

 

 

THURSDAY  — 01-Oct-2026

Q.  Whose no-hitter was one of Bob Gibson’s few losses by in 1968?

Hint: #1  He (not Gibson) became the oldest pitcher to win the National League Cy Young Award.

Hint: #2  He began his pro baseball career with the Rox.

A.  GAYLORD PERRY  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On Tuesday evening, 17-Sep, Perry handed Gibson a 1-0 loss, a 1 hour 40 minute, 1-0 loss to SFG in Candlestick.

-  #1  Perry’s 2^nd CYA was with San Diego following the 1978 season.  Perry had just turned 40 on 15-Sep, toiling for a 4^th-place team.  He held that doyen distinction until Roger Clemens’ 7^th CYA, won for the Astros in 2004 at age 42.

-  #2  C-level minor league St. Cloud Rox was Perry’s first professional team.  He was signed as an amateur free agent by the recently-relocated San Francisco Giants in July 1958.  He pitched in 17 games & his 2.39 was 3^rd-best ERA in the league (min. 10 decisions).  HOF Lou Brock is also a Rox alum.

FCR -  Kyle Sammin, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Jim Bunning, Don Wilson, Mike McCormick, Tommy John

 

 

FRIDAY  — 02-Oct-2026

Q.  Which reliever led his league in saves in consecutive seasons, then two seasons later became the career leader in saves?

Hint: #1  He joined a clubhouse rebellion that backfired when his team owner embraced the cause, leaving him (the player) with an iconic lifelong trademark.

Hint: #2  He won the MVP the year his franchise reached the postseason for the first time.

A.  ROLLIE FINGERS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Fingers led the NL with 35 saves in 1977 then 37 in 1978.  He surpassed Hoyt Wilhelm’s career saves record finishing 1980 with 244.

-  #1  The hirsute handlebar became a life-long identity for Fingers.  (See details in the SABR bio.)

-  #2  He won the AL MVP pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981 when they won the second half AL East Division Championship.

FCR -  Tom Cleary, Macungie, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Dennis Eckersley, Trevor Hoffman

 

 

SATURDAY  — 03-Oct-2026

Q.  Which reigning Most Valuable Player surrendered a three-thousandth major league career hit in that batter’s hometown?

Hint: #1  He is the only pitcher to appear in MLB All-Star games in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Hint: #2  He is not the only player with his nickname to win a postseason MVP award.

A.  DENNIS ECKERSLEY  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In the bottom of the 9^th, on 16-Sep-1993 in Minneapolis, relief pitcher Eckersley surrendered an RBI single to Dave Winfield as part of a game-winning comeback.  Eckersley had won the AL MVP in 1992 by a considerable margin over the player that Winfield knocked in that day, Kirby Puckett.  (Winfield was actually born in adjacent St. Paul.)

-  #1  Eckersley was on AL All-Star teams w/CLE in 1997; w/Bos in 1982; and w/OAK 1988, 1990, 1991 & 1992.

-  #2  Eckersley (“Eck”) was MVP of the 1988 ALCS.  David Eckstein (“Eck”) was the MVP of be 2006 World Series.

FCR -  Tom Byrne, Old Greenwich, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Dave Winfield, Steve Carlton, Gaylord Perry, Vida Blue

 

 

SUNDAY  — 04-Oct-2026

Q.  Who has surrendered more All-Star Game hits in his career than any other pitcher in the Divisional Era?

Hint: #1  He received Cy Young Award votes in six different seasons, never finishing lower than third.

Hint: #2  He bore some responsibility for the last lengthy hiatus in major league games played.

A.  TOM GLAVINE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Glavine gave up 16 career hits to AL All-Stars over a total of 8 innings, including 9 hits in a single game, still the All-Star Game record.  The only pitchers with more Whitey Ford (19), Warren Spahn (17) & Robin Roberts (17) had careers that ended before 1969.

-  #1  Glavine won the NL CYA in 1991 & 1998.  He finished 2^nd in 1992 & 2000.  He finished 3^rd in 1993 & 1995.

-  #2  He was the NL player representative during the 1994-95 players’ strike.

FCR -  Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  John Smoltz

 

 

THEME:  Hall of Fame, Cy Young Award-winning pitchers who never led a major league in strikeouts for a season

 

Pitcher                   HOF          CYA(s)                                Career WAR

Eckersley............ 2004......... AL 1992............................... 62.1

Fingers................ 1992......... AL 1981............................... 25.6

Ford..................... 1974......... AL 1961............................... 57.1

Glavine................ 2014......... NL 1991, 1998..................... 80.7

Maddux................ 2014......... NL 1992, 1993, 1994*, 1995*............................. 106.6

Palmer................. 1990......... AL 1973, 1975, 1976........... 68.5

Perry.................... 1991......... AL 1972, NL 1978................ 90.0

 

Also qualifying…

Roy Halladay....... 2019......... AL 2003, NL 2010*.............. 64.2

Catfish Hunter...... 1987......... AL 1974............................... 40.9

CC Sabathia........ 2025......... AL 2007............................... 62.3

Bruce Sutter......... 2006......... NL 1979............................... 24.0

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme –

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Hall of Fame Pitchers who are 6 feet (or less) tall

 

Wed     -  Cy Young winners with the most All-star selections

 

Thu      -  HOF pitchers who won Cy Young

 

Sat       -  Pickers who played for Charley Finleys A's

 

 

 

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2026-09-21 Players who won MLB season (league) MVPs in different cities

MONDAY  — 21-Sep-2026

Q.  Who was the first player to win the MVP for an All-Star Game played indoors?

Hint: #1  In the words of Ted Williams, “They invented the All-Star game for _______.”

Hint: #2  He (not Williams) holds the record for the longest span between sequential MVP seasons.

A.  WILLIE MAYS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Mays was the MVP of the 1968 ASG, played in Houston’s Astrodome. 

-  #1  Williams also said, “If there was a guy born to play baseball, it was Willie Mays.”

-  #2  Mays was NL MVP in his 2^nd full year, 1954.  In the following 10 seasons, he received MVP votes every year, twice coming in 2^nd.  Then in 1965, he received the NL MVP again.

FCR -  Jeff Papas, White Bear Lake, Minnesota

Incorrect guesses:  Cal Ripken

 

 

EQUINOX EXTRA  — 22-Sep-2026

Q.  Who was Ted William talking about when he said, “…with all those muscles, hitting drives that sounded like gunfire.  Crraack.  A hell of a lot louder than mine sounded.”?

Hint: #1  He (not Williams) was the first major leaguer to be voted league Most Valuable Player in consecutive seasons.

Hint: #2  He hit fifty home runs one season, but that total was the reason he did not win the Triple Crown that year.

A.  JIMMIE FOXX  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Foxx and Williams were teammates on the Red Sox 1939-1942.

-  #1  Foxx was AL MVP with PHA in 1932 & 1933.

-  #2  He hit 50 HR for BOS in 1938 to go with his 175 RBI and .349 BA.  However, that same year Detroit’s Hank Greenberg hit 58 HR to lead the majors, which was both Greenberg’s career high in homers and tied Foxx’s career high set in 1932..  Foxx did win a Triple Crown in 1933.

FCR -  Dan McLaughlin, Floral Park,, New York

Incorrect guesses:  Mickey Mantle

 

 

TUESDAY — 22-Sep-2026

Q.  Who fell one batting title short of the National League tie held by Honus Wagner and Tony Gwynn?

Hint: #1  One season he led the league in walks WAR, Slugging, On-base percentage, OPS, OPS+ but only managed thirteenth place when MVP votes were counted at the end of that year.

Hint: #2  He once tagged out Babe Ruth to end a World Series, but was traded away shortly thereafter.

A.  ROGERS HORNSBY  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Hornsby won the NL batting average title 7 times, including 6 straight: 

1. 1920 .370

2. 1921 .397

3. 1922 .401

4. 1923 .384

5. 1924 .424 – Only year he led the majors

6. 1925 .403 all for the St. Louis Cardinals

7. 1928 .387 for the 7^th-place Boston Braves

-  #1  In 1928, the one year he played in Boston, Hornsby led the NL in

BB (107)

BA (.387)

OBP (.498)

SLG (.632)

OPS (1.130)

OPS+ (202)

WAR (8.9) best that season for non-pitchers

-  #2  Hornsby tagged out the Babe as he tried to steal 2^nd base with 2 outs in the 9^th inning of the 7^th game of the 1926 WS.  Cardinals owner Sam Breadon made Hornsby an offer he hoped would be refused because, as one writer put it, “Hornsby knew more about baseball and less about diplomacy than anyone I ever knew.”  After contract talks acrimoniously broke down, Beardon traded the “Rajah” to NYG for Frankie Frisch & Jimmy Ring.

FCR -  Steve Charnick, Ocean, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Henry Aaron

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 23-Sep-2026

Q.  Who is the only player to hit Opening Day home runs for each of four different major league teams?

Hint: #1  No Texas-born player was an All-Star more times than he was.

Hint: #2  He was the first black manager of a team in the National League.

A.  FRANK ROBINSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Robinson hit Opening Day HRs for the -

Cincinnati Reds: 1959, 1961 &, 1963;

Baltimore Orioles: 1966, 1969 & 1970;

California Angels: 1973; and

Cleveland Indians: 1975.

-  #1  Robinson and Ernie Banks lead all Texas-born players, being All-Stars 14 times each.  Among combined American & National League players, 122 Texans have been selected as major-league All-Stars at least once.

-  #2  He was named manager of the NL San Francisco Giants before the 1981 season & managed them until 1984.  He also managed the NL’s Montreal Expos/Washington, DC Nationals from 2002 to 2006.

FCR -  Richard, Nicholson, Richmond, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Don Baylor, Dusty Baker,

 

 

THURSDAY  24-Sep-2026

Q.  Which nine-time All-Star donated a half million dollars to his local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Hint: #1  One spring, he was voted the most overrated player by fellow major leaguers.  He answered with a season when he led the majors in WAR, OBP, Slugging, OPS and OPS+.

Hint: #2  In seven of his fifteen seasons in the majors, he has had double-figure intentional walks.

A.  BRYCE HARPER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Bryce & Kayla Harper donated $500,000 in April 2020.  Half went to Philabundance in Philadelphia, the other half to Direct Relief & Three Square in Las Vegas.  (True, he had only been an All-Star six times at that point.)

-  #1  In the ESPN The Magazine poll, published 19-Mar-2015, his peers didn’t think he was worth all the ink.  He then up a year with a 9.7 WAR, a .460 OBP, SLG of .649, an OPS of 1.109 & an OPS+ of 198.  He also led the NL in HR (42) & R (118) that same season.

-  #2  From 2015 through 2024, Harper was walked intentionally more than 10 times in seven years, twice leading the NL, once (2016) leading the majors w/20.

FCR -  Jason Winston, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Robinson Cano, Jeff Bagwell, Freddie Freeman

 

 

FRIDAY  — 25-Sep-2026

Q.  Who was the first member of the career 340/340 Club?

Hint: #1  He broke Willie McCovey’s one-season record of forty-five intentional bases-on-balls.

Hint: #2  His (Not McCovey’s) career records of On-Base Percentage, Slugging and OPS in Modern Era World Series play, still stand.

A.  BARRY BONDS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Bonds hit 762 HR & stole 514 bases in his 22-year career.  He is the only person to reach the 340-home-run & 340-stolen-base career totals.

-  #1  McCovey received 45 free passes to first base in his MVP season of 1969, easily surpassing the MLB mark of 33 set by Ted Williams in 1957.  Bonds established the new mark of 68 IBB in 2002 w/SFG.  In 2004, Bonds’s final MVP season, he was walked (on purpose!) an eye-watering 120 times.  In the list of top IBB seasons in MLB, Bonds appears 17 times, including 5 of the first 6 places.

-  #2  Though these are career WS marks, they were all set in the 2002 WS w/30 PA, per BB-Ref.com: OBP .700, OPS 1.994 & SLG 1.294.

FCR -  Eric Savage, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Willie Mays, Andre Dawson

 

 

AUTUMNAL ADDITION  — 25-Sep-2026

Q.  Who hit a pitched ball through the Tokyo Dome roof during an exhibition game with the Netherlands preparing for the 2017 World Baseball Classic?

Hint: #1  He is estimated to make a seven-digit income annually from his endorsements alone.

Hint: #2  Part of his training regimen includes swimming.

A.  SHOHEI OTANI  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  On 13-Nov-2016, Ohtani, pinch-hit for Japan in the seventh inning of an exhibition against the Dutch team at the Tokyo Dome and rocketed a fly ball into a gap between panels of the Dome’s roof.  Although it never descended, it was recovered & displayed at Japan’s Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  Hideki Matsui had originally done it in 2002.  They were each credited with a double.

-  #1  If accurate, that be more than the annual endorsements of Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Clayton Kershaw & Mike Trout… combined.

-  #2  Ohtani’s high school baseball coach Hiroshi Sasaki instructed his players to swim as part of their workouts.  Ohtani’s swimming coach at Hanamaki Higashi High School was confident that Ohtani could have been an Olympic-level swimmer.

FCR -  James Ryan, Campbell, California

Incorrect guesses:  Deion Sanders, Mike Trout

 

 

SATURDAY  — 26-Sep-2026

Q.  Which SS was a SS seven times and then another three times at another position?

Hint: #1  He is the last player to have a season with 140+ runs and 150+ RBI.

Hint: #2  He holds the career slugging record for separate franchises.

A.  ALEX RODRIGUEZ  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Shortstop A-Rod won the Silver Slugger 7 times.  He added 3 more as a third baseman.

-  #1  Playing for NYY in 2007, Rodriguez had 143 R & 156 RBI.

-  #2  His .561 SLG is the best in Seattle Mariners history.  He played there for 7 years.  He finished his 3 years with the Texas Rangers with a .615 SLG mark, still the best since that franchise was created in 1961.  His career SLG average for the Yankees is .523 after 12 years of service.  Impressive, but only 7^th on their top career SLG percentages.  NYY’s top 2 ranks 1^st & 3^rd on the all-time list.  (A-Rod is 30^th there.)

FCR -  Dave Williams, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  Vern Stephens, Miguel Tejada, Ernie Banks

 

 

SUNDAY  — 27-Sep-2026

Q.  Which Hall of Famer played football, boxed and played the saxophone in college?

Hint: #1  He bought and operated a dude ranch following his baseball career.

Hint: #2  His nickname had nothing to do with his complexion.

Hint: #3  He was the first Modern Era catcher to hit forty doubles in a season.

A.  MICKEY COCHRANE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Cochrane attended Boston University.

-  #1  During 1935–36, Cochrane vacationed/convalesced at a Wyoming ranch near Cody.  However, 1937 onward: Cochrane owned the 4-K Ranch near Dean, Stillwater County, Montana, roughly 50 miles southwest of Billings.

-  #2  Cochrane disliked being called “Mickey” since at the time, it was a common nickname given to men of Irish descent and was often a derogatory term.  His Scottish heritage made the Irish-derived nickname particularly ironic, and people close to him just called him Mike, even though Cochrane’s first name was Gordon.  Teammates & sportswriters used “Black Mike” to describe his dark moods, nervous intensity & unyielding demand for excellence on the field.

-  #3  Cochrane hit 42 doubles in 1930, his personal best.

FCR -  Terry Walters, Wabasha, Minnesota

Incorrect guesses:  Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Bench, Ivan Rodriguez, Larry Doby

 

 

THEME:  Players who won MLB season (league) MVPs in different cities

 

MVP                            Lg/Yr/Tm                                 Lg/Yr/Tm

Bonds........................ NL 1991, ’92 PIT.................... NL 1992, 2002*, et seq. SFG

Cochrane.................. AL 1928 PHA......................... AL 1934 DET

Foxx........................... AL1932, AL ’33 PHA............. AL 1938 BOS

Harper....................... NL 2015*................................ NL 2021 PHI

Hornsby.................... NL 1925 STL.......................... NL 1929 CHC

Mays.......................... NL 1954 NYG........................ NL 1965 SFG

Ohtani........................ AL 2021*, AL ’23* LAA.......... NL 2024*, NL ’25* LAD

Robinson................... NL 1961v CIN........................ AL 1966* BAL

Rodriguez................. AL 2003 TEX......................... 2005, ’07 NYY

*Unanimous vote (100% of 1^st-place votes)

N.B. Robinson in ’61 & Bonds in ’90 would have also been unanimous except for a single vote captured by a teammate.

 

Postseason MVPs in different cities

Orel Hershiser............ 1988 LAD............................... 1995 CLE

Reggie Jackson......... 1973 OAK.............................. 1977 NYY

Corey Seager............. 2020 LAD............................... 2023 TEX

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – James Farrell, Massapequa, New York (after Robinson)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Hall of Fame Center Fielders

-   MVP winners with four letter last names

-   Players with the highest offensive WAR in a season

-   Players who won the MVP in non-consecutive years

-   Multiple time MVPs

 

Wed     -  Players on Ted William's top 20 batters of all time

-   HOF Triple Crown Winners

-   Triple Crown winners

-   Players to win MVPs for 2 teams

-   Right-handed batters who captured multiple MVP honors and are Hall of Famers

-   Players who won the MVP for two different teams

 

Thu      -  players won multiple MVPs and lead the league in OPS in their MVP season

 

 

Sun      -  Players who won MVP with two franchises

 

 

If you know someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, have them click here:  Horsehide Trivia or do it on their behalf.

 

Click here => THIS WEEK’s quiz, compete with questions, hints, answers & even incorrect guesses.

 

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Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.  ⚾️