2026-03-02 Horse Week

MONDAY  — 02-Mar-2026

Q.  Which major leaguer was the first player to have his uniform number retired?

Hint: #1  His first stolen base in the majors was a steal of home.

Hint: #2  He hit for the cycle twice.

A.  LOU GEHRIG  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Gehrig was the first & last Yankee to wear #4.  When the Yankees introduced permanent uniform numbers in 1929, Gehrig was assigned #4 because he batted cleanup (fourth) in the lineup.

-  #1  Stole home in the 7^th inning on 24-Jun-1925 off WSH’s Allen Russell/Muddy Ruel before Russell had retired a single batter.

-  #2  Cycles:  25-Jun-1934 vs. CHW & 01-Aug-1937 vs. SLB.

FCR -  Dan Neumann, Washington, DC

Incorrect guesses:  Babe Ruth

 

 

MONDAY EXTRA  — 02-Mar-2025

Q.  After John Montefusco in 1975, who was the next Giants rookie pitcher to strike out at least twelve batters in a game?

Hint: #1  The first year he made the All-Star team, he led the league in complete games.

Hint: #2  The perfect game he threw was the first in the 130 years of his franchise.

A.  MATT CAIN  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Cain struck out 12 Colorado Rockies on 06-Aug-2006 of his rookie season.  Likely, it helped him place high in the NL ROY voting at the end of the year.

-  #1  Cain led the NL in CG in 2009 w/4 & made the 1^st of his 3 ASD selections.

-  #2  His perfecto, on 13-Jun-2012 is the only one thrown by a Giants pitcher in the franchise’s 142-year-old existence.

FCR -  Tim Swindle, Tucson

Incorrect guesses:  Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner

 

 

TUESDAY  — 03-Mar-2025

Q.  Who had the first ever All-Star game at-bat?

Hint: #1  He tied a record for most hits on a single World Series stood until Bobby Richardson broke it.

Hint: #2  He liked his first team so much that he played for them in three stints and never played for another team.

Hint: #3  His teammates knew that he played “regimental”.

A.  PEPPER MARTIN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Martin led off for the NL in 1933.

-  #1  He banged out 12 hits in the 1931 postseason.  He was the first with 12 H in a 7-game World Series.  Others were tied at that mark but then Richardson hit 13 times in 1964—not 1960 when he was the WS MVP.

-  #2  Martin played for the Cardinals in 1928, 1930-1940 & 1944.

-  #3  He didn’t like anything between him and his uniform.

FCR -  Matt Monitto, Bristol, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  Charlie Gehringer, Billy Martin

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 04-Mar-2025

Q.  Whose votes denied pitcher Jose Fernandez the distinction of a unanimous Rookie-of-the-Year vote.

Hint: #1  He has won both a bronze and a silver medal international competition.

Hint: #2  The only time he made a major league All-Star team, he was a starter.

A.  YASIEL PUIG  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  For the 2013 NL ROY, 4 votes were for Puig.  The remaining 26 were for Fernandez.

-  #1  Puig won a bronze medal at the 2008 World Junior Baseball Championship.  He also played for Cuba at the 2011 World Port Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where the team was 2^nd.

-  #2  Puig started in RF for the NL in the ASG in 2014.

FCR -  Scott Morissey, Hamilton, Ontario

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

THURSDAY  — 05-Mar-2025

Q.  Which former Chicago outfielder led the world in triples the only year he received MVP votes?

Hint: #1  In his antepenultimate game as a major leaguer, he received a standing ovation after slamming a fan to the ground.

Hint: #2  Some people have said that his very name is an oxymoron.

A.  ANGEL PAGAN  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Played for CHC 2006-2007.  His 15 triples for SFG in 2012 led the majors.  His placement in the 2012 MVP voting wasn’t great, but at least somebody was thinking of him.

-  #1  The fan & an accomplice, dressed in Dodger Blue, had run onto the field during the Dodgers/Giants game on 30-Sep-2016, interrupting the action.  Watch here.

-  #2  Viewed with a certain religious angle, angels and pagans don’t mix & the likelihood of an actual pagan angel stretches the definition of both.

FCR -  Mark Hayne, Dumfries, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Lance Johnson, Rick Monday, Ryne Sandberg, Juan Pierre, Jim Rivera

 

 

FRIDAY  — 06-Mar-2025

Q.  Which Gerund-American made the first of his four All-Star games as a replacement for a cross-town rival in what would have also been that player’s first All-Star game?

Hint: #1  The home run that capped his cycle was of the inside-the-park variety, hit far enough that it would have cleared any normal major league fence.

Hint: #2  His older brother, who played the same position, had a brief major league career with St. Louis.

A.  HARRY DANNING  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 1938, who played for New York Giants his whole 10-year career, was put on the team NL All-Star team to replace Brooklyn’s Babe Phelps who was injured.  Ironically, in the 1940 ASG, Danning replaced Phelps again, this time at C in the 7^th inning.

-  #1  Cycle on 15-Jun-1940 was in the Polo Grounds, famous for its deep slot in center field.  The home run is occasionally reported to have traveled 490’, but the deepest part of the Polo Grounds is 475’.

-  #2  Brother Ike Danning, catcher, played only 2 games with the 1928 Browns, but was 3 for 6 at the plate, ending his career with a .500 batting average.  Both Angelinos, Ike & Harry each appeared in uncredited roles in major Hollywood motion pictures.

FCR -  Michael Griffin, Rome Georgia

Incorrect guesses:  Bob Meusel

SATURDAY  — 07-Mar-2025

Q.  Which altitudinous moundsman, drafted by the Pirates in the fifth round of Major League Baseball’s June Amateur Draft, had so much trouble managing his weight that his team developed a bespoke regimen for him, assiduously monitoring his percentage of body fat?

Hint: #1  He understandably earned the sobriquet “Baby Giraffe”

Hint: #2  Kevin Millar, Bob Walk, Todd Zeile and he all attended the same SoCal high school.

A.  TYLER GLASNOW   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  At 6’8”, he’s 40 lbs. lighter than his 6’1” teammate, Brusdar Graterol.  The Dodger’s nutritionists recommend that he gain weight & keep it on, specifically encouraging his consumption of fat, which he had been avoiding.  The goal is  to add 20 + - lbs. for the 2026 season.

-  #1  His height makes him stand out in almost any crowd.

-  #2  Foe all MLB alumni of William S. Hart HS in Santa Clarita, California, click here.

FCR -  David Skelton, Woodway., Texas

Incorrect guesses:  John Candeleria, Bartolo Colon

 

 

SUNDAY  — 08-Mar-2025

Q.  Who is the only Tampa Bay pitcher to lead the majors in saves?

Hint: #1  His uncle had also pitched in relief for Tampa Bay in six of his ten major league seasons toiling for the same franchise, but under a different team name.

Hint: #2  His (not the uncle’s) coaches in the majors were unfortunately not the only source he went to in order to improve his game.

A.  ALEX COLOME  [WIKI Bio]

-  Ans.  Colome’s 47 saves in 2017 is properly bolded and italicized.  Trampa Bay pitchers Rafeal Soriano & Brad Boxberger had led the AL in saves with 45 in 2010 & 41 in 2015 respectively.

-  #1  Uncle Jesus Colome pitched for Tampa Bay from 2001 to 2006 & although it was the same franchise as Alex’s 2013-2017 stint, but bore a different name, Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  The word Devil was dropped beginning with the 2008 season.

-  #2  Colome was suspended for 50 games for failing a random drug test at the start of the 2014 season.

FCR -  Jim Cochran, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Incorrect guesses:  Fernando Rodney ,Pete Fairbanks, Brad Boxberger

 

 

THEME:  Players with “Horse” in  their nicknames

 

Player                         Nickname

Cain............................ The Horse

Colome....................... The Horse

Danning...................... Harry the Horse

Gehrig........................ The Iron Horse

Glasnow..................... Mini Horse

Martin......................... The Wild Horse of the Osage

Pagan......................... Crazy Horse

Puig............................ Wild Horse

 

Other qualifiers:

John Morris............................ Yellow Horse

Harry Anderson...................... Harry the Horse

Johnny Orsino........................ Horsino

Moses Yellow Horse.............. !

Michael Chavis...................... Ice Horse

Neill Sheridan........................ Wild Horse

Lou Meyers............................ Crazy Horse

Joe Sargent............................ Horse Belly

Hanson Horsey...................... !

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – John Ford, Greenwich, Connecticut (After Cain 0n Monday!)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Guys who played with only one team for a career that lasted over 10 seasons

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2026-02-23 BRTL players with a minimum1,000 major league games played

MONDAY  — 23-Feb-2026

Q.  Which former Seattle Mariner holds the career and season records for most times caught stealing?

Hint: #1  For each of twenty-five consecutive seasons, he had at least one game where he hit a home run as his team’s lead-off batter.

Hint: #2  He was Nolan Ryan's 5,000^th strikeout victim?

A.  RICKEY HENDERSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Batteries nailed Henderson 42 times in 1982.  Ty Cobb is close behind with his 38 CS in 1915.  For his career, he was caught 325 times in 1,741 attempts for an impressively low 18.7%.  Lou Brock holds the silver position w/307 CS.  Henderson played for SEA in 2000.

-  #1  Had a lead-off HR at lest once every year from 1979-2003.

-  #2  On 22-Aug-1989 in Arlington Stadium in Texas, Henderson became Nolan Ryan’s career strikeout victim numbers 4,999 & 5,000.

FCR -  Tom Veal, Spanaway, Washington

Incorrect guesses:  Omar Vizquel, Harold Reynolds.

 

 

TUESDAY  — 24-Feb-2026

Q.  Who was the first New York Highlander’s player to triple thrice in a game in only the third year of the franchise’s existence?

Hint: #1  In spite of being widely considered by contemporary observers to be the best-fielding first baseman of his era (some said “ever”), he led three separate major leagues in erors.

Hint: #2  One year he banged out more than 100 hits, but only played in 75 games.

A.  HAL CHASE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 30-Aug-1906(2), Chase tripled 3 X against WSH pitching.  He fell short of a cycle by bot hitting a mere home run, but he did have 3 singles in the 1^st game that day as New York swept the twin bill.

-  #1  Chase led in errors..

For the AL –                      For the NL –                      For the Federal League

1905 NYY w/31;                 1917 CIN w/28                  1915 BUF w/19

1909 NYY w/36

1911 NYY w/38

1912 NYY w/27                  And…

“No other player in baseball history was so richly praised for his defensive skill—no one.  His (Hal Chase’s) brilliance with the glove is easier to document than Ty Cobb’s temper, Hack Wilson’s drinking or Walter Johnson’s fastball.  It is all over the literature of the sport.”

~ Author Bill James

-  #2  He had 101 H in 1914 playing for the Buffalo Blues.

FCR -  Michael Green, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:  Frank Chance, Charles Comiskey

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 25-Feb-2026

Q.  Which future Chicago White Sox outfielder did the 1969 All-Star program proclaim was the greatest New York Mets player of all time?

Hint: #1  John Olerud finally topped his all-time best Mets single-season batting average.

Hint: #2  He appeared on the television show “Everybody Loves Raymond”.

A.  CLEON JONES [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.   Nothing can stop mankind’s inexhaustible demand for superlatives.  The quote was probably framed & hung in Tom Seaver’s trophy room.  Jones played for CWH in 1976.

-  #1  Jones’s .340 in 1969 stood atop the Mets’ stats until Olerud hit .354 in 1998.

-  #2  He played himself on the episode that aired on 01-Mar-1999 “Big Shots”.

FCR -  Lawrence Adams, Oxford, England, UK

Incorrect guesses:  Tommy Davis, Art Shamsky, Tommy Agee, Keith Hernandez

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  — 25-Feb-2026

Q.  Which player received history’s first recorded intentional bases-on-balls?

Hint: #1  He was the 21^st player to hit for the cycle, albeit the first one who pitched regularly.

Hint: #2  He was once sent home from a road game because of the dissension he had caused his team.

A.  JIMMY RYAN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 23-May-1888, Braves player/manager John Morrill ordered his pitcher, Charlie Buffington, to throw nothing but balls to the Cubs batter Jimmy Ryan because of Ryan’s reputation as a hitter.  At the time, those 2 franchises were known simply as the NL’s Boston & Chicago teams.

NOTE:  Cooperstown ‘s Bill Deane adds this update, “On 02-Aug-1881, the NL's Buffalo Bison rookie Jack Lynch was already losing to the White Stockings, 5-0, when Abner Dalrymple came up in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and one out.  Dalrymple was a good hitter, but not much of a slugger to that point; he would finish the season with a .321 batting average, but only one homer in four years.  He had just a single in four at bats in this game.  The on-deck hitter, George Gore, had won the NL batting title at .360 the previous year.  Nevertheless, Lynch apparently wanted no part of Dalrymple.  According to the next day’s Chicago Tribune, “At one time, when the bases were full, Lynch deliberately sent in seven bad balls rather than take the chances of a hit by Dalrymple, who was at bat, and in this way forced a run upon Chicago.  But all to no purpose, for Gore followed with a terrific drive for two bases, and three men came in on the hit.”  Chicago went on to win, 11-2.”

-  #1  Ryan’s cycle was on 28-Jul-1888, against the Detroit Wolverines.  Ran was 4-0 that year as a pitcher, but as a hitter, led the league* in hits, doubles, home runs & slugging.

-  #2  Read details of the incident here.

*…and therefor the majors since the NL was the only major league in operation in 1888.

FCR -  Patrick Ray, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Incorrect guesses:  Joe Wood, Babe Ruth, Nap Lajoie, George Wright

 

THURSDAY  — 26-Feb-2026

Q.  About whom was it decided that he would serve the team better as a slick-fielding, good-hitting position player than as an injury-prone pitcher?

Hint: #1  He's one of six players since 1900 who started their careers in the majors as pitchers and ended up as position players while totaling more than 50 games pitched and 50 games played at other positions.

Hint: #2  He played for five teams in the majors without ever being traded.

Hint: #3  He was one of the players interviewed by Lawrence Ritter for the 1966 baseball classic “The Glory of Their Times”.

A.  RUBE BRESSLER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In all or parts of 19 seasons 1914-1931, Bressler had 1,170 hits, 187 doubles, 87 triples & hit .301 with a career WAR of 19.3.  Pitching in all or parts of 7 seasons, he had a record of 26-32, an ERA of 3.40, 229 K with a career pitching WAR of 0.7.

-  #1  Career MLB record.

-  #2  In 1913, he was purchased by the PHA;

In 1917, he was purchased by Atlanta (Southern Association);

Also in 1917, he was drafted by CIN;

In 1928, he was selected off waivers by BRO;

In 1932, he signed as a free agent with PHI;

Later in1932, he signed as a free agent with STL.

-  #3  “The Glory of Their Times” synopsis.

FCR -  Jeff Freedman, Westwood, California

Incorrect guesses:  Sam Crawford, Smokey Joe Wood, Cy Seymour, Lefty O’Doul, Mel Queen

 

 

FRIDAY  — 27-Feb-2026

Q.  Who was the Most Valuable Player of the series that sent the Giants on to the first World Series they would win since moving to the West Coast in the Eisenhower administration?

Hint: #1  He was the star of the game in his rookie season where he hit three home runs and two fellow rookies joined him with one apiece.

Hint: #2  He played for eight major league teams in his twelve-season career.

A.  CODY ROSS  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Ross was MVP of the 2010 NLCS where SFG beat PHI to move on to the 2010 Fall Classic.  The Giants moved in 1958; Eisenhower was U.S. president 1953-61.

-  #1  On 11-Sep-2006, took Mets [pitching deep thrice.  His rookie teammates, Dan Uggla & Josh Willingham homered as well making the day unique.  In Marlins franchise history. it’s the only game with 5 HR by rookies.

-  #2  Ross played for FLA 5-yrs, ARI 2-yrs, SFG 2-yrs, LAD 2-yrs, BOS 1-yr, OAK 1-yr, DET 1-yr & CIN 1-Yr

FCR -  Matt Clairmont, New Minas, Nova Scotia

Incorrect guesses:  Edgar Renteria, Willie McCovey, Dusty Rhodes, Chuck Hiller, Orlando Cepeda

 

 

SATURDAY  — 28-Feb-2026

Q.  Who starred for Team USA in the Baseball World Cup and has a  brother who also played in the majors?

Hint: #1  He had a worthy twelve-year career in the majors but in his age thirty season—and only that year—he was an All-Star, received Most Valuable Player votes, earned Silver Slugger status, led the league in extra-base hits and had the highest one-season WAR of his career.

Hint: #2  Everyone agreed, even though he was in Paradise, he was a Rebel in college.

A.  RYAN LUDWICK  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Ludwick was one of the best on the US 1998 BWC squad.  His older brother, Eric Ludwick, a pitcher, preceded him to MLB with a 4-year career.

-  #1  I’m sure Ludwick would enjoy repeating any of his milestones/honors of 2008, but 14 other seasons could not only not duplicate that season, none of them came close.  He had made the NL AS team, received MPV votes & racked up a 5.5 WAR, essentially half of his 11.2 career WAR.  He turned 30 on 13-July, 2 days before the ASG was played.

-  #2  He stayed home to attended college, UNLV in Paradise, Nevada in 1996-1999, but the school’s rebel mascot was discontinued in 2021.

FCR -  Daniel Joslyn, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:  Justin Smoak, Seth Smith

 

 

SUNDAY  — 28-Feb-2026

Q.  Who hit his only two home runs on consecutive days, fifteen years into his twenty-year major league career?

Hint: #1  The following season he won his teams MVP award, voted by the local baseball writers.

Hint: #2  His father was the first major leaguer to have two sons follow him to the majors.

A.  JOHNNY COONEY  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Cooney debuted 19-Apr-1921 & his last game was 30-Jul-1944.  He played a total of 1,172 games as a reliable player for 20 years.  However, his only two HR in all those games were in games played on Sunday, 24-Sep-1939(1) & Monday, 25-Sep-1939, playing for one of the worst teams in the NL, the Boston Bees (Braves).  Cooney did play in the 2^nd game of Sunday’s double header, so his blasts were not in back-to-back games.

-  #1  Cooney was Braves MVP in 1940.

-  #2  His father, Jimmy Cooney, played from 1890 to 1892.  His older brother, also named Jimmy, played for 6 teams over a 7-year career.

FCR -  DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Gus Bell, Sandy Alomar Sr, Aaron Boone

 

 

WEEK’S FINALE  — 01-Mar-2026

Q.  Who played more games at third base than any other lefthander in the history of the game?

Hint: #1  He was such a good player overall that highly respected SABR researchers awarded him an Ex Post Facto Award as the hypothetical Most Valuable Player of his league one year, long before MVPs were given.

Hint: #2  He and Jimmy Macullar became the first North Americans to play professional baseball in Cuba.

A.  HICK CARPENTER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Of Carpenter’s 1,118 MLB games, 1,059 or 95% were played at 3^rd based.

-  #1  Pete Palmer’s & Gary Gillette’s research determined that the EPFA (?) for the American Association (AA) for 1882 deserved to be Carpenter.

-  #2  Carpenter & Macullar played in the Cuban League.  They were signed by team Colón & were so powerful that other teams refused to play against them.

FCR -  Jim Cochran, Tuscaloosa

Incorrect guesses:  Lave Cross, Eddie Mathews, Spud Johnson, Jimmy Collins, George Sisler, Kyle Seager, Roger Connor, John McGraw

 

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – BRTL players with a minimum1,000 major league games played.  Thanks to Ed Baranoski for this data.  (Bats Right Throws Left)

 

Player         WAR            HR          RBI     OPS+

Bressler............ 19.3......... 32......... 586........ 110

Carpenter.......... 4.6......... 18......... 543.......... 86

Chase................ 22.9......... 57......... 941........ 112

Cooney.............. 8.4............ 2......... 219.......... 87

Henderson...... 111.2....... 297....... 1115........ 127

Jones................ 18.0......... 93......... 524........ 110

Ludwick........... 11.2....... 154......... 587........ 109

Ross................. 13.5....... 132......... 508........ 104

Ryan................. 43.6....... 118....... 1093........ 124

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Art Mugalia, Minneapolis (after Chase on Tuesday)

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Wed     -  Players that threw left and batted right for a NY team

-   Most games played by BR, TL

-    

 

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.

 

Scroll back to see previous Horsehide Trivia posts as far back as 2010.  Quizzes before that may also be available upon request.

 

 

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