Sunday, July 26, 2015

July 20-26, 2015 Pitchers who threw complete-game shutouts against the Rockies in Colorado

MONDAY
Q.         What pitcher accumulated the most victories since Warren Spahn retired?
Hint:     His brother preceded him into the majors.
Twint:    He is the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award four years in a row.
A.         GREG MADDUX
- Spahn retired in 1965 w/363 W, Maddux played 1992-20008 w/355 W
- Brother Mike‘s debut 03-Jun-1986 Greg 3 months later
- CYA’s 1992 w/CHC, 93, 94, 95 w/ATL
FCR -    Kevin Epstein, San Antonio, TX
Incorrect answers:  Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Phil Niekro

MONDAY BONUS
Q.         Whose 2000 season is deemed by the MLB network in their “Prime Nine” series as the best year by a pitcher in the modern era?
Hint:     His brother preceded him into the majors.
Twint:    If it weren’t for finishing second to Roger Clemens one year, he’d have won four Cy Young Awards in a row.
A.         PEDRO MARTINEZ
- Brother Ramon came to the majors in 1988, Pedro in 1992
- Won CYA’s in 1997 for MON, 1999 & 2000 for BOS, but Clemens won in 1998 for TOR)
FCR -    Joe Merrill, Montpelier, VT
Incorrect answers:  Eric Gagne

TUESDAY
Q.         Who is the only pitcher to have the lowest ERA in the majors (among qualifiers) for four (4!) consecutive seasons?
Hint:     If he is to do it for a fifth straight time, it appears that it will be his own teammate he’ll have to best.
Hint:     He challenges more than batters.  He challenges you!
Twint:    If it weren’t for finishing second to a knuckleballer one year, he’d have won four Cy Young Awards in a row.
A.         CLAYTON KERSHAW
- MLB ERA leader 2011-14
- Current ERA leader is Zack Greinke
- Finished 2nd to R.A. Dickey in 2012 CYA voting but won in 2011, 2013 & 2014
FCR -    Jake Hopper, Houston, TX
Incorrect answers:  Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux, Bronson Arroyo

TUESDAY BONUS
Q.         Who threw no-hitters before and after but not while he played for the New York Mets?
Hint:     He was nicknamed "Tornado" due to his pitching motion.
Hint:     Two dozen reporters followed him into a bathroom at an All-Star Game.
Twint:    Until Clayton Kershaw, he was the last Dodger to lead the NL in strikeouts.
A.         HIDEO NOMO
- No-hitters 17-Sep-1996 & 04-Apr-2001; Played for NYM 1998
- Reporter posse at 1995 All-Star game, which Nomo started & pitched 2 scoreless innings
- Led NL in K’s his rookie year, 1995
FCR -    Rich Klein, Plano, TX
Incorrect answers:  David Cone, Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who pitched in the majors for 20 years, was only selected to the All-Star team once, but was the National League starting pitcher for that game?
Hint:     At the end of his rookie season, he once alertly threw his mitt, with the ball wedged in it, to the first baseman in time for the out.
Hint:     It wasn’t enough since he was the losing pitcher in that game.
Hint:     He was the winning pitcher in the only World Series game Mitch Williams ever saved.
Twint:    Only two players in history played for more teams in the majors than he did.
A.         TERRY MULHOLLAND
- Mitt/glove combo thrown to Bob Brenley to put out Keith Hernandez 03-Sep-1986
- 1993 WS G 2 17-Oct-1993
- Played for 11 teams, Octavio Dotel & Mike Morgan each played for 12
FCR -    Doug Greenwald, San Francisco, CA
Incorrect answers:  Curt Schilling, Jamie Moyer

WEDNESDAY BONUS
Q.         Who was the first pitcher to win fifty career games for the Colorado Rockies?
Hint:     In his major league debut, pitching for the Dodgers, he rack up ten strikeouts and pitched a complete-game shutout against the Phillies.
Twint:    He was the last 20th century pitcher to gain seventeen victories, but finish the season with an ERA over 5.00.
A.         PEDRO ASTACIO
- 50th COL W 22-Apr-2001
- MLB debut 03-Jul-1992
- 17 W, 5.04 ERA in 1999
FCR -    Walt Cherniak, Woodbine, MD
Incorrect answers:  Mike Hampton, Jason Jennings, Hideo Nomo, Kevin Ritz

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.         Who surrendered Mark McGwire’s 500th career home run?
Hint:     Five innings later, he surrendered his 501st but still won the game.
Hint:     Trevor Hoffman got his 220th save in that same game.
Hint:     In the 4th inning of his second career start, he threw an “immaculate inning”, fanning three.
Twint:    In the 1990’s, no pitcher had a complete game with fewer pitches thrown than he did.
Twint:    Pedro Astacio was the loser in that game.
A.         ANDY ASHBY
- McGwire HR’s 05-Aug-1999
- Immaculate inning: 4th on 15-Jun-1991, K’d Hal Morris, Todd Benzinger & Jeff Reed all swinging
- 75 p on 05-Jul-1998, Bob Tewksbury also did it in 75 p on 29-Aug-1990
FCR -    Bob Flynn, Chandler, AZ
Incorrect answers:  Steve Trachsel, Jake Peavy

THURSDAY
Q.         What former Cowboy was the losing pitcher in the only postseason game he ever played?
Hint:     Although he had ten years of major league service, he didn’t get a single Hall of Fame vote.
Hint:     Vanna should have sold him another vowel.
Twint:    His brother Doug was drafted by the Astros and played several seasons in the minors.
A.         DAVE MLICKI
- Attended Oklahoma State University, 2001 NLDS G 2 10-Oct-2001
- In the majors 1992-2002 (missed all of 1994)
- Doug Mlicki in pro ball 1992-99
FCR -    Don Wells, Bartlett, TN
Incorrect answers:  Eli Grba, Scott Baker, Kent Hrbek

THURSDAY BONUS
Q.         Who owns the record for the most consecutive hits surrendered in an All-Star game?
Hint:     He took the loss for the game.
Hint:     Five years later he set the record for most bases-on-balls surrendered in a National League Championship Series game.
Twint:    No one can say that he Left Early (but he did, if only by a little).
A.         TOM GLAVINE
- 7 straight H 1st inning of 1992 ASG
- 7 BB in 1997 NLCS G 6
- 305 career wins (Hall of Famers EARLY Wynn and LEFTY Grove each had 300 exactly
FCR -    Mark Jones, Birmingham, AL
Incorrect answers:  Atlee Hammaker, Steve Avery, Ryan Dempster, John Smoltz, Mitch Williams, Burt Hooton, Roger Clemens

FRIDAY
Q.         Who is the most seasoned Nashville Sound this year?  (No, we’re not talking about Connie Britton.)
Hint:     He has not on only pitched in THE World Series but in the Colt World Series, the Palomino World Series and the Connie Mack World Series.
Hint:     Few players have ever parlayed hardware into financial comfort as well as he did.
Twint:    He has been known to carry satin pillows on road trips.
Twint:    He has also been known to buy back his own autographed baseball cards on eBay.
A.         BARRY ZITO
- Won 2002 AL CYA; Signed with SFG for $126 million over 7 years in 2007, but underperformed for virtually the entire life of the contract
FCR -    Eric Stone, Los Gatos, CA
Incorrect answers:  Marco Scutaro, Rick Aguilera, Phil Coke

END-OF-THE-WEEK BONUS
Q.         Who is the only former major leaguer with a cameo appearance in the 2008 movie “Sugar”?
Hint:     He was the youngest player in either league when he broke into the majors.
Hint:     In his final season, he won the Tony Conigliaro Award.
Twint:    He was a pivotal part of one of the most storied postseason upsets of the playoff era.
Twint:    He was also named the MVP of that series.
A.         JOSE RIJO
- 18 yrs. 328 days
- 2002 Tony C. Award, given to the players who overcome obstacles and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.
- 1990 WS, the Reds upset the heavily favored A’s 4 G to 0
FCR -    John Wilson, Mesa, AZ
Incorrect answers:  Alfonso Soriano, Byron Browne

SATURDAY
Q.         Who was the last pitcher to have consecutive 20-win seasons in the majors?
Hint:     His career record against the Cincinnati Reds is better than any other pitcher’s in their 146-year history.
Twint:    Though he never won 20 games in a season again, he did manage to get 20 sacrifice hits the following year.
Twint:    In so doing, he led the league and tied the record for most sacrifice hits by a pitcher in one season.
A.         ROY OSWALT
- 20-10 in 2004, 20-12 in 2005
- 25 career decisions:  22-3) 22 wins and his .880 W-L% (min 5 decisions)
- 2006 20 SH tied with Javier Vasquez (2009), Steve Rogers (1983) and Urban Shocker (1926-7)
FCR -    Dan Silverberg, Aventura, FL
Incorrect answers:  Adam Wainwright, Roy Halladay, Randy Johnson, Kurt Schilling, Greg Maddux, Joey Jay, Jack McDowell, Tom Glavine     

WEEKEND BONUS
Q.         Who is the only pitcher in the last 25 years to lead his league in ERA despite a losing season?
Hint:     It is he whose no-hitter was the result of ten strikeouts, 108 pitches, and a first inning dinger by Ricky Ledee.
Hint:     He is one of three pitchers with the same first name to no-hit the same franchise.
Twint:    He was the starter in the Seattle Mariners combined no-hitter.
A.         KEVIN MILLWOOD
- No-hit SFG 27-Apr-2003
      Kevin Gross no-hit SFG 17‑Aug‑1992
      Kevin Brown no-hit SFG 10‑Jun‑1997
- 08-Jun-2012 W 1-0 over LAD, 6 innings pitched followed by
      Charlie Furbush,
      Stephen Pryor,
      Lucas Luetge,
      Brandon League &
      Tom Wilhelmsen, who got the save
FCR -    Joe Thompson, Splendora, TX
Incorrect answers:  Nolan Ryan, Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez, Phil Niekro

SUNDAY
Q.         After the Marlins had existed as a franchise for five seasons, who held their career pitching records for games started, wins and strikeouts?
Hint:     In spite of the team’s dreary record early on, he is still the only Marlins pitcher to lead the National League in losses.
Hint:     His record of 14-7 represented the only winning season of his ten-year career in the majors.
Twint:    He is Nolan Ryan’s father.  Really.
Twint:    When informed of this, Nolan Ryan signed the birth announcement.
A.         PAT RAPP
- 1997:  117 GS, 37 W & 384 K’s
- 1996, 8-16
- 14-7 in 1995         
- He named his son Nolan Ryan Rapp, sent birth announcement to HOF’er Ryan
- His hero signed it and sent it back.
FCR -    Bradley Curtis, Roseville, CA
Incorrect answers:  


WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers who threw complete-game shutouts against the Rockies in Colorado

Pitcher                    Date             Winner    Score     Venue
Mulholland       29-May-1993       PHI          6-0      Mile High
Astacio              18-Sep-1993        LAD        9-0      Mile High
Rijo                    25-Sep-1993        CIN          6-0      Mile High
Rapp                  22-Jul-1994         FLA         4-0      Mile High
Maddux             11-Aug-1994        ATL       13-0      Mile High
Glavine              16-Jun-1995        ATL         2-0      Coors
Rapp                  17-Sep-1995        FLA       17-0      Coors
Nomo                17-Sep-1996        LAD        9-0      Coors
Glavine              18-Apr-1997        ATL       14-0      Coors
Martinez             29-Jul-1997         MON       3-0      Coors
Mlicki                18-Jun-1998        LAD        5-0      Coors
Ashby                04-Jul-1999         SDP       11-0      Coors
Oswalt               06-Sep-2008        HOU        2-0      Coors
Zito                    09-Apr-2012        SFG         7-0      Coors
Millwood          18-May-2012       SEA         4-0      Coors
Kershaw             02-Jul-2013         LAD        8-0      Coors


First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday   -  Hall of Fame Pitchers whose brothers also pitched in MLB
               -  Hall of famers who followed their brothers’ MLB debuts
               -  Pitchers whose season ERA was the lowest in proportion to the league ERA
               -  1990s NL Cy Young Winners
               -  2010s Hall of Fame Inductees
               -  Cy Young Award winners whose surnames begin “Ma”

Tuesday   -  Multiple Cy Young Winners
               -  Unanimous Cy Young Award Winners
               -  Pitchers since 1920 who have had 2 or more seasons with an ERA under 2.00
               -  Pitchers who have won consecutive Cy Young awards
               -  Pitchers who led the league in ERA and had the largest margin over the second place finisher
               -  starting pitchers with more than 1 season of an ERA under 2.00
               -  Players who threw no-nos for the Dodgers

Wed        -  Pitchers with over 1,500 strikeouts
               -  Pitchers with over 2,000 strikeouts
               -  Pitchers to start one career All-Star game


Questions archived here:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/


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