Sunday, February 14, 2016

February 8-14, 2016 Hit .300 in 5 or more seasons in the 1960's

MONDAY POST SUPER BOWL
Q.        After Honus Wagner, which Pittsburgh Pirate won the most batting titles?
Hint:     He beat out 2nd place finisher Koufax for MVP in the lefty’s final Major League season.
Hint:     Koufax said of him, “He's the strangest hitter in baseball. Figure him out one way and he'll kill you another.”
A.         ROBERTO CLEMENTE
- Wagner led his league 8 times to Clemente’s 4 titles.
- 1966 NL MVP Vote had Clemente over Koufax by a scant 10 points - 218 to 208.
FCR - Mark Jones Birmingham, AL
Incorrect answers:  Bill Madlock (He won 2 w/PIT, 2 w/CHC), Matty Alou, Dick Groat, Bill Virdon

TUESDAY
Q.        Who was the first National League MVP winner to have also won - specifically - National League Rookie of the Year?
Hint:     He had the highest total WAR of any player from 1950-1969.
Hint:     In his next-to-last season he was traded for a relief pitcher and $50,000
A.         WILLIE MAYS
- 1951 NL ROY, 1954 NL MVP.  Jackie Robinson won ROY, but there was no NL ROY at that time.  Newcomb ROY 1949, MVP 1956 after Mays won both.  Question did not require simultaneous, same-year awards.
- 1950-1969 WAR of 142.9 despite not having played in 1950 and most of 1952-3 since he enlisted in the war (no pun intended).
- Traded 11-May-1972 for Charlie Williams of NYM.  Mays retired after the 1973 WS.
FCR - Michael Campos, Redmond, WA
Incorrect answers:  Don Newcombe

WEDNESDAY
Q.        Who is the only Brave to win league MVP the same year his team won the World Series?
Hint:     He still leads the franchise for most games played, hits, singles, doubles and a few other offensive categories.
Hint:     He is the only player to top Barry Bonds for most 20 home run seasons.
A.         HANK AARON
- 1957 WS Champs Milwaukee Braves, Aaron was NL MVP - his only MVP season.
- Braves Career leader for HR and RBI (of course), as well as WAR (position players and offense), Slugging %, OPS, AB, PA, Runs scored, Total Bases, Extra Base Hits, Sacrifice Flies, Intentional Bases on Balls, GIDP, as well as other metrics.
- 20 seasons with 20 or more HR.  Bonds has 19, Frank Robinson and Willie Mays 17 each.
FCR - Morris Buenemann, Florissant, MO
Incorrect answers:  Chipper Jones

THURSDAY SOLO SHOT
Q.        Who was the first Rookie of the Year to also lead his league in runs scored?
Hint:     He was the first slugger to hit both his 400th and 500th homer in an Orioles uniform.
Hint:     In his first at bat as player-manager, he hit an 0-2 pitch over the left field wall—with Rachel Robinson in attendance.
A.         FRANK ROBINSON
- 1956 ROY, 122 R
- 400th HR off Jim Kaat 09-Sep-1967, 500th off Fred Scherman 13-Sep-1971.
- 08-Apr-1975 b1, solo shot.  As the first black MLB manager, Rachel Robinson - his namesake - attended the game.  Jackie passed away 1972.
FCR - Rick Zucker, St. Louis, MO
Incorrect answers: Eddie Murray, Jackie Robinson

FRIDAY FUN DAY
Q.        Who is the only Giants-franchise rookie to ever lead his league in doubles?
Hint:     A few years later he led in homers and runs batted in, with the batting title going to a fellow US Territory native.
Hint:     He was awarded the NL League MVP a year after the very same player.
Hint:     He was the first designated hitter to play 140 games in a season.
Hint:     He was signed expressly for that purpose to the team that he had beaten to win his only WS ring.
A.         ORLANDO CEPEDA
- 38 doubles in 1958.  Buddy Kerr (31, NYG 1944) and George Burns (37, 1913 NYG) were the only other Giants rookies to hit even 30.
- 1961 NL leader 46HR, MLB leader 142 RBI, BA .311.  Clemente’s .351 NL BA crown.
- 1967 NL MVP.  Clemente NL MVP 1966
- 1973, first year of the DH, 142 G, all at DH, and considered the first “full-time” DH.
- BOS DH, he was with STL when they won the 1967 WS over the Red Sox.
FCR - “FIREFIGHTER” Barry Uznitski Nelson, Guilderland, NY
Incorrect answers:  Chili Davis, Will Clark

SATURDAY SCREAMER
Q.        Which former Expo has the most seasons with 200 hits?
Hint:     He is the only player to ever appear in more than 162 games in a season and lead the majors in runs scored.
Hint:     He was born 10 years after the only other player and manager from his high school to play in a World Series.
Hint:     And they both won multiple rings.
A.         Pete Rose
- 1984 played in 95G with MON.  He and Ichiro are tied with the most seasons (10) with 200 hits.  Cobb has 9.
- 1974:  163 G, 110 R.  He also led the majors with 771 PA, and the NL with 45 doubles.
- He and Don Zimmer - both were players and managers - went to Western Hills High School in their native town of Cincinnati, OH.  Zimmer won two rings. Rose three.
FCR - Charles Vascellaro Baltimore, MD
Incorrect answers:  Tim Raines, Rusty Staub, Andre Dawson, Vladimir Guerrero, Al Oliver, Larry Walker

SUNDAY FINALE
Q.        Who is the only man to play in all three World Series for the 1960’s Cardinals and be awarded a Gold Glove?
Hint:     He was the first outfielder to win 7-straight Gold Gloves yet not make the Hall of Fame.
Hint:     His only hit in his first two seasons was a homer in his final at bat that came off the pitcher that holds the World Series single game record for most strikeouts by a relief pitcher.
Hint:     It was said of him and his actions: “The national pastime is clearly better because of that. But more important, so is the nation, because it has learned one more lesson about the foolishness of fearing freedom.”
A.         CURT FLOOD
- 7 GG, 1963-9.  Tim McCarver, Mike Shannon and Lou Brock also appeared in those three WS, but none won a GG.
- Clemente  and Mays, each with 12 consecutive GG, were the first OF with 7 straight.
- His second season as a September call-up, he hit a 9th inning HR off Drabowski, Moe 25-Sep-1957.  Moe struck out 11 in 6.2in relief 5-Oct-1966 for BAL against LAD.
- A couple of years before Flood died, George Will wrote “He lost the 1970 season and lost in the Supreme Court, but he had lit a fuse. … Six years later – too late to benefit him – his cause prevailed.  The national pastime is clearly better because of that.  But more important, so is the nation, because it has learned one more lesson about the foolishness of fearing freedom.” From SABR bio.
FCR -  Bob Kimball  Sutton, MA
Incorrect answers:  Lou Brock,

WEEKLY THEME – Players who batted .300+ in 5 or more seasons in the 1960’s “Decade of the Pitcher” (must qualify for batting title).

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – no one


Player              Number of .300+ Seasons
Clemente        9   1960-7, ‘68-9 (all but 1968)
Aaron              7   1961-5, ‘67, ‘69
Robinson         6   1961-2, ‘64, ‘66-7, ‘69
Cepeda           6   1961-4, ‘66-7
Rose                5   1965-9
Flood               5   1963-5, ‘67-8
Mays               5   1960-3, 1965

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




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