Q. Who has the
highest career batting average for a player who never won an annual league
batting title?
Hint: Babe Ruth
said, “[He] was the most natural & graceful hitter who ever lived!”
Hint: His first
1,000 major league at-bats resulted in 389 base hits.
Hint: He nicknamed
his bat “Black Betsy”.
A. JOE JACKSON [SABR
Bio]
- He said, "What
a hell of a league this is. I hit .387,
.408 and .395 the last 3 years and I ain't won nothin' yet!" He might have won in 1910 but didn’t have
enough at-bats to qualify. In 1911 &
1912 he was outhit by Ty Cobb who hit .409 and .420 respectively. His career average is .356, comfortably 3rd
all-time.
- Ruth copied his
batting style and his nickname for his bat.
FCR - Richard Marston,
Newport Beach, California
Incorrect guesses: Ted
Williams, Lou Gehrig, Joe Sewell, Lefty
O'Doul, George Sisler
TUESDAY
Q. Who led his
league’s first basemen in errors seven times, but was considered during his
career to be the best-fielding first baseman ever?
Hint: He is the
only BRTL batter to win a major league batting title.
Hint: He was the first
American League player to hit three triples in one game for a New York team.
Hint: He was
banned from the majors for life by Judge Landis for peripheral involvement in the
Black Sox scandal.
- BA = .339 in 1916 for CIN
- 3b X 3 = 30-Aug-1906 for
FCR - Rick Gross, Miami
Incorrect guesses: Keith Hernandez, Hal Prince, Bill Terry,
Chick Gandil, Jimmy Sheckard, Gene Paulette, Joe Gedeon, George Sisler
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who was the starting catcher for the
great Chicago Cubs teams of the early 20th century?
Hint: One of his famous battery mates called him,
“…one of the greatest catchers who ever wore a mask”.
Hint: He won the world pocket billiard
championship during one off-season, choosing to retire from baseball to pursue
a career as a pool shark.
Hint: He was the first major leaguer to record hits
in 12 consecutive plate appearances.
A. JOHNNY KLING [SABR Bio]
- Averaged 109 games behind the plate for seven
straight years, 1902-08.
- Quote from a grateful Ed Reulbach who won nearly 60 games in just over 3 seasons
with Kling behind the plate.
- Quit to play pool in the 1908-09 off-season. Returned a year later to play four more
seasons in the majors.
- 12 straight H in 1902, though his
accomplishment was not uncovered until 2009.
FCR - David Johnson, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Incorrect
guesses: Gabby Hartnett, Roger Bresnahan,
Jimmy Archer, Jimmie Wilson, Pat Moran
MIDSWEEK BONUS
Q. Who was buck naked in a bathtub when he
was strangled by infuriated roommate Ty Cobb?
Hint: He was the first Dodger pitcher to have a
20-win season.
Hint: He got the first save in the history of
Ebbets Field.
Hint: He was the losing pitcher in Rube
Marquard’s 19th consecutive win.
A. NAP RUCKER [SABR Bio]
- Rucker and Cobb were teammates on the 1905 Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic
League. The two Georgians roomed
together and often went to the park early so Cobb could practice hitting
against left-handed pitching. That
season Nap became one of the first players to experience his roommate’s fury
firsthand. When they arrived home after
each game, Cobb would bathe first, then Rucker, but one day Nap was knocked out
of the game and left the park early.
Cobb arrived home to find Nap already in the bathtub and flew into a
rage, attempting to choke the naked Rucker. “You don't understand,” Cobb
seethed, “I’ve just got to be first--all the time!”
- Was 22-18 in 1911
- Ebbets Field save = 26-Apr-1913
- Marquard G 03-Jul-1912
FCR - Scott Matteson, Shawnee, Kansas
Incorrect guesses: Bill Donovan,
Dazzy Vance, Burleigh Grimes, Tom Lovett, Gus Wehying
THURSDAY
Q. Who is the only man to manage the Naps
and the Tip-Tops?
Hint: He was the first American League batter to
homer immediately following back-to-back homers by teammates.
Hint: His 60 sacrifice hits in 1908 still stands
as the second-most all-time.
Hint: He grew up playing ball with the Delahanty
brothers (Yes, THOSE Delahanty brothers!)
Hint: He was the first player to hit a home run
in each of 4 straight games. He regarded
“small ball” with disdain, notwithstanding the era he played in.
A. BILL BRADLEY [SABR Bio]
- Managed the 1905 Cleveland Naps to a 20-21 record then the Federal
League’s 1914 Brooklyn Tip-Tops to an even .500 record
at 77-77.
- Followed HRs by Nap Lajoie & Piano Legs Hickman on 30-Jun-1902. The HRs were on 3 consecutive pitches by the
Reds’ Jack Harper.
- His 60 SH in ’08 were passed only once, by the
ill-fated Ray Chapman in 1917 w/67.
- Grew up in Cleveland’s Payne Avenue district
and also played with Tommy Leach, one of the first World Series heroes.
- Bradley once stated, “Brilliant coaching makes
me tired," he once bluntly declared. "This idea... that coachers,
teamwork and the so-called inside ball makes or unmakes a team, is
foolishness.” HRs in 4 straight G 21-24‑May
and put together a 29-game hitting streak the same season.
FCR - Daniel Wilson, St. Paul
Incorrect
guesses: Nap Lajoie, Home Run Baker, Willie
Keeler, Lee Magee
FRIDAY
Q. What Highlander became the first
American Leaguer to steal home twice in a game?
Hint: His fiery temper and pugnacious outlook
earned him the nickname “The Tabasco Kid”.
Hint: After being sent to the minors toward the
end of his career, he befriended a young Casey Stengel.
A. KID
ELBERFELD [SABR Bio]
- Stole home twice 20-May-1907.
- In evidence of his chronic pugnacity, we present
the following ejection information from Retrosheet.org:
As player:
Date Team Umpire Reason
21-Jun-1902 DET Jim Johnstone HBP non-call
10-Aug-1902 DET Tommy Connolly Call at 2B
03-Sep-1903 NYY Tommy Connolly Balls and strikes
15-Apr-1904 NYY Frank Dwyer Balls and strikes
20-Aug-1905 NYY Jack McCarthy Called K (Pushed umpire)
14-Sep-1905 NYY Jack Sheridan Called third strike
08-May-1906 NYY Billy Evans Call at 1B
30-May-19061 NYY Silk O'Loughlin Call at HP
08-Aug-1906 NYY Silk O'Loughlin HBP non-call
08-27-1906 NYY Jack Sheridan Call at 2B
03-Sep-19061 NYY Silk O'Loughlin Call at HP (Spiked umpire)
05-Oct-1906 NYY Tommy Connolly Call at 2B
13-Apr-1907 NYY Tommy Connolly Called third strike
18-Jun-1907 NYY Silk O'Loughlin Catch/trap call
25-Jun-1907 NYY Jack Sheridan Call at HP
07-May-1909 NYY Tim Hurst Call at HP
18-Jun-1909 NYY Silk O'Loughlin Call at 3B
07-Aug-1909 NYY Tommy Connolly Called third strike
07-Jul-1910 WSH Jack Egan Fair/foul call
01-May-1914 BRO Cy Rigler Balls and strikes
10-Jun-1914 BRO Al Orth Balls and strikes
04-Jul-19142 BRO Lord Byron Charging mound
As manager:
Date Team Umpire Reason
27-Jun-1908 NYY Silk O'Loughlin Call at 1B
19-Aug-1908 NYY Silk O'Loughlin Balls and strikes
20-Sep-1908 NYY Billy Evans Call at 1B
28-Sep-19082 NYY Silk O'Loughlin Bench jockeying
- According to Stengel biographer, Maury Allen,
in his 1979 book, “You Could Look It Up: The Life of Casey Stengel”, Elberfeld was
generous with his time and his wisdom. The veteran and the 22-year-old protege
sat together on trains, roomed together in hotels, dined together in
restaurants, shared thoughts on the bench and talked for hours about
baseball. On September 15, 1912, Stengel
was called up to Brooklyn. Elberfeld threw a farewell party for Stengel,
ordering him to buy a new suit. “You
gotta dress like a big leaguer before they believe you are one”, quoth he, for
$22.00, and a new suitcase for $17.50.
FCR - Larry Hayes, San Francisco
Incorrect
guesses: Wee Willie Keeler
SATURDAY
Q. Who was the catcher for the first
perfect game in the modern era?
Hint: In spite of 6 hits and 4 RBI, he was lifted
for pinch-hitters twice during his only postseason series.
Hint: He was one of the players whose absence was
deeply felt by the losingest major league team of all time.
Hint: He played for the Perfectos and caught a
perfecto.
A. LOU CRIGER [SABR Bio]
- Perfecto thrown by Cy Young 05-May-1904.
- Pinch-hit for in the 1903 World Series by Jack O’Brien and Duke Farrell, resulting in a K and sac fly respectively.
- On 29-Mar-1899, he was “assigned” to the St.
Louis Perfectos by the Cleveland Spiders management who owned both teams and wanted
to pool the talent in St. Louis. The Spiders went 20-134, finished 12th of 12 in the NL
and had no player with a WAR over 1.0.
Such shenanigans are, as you might guess, no longer allowed.
- Played for the St. Louis Perfectos in 1899. They
became the Cardinals the very next season.
FCR - Lee Dembart, Los
Angeles
Incorrect
guesses: Ossee Schrecongost, Charlie
Bennett, Ron Hassey
SUNDAY
Q. What Oakland native’s .213 lifetime
batting average is the second worst all-time among players with at least 3,000
at bats?
Hint: He and his son of the same name were the
first father/son combo to each claim having caught in a World Series.
Hint: Jr’s college tuition was paid by an old
roman Hall of Famer.
Hint: He was a professional Bunny.
A. BILLY
SULLIVAN [SABR Bio]
- Sullivan defensive prowess was seen as more
than overcoming his offensive dearth. He
had 3,647 AB. Bill Bergen, also a catcher, hit .170 in 3,028 AB. Bobby Wine is 3rd on that list at .215 in
3,172 AB.
- Sr. caught for CHW in the 1906 WS; Billy, Jr. caught for DET in the 1940 WS
- White Sox franchise owner Charles Comiskey paid tuition to Notre Dame for both
Billy, Jr. and Ed Walsh, Jr., son of Hall of Famer Ed Walsh.
- Played for the 1896 Cedar Rapids Bunnies.
FCR - Bob Flynn, Chandler, Arizona
Incorrect
guesses:
IN MEMORIAM
Q. Who was the American League’s youngest
player?
Hint: For about 10 months, he was the youngest
ever in the history of the majors.
Hint: He played in parts of 11 seasons in the majors,
all but 2 games for the A’s.
Hint: His log of home runs surrendered looks like
a “Who’s Who” of the post-war American League:
Ted Williams, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon, Rudy York, Vic
Wertz, Larry Doby, Al Rosen, Ferris Fain, Eddie Yost, Walt Dropo, Tommie
Henrich, Bobby Doerr and Vern Stephens… 98 home runs in all.
Hint: During World War II, he led his team to win
the “G.I. World Series” of occupied Germany.
A. CARL
SCHEIB..[ SABR Bio]
- Debuted 06-Sep-1943, 16 yrs. 248 days old
- Joe
Nuxhall took Scheib’s title as the youngest when he pitched two-thirds of a
inning in a game for CIN on 10-Jun-1944,
younger b than Scheib y nearly a year.
After those 2 innings, however, he did not see action in the majors for
another 8 years, whereas Scheib was useful to his team right away.
- In the military WS of 1946, he pitched and
showed considerable offensive skills as well.
FCR - Lee Dembart, Los
Angeles
Incorrect
guesses:
WEEKLY THEME – The only
players of the 50 who appeared on the first ever Hall of Fame ballot in 1936
who never were elected.
Name Career WAR X on HOF ballot
Jackson............ 62.2............ 2
Rucker............. 47.4............ 7
Bradley............ 37.2............ 6
Elberfeld.......... 33.0............ 5
Kling............... 24.9............ 9
Chase............... 22.8............ 2
Criger.............. 10.7............ 6
Sullivan............. 6.0............ 3
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Richard
Giovanoni, Morton Grove, Illinois (after Bradley)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Players
with the nickname "Shoeless".
Tuesday - Players
who have been banned for life.
- The
Black Sox Scandal, or the players involved
- Players
banned from baseball
- Players
with more than 5,000 ABs whose last game was in the World Series
- Players
who have bet (supposedly) on WS games.
Wed. - The
players who received votes in the first balloting for election into the Hall of
Fame but did not get enough votes for entry.
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Horsehide Trivia home
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