Q. What dental
surgeon manqué was the first home team player to come to bat in the first
regular-season game in Ebbets Field?
Hint: He made most
of his money outside of baseball, but not in dentistry or elocution.
Hint: In his
second full season in the majors, he led the National League in on-base
percentage.
Hint: In his
antepenultimate full season, he took enough for the team to lead the league in
times hit-by-pitch.
A. CASEY STENGEL [SABR
Bio]
- First Ebbets Field
game 09-Apr-1913. He enrolled in dental school in Kansas City, but
never finished the program.
- Became the vice-president
of the Valley
National Bank in Glendale, California after being released NYY. The bank was owned by his in-laws.
- Had a .404 OBP in
1914.
- HBP 9 times in 1922
w/NYG, helping them win the
pennant and the WS.
FCR - Dave Serota,
Kalamazoo
Incorrect guesses:
TUESDAY
Q. Of the two
Hall of Famers who platooned with each other at first base for the Giants,
which was the only one to collect 250 hits in a single season?
Hint: Of the top
20 seasons for most hits in a season for the Giants’ franchise, he owns 6 of them.
Hint: He made an
unsuccessful bid to buy the Giants after his election to the Hall.
Hint: With a
different Hall of Fame teammate, they hit back-to-back home runs twice in a single game.
A. BILL TERRY [SABR
Bio]
- Platooned w/George “High Pockets” Kelly
@ 1st in 1924. Had 254 H in 1930, tied for 3rd-most
all-time w/Lefty O’Doul, 2
slots behind Ichiro & Sisler.
- Had seasons with incredibly productive hit
totals:
of 229, 254, 213, 225, 213 & 203
in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934 & 1935…
respectively. He had 4 additional seasons w/150+ H. (Whew!)
- Tried to buy the team in 1955.
- He and Mel Ott went
back-to-back 13-Aug-1932. (Still lost 18-9.)
FCR - Tristan DeCoster, Seattle
Incorrect guesses: Willie McCovey, Mel Ott, Orlando Cepeda,
Lefty O’Doul
TUESDAY TWICE
Q. Which Hall of Fame catcher started his
career with a 4-0 record as a pitcher?
Hint: He was the first player elected to the Hall
as a catcher.
Hint: He caught every inning of every game of a modern
World Series where not a single opponent’s player crossed the plate in front of
him.
A. ROGER BRESNAHAN [SABR Bio]
- 4-0 for the National League Senators in 1897
- HOF 1945
(Note: Buck Ewing played 47% of his
career @ C and was inducted in 1939.
Bresnahan was @ C for 71%.)
- 1905 WS..
Teammates finished "ahead" of
him. No opponent finished “in
front" of him crossing the plate as he stood behind it.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect guesses: Buck Ewing, Gabby Hartnett, Mickey Cochrane
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who was the first 20th century
pitcher to strike out 1,000 batters in each league?
Hint: He was the first 20th century pitcher
to win 100 games in each league.
Hint: He was the first to pitch for each leagues
in the All-Star game.
A. JIM BUNNING [SABR Bio]
- Finished with 1,406 K in the AL & 1,449 in
the NL
- Finished with 118 AL W & 106 in the NL.
- Started for AL in 1957, 1961 (2) & 1962 (1) Played for
AL in 1959 (1), 1961 (1) & 1963. Pitched for the NL in 1964 & 1966.
FCR - Dave Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect
guesses: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson,
Gaylord Perry, Vida Blue, Pedro Martinez, Jim Kaat
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who took it upon himself to catch Bob
Feller in Feller's first major league appearance?
Hint: AT the end of that season, he told Feller,
“You just take care of yourself this winter and don't try to lift the tractor.”
Hint: He and his brothers totaled 28 years of
major league service.
Hint: In 14 years managing in the bigs, he never
had a losing season.
A. STEVE O’NEILL [SABR Bio]
- That 1st G was a CLE/STL exhibition
game 2 weeks before his Feller’s debut.
- Feller returned home and, as is told in
reverent tones by the ancients, hefted no agri-ordnance.
- Brothers Mike, Jim & Jack had MLB
careers of 4, 2 & 5 seasons
respectively to go with Steve’s 17. Only
the Delahanty family had more siblings make the majors.
- MLB career managing record: 1,040-841 = .559 and won
the 1945 WS
FCR - Mike Caragliano, Flushing, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Frankie Pytlak, Joe Torre,
Billy Sullivan, Al Lopez, Mickey Cochrane, Luke Sewell, Rick Farrell
THURSDAY
Q. Who managed only non-Yankee, non-Dodger
team to win consecutive pennants between 1944 and 1967?
Hint: He assembled the expansion franchise roster
that recorded the best first year of any expansion franchise in the 20th
century.
Hint: He was the first native of his home state
to play more than 5 games in the majors.
Hint: He holds the career record for stolen
bases by anyone born in his native state.
A. FRED HANEY [SABR Bio]
- GM 1961 Los Angeles Angels
= 70-91 record has never been bested by any other first-year expansion team
since that time.
- B. 25-Apr-1896 Albuquerque, New Mexico; rookie in 1922.
- Has 51 career SB. No one else has more that 35, but that’s
likely to fall soon.
FCR - Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas
Incorrect
guesses: Bobby Bragan, Earl Weaver, Red
Schoendienst, Billy Southworth, Chuck Dressen, Charlie Grimm, Bill McKechnie
THURSDAY TWICE
Q. Who, after being fired as a major league
manager, walked out of the stadium, appropriately forlorn, with a mysterious
Wawa bag in hand?
Hint: He is the only World-Series-winning manager
to be MVP in Japan.
Hint: He was born in the back of a car when his
mother was visiting out of state.
Hint: As a player, his post season experience was
limited to 2 ALCS plate appearances, one in each of consecutive seasons. In the first, he walked. The next year, he struck out.
- His exit was captured by a photographer as he
headed down the tunnel to exit for the last time. Local Philadelphia theory was that the bag
contained a quesadilla from the convenience store chain Wawa. Manuel later explained that it was just some
of his prescription medicine.
- Won the 2008 World Series
managing PHI. He led 2 franchises to their first post
seasons and was named MVP of the Pacific League, the first American to receive
the honor since 1964, hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI.
- He grew up in Virginia, but because his mother
was traveling when the time came, he is a native of West Virginia.
FCR - Chuck Durante, Dover, Delaware
Incorrect
guesses: Davey Johnson, Bobby Valentine
THURSDAY THRICE
Q. Who made the last putout of arguably the
most historic World Series of the 21st century and was then, of all
things, sued by his victorious team?
Hint: One of the teammates on his high school
team went on to join the 500‑home‑run club.
Hint: He once had to go on the 15-day disabled
list when he tore his right hamstring warming up in the on-deck circle.
Hint: He and the person who was the answer to the
2nd Tuesday question have a special connection with this week’s
theme.
- 2004 WS.
Mientkiewicz kept the final-out ball but found himself in a legal battle
with the Red Sox for ultimate possession of the ball. The Sox later relented and the ball is now in
Cooperstown.
- He was a schoolmate and teammate of Alex Rodriguez at
Westminster Christian High
School in Miami, Florida.
- Mientkiewicz and Bresnahan were both… [see
theme]
FCR - Adrian Fung ,
Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria Anthony Rizzo, Pablo Sandoval, Carl Everett, A.J.
Pierzynski, Kent Hrbek,
FRIDAY
Q. Only four people have held the American
League single-season home run record.
Name the second one to do it.
Hint: He is credited with being the first
outfielder to complete an unassisted double play.
Hint: He played in the outfield with a
first-baseman’s mitt, but only after receiving a special dispensation to do so.
A. SOCKS SEYBOLD [SABR Bio]
- AL single-season HR record holders:
1901 Napoleon Lajoie PHA (14)
1902 Socks Seybold PHA (16)
1919 Babe Ruth NYY (29…60)
1961 Roger Maris NYY (61)
- DP – 1907 15-Aug-1907 then did it again a
month later, 10-Sep-1907
- AL President Ban Johnson let Seybold to use
his first-baseman’s mitt in 1901.
FCR - Dave Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect
guesses: Tris Speaker, Frank Baker, Hank Greenberg, Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Ned
Williamson, Vic Wertz, Gavvy Cravath, Harry Anderson, Buck Freeman, Walter Carlisle, Ty Cobb
SATURDAY
Q. Who finished second in MVP voting behind
a teammate one season after a different teammate finished second behind that
same MVP?
Hint: His consolation was to be voted MVP by The Sporting News, by many accounts a
more credible source.
Hint: This former Baltimore Oriole led all
American League third basemen in fielding percentage one season then two years
later, led all AL second basemen in
the same measure.
Hint: He won a batting title while playing for
the Angels.
Hint: His first career triple in the majors came
after three other teammates had tripled in the same inning.
Hint: Before dedicating himself to baseball, he
turned down a basketball scholarship from Providence.
A. EDDIE MAYO [SABR Bio]
- In 1944, pitcher Hal Newhouser of DET was the
AL MVP, out-pointing teammate Dizzy Trout.
In 1945, it was Mayo who finished 2nd behind Newhouser, still
the only pitcher to win MVP award in consecutive seasons.
- TSN MVPs = 1945. It was the last year of the existence of
that award.
- Played for the AA Baltimore Orioles in 1935 & 36. Playing 3rd in 1943, he had a .976
Fld%, tops in the AL. In 1945 did even
better w/.980 to lead AL 3nd basemen.
- Hit .332 in 1938 for the Los Angeles Angels of
the AAA Pacific Coast League.
- 3b X 4 in same inning = 17-Jul-1936. His followed those of Jo-Jo Moore, Mel Ott &
Hank Leiber.
FCR - Bill Carle, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Incorrect
guesses: Bobby Grich, Doug DeCinces, Carney
Lansford, Brian Downing
SECOND
SATURDAY
Q. Who changed the pH balance of the
Tigers’ outfield?
Hint: He was the first major league player on a Seattle
team to bat .300 for a season.
Hint: He was recruited to play football at the
University of Michigan, but never saw action on the gridiron. He did, however, did get in to a few
basketball games at Michigan.
A. LEON ROBERTS
- The Tigers’ RF had been very ‘alkaline’ for
years when Roberts took over the position in 1975.
- Batted .301 for SEA in 1978.
FCR - Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect
guesses: Al Kaline, Phil Nevin, Greg
Goosen, Brooks Robinson, Aurelio Rodriguez
WEEKEND
BONUS
Q. Who, after a cup of coffee under Pete
Rose, managed teams in two separate minor leagues to their respective league
championship in consecutive season?
Hint: That success led to his becoming the
youngest manager in the majors.
Hint: Hoping to boost his authority with his
players, he showed up to spring training his second year dressed as a U.S.
Marine drill sergeant.
Hint: The stratagem backfired and foretold his
release, leading to a historic management hire.
Hint: His last stint as a major league manager
was for all of 4 games.
A. TOM RUNNELLS
- Played 40 G for CIN 1985-86. Managed the AA 1988 Chattanooga Lookouts
of the Southern League to
their first title in over 25 years. More
than a dozen players from that team made the majors. Moving up but still within the Expos
organization, he led the 1989 AAA Indianapolis Indians
to the American Association
(East Division) championship with a roster that included future major league All-Star
Marquis Grissom, future MVP Larry Walker and future Hall of Famer Randy
Johnson.
- At 36 years old managing MON, he was the
youngest manager in the majors in 1991 when he was hired on 03-Jun.
- Felipe Alou, the
first ever major league manager born in the Dominican Republic, replaced
Runnells 22-May-1992.
- Bench Coach for COL 2009-2016, he replaced
manager Walt Weiss for 4
G in 2015 while Weiss
underwent and recuperated from an appendectomy.
FCR - Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect
guesses: Tommy Helms
SUNDAY
Q. Which batter led the American League in bases-on-balls
for 5 out of the league’s first 8 years of existence?
Hint: His record for most bases-on-balls in a
single American League season lasted until it was shattered by Babe Ruth more
than a decade later.
Hint: He once made eleven (11!) putouts from left
field in a single game, a record that still stands a century on.
Hint: He once scored the winning run in a game
because a batter’s ball glance off his
(the batter’s) glove in the field. That
victory became the margin by which his team won the pennant.
A. TOPSY HARTSEL [SABR Bio]
- Had 121 BB in 1905 for PHA. Ruth accumulated 150 in 1920 then 170 three
years later. By the time Ruth retired,
Hartsel’s AL record was no longer even in the Top 10.
- 11 PO = 10-Sep-1901.
- Glove/hit = 28-Sep-1905. Won the AL pennant by 2 G.
FCR - Bill Deane, Cooperstown
Incorrect guesses: Nap Lajoie, Jiggs Donahue, Roy Thomas, Ed Delahanty
WEEKLY
THEME – This
week’s theme and questions were suggested by reader R.D. Lerner of Silver
Spring, Maryland.
Well-known
managers of the minor league Toledo Hud Hens.
Mientkiewicz.......... 2018
Seybold................. 1909
Terry...................... 1923
The Mud Hens dropped to
C level in 1914 and played in the Southern Michigan League
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – David
Washburn, Marietta, GA (after Bunning)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tuesday - Hall of
gamers who also owned minor league teams
Questions archived here: http://horsehidetriviA. blogspot.com/
Horsehide Trivia home
page: https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia
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