Horsehide Trivia: 2019-01-28 Catchers who hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the 20th century

28-Jan-2019

MONDAY

Q. Who was the first qualifying major league catcher to end a season with a batting average over .330?

Hint: He had a reputation for throwing out would-be base stealers from the crouch.

Hint: He was the first catcher to win a second Most Valuable Player award.

Hint: He won the second MVP playing for a different team and beat out a teammate for the award by a very thin margin.

A. MICKEY COCHRANE [SABR Bio]

- .331 in 1929. He helped launch the hitters’ era of the 1930s.

- No, not from the couch… the catcher’s crouch!

- MVP in 1928 w/PHA; MVP in 1934 w/DET, his 1^st year with them. Beat Charlie Gehringer 67 to 65 vote points.

FCR - Rich Ottone, Sykesville, Maryland

Incorrect guesses: Mike Piazza, Pudge Rodriguez, Erie Lombardi, Gabby Hartnett, Johnny Bench, Benito Santiago, Manny Sanguillen

TUESDAY

Q. Who managed the Mets between Casey Stengel and Salty Parker?

Hint: In consecutive seasons, he was one of a trio of teammates who homered back-to-back-to-back.

Hint: After his playing days, he coached and was once traded for another coach.

A. WES WESTRUM [SABR Bio]

- Mgr of NYM 1965-67.

- On 03-Sep-1953 He, Al Corwin & Whitey Lockman, the Giants’ 8-9-1 batters in the lineup, homered in consecutive at-bats off BRO’s Russ Meyer in a G they lost at home. Next season, still in the Polo Grounds, on 20-Jun-1954, Bobby Hofman, Westrum took the Cards’ Vic Raschi deep, saw him replaced by Cot Deal who promptly surrendered a Big Fly to Souvenir City to Dusty Rhodes. They were batting in the 7-8-9 spots in the order.

- Westrum had been a Giants coach since their first year on the west coast. Following the 1963 season, he was “traded” to the Mets for Cookie Lavagetto who wanted to be closer to his home in Oakland. Westrum was elevated to NYM manager but returned to SFG as a coach 1968-71.

FCR - Eric Savage, New York City

Incorrect guesses: Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra

TUESDAY TWICE

Q. What Ivy Leaguer was Christy Mathewson’s main catcher?

Hint: He played in four World Series for two different teams. (No—not 4 for each!)

Hint: He promise was such as a player that it allowed the Giants to trade away a Hall of Famer at his position.

Hint: He was born in the same city as Barry Bonds.

A. CHIEF MEYERS [SABR Bio]

- He had attended Dartmouth.

- WS for NYG in 1911, 1912 & 1913. Played in WS for BRO in 1916.

- NYG traded Roger Bresnahan to STL for 3 players of moderate consequence.

- Born in the same city my mother was born in, Riverside, California.

FCR - Francis Manion, Bardstown, Kentucky

Incorrect guesses: Sheriff Robinson, Rube Walker, Roger Bresnahan, Hank Gowdy, Rube Bressler, Mo Berg

WEDNESDAY

Q. What 10-year veteran remains the only player in major league history to go hitless with five strikeouts on Opening Day?

Hint: His nephew pitched for the Braves.

Hint: After retirement, he opened a deli named after himself in the city where he had played.

Hint: He played for teams in no other city.

A. RON KARKOVICE

- Opening Day 31-Mar-1996. He was 3 of Randy Johnson’s 14 Ks then had one each at the hands of Norm Charlton and G winner Edwin Hurtado.

- Nephew is Jake Brigham

- Opened Ronnie's Big League Deli in November 2003.

- Entire 12-yr MLB career was with CHW.

FCR - Victor Piacentile, Yorktown Heights, New York

Incorrect guesses: Giancarlo Stanton

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q. What former Expo is the only 20^th century National League catcher with more than ten doubles, more than ten triples and more than ten home runs in a season?

Hint: He is the only player ever traded for John Bateman.

Hint: No other catcher in the modern era has ever hit more triples in a single season.

A. TIM McCARVER [SABR Bio]

- In 1966 McCarver had 19 2b, 13 3b & 12 HR. (Cochrane and Darrell Porter have done it in the AL.) Played for MON in 1972.

- Bateman was traded by MON to PHI for McCarver 14-Jun-1972.

- 13 3b in 1966, tied with the Cubs’ Johnny Kling in 1903.

FCR - Chuck Durante, Dover Delaware

Incorrect guesses: Gary Carter, John Boccabella, John Wathan, Ron Brand, Ted Simmons, Ernie Whitt, John Stearns, CoCo LaBoy, Boog Powell, Tim Blackwell

SPECIAL CENTENNIAL QUESTION [Not connected with this week’s theme.]

Q. Who is still the only athlete ever to letter in four sports at UCLA?

Hint: ESPN reports that he also won a swimming tournament and reached the semifinals of a national tennis tournament.

Hint: His brother was an Olympic medalist.

Hint: World leaders and Nobel Peace Prize winners have praised his character and accomplishments.

Hint: SABR calls him, perhaps the most historically significant baseball player ever.

Hint: His career total for bases on balls is almost three times his strikeout total.

Hint: He won the NCAA long jump championship two years after breaking his ankle while playing college football.

Hint: He left college early to assume an assistant director's role in a New Deal agency (the National Youth Administration).

Hint He played semipro football in Hawaii, then signed a pro football contract in California before WWII ended his football career.

A. JACKIE ROBINSON [SABR Bio] Born into unpromising circumstances in Cairo, Georgia 31-Jan-1919.

- According to the UCLA Alumni Association, baseball was his weakest of the 4. See him here in his track uniform.

- Played competitively in the national Negro tennis tournament.

- Praised by Desmond Tutu, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and too many others to identify individually.

- Brother Mack broke the Olympic record in the 200 meters, but still received only the silver medal thanks for Jessie Owens.

- Walked 740 times. Struck out 291.

FCR - J.P. Wanamaker, Binghamton, New York

Incorrect guesses:

THURSDAY

Q. Who was traded for Dick Allen twice in a six month span?

Hint: He once cost teammate Ralph Garr a home run.

Hint: Twenty-one All-Stars attended the same university he did. He’s not one of them.

Hint: He is the first person of Armenian heritage ever to become a major league manager.

A. JIM ESSIAN

- On 07-May-1975, Essian was traded by PHI with Barry Bonnell + $150,000 to ATL for Allen and Johnny Oates. Then, on 15-May-1975, a week later, ATL sent Essian to CHW to complete an earlier deal made on 03-Dec-1974. ATL sent a player to be named later and cash to CHW for Allen. Got that?

- On 24-Jun-1977, Essian turned to watch the flight of the ball rather than run the bases, allowing Garr to pass him as Garr rounded first base.

- MLB ASU alumni

- Was manager for CHC in 1991.

FCR - Mark Kanter, Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Incorrect guesses: Ken Aspromonte

POLAR VORTEX BONUS

Q. Who has the most American League at-bats since the beginning of 1973 without ever playing designate hitter?

Hint: A future All-Star himself, he was a member of the Barrington, Illinois Little League team that lost to Gary Sheffield's Tampa, Florida team in the 1981 Little League World Series.

Hint: He came back from a torn ACL for one inning to catch his long-time friend Jamie Moyer in Moyer's final start of the 2005 season.

A. DAN WILSON

- 4,186 AB, 0 @ DH

- AS in 1996

- No Oakland A’s player scored that inning. Wilson was replaced by Yorvit Torrealba for inning #2 and Moyer got the victory on 30-Sep-2005.

FCR - Jeff Yeo, Antelope, California

Incorrect guesses: Cal Ripken

FRIDAY

Q. Who caught the last pre-expansion no-hitter for the Phillies?

Hint: He hit ten home runs in his major league career. The only one that cleared the fence, bounced over.

Hint: Six of his ten home runs came in a single season of his fifteen-year career.

Hint: No one else has played more career games at catcher in the 135-year history of the Phillies franchise.

A. RED DOOIN [SABR Bio]

- No-hitter thrown by Johnny Lush against Brooklyn on 01-May-1906.

- Bounce HR 20-May-1911, the 9^th of his 10

- He caught 1,195 G @ C.

FCR - Antonio Holmes, Roselle Park, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses: Clay Dalrymple, Jerry Donovan, Andy Seminick, Bob Boone, Carlos Ruiz

SATURDAY

Q. What catcher shares a home town with noted public figure Stormy Daniels?

Hint: This tiny exurb of Dallas is also the birthplace of the Astros’ Evan Gattis.

Hint: His promising career was, for all intents and purposes, ended when Heinie Zimmerman of the Cubs slid into him at home plate, breaking his arm in two places.

Hint: In November 1912, the Sporting Life newspaper published a front-page photo profile of him and wrote that he was “the rising young catcher of the Brooklyn National League.”

Hint: Though he was born in a (Hence his nickname), he made his home in upstate New York and even served on the Rochester, New York City Council for nine years.

A. TEX ERWIN

- Forney, Texas claimed a population of only 15,000 in 2010, more than a century after Erwin was born there in 1885.

- Zimmerman collision 14-Jun-1913.

- Sporting Life was a major source of baseball news at the turnoff the 20^th century.

- On the Rochester City Council 1937-45.

FCR - Daniel Wilson, St. Paul

Incorrect guesses: Shanty Hogan

SUNDAY

Q. Whose American League record for most bases in a game did Ty Cobb break in 1925?

Hint: He was one of Walter Johnson’s first coaches when Johnson became a major league manager.

Hint: After a less-than-successful career as an umpire and manager in the minors, he served on the Beloit, Wisconsin City Council and was president of the Baseball Old-Timers Association.

A. PATSY GHARRITY [SABR Bio]

- 23-Jun-1919 Gharrity had 13 bases, including a single, two doubles, and his first two major-league home runs.

- Senators’ coach 1929-30. Coached for CLE 1933-35.

- Beloit councilman for 4 years

FCR - Nobody

Incorrect guesses: Not even one of those!

WEEKLY THEME – Catchers who hit inside-the-park grand slams in the 20^th century

Cochrane...... DET.......... 04-Jun-1936......... off Stu Flythe

Dooin........... PHI........... 01-Oct-1904 ...... off Chick Robitaille

Erwin........... BRO......... 28-Jul-1911 ....... off Art Fromme

Essian......... OAK......... 10-Jun-1979 ...... off Mike Willis

Gharrity....... WAS......... 01-Jul-1923 ....... off Bill Piercy