Sunday, March 31, 2019

2019-03-25 Hall of Famer players who attended the same high school of ANOTHER Hall of Famer


Q.        Who was the first pitcher to accumulate 3,000 career strikeouts?
Hint:     The first time an American League batter homered in his first career at bat, it was this guy who surrendered it.
Hint:     Legendary ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian graduated from the high school named for this pitcher.
A.         WALTER JOHNSON  [SABR Bio]
-  Johnson’s 3,000th K was future fellow Hall-of-Fame-pitcher-to-be Stan Coveleski of the Cleveland Indians on 22-Jul-1923.  Closest career K total at the time was the 2,803 owned by Cy Young.  Johnson finished w/3,509 in an era when strikeouts were rarer and disdained.  His total is now 9th on the all-time list, just behind that of Gaylord Perry.
-  21-year-old St. Louis Brown second baseman Tom Stuart hit an inside-the-park homer off Johnson 08-Aug-1921.  It was Stuart’s only HR in the majors, in fact it was his only hit in the majors.
-  Kurkjian graduated from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland in 1974.
FCR -  Charlie Riordan, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  Cy Young, Christy Mathewson

MONDAY BONUS
Q.        Whose record for highest percentage Hall of Fame votes did Ken Griffey, Jr. break?
Hint:     His record of striking out 200 or more batters in each of nine consecutive seasons remains unmatched.
Hint:     His record of striking out ten consecutive batters in a game is equally uniquely his.
A.         TOM SEAVER  [SABR Bio]
-  Seaver garnered 98.84% of the vote in 1992.  Griffey came in hot with 99.32% in 2016.  The current record won’t be broken.
-  200+ K 1968-1975.  In 5 of those seasons he led the league.
-  On 22-Apr-1970, he threw a two-hitter against SDP for a 2-1 win. He fanned 19 of the 31 batters he faced, including the last 10 in a row. Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez and reliever Heath Hembree combined to strike out 11 straight 25-Sep-2016.
FCR -  Victor Piacentile, Yorktown Heights, New York
Incorrect guesses:  Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Greg Maddux


TUESDAY
Q.        Before Alex Rodriguez did it in 2007, who had been the last New York Yankee to drive in 150 runs in a season?
Hint:     His uniform was the first of that number to be retired.
Hint:     The Sporting News wrote, “… fans regard him as the Moses who is to lead their club out of the second-place wilderness.”
A.         JOE DiMAGGIO  [SABR Bio]
-  155 RBI in 1948 to lead the majors by almost 20.  It was his 2nd-best RBI year.
-  His #5 was retired on 18-Apr-1952, the Yankee home opener that year
-  Quote is by Dan Daniel in the March 26 edition of TSN, during DiMaggio’s rookie spring training camp.  The prior season, 1935, he had hit .398 w/34 HR & 154 RBI in San Francisco in the PCL.
FCR -  Barry Lipinski, Somerset, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses:  Lou Gehrig, Don Mattingly, Babe Ruth, Bill Dickey, Thurman Munson

TUESDAY BONUS
Q.        Whose record for most home runs in the month of April did Albert Pujols break?
Hint:     He was the last player to collect eight RBI in a game in the 20th century.
Hint:     He admitted to a failed suicide attempt shortly after his professional career began.
A.         KEN GRIFFEY, Jr.  [SABR Bio]
-  Griffey hit 13 in April 1997; Pujols had 14 in 2006 and was tied in 2007 by A‑Rod.
-  8 RBI = 08-Jul-2000
-  Ingested 277 aspirin (by his own count) in 1988.
FCR -  Stephen Klatsky, Washington DC
Incorrect guesses:  David Ortiz, Jimmy Piersall, Juan Gonzalez, Rudy York, Pedro Guerrero

WEDNESDAY
Q.        For whom was the arcane “HERE” ensign hoisted?
Hint:     The Texas native was the youngest of 10 children.
Hint:     He was arrested during the same season he led his team to their first pennant in over two decades.
A.         FRANK ROBINSON  [SABR Bio]
-  An orange flag with simply the word HERE in black, block letters, was planted at the exact location where Robinson’s towing home run landed beyond the confines of Baltimore’s old Veterans Memorial Stadium.  It was the only documented home run to leave the stadium in its
-  He was born in Beaumont, Texas but the family moved to Oakland, California when he was very young.
-  In 1961, he was arrested for carrying a firearm without a permit.  The matter was settled when he apologized and paid a $250.00 fine.
FCR -  David Umansky, Washington, DC
Incorrect guesses:  Adam Dunn, Ferguson Jenkins, Clay Bucholtz

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        Which slugger amassed an unprecedented 1,296 MVP votes over 9 major league seasons without ever winning the award?
Hint:     Five consecutive seasons he finished in the top five, including second place twice.
Hint:     He is the only player to get his 3,000th career hit the same season he played in the World Series.
Hint:     He holds another unusual record:  He had the longest stretch between the first and last times he hit home runs from each side of the plate in the same game.
A.         EDDIE MURRAY
-  Received MVP votes 1978-85, 1990.
-  From 1981 through 1985, he finished 5th, 2nd, 2nd, 4th & 5th respectively then 5th again in 1990.
-  3,000th H 30-Jun-1995 for CLE; 1995 WS CLE vs. ATL
-  A span of 16 years, 8 months & 18 days, from 03-Aug-1977 to 21-Apr-1994.
FCR -  Charlie Fouche, Dalton, Georgia
Incorrect guesses:  Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor

THURSDAY
Q.        What Hall of Famer was forced into an early retirement because of arthritis?
Hint:     Only three other right-handed batters have a higher career batting average.
Hint:     The year Babe Ruth had an otherworldly 230 OPS+, over 450 total bases and a slugging percentage of almost .850,  he still would have needed 34 more hits just to beat this guy in that category.
Hint:     He grew up less than 4 blocks from what is now Oracle Park (formerly AT&T Park; previously SBC Park; nee Pacific Bell Park).
A.         HARRY HEILMANN  [SABR Bio]
-  Retired in 1930 at age 35 because of the pain in his wrists, but did come back two years later for 15 G w/CIN
-  Heilmann hit .342 (.3416 rounded up) over his 17-year career.  Righties above him are Hornsby [.356], Delahanty [.349] and Dave Orr [.3420]
-  In 1921 Ruth had 204 H, but Heilmann led the AL and M:B
-  Heilmann lived with his family at 708A Brannan Street in what is now the South of Market district of San Francisco.
FCR -  Michael McCroskey, Sugar Land, Texas
Incorrect guesses:  Jeff Bagwell, Rogers Hornsby, Joe DiMaggio, Sandy Koufax, Al Simmons, George Sisler

THURSDAY BONUS
Q.        In the modern era, what fleet first baseman led the majors in stolen bases twice before Ty Cobb did even once?
Hint:     He was the best player on the best team of the first decade of the last century and accomplished most of it while also managing the team.
Hint:     Those familiar with his even temperament might be surprised to know that he was an accomplished boxer during the off-season.
A.         FRANK CHANCE  [SABR Bio]
-  67 SB in 1903 & 57 SB in 1906.. No first baseman has ever stolen more in a single year.  [Cobb’s 1st was 1909.]
-  He was 1st or 2nd in WAR on the Cubs every year 1903-1906
-   James J. Corbett and John L. Sullivan, among the best fighters of the era, both considered Chance “the greatest amateur brawler of all time.”
FCR -  Creg Stephenson, Theodore, Alabama
Incorrect guesses:  Cap Anson, Fred Clarke, Bob Bescher, Hal Chase, John McGraw

FRIDAY
Q.        What Hall of Famer wore uniform #21 for the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Hint:     He was the first player to hit two home runs in one All-Star game.
Hint:     He was a high school classmate of Richard Nixon.
Hint:     His nephew Sparky played briefly in the majors.
A.         ARKY VAUGHN  [SABR Bio]
-  Wore #2 1932-39
-  2 AS HR 08-Jul-1941, 7th & 8th innings off Sid Hudson & Eddie Smith.  Vaughn has since been joined by Ted Williams (1946), Al Rosen (1954), Willie McCovey (1969), Gary Carter (1981).
-  Fullerton Union High School, class of 1930
FCR -  James Higgins, Bethesda, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  Roberto Clemente, Ralph Kiner, Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner, Max Carey

FRIDAY BONUS
Q.        Who was the first teenager to play for the Pirates in the 20th century? (25 G min)
Hint:     Between his first and second cycles, 3,987 days elapsed. The entire 1930s came and went before he achieved his second cycle.
Hint:     He set an American League record by hitting five pinch-hit home runs in one season.
Hint:     He was the first man to play, manage and coach in an All-Star game.
A.         JOE CRONIN  [SABR Bio]
-  Debuted in the majors for PIT on 29-Apr-1926 at age 19 yr 199 days.  Played 38 G.
-  First cycle 02-Sep-1929; next cycle 02-Aug-1940.
-  AS player 1933-35, 37-39, 41; AS manager 1934, 40, 47; AS coach 1936.
FCR -  Dave Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect guesses:  Pie Traynor

SATURDAY
Q.        Who is the career leader in assists by a shortstop?
Hint:     He is not likely to be caught soon.  The leading current shortstop needs over 3,500 more to catch up.
Hint:     He was the first National League player to receive the Branch Rickey award.
Hint:     The year he led his team a pennant, he finished 2nd in MVP voting to player on a last-place team!
A.         OZZIE SMITH  [SABR Bio]
-  8,375 A as SS
-  Elvis Andrus has 4,052 going into today’s game.
-  In 1987 STL won the NL pennant w/Smith’s 6.4 WAR leading the team.  The NL MVP, however, went to Andre Dawson of the Cubs, 11 to 9.  Dawson’s 4.0 WAR didn’t even lead his last-place team.
FCR -  Lincoln Mitchell, New York City
Incorrect guesses:  Omar Vizquel, Rabbit Maranville, Honus Wagner, Pee Wee Reese

SATURDAY BONUS
Q.        Which former MVP hit his first career grand slam in the 1,823rd game of his career, in his 7,897th career plate appearance?
Hint:     He hit it just after The Naked Cowboy streaked across Cinergy Field.
Hint:     He was SS and nine times SS.
Hint:     His brother got his first hit in the majors off the Pirates Jose Silva.
A.         BARRY LARKIN
-  Streak/slam day = 20-Apr-2001.  Naked Cowboy = Robert John Burck.  HR surrendered by Al Leiter.  NL MVP in 1995.
-  Played shortstop and won the Silver Slugger award 9 times.
-  Brother Stephen got his only MLB hit 27-Sep-1998
FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses:  Aaron Boone, Roberto Alomar, Brett Boone

SUNDAY
Q.        Who was the first player in organized baseball to hit sixty home runs in a season?
Hint:     He is the only player to hit a natural cycle, culminating with a grand slam.
Hint:     He was the first player to appear with teams in different leagues in consecutive World Series.
A.         TONY LAZZERI  [SABR Bio]
-  60 HR for the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League in 1925 in 197 games.
-  Cycle = 03-Jun-1932
-  Played for NYY in the 1937 WS; played for CHC in the 1938 WS.
FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses:  Josh Gibson, Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, Harry Davis, Lou Gehrig

SUNDAY BONUS
Q.        What catcher caught both of Johnny Vander Meer’s no-hitters?
Hint:     He set the record for most time grounded into a double play, both for one season and for a career.
Hint:     He’s the last qualifier in this week’s theme.
A.         ERNIE LOMBARDI  [SABR Bio]
-  Vandy’s no-no’s:  11-Jun- & 15-Jun-1938
-  30 GDP in 1938
-    (See below)
FCR -  J.P. Wanamaker, Binghamton, New York
Incorrect guesses:  Joe Garagiola, Johnny Riddle, Dick Stuart


WEEKLY THEME – Hall of Fame players who went to a high school that another Hall of Famer also attended.

Seaver           -   Fresno High School (Fresno, California)
Chance          -                     "

Johnson         -   Fullerton Union High School (Fullerton, California)
Vaughn         -                     "

Murray          -   Locke High School (Los Angeles)
Smith            -                     "

Lombardi      -   McClymonds High School (Oakland) 
Robinson       -                     "

Heilmann       -   Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco)
Cronin           -                     "

DiMaggio      -   Galileo High School (San Francisco)
Lazzeri         -                     "

Griffey          -   Archbishop Moeller HS (Cincinnati)
Larkin           -                     "

First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeSteve Berman, Bergenfield, New Jersey (after Cronin)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday  -  Righty’s with 3k k’s
               -  Hall of Famers who attended high school in California

Tuesday -  First ballot HOF who got over 90% of the vote
               -  Hall of Famers born in November 

Wed        -  Hall of Famers with siblings who played pro ball

Thurs      -  Hall of Famers who went to school in California
-    Triple-A Baseball Alumni in the Hall of Fame

Sat          -  Hall of Famers who went to school in California
               -  Hall of Famers who made MLB debuts as teen-agers

Sunday   -  HOF players who played for Reds but set various individual
records for other teams.












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