Horsehide Trivia: 2020-02-10 Hall of Famers who attended PAC 12 Schools

MONDAY – 10-Feb

Q. Who is the only pitcher to win World Series games in three separate decades?

Hint: In a nineteen-year, 3,948-inning major league career he never surrendered a grand slam home run.

Hint: He did surrender a grand slam to a future Hall of Famer while both were in the minors.

A. JIM PALMER [SABR Bio]

- WS Ws = G2 1966; G1 1970; G 2 1971; G 3 1983

- 0 GS, but 27 3-run shots

- While pitching for the AAA Rochester Red Wings on 01-Jul-1967 on a rehab assignment, the Buffalo Bisons’ Johnny Bench homered off Palmer with 3 men on.

FCR - Thomas Hablitzel, Hudson, Ohio

Incorrect guesses: Whitey Ford*, Don Sutton, Bob Gibson, Jerry Koosman, Jim Kaat

*The case for Ford is because he won WS games in 1950, then in the 50 & 60s. However, baseball (and historians) measure decades *0-*9. See https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/28/us/what-is-decade.amp.html.

TUESDAY – Feb 11

Q. Who was the first American League pitcher to win ten or more games in each of 17 consecutive seasons?

Hint: He is the only pitcher besides Sandy Koufax to finish his career with a twenty-win season in the live ball era.

Hint: Who was the hundredth pitcher to earn his two hundredth career victory.

A. MIKE MUSSINA [SABR Bio]

- 10+ W 1992-2008.

- Record was 20-9 in 2008. Koufax’ was 27-9 in 1966. [Despite the infamy of the 1919 WS, both Eddie Cicotte’s and Lefty Williams’ career-ending 20-win campaigns were posted in 1920—just before they were banned by the Commish. The Live Ball Era’s first year is traditionally recognized as 1920 so really, both Black Soxers also accomplished what Moose and Sandy did.]

- His 200^th W = 11-Apr-2004

FCR - Patrick Roth, Chicago

Incorrect guesses: Walter Johnson, Don Sutton

TUESDAY TWICE – Feb 11

Q. Who was the first person born in the Mountain Time Zone to be elected to the Hall of Fame?

Hint: He was the second Pittsburgh Pirate ever to lead the league in home runs.

Hint: He is the first National League player to total more than 100 home runs over a two-season span.

A. RALPH KINER [SABR Bio]

- Born in Santa Rita, New Mexico in 1922. HOF in 1975.

- Led the NL in HR 1946-52. Tommy Leach led the NL in HR in 1902 w/6.

- 1949-50 hit 54 + 47 HR.

FCR - Mark Hayne, Dumfries, Virginia

Incorrect guesses: Dick Stuart

WEDNESDAY – Feb 12

Q. Which Hall of Fame pitcher has won the most Cy Young Awards?

Hint: He was the first pitcher to strike out 300 batters in a season in each league.

Hint: He is the only relief pitcher to strike out fifteen batters in a nine-inning game.

A. RANDY JOHNSON [SABR Bio]

- 5 CYAs: 1995, 1999-2002, HOF in 2015.

- 308 K in 1993 (SEA); 300+ K 1999-2002 (ARI) [P. Martinez would join this exclusive club less than a month later in 1999.]

- 16 K 18-Jul-2001, 6 IP; Entered the G in the bottom of the 3^rd and had 7 IP.

FCR - Morris Buenemann, Sarasota

Incorrect guesses: Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Walter Johnson, Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q. Who is the only pitcher to earn forty saves in a season for four consecutive seasons?

Hint: He was the first pitcher to earn ten more saves than he allowed hits in a season.

Hint: One-time teammate Akinori Otsuka asked him for permission to have “Hells Bells” played when Otsuka came in from the bullpen for the final outs of the 2006 World Baseball Classic championship game played in Petco Park.

A. TREVOR HOFFMAN [SABR Bio]

- 40+ S 1998-2001 and again 2004-2007 [Reader Steve Kuzmiak found that Francisco Rodriguez also had 40 Saves 4 years in a row 2005-2008, leaving Hoffman the only reliever to do it twice.]

- 53 S, 41 H in 1998.

- Once he settled on it, AC/DC's song “Hells Bells”, was what Hoffman had played every time entered a game.

FCR - Adrian Fung, Toronto

Incorrect guesses: Mariano Rivera

THURSDAY – Feb 13

Q. What one-time Boston Red Sox player was elected to the All-Star Game more times as a New York Met than anyone else?

Hint: He graces the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine over the subtitle, “Look Who’s in Cincy”.

Hint: While in college he worked, according to SABR, “in the raisin trade”.

Hint: In some sense he still does today.

A. TOM SEAVER [SABR Bio]

- 9 X an AS. Piazza, Strawberry and Wright each garnered 7 ASG nods as Mets.

- SI Cover 27-Jun-1977

- Growing up in Fresno, California, he was in the heart of grape and raisin country, so his employment there was natural while he attended Fresno City College.

- Today he owns a vineyard.

FCR - Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:

FRIDAY – Feb 14

Q. Whose brother earned a silver medal in the 1936 Olympics, running just behind Jesse Owens?

Hint: Although he was born in Cairo, he is not Egyptian.

Hint: The two times he led the league in stolen bases, he also led in times caught stealing.

Hint: He led his team to the World Series more than half of his seasons in the majors.

A. JACKIE ROBINSON [SABR Bio]

- Older brother Matthew MacKenzie “Mack” Robinson was an international track star.

- Born in the small town of Cairo, Georgia. (Pronounced “KAY-ro”.)

- Led in SB in 1947 & 1949 w/29 & 37 respectively. Was caught 11 & 16 times equally respectively.

- Had a 10-year MB career; went to the WS 6 X: 1947, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56.

FCR - Jeff Orner, York, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses: Tommy Heinrich

SATURDAY – Feb 15

Q. Who passed the player who passed Mickey Mantle on the all-time career strikeout list?

Hint: He is a cousin of a cousin of Reggie Smith.

Hint: One year after he broke into the majors, his team changed cities.

A. REGGIE JACKSON [SABR Bio]

- Jackson passed Willie Stargell in 1982. Stargell had passed Mantle in 1978. Mr. October has now held the career record for 38 straight seasons. With the current active career K leader (Mark Reynolds) trailing Reggie by over 650 strikeouts, Jackson should be keeping this dubious record for at least several more years.

- Jackson is cousins w/Barry Bonds who is a cousin of Reggie Smith.

- Rookie w/KCA in 1967. They promptly moved to Oakland for the 1968 season.

FCR - Jeff Orner, York, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses: Lou Brock

IN MEMORIAM

Q. What one-time Cincinnati Red do many deem to be the first great shortstop born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic?

Hint: He was born on the day of Sandy Koufax’s first no-hitter.

Hint: His injury in 1995 allowed a Yankees roster space to bring up Derek Jeter to the majors for the first time.

Hint: He hit for the cycle shortly after returning from his injury. It was the last Yankee cycle of the 20^th century.

Hint: He was the only player to hit a pinch-hit home run against the Yankees in 2001. It was a Grand Slam off Ted Lilly, the last pinch-hit grand slam hit in the majors.

Hint: He was the first player to collect 200 hits in a season for the Blue Jays.

Hint: Although he spent his 17-year career in the majors playing for seven different franchises, he is the career leader for one of these in WAR Position Players, Defensive WAR. games played, hits, singles and triples.

Hint: He was the first player to appear in 400 consecutive games for that team.

Hint: He won a World Series ring with them.

A. TONY FERNANDEZ

- “Greatness” measured by career WAR, hits, AS appearances among others.

- B: 30-Jun-1962

- Injured 20-May-1995, Jeter debut 29-May-1995.

- Cycle: 03-Sep-1995

- GSHR vs. NYY 04-Jul-2001 while playing for TOR contributed to a 14-0 victory.

- His 213 H in 1986 stood as the franchise standard for 17 years and at the time, His 213-hit campaign was, at the time, the most by any shortstop in ML history.

- Played for TOR on three different occasions and leads them in career WAR for Position Players [37.5], Defensive WAR [12.4], games played [1,450], hits [1,583], singles [1,160] and triples [72].

- 403 game streak 21-Sep-1984—24-Jun-1987

- WS championship w/TOR in 1993

FCR - Adrian Fung, Toronto

Incorrect guesses: Leo Cardenas, Davey Concepcion

SUNDAY – Feb 16

Q. Who is the only man to manage two different American League teams in the same city?

Hint: He was the first rookie second baseman to hit twenty home runs in his debut season.

Hint: He was the first teammate to reach to play catch with new teammate Larry Doby.

Hint: He played football in college and a teammate of his is now an NFL Hall of Famer.

A. JOE GORDON [SABR Bio]

- Mgr. of 1961 KCA & of the expansion KCR in 1969.

- Hit a total of 25 HRs in 1938; 24 while playing 2B plus one more as a PH.

- Doby incident 1947. It was Gordon’s first year with the team as well.

- Played football at Oregon. Teammate was Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans who starred for the football New York Giants.

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

Incorrect guesses: Casey Stengel, Darrell Johnson, Joe Torre, Jim Lemon

WEEK-CLINCHING DEAL

Q. Who was the first pitcher to amass 100 strikeouts in each of 20 straight, consecutive seasons in a row together?

Hint: He attended institutions of higher learning in Florida, Mississippi and California.

Hint: His nickname was acquired by Stanley in New England.

A. DON SUTTON

- 100K = 1966-1985

- Sutton’s colleges: Gulf Coast Community College (Panama City, FL), Mississippi College (Clinton, MS), University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), Whittier College (Whittier, CA)

- The eponymous company from which his nickname is derived, Black & Decker merged with Stanley Works to become Stanley Black & Decker headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut.

FCR - Kevin Mix, Chicago

Incorrect guesses: Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan

WEEKLY THEME – Hall of Famers who attended universities in the Pacific Athletic Conference. (Once PAC-8, then PAC-10 after adding AZ & ASU and now PAC-12 after adding Colorado and Utah.)

Player School

Gordon........... Oregon

Hoffman......... Arizona

Jackson.......... Arizona State

Johnson......... Southern California

Mussina.......... Stanford

Kiner............... Southern California

Palmer............ Arizona State

Robinson........ University of California at Los Angeles

Seaver............ Southern California

Sutton............. Southern California

PAC-12 schools w/o HOF alumni: Cal, Colorado, Oregon State, Utah, Washington & Washington State.