Sunday, March 8, 2020

2020-03-02 Most consecutive fielding chances without an error by position


Q.        Who succeeded Tony LaRussa as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals?
Hint:     He proceeded to take them to postseason play for the next four seasons.
Hint:     After 591 wins at a .555 winning rate, he went across the state looking to replicate his success.
A.         MIKE MATHENY
-  LaRussa retired after winning the World Series in 2011.  Matheny took the reins for the 2012 through 2018 seasons, but was fired 93 games into his last year.
-  Matheny became the manager of the Kansas City Royal on 31-Oct-2019 replacing recent WS-winning KCR mgr Ned Yost.
FCR -  Tom Lee, Nashville
Incorrect guesses:  Dave Duncan, Whitey Herzog, Pat Matheny, McSeeeney, Whitey Herzog

TUESDAY
Q.        Who replaced Joe Medwick in the 1941 All-Star Game?
Hint:     Later in that same game, Ted Williams hit a game-winning three-run home run off him.
Hint:     He is fondly remembered for his one-hit, complete-game shutout in the World Series.
A.         CLAUDE PASSEAU  [SABR Bio]

-  ASG = 08-Jul-1941.  Technically, Passeau didn’t replace Ducky via a double switch. Passeau was simply inserted into the lineup in the 9th spot after Medwick had PH for P Bucky Walters.  Although catcher Harry Danning did enter the game at the same time as Passeau, Danning hit in the 8th spot vacated by fellow C Al Lopez, so these substitutions were not made as part of a classic double switch. In fact, Passeau actually batted (in the 9th spot) later that game. 
-  Pitching for CHC he shut out DET giving up only a single to the Tigers’ Rudy York in G 3 of the 1945 WS.
FCR -  Daniel Wilson, St. Paul
Incorrect guesses:  Bill Bevans, Rip Sewell, Dizzy Dean, Mort Cooper

WEDNESDAY
Q.        After Mark Belanger in 1979, who was the next Orioles’ shortstop to be placed on the Disabled List?
Hint:     He is the only player to drive in a run against that famous BLTR pitcher Wade Boggs.
Hint:     He was an All-Star for one league, then played for a team from the other league in that same season's World Series.
A.         MIKE BORDICK
-  Kiko Garcia, who supplanted Belanger as Earl Weaver’s shortstop down the stretch in the pennant-winning 1979, shared the O’s starting shortstop position almost equally with Belanger in 1980.  Then Garcia went on the DL 23-May-1980.  Hence our question would have been more accurately written, “After Kiko Garcia in 1980, who was the next Orioles’ shortstop to be placed on the Disabled List?  Bordick went on the DL with a season-ending separated shoulder injury 15-June-2001.
-  RBI vs. Boggs = 10-Aug-1999.  In the top of the 9th, with the score 16-1 in favor of BAL, Bordick singled to RF scoring Rich Amaral who had doubled in the previous at-bat.  Final score = 17-1.
-  AS for BAL in 2000 on 11-Jul; Then on 28-Jul, traded by the BAL to NYM for Pat Gorman (minors), Leslie Brea, Mike Kinkade and Melvin Mora. NYM played AL’s NYY in the WS on Oct-2000.
FCR -  Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  Miguel Tejada

THURSDAY
Q.        Who is still the only native of Mexico to hit more than thirty home runs in a season in the majors?
Hint:     He did it six times.
Hint:     He has twice served as manager of the Mexican national team.
Hint:     He was a double-unique for a decade and a half.
A.         VINNY CASTILLA  [SABR Bio]
-  He hit 32, 40, 40, 46, 33 & 35 HR in 1995-99 & 2004 respectively.
-  He manager of the Team Mexico for the 2007 Pan American Games and the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
-  When he debuted 01-Sep-1991, there had never been another player among the 13,500+ previous major leaguers who went by “Vinny”.  Nor had there ever been another Castilla.  He maintained this lofty status until the debut of journeyman utility player Vinny Rottino exactly 15 years later on 01-Sep-2006.
FCR -  Jim Casey, Savannah
Incorrect guesses:  Adrian Gonzalez, Andres Galarraga

FRIDAY
Q.        For which former player is Dusty Baker's son named?
Hint:     He was the last American League player to score five runs in a game in the 1990s.
Hint:     Which player acted as Santa Claus for his team’s charity appearances during a time when management and the players had still not figured out how to get the game back onto the field.
A.         DARREN LEWIS
-  Namesake Darren Baker made headlines as a batboy a bit too eager to perform his in-game tasks.  On 24-Oct-2002, J.T. Snow gave him a quick lesson in bat-retrieval timing.  Darren now plays baseball for Cal.
-  5 R = 13-Aug-1999
-  Santa Claus for SFG in December of 1994.
FCR -  Paul Nielsen, Bowie, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:  J.T. Snow, Darren Erstad

SATURDAY
Q.        Who was the only Cardinal to pinch hit for Mark McGwire in 1998?
Hint:     He was the first post-expansion Detroit Tiger to have consecutive four-hit games.
Hint:     Normally an infielder, the first time he was called on to play the outfield, he borrowed a glove from a teammate whose nickname was ironically “The Bat”.
A.         PLACIDO POLANCO
-  PH G = 20-Jul-1998.  McGwire had hit his 43rd HR of the year in the 5th.
-  4 H X 2 = 10-Sep- & 11-Sep-2005.  His back-to-back 4-hit games raised his BA a nifty 11 points (.325 to .336), which is difficult for a full-time player to do that late in the season. 
-  Borrowed OF glove from Pat Burrell on 25-Apr-2005.
FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses: 

SUNDAY
Q.        What former Seminole alum replaced Manny Ramirez on the Rays’ roster when Manny retired early in the season one year?
Hint:     While batting, he was hit in the head by a pickoff throw from an All-Star catcher, leaving him bleeding, with a concussion and needing three stitches.
Hint:     His father has managed nearly 2,000 minor league baseball teams over forty seasons including winning ten league championships.
A.         CASEY KOTCHMAN
-  Graduated from Seminole High School in Seminole, Florida.  Journeyman catcher Bobby Wilson also went there and wad  teammate of Kotchman’s.  Ramirez retired from the majors for good after the G on 06-Apr-2011, the 5th G of the season.  Kotchman was called on to step in and played 1B for 146 of the remaining 157 G for TBR that year, helping push Joe Maddon’s team to a 91-71 record for a 2nd place finish behind NYY, capturing an 2012 LDS berth.
-  Head bonk courtesy of catcher Russell Martin’s pickoff throw as Kotchman slid back into 2B after hitting a 7th-inning double on 16-Jun-2007.  Kotchman was replaced in the G by Robb Quinlan.
-  After two seasons as a player, Tom Kotchman has managed in the minors since 1979, piloting 11 teams in 8 leagues over 3,547 games.
FCR -  John Wills, San Francisco
Incorrect guesses:  Sean Rodriguez, Mallex Smith, J.D. Drew


WEEKLY THEME       Most consecutive fielding chances without an error by position

SS.............. 544........... Bordick, BAL / TOR; 10-Apr-2002 through 02-Apr-2003
3B.............. 272........... Castilla, COL / WSN; 04-Jul-2004 through 22-Apr-2005
1B........... 2,379........... Kotchman, LAA / ATL / BOS / SEA; 20-Jun-2008 through 21-Aug-2010
OF.............. 938........... Lewis, OAK / SFG; 21-Aug-1990 through 03-Oct-1990 then
continued 13-Jul-1991 through 29-Jun-1994
C............. 1,565........... Matheny, STL; 01-Aug-2002 through 04-Aug-2004
P................ 273........... Passeau, CHC; 21-Sep-1941 through 20-May-1946
2B.............. 911........... Polanco, DET / PHI; 1-Jul-2006 through 07-Apr-2008
*Does not include passed balls
Source: The Elias Book of Baseball Records, 2008.  Updates welcome.


First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme - Dan Massey, Lancaster, Pennsylvania (after Passeau)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday  -  Managers who succeeded Hall of Fame managers.
               - 

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