MONDAY — 26-Oct
Q. Who was the first
Hall of Famer to spend his entire major league career with an American League
expansion team?
Hint: He holds the
career records for that team in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, total
bases and bases-on-balls as well as at least twenty (20!) additional offensive categories.
Hint: He and a
certain switch-hitting, All-Star pitcher were teammates in high school.
Hint: His brother still
holds an impressive postseason record.
A. GEORGE
BRETT [SABR Bio]
- Played for KCR 1973-93 (Robin Yount [MIL 1974-93] also qualified by going into the Hall that
same year, 1999, but with 103 fewer votes than Brett, so Brett was first. Edgar Martinez also qualified later [SEA 1987-2004].)
- Baseball-Reference shows him as the
career KCR leader in 28 different offensive categories. The cherry on top was the Gold Glove he won.
- Brett attended El Segundo High School in the suburbs of Los
Angeles with Orioles pitcher Scott
McGregor.
- Brett’s older
brother Ken was the youngest
pitcher to appear in a World Series game at 19 years 20 days old for BOS in the 1967 WS G# 4 08-Oct-1967. That’s nearly 14 months younger than Don
Drysdale was when he appeared for BRO in the 1956 WS G#4
07-Oct-1956.
FCR - Mischa Gelman,
Pittsburgh
Incorrect guesses: Robin
Yount, Rod Carew, Paul Molitor, Edgar Martinez, Tony Gwynn,
Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett
Q. Which Hall
of Famer was the first to win a league MVP in two straight seasons and to DH in
each season?
Hint: Though he
played for two other teams before retiring, he remains the career leader in
twenty career categories for his original franchise, not to mention eleven
single-season categories.
Hint: He currently
appears in some cringe-worthy television ads for testosterone and body building
products.
A. FRANK
THOMAS [B-R
Bio]
- MVPs 1993 & 1994 for CHW. DH’ed 4
& 13 X respectively.
- CHW career leader 20 X; season leader 11 X.
- TV
ads
FCR - Kevin Decker, Hillsborough, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses: Jose Canseco, Orlando Cepeda, Dale Murphy, Edgar
Martinez
Q. Who was the first National League player
to hit a walk-off home run in his first major league game?
Hint: He homered four times in the postseason of
his rookie year as his team won the World Series.
Hint: He is the first player in the history of
his franchise to hit thirty home runs in six consecutive seasons.
Hint: He became the third youngest player in big
league history to accumulate 500 RBI, behind only Mel Ott and Ted Williams.
A. MIGUEL CABRERA [B-R Bio]
- Playing for FLA in 2003, he hit 3 HR in the NLCS over CHC and 1 HR in the WS over NYY.
- Playing for DET, hit 30+ in each year 2008-2013
(after becoming the first Tiger to do it in 5 straight seasons). Also hit 34 in his last season in FLA, making
7 years in all.
- On 04-Sept-2007, Cabrera became the 3rd youngest man to reach
500 RBI at just 24 years and 139 days old. Only Mel Ott (23 years, 74 days) and
Ted Williams (24 years, 4 days) were younger.
FCR - Roy Glasser, Valrico, Florida
Incorrect guesses: Albert Pujols, Eddie Mathews, Johnny Mize,
Alexander Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Andruw Jones
WEDNESDAY — 28-Oct
Q. Who is the only player to collect 200
hits in each of his first ten major league seasons?
Hint: In his rookie season, he compiled three
separate fifteen game hitting streaks.
Hint: Only Ty Cobb, George Sisler and he own a
season with 240+ hits and 50+ stolen bases.
A. ICHIRO SUZUKI [B-R Bio]
- 200+ H in each year 2001-2010, 7 of those
leading the majors.
- 15-G hitting streaks in 2001 => 15
G streak: 04-Apr thru 20-Apr.,
23 G: 22-Apr
thru 18-May and
21 G: 03-Aug
thru 24-Aug.
- Cobb in 1911 = 248 H, 83 SB; Sisler in 1922 =
246 H, 51 SB; Ichiro in 2001 = 242 H, 56 SB
FCR - Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas
Incorrect
guesses: Albert Pujols, Pete Rose, Cap
Anson
MIDWEEK BONUS — 28-Oct
Q. Which major leaguer had the most at-bats
in a season without a single stolen base?
Hint: No other New York Yankee has ever had more
hits or more doubles in a season.
Hint: He was the next Yankee after Mickey
Mantle’s Triple Crown season to win a batting title.
A. DON MATTINGLY [SABR Bio]
- 1986 = 677 AB, 0 SB
- 238 H, 53 2B in 1986
- Hit .343 in 1984
FCR - David Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect
guesses: Bobby Richardson, Paul O'Neill,
Yogi Berra, Joe Torre
THURSDAY — 29-Oct
Q. Which one-time Chicago Cub player won
the first rookie home run derby?
Hint: He was voted Rookie of the Year unanimously,
only the second unanimous vote among his franchise’s six rookies so honored.
Hint: He hit the 10,000th home run in
his franchise’s history.
A. [SABR Bio]
- Rookie HR Derby held before the 1997 All-Star
game. Garciaparra hit 3 HR to win the
rookie contest, defeating Scott Spiezio and Jose Guillen, who each hit two. By winning the rookie contest, Garciaparra
earned a spot in the regular All-Star HR derby. He was eliminated in the 1st round
after he failed to hit a home run.
Played for CHC 2004-05.
- ROY in 1997. He swept
the Rookie of the Year balloting, becoming only the second unanimous selection among
his franchise’s six rookies so honored. Carlton
Fisk was the other ROY unanimously for BOS in 1972.
- Hit BOS 10,000th HR 17-Jul-2000.
FCR - James Higgins, Bethesda
Incorrect
guesses: Kris Bryant, Alfonso Soriano,
Eric Karros, Anthony Rizzo, Geovany Soto, Ryne Sandberg, Billy
Williams
FRIDAY — 30-Oct
Q. Which White Sox batter led the league in
runs scored in a shortened season?
Hint: He practically forced a former MVP into
retirement.
Hint: The year he led the majors in batting
average he also led all players in both leagues in fielding errors.
A. TIM ANDERSON [B-R Bio]
- 45 R in 49 G in 2020. (tied with Jose Ramirez/CLE)
- Anderson was immediately installed as the
starting shortstop for CHW after the team had designated for assignment veteran
and 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins.
- Hit .335 in 2019 and had 26
E at SS.
FCR - Patrick Roth, Chicago
Incorrect
guesses: Frank Thomas, Luke Appling, Jose
Abreu, Dick Allen, Ralph Garr
SATURDAY — 31-Oct
Q. Which former players for both the Mets
and Yankees did so well in college that he was recently named the Player of the
20th Century by his university’s conference, one of the biggest in
the country?
Hint: The year he led the American League in
intentional bases-on-balls, he led the majors in doubles.
Hint: He played for five teams in the majors, but
was only traded once.
A. JOHN OLERUD [SABR Bio]
- Played for Washington State University and had
numerous accolades in the PAC-12. For
example, during the 1988 season, Olerud pitched to a perfect 15-0 record with
23 homers en route to Pac-10 Player of the Year and Baseball America College
Athlete of the Year honors. A decade
after his major league career, the PAC-12 formed a 36-member blue ribbon panel. They cast their ballots for 20 infielders/outfielders, 10
pitchers as well as Pitcher, Player and Coach of the Century. USC's Mark Prior was named Pitcher of Century, Olerud was
awarded Player of the Century honors and USC's legendary manager Rod Dedeaux was
selected as the Coach of the Century.
- In 1994 he had 54 2B and 33
IBB.
- His
only trade was on 20-Dec-1996 from TOR to NYM for Robert Person. Signed
as a free agent by NYM, SEA, NYY & BOS.
FCR - Kenneth Auerbach, Bonita Springs, Florida
Incorrect
guesses:
TRICK or TREAT SPECIAL — 31-Oct
Q. Who was the first player to hit a career
total of six League Division Series home runs?
Hint: He was the first player to reach the 20/20
club after his 38th birthday
Hint: He once had a season where he made zero
errors on 300 chances in the field.
Hint: On his page in Baseball-Reference.com,
among the information about him is this line:
[[
Bats: Left • Throws:
Left • Kicks: Left
]]
A. PAUL O’NEILL [SABR Bio]
- O’Neill boasts 25 H in LDS play among which
are 6 2B & 6 HR, all for NYY.
- In 2001 at age 38, O’Neill hit 21 HRs and
stole 22 bases.
- In 1996, O’Neill had exactly 300 chances in
the OF with nary an error to be had.
- On 05-Jul-1989, attempting to field a single to RF and return
the ball to the infield, he briefly bobbled the ball. It eluded his secure grasp and began to fall.
Thinking ever so quickly, he cleanly kicked it back to the cutoff man, saving a run.
FCR - David Krassin, Los Angeles
Incorrect
guesses: Raul Ibanez, Pete Rose, Jimmy
Rollins, Curtis Granderson, Albert Pujols, Don Buford, Paul Molitor
WEEKEND BONUS —
31-Oct
Q. Who wore the highest uniform number
retired by the New York Yankees?
Hint: He passed Don Mattingly on the Yankees'
career HR list, Tony Lazzeri on their career hits list and Mickey Mantle on their
career doubles list in the same week.
Hint: He won a batting title, then improved his
batting average the following season, only leading in intentional walks.
A. BERNIE WILLIAMS [SABR Bio]
- Uniform #51.
- Watershed week: 11-17-Aug-2002
- Hit .339 in 1998 then .342 in
1999. Had 17 IBB in 1999.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Derek Jeter
SUNDAY — 01-Nov
Q. Who was voted All-Star Game MVP after he
tripled with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to give his team and his
league the lead and the win.
Hint: He attended the same university as Ryan
Spilborghs and Joe Kmak.
Hint: Six times did he have more than 200 hits in
a season, twice leading the majors.
A. MICHAEL
YOUNG [B-R Bio]
- He won the All-Star Game
MVP Award in
2006 hitting a two-run triple with 2 outs in
the top of the 9th to give the AL a 3-2 win.
- Is an alumnus of the University of California at Santa Barbara.
- 200+ H 2003-07, 2011. Led MLB w/221 in 2005 & w/213
in 2011.
FCR - Larry Farin, Plano, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Steve Garvey, Skip Schumacher
WEEKLY THEME – American
League players who won the batting titles (Bud Hillerich Award or Silver Bat Award) without winning the Silver Slugger Award that year.
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Ken Kirk, Corning, New York
Player Year B.A. Pos SS Winner(s)
Anderson......... 2019......... .335.......... SS......... Xander
Bogaerts
Boggs............ 1985......... ..368.......... 3B.......... George Brett
Brett................ 1990......... .329.......... 3B.......... Kelly Gruber
Cabrera........... 2011......... .344.......... 3B.......... Adrian
Beltre
Garciaparra.....1999......... .357.......... SS......... Alex
Rodriguez
....................... 2000......... .372.......... SS......... Alex
Rodriguez
Mattingly......... 1984......... .343.......... 1B.......... Eddie
Murray
O’Neill............ 1994......... .359.......... OF......... Albert Belle
........................................................... .............. Ken Griffey, Jr.
........................................................... .............. Kirby Puckett
Olerud............ 1993......... .363.......... 1B.......... Frank Thomas
Suzuki............ 2004......... .372.......... OF......... Vladimir Guerrero
........................................................... .............. Manny Ramirez
........................................................... .............. Gary Sheffield
Thomas........... 1997......... .347.......... 1B.......... Tino
Martinez
Williams......... 1998......... .339.......... OF......... Albert Belle
........................................................... .............. Juan Gonzalez
........................................................... .............. Ken Griffey, Jr.
Young............. 2005......... .331.......... SS......... Miguel Tejada
Incorrect theme guesses:
Tuesday - Team
leaders for most categories each team mentioned.
- Team leader of
20 or more categories for various teams.
- Back
to back MVP awards
Wed - MVP
Award winners who never played in the World Series
Sun - Music
playing former Yankees
- Batting
champions who also led league in OPS
- batting
title winners who hit .330 or better and aren't named Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs
since Gwynn and Boggs came into the league
- Players
who hit grand slams to win games
- Batting
champs who were first overall pick in the MLB draft
- Batting
Champ winners not in the Hall of Fame yet
- Something
about batting champs
- Batting
champs with the highest averages since 1980
- Batting
title winners and gold glove winners
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