MONDAY — 01-Feb
Q. Who is the only pitcher in the Modern
Era to have a double-digit strikeout game in the majors before he turned
eighteen years old?
Hint: #1 He rated Bill Dickey as the best catcher he
ever threw to.
Hint #2 He heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor
on his way to negotiate his contract and decided to enlist in the military
instead.
Hint: #3 He was the first American League pitcher to
go by his given name to start an All-Star game.
A. BOB FELLER [SABR
Bio]
- Ans. Feller had 4
of ‘em! 23-Aug-1936;
07-Sep-1936;
13-Sep-1936;
& 23-Sep-1936. No one else K’d more than 4 at that age.
- #1 Threw to NYY’s Dickey
in the 1939
& 1941
ASG.
- #2 Pearl
Harbor attack was on 07-Dec-1941. Feller
enlisted in the Navy shortly thereafter, the first major leaguer to do so.
- #3 Known as “Bob”. His only career ASG start = 1941. AL ASG starters 1933-1940 were the “Leftys” (Gomez
1933-35, 37-38 & Grove
1936) or “Red” (Ruffing
1939-40)
FCR
- Patrick Roth, Chicago
Incorrect
guesses: Joe Nuxhall, Vic Raschi, Lefty
Gomez
GROUNDHOG DAZE —
02-Feb
Q. Who is the only pitcher to surrender an inside-the-park home
run to Hank Aaron.
Hint:
#1 He ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor
or his home state, but was defeated.
Hint:
#2 Most people don’t remember his stints
with the Pirates or Dodgers.
A. JIM BUNNING [SABR Bio]
- Ans. IPHR
= 10-May-1967
- #1 Lost
the 1983 Kentucky gubernatorial race to Martha Layne Collins
- #2 Played
w/PIT 1968-69; w/LAD 1969
FCR - Stu Simms, Laurel, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Wilmer Mizell, Bob Feller, Hoyt Wilhelm,
TUESDAY —
02-Feb
Q. Which Hall of Famer owns the highest season qualifying batting
average in the majors since Tony Gwynn’s run at .400 in 1994?
Hint:
#1 He was only the third league Most
Valuable Player from a National League expansion team.
Hint:
#2 He won multiple Gold Gloves for two
teams.
Hint:
#3 His career OPS is 15th all-time,
ahead of such notables as Willie Mays, Joe Jackson & Ty Cobb.
A. LARRY WALKER [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Hit
.379 in 1999. Gwynn settled at .394 in
1994 which was the highest since 1941.
- #1 MVP
in 1997 for COL. Preceding him were Jeff
Bagwell for HOU in 1994 & Ken Caminiti for SDP in 1996.
- #2 Won
GG for MON in 1992-93; won GG for COL in 1997-99, 2001-02.
- #3 Career
OPS is .965.
FCR - Humbert Kilanowski, Providence
Incorrect guesses: Andres Galarraga, Vladimir Guerrero, Paul
Goldschmidt, Todd Helton, Ichiro Suzuki
WEDNESDAY —
03-Feb
Q. Which three-time Silver Slugger winner won a Gold Glove in
spite of his controversial methods in the field?
Hint:
#1 In only his second year in the
majors, he became the first left fielder since The Depression to amass 400 outfield
putouts in a season.
Hint:
#2 In a statement that must be taken
metaphorically, Bill James opined, “If you split him in two, you’d have two
Hall of Famers.”
A. RICKEY HENDERSON [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Won
SS in 1981 85 & 90. Won GG in 1981. He became known for snapping or snatching fly balls out of the air for outs
to the dismay of coaches at all levels stressing how important it was NOT to do
it that way.
- #1 Had
412 PO in 1980. Cleveland’s Jo Vosmik
had 424 such in 1932. These are the only
2 LF to top 400 PO in a season in the 20th century. No NL LF has even done it.
- #2 James
implies that halving some of Henderson’s numbers, he would still be
Hall-worthy.
FCR - Adam Balutis, Alexandria, Virginia
Incorrect
guesses: Barry Bonds, Willie Mays
THURSDAY —
04-Feb
Q. Which Hall of Famer was born and died in the same city where
he played for teams in two major leagues?
Hint:
#1 He once helped start a triple play
by not catching a fly ball.
Hint:
#2 In his first participation in postseason
championship baseball, he had 41 plate appearances equaling 41 at-bats.
A. TOMMY McCARTHY [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Born
24-Jul-1863; died 05-Aug-1922—both events in Boston, Massachusetts. He played the short-lived Boston Reds of the equally short-lived, 12-team Union Association in 1884. He played
for NL’s Beaneaters in 1885 and again 1892-95.
- #1 As
recounted in the home papers of both teams, on Wednesday, 15-Aug-1894, at the South End Grounds in Boston, McCarthy let a 9th-inning
fly ball drop in front of him then threw to teammate Bobby Lowe at second base who got 2 outs
on a force and a tag. Veteran McCarthy then sprinted to an unprotected
home plate to nail the runner who had tried to score from second. Triple play 15-Aug-1894.
- #2 The
1888 WS which saw McCarthy’s St.
Louis Browns beaten by the New York Giants 6 games to 4, he had 41 trips to the
plate without a single K and nary a BB.
(He did have 10 H including a 2B and one of the series’ 6 HR.)
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Cap Anson, Wee Willie Keeler, Jim
Bottomley, Stan Musial, Bud Harrelson, Willie Mays
FRIDAY —
05-Feb
Q. Whose 8,967 assists are more than any other player made in
the recorded history of major league baseball?
Hint:
#1 He ranks seventh all-time in
Defensive WAR.
Hint:
#2 Pete Rose broke his record for most seasons
played in the National League.
Hint:
#3 He debuted with a team that had
spent four of its previous six seasons in last place. By his third season with them, they had won
the World Series.
A. RABBIT MARANVILLE [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Career Assist Leaders. #2 on that list is Ozzie Smith, but he’s almost 600 assists behind
Maranville.
- #1 Defensive WAR leaders. Here’s where Ozzie is #1.
- #2 When
Rose, suited up for CIN in 1986, it was his 24th season
in the NL, thereby surpassing Maranville’s record of 23 years in the Senior
Circuit.
- #3 When
Maranville broke in with the Braves in 1912, his Boston NL team finished in
last place, just as they had done in 4 of the 6 prior seasons. They had just been renamed the Braves that
year. Their most recent sobriquets had
been the Doves, Rustlers & Beaneaters. However, in 1914, even though in last place
as late as 18-July, they rebounded spectacularly
to win the pennant and sweep the mighty PHA in the WS, outscoring them 16-6
in the 4 G.
FCR - Len Levin, Providence
Incorrect
guesses: Eddie Collins, Bill Mazeroski,
Honus Wagner, Omar Vizquel
T.G.I.F. BONUS —
04-Feb
Q. Which lefty pitched for Southern Cal the first time a Rod
Dedeaux-coached team won the college World Series?
Hint:
#1 In the minors, he rose from C to AAA
ball in the space of one season in the Orioles system.
Hint:
#2 Though a native Californian, he is
today in the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (No, not Ontario, California!) and the
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
A. PAT GILLICK [B-R Bio]
- Ans. Gillick
pitched for USC when they won in 1958. Coach Dedeaux also led the Trojans to championships in 1961, 63, 68,
70-74 & 78—10 in all. Dedeaux was on
the USC staff in 1948 as well, but the records
credit Sam Berry as the head coach that year.
- #1 Gillick’s
minor league record
- #2 Chronologically,
Gillick was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Level
of Excellence
in 2002, the National Baseball Hall of Fame on 24-Jul-2011, the Ontario
Sports Hall of Fame
in 2013 & the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2018.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Bill Lee, Steve Barber, Mike
Flanagan, Randy Johnson, Curt Blefary
SATURDAY — 06-Feb
Q. Who is the only player to be taken out of an All-Star game
then reinserted into the lineup?
Hint:
#1 He coached the Braves then they lost
to the Yankees in the World Series, but his last coaching job was with the
Padres.
Hint:
#2 Nobody else has ever had more hits
in a game on Opening Day.
Hint:
#3 He holds the National League career
batting average record in All-Star games. (5 G min.)
A. BILLY HERMAN
[SABR
Bio]
- Ans. 1934 ASG. Herman pinch-hit for P Carl Hubbell in the 3rd
inning but was taken out before the next ½ inning. Later in the game, NL mgr Bill Terry needed
someone to take over for Frankie Frisch who had twisted his ankle earlier in
the game. Terry requested that Herman be
allowed to re-enter the game to relieve Frisch. AL mgr Joe Cronin gave his permission &
Herman went back into the G and hit a 2b in his next AB.
- #1 Was
a coach w/MIL in 1958. Was a coach last w/SDP in 1979.
- #2 Had
5 H on OD 14-Apr-1936, a record he shares with at
least 11 additional players.
- #3 Batted
.433 in 7 ASG.
FCR - Barry Zamoff, Washington DC
Incorrect
guesses: Red Schoendienst, Richie Ashburn, Merv
Rettenmund
WEEKEND BONUS — 06-Feb
Q. Which BB batter has the best ERA for a season among right-handed
pitchers in the Modern Era?
Hint:
#1 His efforts that year were no doubt
instrumental in leading his team to their first league championship.
Hint:
#2 In that same season, he and his
opposite number threw one-hitters in the same game.
Hint:
#3 He had nicknames based on his name and
previous occupation.
A. MORDECAI BROWN [SABR Bio]
- Ans. In
1906 his ERA was just under 1.04. Brown’s
ERA mark was only bested by southpaw Dutch Leonard’s 0.96 of 1914.
- #1 His
Cubs won the NL pennant in 1906. Their franchise however, had finished first
in the NL under the name White Stockings (1876, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, 1886) and had also been known at
the Colts (1890-97) and Orphans (1898-1902).
In that WS, however, they did not fare
as well, losing 4-2 to their cross-town rivals the White Sox. Brown was a switch-hitter.
- #2 He
and Lefty Leifield each gave up only 1 H when they faced each other 04-Jul-1906(1). Brown prevailed 1-0.
- #3 His
teammates called him “Brownie”.
(Hmm.) He was also known as “The
Miner” because he had worked in the coal mines as a teenager in Indiana.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Hippo Vaughn, Dutch Leonard, Cy
Young, Eddie Cicotte, Addie Joss, Preacher Roe, Walter Johnson, Jim Perry,
Billy O’Dell, Pedro Ramos
SUNDAY — 07-Feb
Q. Which baserunner was hit by a batted ball on the very day the
leagues sent out a directive to umpires warning them to watch for intentional
interference by runners?
Hint:
#1 Three years later, it was he who
grounded into the only all-Cuban triple play.
Hint:
#2 His nickname was of norvegicus
alabaster.
Hint:
#3 His quotes to the press are among
the most memorable.
A. WHITEY HERZOG [SABR
Bio]
- Ans. Hit
by batted ball 25-Apr-1957 in the bottom of the 2nd. It was ruled correctly: Herzog was ruled out on the play.
- #1 TP
3rd inning on 23-Jul-1960. Herzog lined out to P Pedro Ramos (Pinar del Rio) who threw to 1B Julio Becquer (La Habana) to double off runner Jerry
Lumpe. Becquer then fired to SS Jose Valdivielso (Matanzas) at 2B to catch runner Bill
Tuttle. (Herzog then homered in the 8th.)
- #2 Herzog
was the “White Rat”. All white or albino rats which are bred for
laboratory use belong to a single species called Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus).
- #3 Herzog
is the author of each of the following, at one time or another:
- “Baseball has been good to
me since I quit trying to play it.”
- “Your life or mine?” (After
being offered a lifetime contract by 80-year-old Cardinals owner Gussie Busch.)
- “He got hit so hard I had
to get the married men off the field.” (on pitcher Ken Dayley)
- “We need three kinds of
pitching: left handed, right handed and relief.”
- “We need just two players
to be a contender—Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax.”
FCR - Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect
guesses: Reggie Jackson, Gary Gaetti
WEEKLY THEME – Hall of Famers
with two middle names.
Brown......................... Mordecai
Peter Centennial Brown
Bunning...................... James Paul David Bunning
Feller.......................... Robert William Andrew Feller
Gillick.......................... Lawrence Patrick
David Gillick
Henderson.................. Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson
Herman...................... William Jennings Bryan Herman*
Herzog........................ Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog
Maranville................... Walter James Vincent Maranville
McCarthy.................... Thomas Francis Michael McCarthy
Walker........................ Larry
Kenneth Robert Walker
*Herman’s SABR Bio by Joseph Wancho contains this
passage: “Although ‘Bryan’ is often
included as part of his name, Herman wrote in a player survey given by Cliff
Kachline of the Hall of Fame, ‘My name is William Jennings in a survey
given by Cliff Kachline of the Hall of Fame, “My name is William Jennings
Herman.” His HOF plaque
makes no mention of “Bryan”. Democratic
Party politician William Jennings Bryan had lost 3 runs as his party’s
candidate for the U.S. presidency in 1896, 1900 & 1908. Billy Herman was
born in 1909 and it is hard to believe that pol Bryan was not an influence of
some kind in Herman’s naming.
First Correct
Respondent to Identify Theme
– Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (After
Maranville)
Incorrect theme guesses:
Tuesday - Pitchers who appeared in August 17, 1955
Indians-Tigers game
- Multiple seasons with 40+ starts
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