Sunday, May 30, 2021

2021-05-24 MLB players who testified under oath

MONDAY  24—May

Q.        Who is the most recent player to be a major league teammate with his twin brother?

Hint: #1    David Wells described him as being able to hula hoop in a Cheerio.

Hint: #2    He’s probably the only player who wants to be given an error.

A.         JOSE CANSECO  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On OAK in 1990 with twin Ozzie.

-  #1     In his autobiography, Wells described facing Canseco in the minors.  When he saw him later, he was surprised at the physical change and wondered what Canseco was eating.

-  #2     Has said many times that the ball that bounced off his head should be scored as an error for him, not a solo HR for CLE’s DH Carlos Martinez.  The winning difference in the G was 1 R.

FCR -  Brett Moore, Studio City, California

Incorrect guesses:  BJ Upton, Aaron Boone, Ozzie Canseco, Barry Bonds, Tyler Rogers

 

TUESDAY  25—May

Q.        Who’s the most recent first baseman to lead the league in bases stolen?

Hint: #1    He homered in his final game in the majors.

Hint: #2    He holds the Live Ball Era record for most career steals of home.

A.         JACKIE ROBINSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Jackie was 1B in 1947 when he led the NL in SB with 29.  Every season leader since has played a different position.

-  #1     HR in last regular season G 30-Sep-1956.  Last game ever, G7 ’56 WS… hitless.

-  #2     Tied with Frankie Frisch with 19 all-time, good for 9th best on the career list.  Some of Frisch’s were before the Modern Era.  Robinson had an additional very famous one in the 1955 WS.

FCR -  Philip Trostler, Norwich, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  Rod Carew, Mel Ott, Frank Chance, Vic Power, Georg Sisler. Lou Gehrig, Marty McManus

 


WEDNESDAY  26—May

Q.        Which pitcher had the most strikeouts in a season in the Modern Era among National League righties?

Hint: #1    No retired pitcher in the Modern Era put together a better career strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Hint: #1    He lost the first World Series game he ever played in and never got the loss for a World Series game again in his career.

Hint: #2    He credits a World Series MVP winner with making him a pitcher.  He later became a world series MVP himself.

A.         CURT SCHILLING [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  319 K for PHI in 1997.  His total of 316 K in 2002 for ARI is second on that list.

-  #1     He struck out 4.38 batters for every BB he issued.

-  #2     Lost Game 1 for the Phillies in 1993 then won his next 6 WS Gs:  AZ in 2001, Boston in 2004 & 2007.

-  #3     Johnny Podres (1955 WS MVP, the first time the award was given) was a PHI’s pitching coach for Schilling’s 1st 5 seasons there.  Schilling said, “Outside of the Lord, my wife and my father, there was no person who impacted my life more than Johnny Podres.”  Schilling was the WS MVP in 2001.  Both Podres and Schilling famously took down the Yankees in the Fall Classic.

FCR -  Preston Salisbury, Starkville, Mississippi

Incorrect guesses:  Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Jake Peavey, Tom Seaver, Don Drysdale, Pedro Martinez

 


MIDWEEK BONUS  26—May

Q.        Who held the National League record for consecutive errorless games played in center field until it was broken up by a future Hall of Famer and on his own team no less?

Hint: #1    He collected the first MLB hit at Parc Jarry.

Hint: #2    He broke up what might have been the second World Series perfect game with a walk in the 7th.

A.         CURT FLOOD  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Flood’s 226 straight errorless games at CF ended 04-Jun-1967 when he and LF Lou Brock both tried for a fly ball.  The ball fell in when they crashed into each other and Flood complained afterwards about this controversial error.  Flood's record was surpassed by Darren Lewis in 1993.

-  #1     On 14-Apr-1969 in the 1st regular-season G played outside the U.S., Flood was the 2nd batter in the top of the 1st inning.  He doubled to left.  The Expos won the G though, 8-7.

-  #2     BOS starter Jim Lonborg had a perfect game in the 2nd G of the 1967 WS.  In the 7th, Flood walked, ending the perfecto bid.  Julian Javier doubled in the 8th to end the possibility of a no-hitter.

FCR -  Eric Savage, Short Hills, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Jim Wynn, Willie Davis, Willie Mays, Dale Murphy, Marquis Grissom

 


THURSDAY  27—May

Q.        Who hit the first World Series homer in Yankee Stadium?

Hint: #1    In his major league debut game he had four hits and a walk.  That walk was the only time he went to bat from the other side of the plate in career of more than 4,000 at-bats.

Hint: #2    He was the first Dodger to lead the National League in on-base percentage.

A.         CASEY STENGEL  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  G 1, 1923 WS, 9th inning:  An inside-the-park game-winner.

-  #1     He got 4 singles in a G vs. PIT 17-Sep-1912.  Opposing manager Fred Clarke called him a fresh busher and challenged him to hit righthanded.  He did & drew a walk.

-  #2     Playing for BRO in 1914, the first year they were called the Robbins, Stengel posted a nifty .404 OBP.

FCR -  Randall Chandler, Germantown, Tennessee

Incorrect guesses:  Babe Ruth

 


FRIDAY  28—May

Q.        Which owner of a nineteen-strikeout game has the fewest total career strikeouts?

Hint: #1    In a seventeen-year career he received Cy Young Award votes five times, while playing for four different teams.

Hint: #2    He once had exactly three at bats for each of four consecutive seasons.

A.         DAVID CONE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  19 Ks for NYM in a 7-0 game vs. PHI 06-Oct-1991.  2,668 career Ks.

-  #1     Placed 3rd in CYA votes playing for NYM in 1988; 1st (!) for KCR in 1994 & 4th in 1995 for TOR & NYY; 2 more X for NYY; 4th in 1998 & 6th in 1999.  Every time in the top 6.

-  #2     3 AB in 1997, 1998, 1999 & 2000.  He then averaged 3 each for his next 2 years.

FCR -  Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan

Incorrect guesses:  Hugh Daily, Bill Gullickson, Tom Seaver, Tom Cheney, Pedro Martinez, Charlie Sweeney, Kerry Wood, Gaylord Perry, Dwight Gooden

 


SATURDAY  29—May

Q.        Who surrendered the first base hit to a Texas Rangers batter?

Hint: #1    He would have pitched the second no-hitter for the Atlanta Braves but lost it on a single in the ninth inning.

Hint: #2    He was the first Dodger pitcher to win a Gold Glove.

A.         ANDY MESSERSMITH  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  15-Apr-1972, catcher Hal King hit a single off him, but not until the 7th inning.

-  #1     Close one on 04-Jun-1976 vs. the Expos.  The H was by Pepe Mangual.  ATL’s 1st no-hitter was by Phil Niekro 05-Aug-1973.

-  #2     Won GG in 1974 & 75 for LAD.

FCR -  Greg Gits, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Charlie Hough, Claude Osteen, Don Sutton

 


WEEKEND BONUS  30—May

Q.        Who surrendered Wally Moon’s first triple in the majors?  It was also the first one he had ever surrendered.

Hint: #1    He was a pitcher who married a pitcher.

Hint: #2    Two players who have been answers so far this week have had their numbers retired. This player wore both those numbers.

A.         JIM BROSNAN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  1st 3B for Moon = 17-Apr-1954.  It was Moon’s 3rd G in MLB, Brosnan’s 2nd G!

-  #1     His wife’s maiden name was Anne Stewart Pitcher.

-  #2     Uniform numbers: 42 (Jackie Robinson) with the Cubs and Reds, 37 (Stengel) with the Cardinals.

FCR -  George Alfano, Redlands, California

Incorrect guesses: 

 

SUNDAY  30—May

Q.        Who was the first player to leave the majors for the Mexican League?

Hint: #1    He had one single, one RBI, one walk, one stolen base and one putout in the game where Mel Ott hit his 500th homer?

Hint: #2    He played against Hall of Famers Ray Dandridge, Martin Dihigo and shared a moment there with Babe Ruth.

Hint: #3    He was also a talented opera singer.

A.         DANNY GARDELLA  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Gardella had been offered $5,000 to play for NYG and $13,000 to play in Mexico.  He joined the Mexican League 19-Feb-1946.  Their higher salaries attracted others including major leaguers Sal Maglie, Alex Carrasquel, Max Lanier & Mickey Owen.

-  #1     Ott’s 500th HR G = 01-Aug-1945

-  #2     Both in 1946 in the Mexican League.  Gardella was on the Veracruz team, Dandridge played for the Mexico City Reds and Dihigo played for the Algodoneros de Union Laguna.  Babe Ruth also appeared on the field with Gardella that season, participating in a public relations demonstration during which the ailing Babe tossed a few pitches and took batting practice.  Reports have it that Ruth shared a cigar with Gardella in the outfield during a game.

-  #3     He once crashed a high school prom to sing, and made money singing after he was kicked out of baseball.

FCR -  Mary Hums, Louisville, Kentucky

Incorrect guesses:  Willard Brown Don Newcombe, Mickey Owen, Sal Maglie

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – MLB players who testified under oath.

 

Player             Event                          Details

Brosnan:           Flood vs Kuhn             Witness in support of Flood.  Testified in court 21-May-1970, https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/curt_flood_trial/1/

 

Canseco:           BALCO trial                 Testified in front of the House Committee Government Reform and Oversight, Steroid Use in Baseball, 17-Mar-2005 (Begin at 25 sec.).

 

Cone:               Justice Sotomayor’s SCOTUS confirmation  Testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, 16-Jul-2009.

 

Flood:               Flood vs Kuhn             Plaintiff challenged the legality of the Reserve Clause.  Testified 19-May-1970.

 

Gardella:           Gardella v Chandler    Plaintiff, October 1947, US Southern District Federal Court.  Original trial; Appeal.

 

Messersmith:    Peter Seitz arbitration decision           Testified at the arbitration hearing in November 1975.

 

Robinson:         Flood vs Kuhn             Witness in support of Flood.  Testified in court 21-May-1970.  Also called to testify at HUAC, 18-Jul-1949.

 

Schilling:          House Committee Government Reform and Oversight         Testified on steroid use in baseball, 17-Mar-2005.

 

Stengel:            Senate Anti-Trust and Monopoly Subcommittee       Testified on MLB’s anti-trust exemption 08-Jul-958.

 

 

First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeDave Jackson, Irving, Texas (after Flood)

 

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Monday  -  Players to win both AL Rookie of Year and AL MVP

               -  Players who won Rookie of the Year and MVP

 

Tuesday    -Rookies of the Year

 

Wed        -  Players named Curt

 

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