Sunday, December 26, 2021

2012-12-20 Pitchers who struck out 300 batters in a season but did not lead the majors that year

MONDAY  —20-Dec

Q.  Who was the last right-handed pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in the twentieth century?

Hint: #1  He was the first Dodgers pitcher to appear in sixty games in his rookie season.

Hint: #2  He surrendered Denny Neagle’s first major league hit.

A.  PEDRO MARTINEZ  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  CYA(s) = 1999*, 2000*

-  #1  1993 for LAD = 65 G w/2 starts

-  #2  Neagle’s 1st H = 22-May-1994

* Unanimous

FCR -  Jeff Kabacinski, Wilmington, Delaware

Incorrect guesses:  Mike Marshall, Don Drysdale, Orel Hershiser, Eric Gagne

 

TUESDAY  —21-Dec

Q.  Which imposing hurler holds the record for most balks in a National League season?

Hint: #1  He also holds the records for most balks in a National League career and most balks in a major league career.

Hint: #2  No other pitcher amassed more career strikeouts in the 145-year history of the National League.

Hint: #3  The only grand slam he hit in the majors was off Fernando Valenzuela.

A.  STEVE CARLTON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  11 Balks in 1979.

-  #1  Has 82 NL balks & 90 MLB balks.

-  #2  Had exactly 4,000 NL Ks.  He added 136 more AL Ks.

-  #3  GS = 16-May-1984 in L.A.

FCR -  David Ramsden, Barcelona, Spain

Incorrect guesses:  Nolan Ryan, Jim Bibby, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling

 

WEDNESDAY  —22-Dec

Q.  Of the nineteen pitchers with 3,000 career strikeouts, who has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio?

Hint: #1  He received votes for the Cy Young Awards only four times, thrice finishing runner-up.

Hint: #2  He famously dyed part of his uniform during a game.

A.  CURT SCHILLING  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Has 3,116 Ks to 711 BB for a 4.38 avg .in 569 career Gs.  The correct answer is now Max Scherzer with his 4.46.  It turns out when this question was entered into our database, it was Schilling and Scherzer didn't have the 3,000 K yet.  Thanks everyone, for the heads-up.

-  #1  In 2001 & 2002, he finished just behind Randy Johnson; in 2004 behind Johann Santana.  In 1997, while leading the majors in GS & Ks, he finished 4th.

-  #2  Perhaps not deliberately, part of his white hosiery was tinted bright red during a playoff game = 19-Oct-2004.

FCR -  Lincoln Mitchell, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Bert Blyleven, Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton, Mike Mussina, Dazzy Vance, Chris Sale, CC Sabathia, Fergie Jenkins

 

THURSDAY  —23-Dec

Q.  Which former Monarchs pitcher got fifteen wins in his team's first 125 games?

Hint: #1  Pitching in college for three years, he averaged with11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Hint: #2  His height at 6’5” no doubt help him regularly hit triple digits on the radar gun.

A.  JUSTIN VERLANDER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Verlander won his 15th G on 21-Aug-2006, ET’s 125th G that season.  He won 2 more and the AL ROY as his team won the AL pennant.  He played for Old Dominion University Monarchs.

-  #1  Had with 427 K in 335⅔ innings while pitching for ODU.

-  #2  Earlier in his career, a Verlander fastball at 100+ mph was not unusual.

FCR -  Mark Pattison, Washington, DC

Incorrect guesses:  Satchel Paige, Jim Bibby, Bullet Rogan

 

FRIDAY  —24-Dec

Q.  Which pitcher led the majors with an otherworldly WAR of 13.7 the year after the pitching distance was moved back by ten feet?

Hint: #1  He is rightfully called “Baseball’s first icon”.

Hint: #2  Player were routinely known to be sick or “unable to play” on days they were scheduled to face him.

Hint: #3  He once broke the nose of a future Hall of Famer with such force that the sound of the facial rupture was heard in the stands.

A.  AMOS RUSIE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 1894, Rusie also led the majors in wins (36), ERA (2.78), G started (50), strikeouts (195), ERA+ (188), WHIP (1.410) and several additional stats not known to baseball in his day.

-  #1  Rusie soaked up the adulation the public and press threw his way when he pitched for NYG.  This model of fame via sports was soon thereafter copied by Delahanty, Wagner, Mathewson, Cobb, Ruth, et al.

-  #2  The list of players thus intimidated usually did not include the stars of the day, meaning that Rusie continually faced the best competition available.

-  #3  Hughie Jennings reportedly ran around the field screaming in agony until calmed by hospitalized by all available.  Jennings had led the majors in HBP for five consecutive years but gave up trying to dominate in that category after his face was rearranged by Rusie.

FCR -  Mischa Gelman, Pittsburgh

Incorrect guesses:  Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Albert Spalding, Tommy Bond, Bob Feller, Candy Cummings, Christy Mathewson, Bob Gibson, Theodore Breitenstein, Bobby Mathews, Randy Johnson, Kid Nichols

 

SATURDAY  —25-Dec

Q.  Which switch-hitting lefty won his league’s MVP in his first full season in the majors after receiving zero votes for Rookie of the Year?

Hint: #1  A teammate was runner-up in the voting that year.

Hint: #2  A Time magazine cover subject, he was a leading factor in his team’s winning their team’s winning the division by more than fifteen games.

A.  VIDA BLUE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Was AL MVP in 1971 after playing in only 12 G in 1969 & 1970.

-  #1  Sal Bando was the distant silver silver-medalist in 1971.

-  #2  OAK won the AL West by 16.0 G in 1971, but were swept by BAL in the ALCS.  Blue was on the cover of Time for the July 28 issue.

FCR -  Ed Smith, Gouverneur, New York

Incorrect guesses:  Fred Lynn

 

SUNDAY  —26-Dec

Q.  Which highly-touted Pittsburgh recruit appeared in New York City on the To Tell the Truth television show before debuting in the majors at age nineteen?

Hint: #1  He pitched batting practice to the major league team in his hometown while still a junior in high school.

Hint: #2  He tabulated that he had thrown forty no-hitters before turning professional.

A.  SAM McDOWELL  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  He went 6⅓ in his debut 15-Sep-1961, 6 days before his 20h birthday.

-  #1  McDowell grew up just a few blocks from Forbes Field and was a favorite of the Pirates.

-  #2  A four-sport star in high school, he pitched at every level and was recruited heavily while in high school.

FCR -  Mike McCroskey, Sugar Land, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Johnny Rizzo, Ron Necciai, Paul Pettit, Jim Barbieri, Dave Sisler, Bo Belinsky, Vernon Law, Doc Medich, Cholly Naranjo, Don Drysdale

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Pitcher who struck out 300 batters in a season but did not lead the majors that year

 

Pitcher      Year     Ks           Leader              Ks           WAR

Blue............. 1971..... 301*.......... Mickey Lolich...... 308*............. 44.9

 

Carlton........ 1972..... 310*.......... Nolan Ryan........ 329.............. 84.1

 

Martinez...... 1997..... 305........... Curt Schilling...... 319.............. 86.1

..................... 1999..... 313........... Randy Johnson.. 364

 

McDowell.... 1965..... 325........... Sandy Koufax..... 382.............. 43.1

 

Rusie........... 1892..... 304........... Bill Hutchinson... 314*............. 65.2

 

Schilling...... 1998..... 300........... Randy Johnson.. 329.............. 80.5

..................... 2002..... 316........... Randy Johnson.. 334

 

Verlander ... 2019..... 300........... Gerrit Cole.......... 326*............. 72.2

*Only season with 300+K

  

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – One person came close

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tuesday -  Hall of Fame pitchers with three or more Cy Young Awards

 

Wed        -  Pitchers with multiple 200 or more strikeouts in season

               -  Pitchers who rank in the top 30 in career WAR and have never thrown a no-hitter

               -  Pitchers with at least 3,000 strikeouts who pitched for the Phillies in the World Series

               -  Pitchers with the most career strikeouts without a no-hitter       

               -  Players on this year’s HOF ballot

               -WS winners with 3000 strikeouts

 

Sat          -  Pitchers with at least one non-league-leading 300 strikeout season.

 

Thursday-  The most recent pitchers with 300 strikeouts in a season.

 

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