Sunday, March 6, 2022

2022-03-01 Players born in cities with identical names of more famous cities in other states

TUESDAY  —01-Mar

Q.  Who was the first player to have 200-hit seasons in both the National League and the American League?

Hint: #1  His Hall of Fame coach thought him a-maize-ing in college.

Hint: #2  He was the first professional baseball player to grace the cover of Time magazine.

A.  GEORGE SISLER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Playing for the AL’s Saint Louis Browns (SLB) Sisler passed the 200-H mark in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1925 & 1927 with totals of 257, 216, 246, 224 & 201 respectively.  Then, toward the end of his playing career with the NL’s Boston Braves in 1929 at age 36, Sisler led his dismal team w/205 H.

-  #1  Sisler starred for Coach Branch Rickey at the University of Michigan (colors: Maize & Blue).

-  #2  On the cover of Time in the March 30, 1925 before the magazine itself was even 2 years old.

FCR -  Edward Veal, Spanaway, Washington

Incorrect guesses:  Frank Frisch, Mel Ott, Rogers Hornsby, Nap Lajoie, Frank Robinson

 

WEDNESDAY  —02-Mar

Q.  Which BBTR pitcher won the Cy Young Award only once in his twenty-three-year career in his nineteenth season?  It was the only time he ever got even a single vote for the award.

Hint: #1  He was nine times an All-Star and received MVP votes eight times.

Hint: #2  He was the first pitcher to face the expansion Washington Senators.

A.  EARLY WYNN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Played 1939, 1941-44, 46-63.  CYA in 1959, leading his CHW to the WS.

-  #1  Playing history.

-  #2  1st G for WSA 10-Apr-1961.

FCR -  Evan Thompson, Mesa

Incorrect guesses:  Luis Tiant

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  —03-Mar

Q.  Who was the last Brooklyn Dodgers player to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award?

Hint: #1  Players who finished second, fifth, eighth, eleventh and sixteenth in that same MVP vote that year, were teammates of his.

Hint: #2  He ended his professional playing career in Japan.

A.  DON NEWCOMBE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  NL MVP in 1956

-  #1  1956 NL MVP vote: 2nd Sal Maglie, 5th Junior Gilliam, 8th Pee Wee Reese, 10th Duke Snider & 16th Jackie Robinson.

-  #2  Played the 1962 season for the Chunichi Dragons.

FCR - Tim Luca, San Mateo, California

Incorrect guesses:  Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Carl Furillo

 

THURSDAY  —03-Mar

Q.  Who was the catcher on Baseball America's All-Time College All-Star team?

Hint: #1  No other catcher has caught more no-hitters.

Hint: #2  He has played in more postseason games than anyone else in the history of his franchise.

A.  JASON VARITEK  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Tek had played at Tech [Varitek at Georgia Tech].  1994 CBBAAT

-  #1  In a tie with Carlos Ruiz, Varitek has caught 4 no-hitters… On 04-Apr-2001—Hideo Nomo; on 27Apr2002—Derek Lowe; on 01-Sep-2007—Clay Buchholz; & on 19-May-2008—Jon Lester.

-  #2  Played in 63 postseason G for BOS.  However, that mark has been left behind by the 85 G of David Ortiz.

FCR -  Philip Guiliano, Chester, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Ray Schalk, Buster Posey, ,Johnny Bench, Jorge Posada, Jeff Torborg, Ron Hassey, John Roseboro

 

THURSDAY TWICE —03-Ma

Q.  Who was the first pitcher to earn a save in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum?

Hint: #1  He won World Series rings in consecutive seasons, but with different teams.

Hint: #2  He finished his career with an even more distinguished team.

A.  CLEM LABINE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  1st S = 18-Apr-1958

-  #1  Was on LAD for the 1959 WS and on PIT for the 1960 Fall Classic.

-  #2  Pitched for Casey Stengel on the expansion 1962 New York Mets.  It was a mere 4 innings, but he was there.

FCR -  Mark Kanter, Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Incorrect guesses:  Phil Regan, Larry Sherry, Bob Miller, Lindy McDaniel

 

THURSDAY THRICE  —03-Mar

Q.  Who was the first pitcher to strike out the first five batters in a World Series game?

Hint: #1  He was the losing pitcher in consecutive All-Star games.

Hint: #2  He was the second St. Louis Cardinals pitcher to win a National League Most Valuable Player award.

A.  MORT COOPER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In G 5 in 1943, Cooper set down the 1st 5 on strikes.  Sandy Koufax matched the feat in 1963.

-  #1  Took the AS L in 1942 & 43.

-  #2  MVP in 1942.  Dizzy Dean had won it in 1932.

FCR – Tony Hughes, Arlington, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Dizzy Dean, Bob Gibson, Don Larsen, Joaquin Andujar, Steve Carlton

 

FRIDAY  —04-Mar

Q.  Who served as a backup catcher for both Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra and did it well enough to be selected to the American League All-Star team?

Hint: #1  He played in exactly one (1) major league game before joining the U.S. Coast Guard.

Hint: #2  He was traded for a player who became one of the best pitchers of his era.

A.  AARON ROBINSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Played for NYY 1945-47 essentially as a bridge between the two great Hall of Fame careers.

-  #1  He appeared as a pinch-hitter for NYY on 06-May-1943 and struck out.  He didn’t even need his glove that day.

-  #2  He was dealt by CHW to DET for Billy Pierce plus $10,000 on 10-Nov-1948.

FCR -  Kevin Johnson, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Incorrect guesses:  Charlie Silvera, Clint Courtney, Ken Silvestri, Jim Hegan, Sherm Lollar, Gus Triandos, Rollie Hemsley, Johnny, Elston Howard Blanchard, Ralph Houk

 

T.G.I.F.SPECIAL  —04-Mar

Q.  Whose twenty-five home runs trailed only Rob Deer’s total on the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers, a team that won its first thirteen games and seventeen of its first eighteen?

Hint: #1  A one-time Philly, he later coached three teams in the majors.

Hint: #2  His cousin once led the majors in doubles.

A.  DALE SVEUM  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Deer hit 28 HR that year.

-  #1  Coached BOS 2004-05; MIL 2006-2011; KCR 2014-19.  Played for PHI in

-  #2  His cousin, John Olerud, hit 54 doubles in 1993 for TOR.

FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma

Incorrect guesses:  Gorman Thomas, Ben Oglivie, Del Ennis

 

SATURDAY  —05-Mar

Q.  Which thirty-year-old catcher had an offensive game to remember when he got two hits in an inning twice in the same game?

Hint: #1  His defensive prowess, considered a liability early in his career, rose to Gold Glove level under the tutelage of Paul Richards.

Hint: #2  It was he for whom was Yogi pinch-hitting when Yogi hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history.

A.  SHERM LOLLAR  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 23-Apr-1955, playing for CHW against KCA, Lollar had a HR & single in the 2nd inning then 2 singles in the 6th, as the White Sox won a laugher over the A’s 29-6.  Lollar is tied with 2 other major leaguers in this regard.

-  #1  Richards, a former catcher himself, was Lollar’s manager in Chicago 1952-54.

-  #2  Berra HR = 02-Oct-1947, G 3, 1947 WS.  Lollar had been on twice and had scored twice.

FCR -  Gerald Price, Lancaster, California

Incorrect guesses:  Elston Howard, Bill Dickey, Clint Courtney, Gus Triandos, Cliff Mapes

 

SUNDAY  —06-Mar

Q.  Which Tigers pitcher’s image was used on a recruiting poster for the U.S. Marines during World War II?

Hint: #1  In his first start in the majors, he defeated Lefty Grove and the Red Sox.

Hint: #2  The subtitle of his biography is “Hurler, Hero, Hell-Raiser”.

A.  BOOTS POFFENBERGER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Click here for poster.  He did serve in the Marines during the war.

-  #1  Finished the G on 11-Jun-1937 w/6⅔ innings of relief.

-  #2  Book was written by Austin Gisriel.

FCR -  Jim Lubell, Hillsboro, Oregon

Incorrect guesses:  Schoolboy Rowe, Hal Newhouser

 

WEEKEND BONUS  —05-Mar

Q.  Which pitcher nicknamed “Mudcat” surrendered Babe Ruth’ final home runs in the majors?

Hint: #1  He managed the Battle Creek Belles of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Hint: #2  In his second win one year, he pitched a complete game eighteen inning win over the Braves.

A.  GUY BUSH  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Ruth’s #713 & 714 on 25-May-1935 in Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field.  Because of Bush’s roots, he was dubbed “The Mississippi Mudcat”.

-  #1  Managed the Belles in parts of 1951–52.

-  #2  18-inning gem was on 14-May-1927.

FCR -  Lee Dembart, Hollywood, California

Incorrect guesses:  George Metkovich

 

SUNDAY SPECIAL  —06-Mar

Q.  Who has thrown multiple interleague no-hitters?

Hint: #1  In his eleven seasons in the majors, he never had a single vote for the Cy Young Award, Most Valuable Player or made an All-Star team.

Hint: #2  Sure, he has blown games, but he’s better known for blowing something else.

A.  MIKE FIERS  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  On 21-Aug-2015, playing for HOU, he no-hit LAD.  On 07-May-2019, playing for OAK, he no-hit CIN.

-  #1  He never got a single vote for Rookie of the Year in 2012 either.

-  #2  He is also known for being the whistleblower in the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.

FCR -  Adam Foldes, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Homer Bailey, Joe Smith, David Cone, Justin Verlander, Dave Stewart, Jim Bunning

 

WEEK’S FINALE  —06-Mar

Q.  Which Cubs outfielder was hesitant to approach the outfield walls in Wrigley Field, believing they were poison ivy?

Hint: #1  “I ain’t mad at nobody”, he once said.

Hint: #2  His parents were fifteen and fourteen years old when they married.

A.  LOU NOVIKOFF  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  This very likely diminished his practical usefulness as an outfielder in home games, but he played only in the outfield his entire time in the majors, 1941-46.

-  #1  A softball promoter had given him the nickname “The Mad Russian”, but he was just the opposite, jovial, happy-go-lucky, amusingly eccentric—a genuine madcap guy with a big smile.  Lou was an accomplished softball player in addition to his obvious talent in baseball.  Ted Williams called him “a great natural hitter."

-  #2  About 1900, these 2 Russian teens, Alex Novikoff, 15 & his bride Julia 14, were looking for economic opportunity & freedom from religious persecution. Alex, Julia & their sons migrated with hundreds of their community to Los Angeles, 1905-06.

FCR -  Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario

Incorrect guesses:  Leon Durham, Bobby Murcer, Keith Moreland, Jerry Morales

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Players born in cities with identical names of more famous cities in other states

 

Player.............................................. Born In.............................................. Not in…

Bush.................................................. Aberdeen, Mississippi............................... Maryland

Cooper................................................ Atherton, Missouri.................................... California

Fiers.................................................. Hollywood, Florida..................................... California

Labine................................................ Lincoln, Rhode Island.............................. Nebraska

Lollar................................................. Durham, Arkansas.................................... North Carolina

Newcombe.......................................... Madison, New Jersey.............................. Wisconsin

Novikoff............................................. Glendale, Arizona..................................... California

Poffenberger..................................... Williamsport, Maryland.............................. Pennsylvania

Robinson............................................ Lancaster, South Carolina........................ Pennsylvania

Sisler.................................................. Manchester, Ohio...................................... New Hampshire

Sveum................................................. Richmond, California............................... Virginia

Varitek............................................... Rochester, Michigan.................................. New York

Wynn.................................................. Hartford, Alabama..................................... Connecticut

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying themeKen Kirk, Corning, New York (after Labine)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Wed     -  Players who got into the Hall of Fame on the fourth try

            -  Hall of Famers who never won a World Series

 

Fri        -  Players born in cities/towns whose name contains the name of a President's first or last name

            -  Players whose birthplace is the name of city who has a professional soccer (UK football) club

            -  Railway lines used for baseball travel before airplane travel

            -  Players whose birthplaces now have Minor League baseball teams

 

Sat       -  Players that were born in a city that is also the name of a city in California

 

If you know someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, Have them start by clicking here.

 

This week’s quiz archived here:  http://horsehidetriviA.          blogspot.com/

 

Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.




~ Bruce



No comments:

Post a Comment