MONDAY —07-Mar
Q. Whose slider has been described as the single
hardest pitch to hit in all of baseball?
Hint:
#1 He struck out ten or more batters in
a game 212 times.
Hint:
#2 He visited U.S. military troops in
combat many times during his career.
- Ans. Watch for yourself: Slider clip. Apparently knowing
that it’s coming it no help. The best
baseball players in the world struck out 4,875 times against him.
- #1 Only Nolan Ryan
did it more—by 3! He had 215. In 3rd place is Roger Clemens w/110.
- #2 He participated in USO tours, mostly in
Afghanistan.
FCR
- Ethan Beanes, Montclair, California
Incorrect
guesses: Steve Carlton, J.R. Richard,
Jim Bunning, Rube Waddell, Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller, Christy Mathewson, Dave
Stieb
MONDAY-MONDAY —07-Mar
Q. Who was the first player after Carl
Yastrzemski in 1967 to lead his league in all three legs of the batter’s Triple
Crown?
Hint:
#1 He was the first person to collect 30
RBI in the month of April.
Hint:
#2 He was the first player to collect at
least 150 RBI in the season he also struck out at least 150 times.
A. ANDRES
GALARRAGA [SABR Bio]
- Ans. In
1993, he led the majors with a .370
BA. In 1996, he led the majors in RBI w/150
& led the NL in HR w/47. He
also led the NL in RBI in 1997 w/140.
- #1 In
the shortened season of 1994, 30 of his 85 RBI were in the books before 01-May.
- #2 In 1996
The Big Cat had 150 RBI & K’ed 157 X. Sammy Sosa did it twice after that.
FCR
- Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Incorrect
guesses: Miguel Cabrera, Rafael Palmeiro,
Manny Ramirez, Frank Robinson, Barry Bonds, Hack Wilson, Albert Belle, Alex
Rodriguez, Matt Kemp
TUESDAY —08-Mar
Q. Which Double-Unique player tied Sherm Lollar
by getting two hits in an inning twice in the same game?
Hint:
#1 He did OK in the other innings that
day too.
Hint:
#2 That game turned out to be the most lopsided
shutout in major league history.
A. RENNIE
STENNETT [SABR Bio]
-
Ans.
On 16-Sep-1975
at Wrigley Field, PIT scored 9 X before CHC even came up to bat. Stennett led off the G w/a double and got an
RBI single later in the 1st inning.
In the 5th, Stennett duplicated his 1st-inning
performance by leading off w/a double & adding an RBI single before the
inning was over. Add to those a single
and a run in the 3rd, a single and a run in the 7th &
a triple in the 8th at which point he was lifted for a pinch runner. Click here
for Double-Uniques. (Comment welcome.)
- #1 The
final score was 22-0. A parade of 5 fine
Cubs pitchers (including a pair of brothers) could not stanch the flow.
- #2 Stennett,
with his 7 H in a 9-inning G, tied a mark set in 1892 by Hall of Famer Wilbert Robinson.
FCR
- Victor Piacentile, Yorktown
Heights, New York
Incorrect
guesses: John Candelaria, Fred Lynn, Ferris
Fain, Dave Duncan, Fernando Tatis, Miguel Cabrera, Bob Lemon
TUESDAY TWICE —08-Mar
Q. Which one-time Chicago Cub outfielder bumped
his own father off the Double-Unique list?
Hint:
#1 He once managed a player so
well-known that the player’s Mendoza-line-adjacent batting average was beside
the point.
Hint:
#2 He managed a team to the longest winning
streak in MLB history.
A. TERRY
FRANCONA [B-R Bio]
- Ans. Dad
Tito Francona was D-U
from 1956 until Terry came up in 1981.
- #1 Basketball
icon Michael
Jordan’s test run as a professional
baseball player was under the tutelage
of Francona on the 1994 Birmingham
Bulls. Jordan hit .202.
- #2 Starting
with the G on 24-Aug-2017,
Francona piloted the Cleveland Indians, then the AL Champions, to 22 G without
a loss, with the final W on 14-Sep. The New York Giants had a longer unbeaten
streak, but it includes a tie.
FCR
- Mat Kovach, Avon Lake, Ohio
Incorrect
guesses: Art Howe, Bump Wills, Dick
Sisler, Charlie Grimm, Dick Howser
WEDNESDAY —09-Mar
Q. Which BLTR handyman played for more major
league teams, without ever throwing a pitch, than any other player in history?
Hint:
#1 He was named to the "World
All-Star" team after playing in the World Amateur Championships in Italy.
Hint:
#2 One of the first professional teams
he played for was the Senators.
A. MATT STAIRS
[B-R Bio]
- Ans. Stairs played for more teams than any position player
in MLB history (13 teams, but 12 franchises.
He played for MON & WSN.) Pitcher Edwin Jackson
has the record for all players at 14 teams. One might easily put Stairs’ total at 14
since he played 60 G for the 1993 Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese
major leagues.
- #1 A
native of New Brunswick, he played for Canada at the 1987 World Amateur
Championships in Italy where he got on the "World All-Star" team. [A helpful reader has provided
this: “There was no 1987 Amateur World
Championship in Italy (for Stairs to be an All-Star at). The biggest IBAF event in 1987 was the Intercontinental
Cup (Stairs played), held in Havana. It might have been the 1988 Baseball World
Cup in Italy, where Stairs was the All-Star shortstop (quite an infield - Tino
Martinez, Antonio Pacheco, Stairs, Robin Ventura) – see https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1988_Baseball_World_Cup#Awards]
- #2 Played
1 year for the 1991
AA Harrisburg
Senators.
FCR
- Jim Lubell, Hillsboro, Oregon
Incorrect
guesses: Lenny Randle
MIDWEEK
BONUS —09-Mar
Q. Who is the only player with more pinch-hits
in a season than Ichiro?
Hint:
#1 He was an outfielder for Team USA in
the final Amateur World Series.
Hint:
#2 He is a member of the Western
Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame.
A. JOHN VANDER
WAL [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. 28
PH in 1995 (Ichiro
had 27 in 2017)
- #1 Played
for Team USA in 1986
Amateur WS
- #2 WMU
HOF class of 2003
FCR
- Tony Monti, Whitestone, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Charlie Maxwell
THURSDAY —10-Mar
Q. Who was the first manager to lead the White
Sox to the American League Central Division title?
Hint:
#1 A one-time San Diego Padres third
baseman, he had been drafted by the Tigers in the first round.
Hint:
#2 His son-in-law racked up a WAR of
28.2 during a fifteen-year major league career.
A. JERRY
MANUEL [B-R Bio]
- Ans. With
a record of 95-6, the 2000 CHW
finished 1st in AL Central.
- #1 Drafted
20th overall by DET in 1972, he played exactly one (1) G at 3rd
for SDP
in he last year as a player, 1982. He
played for
- #2 Son-in-law: Rondell
White, who, for 18 months, was
married to Jerry Manuel’s oldest child, U.S. track and field star Angela,
before a difficult divorce ended the relationship.
FCR
- Evan
Thompson, Mesa
Incorrect
guesses: Tony LaRussa, Terry Bevington,
Gene Lamont
FRIDAY —11-Mar
Q. After Catfish Hunter, who was the next Yankee
pitcher to surrender four home runs in an inning?
Hint:
#1 After his playing days, he became,
for a time, a player agent, representing Frank Thomas, Todd Helton &
Lance Berkman, among others.
Hint:
#2 He never performed with Jim Morrison
or with THAT Jim Morrison, even though he
was in a group with that name.
A. SCOTT
SANDERSON [B-R Bio]
- Ans. Sanderson’s
generosity showed up on 02‑May‑1992,
5th inning. Hunter had done
it on 17-Jun-1977
, 1st inning. Irrelevant but
interesting, Randy Johnson was the next: 21‑Aug‑2005,
4th inning.
- #1 Sanderson
represented the Moye
Sports agency, which has offices in
Atlanta and his hometown of Chicago, where he spent the majority of his time.
- #2 Sanderson
was a “Dore”. Vanderbilt
University's intercollegiate athletics
teams are called the Commodores, in honor of Cornelius
Vanderbilt, who had made his fortune in
shipping. Fans now often refer to Vandy’s
athletic teams as "Dores" or use the cheer "Go Dores!" (I
mean… Of course they do.)
FCR
- Tal Smith, Sugar Land, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Randy Johnson, Rich Gossage
T.G.I.F.
SPECIAL —11-Mar
Q. Who was the first player to have his number
retired by the Ottawa Lynx?
Hint:
#1 He holds the team record for most
runs scored in a season.
Hint:
#2 In 1997, he was the only National
League player to switch-hit home runs in a game while playing for a team other
than the Mets.
A. F.P.
SANTANGELO [Wiki Bio]
- #24 retired 08-Jun-1998 (Jamey
Carroll’s #3 is the only other
number retired by the short-lived team)
- #1 86
R in 1993
- #2 SH
HR 07-Jun-1997. (Carl
Everett [20-Apr-1997
G1] and Todd
Hundley [05-May-1997
and 20-Jul-1997]
did the same for the Mets)
FCR
- Joe O’Neill, London, Ontario
Incorrect
guesses: Chase Wright, Larry Walker
SATURDAY —12-Mar
Q. Who broke Bob Feller’s record for strikeouts
by a rookie in a single game?
Hint:
#1 A former Yankee, he led the majors in
victories the year before the first major league players’ strike.
Hint:
#2 Teammates remember seeing him using
hypodermic needles to himself shots.
A. BILL
GULLICKSON [B-R Bio]
- Ans. On
10-Sep-1980, Rookie Gullickson struck out 18 Chicago Cubs on a complete game
4-hitter. Feller’s record of 17 Ks had
lasted 3 days shy of 44
years. The record now stands at 20, set by Kerry
Wood on 06-May-1998.
- #1 For
1991
DET, Gullickson won 20,
tying him with Tom Glavine, Scott Erickson & John Smiley that year. In 1992, although no games were lost from the
regular season schedule, the players took control of their union and voted to 47-0
to strike. Read more here:
- #2 Gullickson’s
juvenile diabetes was first diagnosed during the 1980 season, his rookie year.
FCR
- Lee Dembart, Hollywood, California
Incorrect
guesses: Tom Cheney, Roger Clemens,
Catfish Hunter, Dwight Gooden, Sam McDowell, Kerry Wood
WEEKEND
BONUS —13-Mar
Q. Which French native tossed the first major
league no-hitter in the Province of Quebec at Stade Olympic?
Hint:
#1 He went 4-0 with two shutouts, only
allowing one earned run in six games during the month he threw the no-hitter,
earning the NL Pitcher of the Month Award.
Hint:
#2 After pitching for University of
Memphis, he made his organized baseball debut with the Memphis Chicks.
Hint:
#3 He started and earned the win in an
MLB All-Star Game.
A. CHARLIE LEA [B-R Bio]
- Ans.
No-hit SFG on 10-May-1981
at Stade Olympique, Montreal. Lea was
born in Orleans, France on Christmas Day 1956.
(His no-no was on Mothers’ Day.)
- #1 NL
POM May 1981
- #2 UM
1978, Memphis Chicks 1978-80. The Chicks have retired his jersey #.
- #3 2
IP, 3H, 1 ER, 2 K for 1984 NL All-Star team
FCR
- Dan Schoenholz, Walnut Creek,
California
Incorrect
guesses: David Palmer, Rheal Cormier,
Dick Fowler, Claude Raymond
SUNDAY —13-Mar
Q. Which LOOGY set a record by pitching in five
consecutive MLB games without recording a single out?
Hint:
#1 He attended the same community
college as had three Hall of Famers.
Hint:
#2 By the end of his decade-long career,
he had a personalized pitching motion.
A. JOEY
EISCHEN [B-R Bio]
- Ans. From
06
to 17-Jul-2005,
used uniquely in long relief, he was often lifted from a G as soon as a right-handed
batter came up. A left-handed specialist
is still sometimes called a LOOGY (or Left-handed One-Out GuY),
a term coined by ESPN.com. columnist John Sickels. This record was tied by STL journeyman Trever Miller in
2011.
- #1 Eischen
attended Pasadena
City College in California. Some of the school’s better-known baseball
alumni include Jackie Robinson, Ralph Kiner & Dick Williams not to mention
Darrell Evans, Irv Noren, Alan Wiggins & Brandon Kintzler.
- #2 Pitching
exclusively out of the stretch, he made exaggerated bows towards first base
before starting to throw.
FCR
- Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan
Incorrect
guesses: Jesse Orosco, Tommy Byrne, Trever
Miller, Tony Fossas
WEEKLY THEME – Played for manager
Felipe Alou minor league team.
Player Level Team Years Career MLB WAR
Gullickson............... A.......... West Palm Beach Expos....... 1977....................... 23.3
Sanderson.............. AA......... Memphis
Chicks.................... 1978....................... 27.7
Francona............... AAA....... Denver
Bears......................... 1981........................ -3.0
Manuel................... AAA....... Wichita Aeros......................... 1982........................ -0.6
Stennett................. AAA....... Wichita
Aeros......................... 1983....................... 13.9
Galarraga.............. AAA....... Indianapolis
Indians............... 1985....................... 31.7
Johnson................... A.......... West
Palm Beach Expos....... 1986..................... 101.1
Lea........................... A.......... West Palm
Beach Expos....... 1987......................... 7.4
Vander
Wal.............. A.......... West Palm
Beach Expos....... 1988......................... 6.2
Stairs........................ A.......... West
Palm Beach Expos....... 1989....................... 14.1
Santangelo............. A+......... West Palm
Beach Expos....... 1990......................... 6.7
Eischen.................... A+......... West
Palm Beach Expos....... 1991......................... 3.5
First Correct
Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (after
Santangelo)
- Unique
caps in the Hall of Fame? WS MVP for expansion teams? Pitched against all 30
teams? HoF who played for Montreal? Names that sound like porn star names? No
hitters in two leagues?
- Players who started or ended careers in
the Expos organization
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