Tuesday, March 15, 2022

2022-03-07 Players managed by Felipe Alou in the minor leagues

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.

A.  RANDY JOHNSON  [SABR Bio]

-  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)

 Incorrect theme guesses:

 Mon     - Pitchers with 100 or more wins for two franchises

            -  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? 

 Wed     -  Players with at least six hits in a game without recording an out.

 Thu      -  Players who played in the Expos minor league system

            -  Players who started or ended careers in the Expos organization

 Sun      -  Players who have played professional baseball in Montreal and played or coached on the west coast, including the far west (Japan)

 

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