Monday, March 28, 2022

2022-03-21 Players who had six hits in one game, part of which was a cycle

MONDAY  —21-Mar

Q.  Which Hall of Famer is still the all-time career leader in runs batted in per game, now more than a century after his retirement?

Hint: #1  The RBI total he amassed   2in August of 1895 has also never been equaled for any calendar month.

Hint: #2  He was part of an outfield trio that is considered by many to be among the best ever.

Hint: #3  His great grandfather served in the American Revolution and his father was a Union soldier in the Civil War.

A.  SAM THOMPSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Career leaders of RBI/G are Thompson (.927), Gehrig (.921), DiMaggio (.885) and Ruth (.884)

-  #1  He had 61 RBI in Aug-1895.

-  #2  The Philadelphia Phillies outfield 1981-1895 on most days was Thompson, Ed Delahanty & “Slidin’ Billy Hamilton.  Best ever?  Arguably.  In 1894 they hit .415, .405 & .403 respectively.

-  #3  Thompson learned baseball from his father who picked up the game from other military men.

FCR -  Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Ed Delahanty, Willie Keeler, Cap Anson, Honus Wagner, Hugh Duffy, Harry Hooper

 

TUESDAY  —22-Mar

Q.  Who is the only American League infielder with two 30-30 seasons?

Hint: #1  He played for Israel in the 2020 Olympics.

Hint: #2  Even though he was first drafted in the 29th round, he had a fourteen-year career in the majors, was four times an All-Star and twice a Gold Glove winner.

A.  IAN KINSLER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  In 2009 Kinsler had 31 HR + 31 SB.  In 2011, he had 32 HR + 30 SB.  However, he was passed by Alfonso Soriano who had 3 30/30 seasons w/TEX & NYY in 2002, 2003, 2005.  His 4th such in 2006 was in the NL as an outfielder w/WSN where he took it up a notch to a 40/40 year.

-  #1  His father is Jewish and Kinsler identifies as Jewish.

-  #2  He was drafted in the 29th round by ARI in 2000, by ARI in the 26th round in 2001 and by TEX in the 17th round in 2001.

FCR -  Rob Emerson, Lowell, Massachusetts

Incorrect guesses:  Ryan Braun

 

TUESDAY Bis  —22-MR

Q.  Which BLTR leftfielder is the only payer born in the state of Kentucky who can claim both 2,000 hits and 1,000 RBI in the majors?

Hint: #1  He scored the run that stopped Babe Ruth's scoreless innings-pitched streak at twenty-five.

Hint: #2  In 1919 he led the majors in doubles and triples, outdistancing teammate Ty Cobb on both counts.

A.  BOBBY VEACH  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Has 2,063 H + 1,174 RBI.  B. 29-Jun-1888 in St. Charles, Kentucky.

-  #1  Beginning w/the 3rd inning on 27-May & ending in the 2nd inning on 09-Jun-1916, Ruth had strung together 25 innings with no one crossing the plate when he was on the mound.  In the 3rd on the 9th, however Detroit’s Veach doubled to lead off and George Burns doubled him in.

-  #2  Veach hit 45 2b & 17 3b to Cobb’s 36 & 13.  They tied for the majors’ lead in hits w/191.

FCR -  Philip Guiliano, Chester, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Harry Heilmann, Earle Combs, Sam Crawford

 

WEDNESDAY  —23-Mar

Q.  Which BLTR Gold Glove-winning outfielder had a season where he led his league in batting average (for the second straight year), on-base percentage in addition to leading  the majors in slugging and OPS yet did not even win his league’s MVP?

Hint: #1  Four years ago, he was traded for four players, none of whom are any longer in the majors.

Hint: #2  After playing for the U.S. national team he was named to the All-World team.

A.  CHRISTIAN YELICH  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Yelich finished 2nd behind Cody Bellinger in the 2019 NL MVP voting.

-  #1  On 25-Jan-2018, MIA traded Yelich to MIL for Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz, Monte Harrison & Jordan Yamamoto.  Monte Harrison, Isan Diaz, and Lewis Brinson were recently DFA'ed by Miami, but Brinson was signed as a free agent by Houston

-  #2  Yelich played for the United States national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.  Following the conclusion of the tournament, he was named to the All-World Baseball Classic team.

FCR -  Morris Buenemann, Florissant, Missouri

Incorrect guesses:  Ted Williams, Larry Walker

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  —23-Mar

Q.  Which stocky first baseman came just two home runs shy of capturing his league’s Triple Crown in his first full season in the majors?

Hint: #1  That same year, he became the first player to knock in more runs in a season than the number of games he played that year (minimum 100 RBI).

Hint: #2  His career, with a clear Hall of Fame trajectory, was abruptly, tragically ended by a stroke.

A.  DAVE ORR  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Orr’s .354 in 1884 led the AA (American Association) and his 112 RBI led the majors.  2 more HR would have given him 11 and a tie with Cincinnati’s John Reilly.  Orr was listed at 5’11” 250 lbs.  (It’s possible both were slightly exaggerated.)

-  #1  112 RBI in only 110 G, 1884.

-  #2  Orr’s career ending stroke, was just a few weeks after the 1890 season, days after his 31st birthday.  His left side was completely paralyzed.  The stroke came while he was playing in an exhibition game against a local team in tiny Renovo, Pennsylvania.  A few weeks after the stroke, Orr said he would return and play after some focused rehab. He never did. His brilliant career was finished.

FCR -  Robert Chan, Oakland

Incorrect guesses:  Hack Wilson, Wally Pipp, Prince Fielder, Hal Trosky

 

THURSDAY  —24-Mar

Q.  Which one-time KC Royal, during a minor league rehab assignment, gave the clubhouse attendant $2,000 telling him, "Take care of those kids.  I want them to have the best of everything until the money runs out."?

Hint: #1  He also purchased 200 tickets for each Sunday home Expos game from 1997-2000 to give to underprivileged children in Montreal.

Hint: #2  He was the only player to get an extra-base hit with an appropriate-colored bat for his team on Mothers' Day 2006.

A.  RONDELL WHITE  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  To make the deal even better, his donation was in U.S. currency.  Played for KCR in 2003.

-  #1  Those kids are now adults, campaigning to get an MLB team back in French-speaking Canada.

-  #2  Batting for MIN on 14-May-2006, his pink bat doubled off Mark Buehrle, scoring teammate Torii Hunter.

FCR -  Richard Vickroy, Pittsburgh

Incorrect guesses:  Gary Carter, Bill Hall, Bo Jackson, Mark Grudzielanek, Mark Loretta

 

FRIDAY  —25-Mar

Q.  Who did Tip O'Neil deprive of winning a Triple Crown in the American Association?

Hint: #1  He must have been really good.

Hint: #2  He was good enough that he impressed Ned Hanlon to offer him the first base job, when Hanlon took over management of the Baltimore Orioles.

Hint: #3  When the National League Cincinnati Reds were organized in 1880, he was signed as the eleventh player on the eleven-player team.

A.  JOHN REILLY  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Finished 1st in the AA in HR & RBI, 2nd to O'Neil in BA in 1888.  Hit .321 to O’Neill’s .337.

-  #1  Middle name Good, his mother's maiden name.

-  #2  Hanlon took over in May 1892 & made offer to Reilly on his 1st day with the team.

-  #3  1880 Reds

FCR -  Marcos Claudio, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Incorrect guesses:  Deacon White, Dan Brouthers

 

SATURDAY  —26-Mar

Q.  Who was the first player to hit four doubles in a game in the major league American Association?

Hint: #1  He was the only player to lead the AA in doubles twice, doing it in consecutive season

Hint: #2  He is the career RBI leader for the Cleveland Infants.

Hint: #3  Known as a slugger, he hit almost twice as many home runs on the road as he did at home.

A.  HENRY LARKIN  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  2b 29-Jul-1885, Jocko Milligan (02-May-1886) was the only other AA player to accomplish the feat.

-  #1  Led AA in 2b 1885-86.

-  #2  112 RBI for Cleveland Infants, the Cleveland entrant in the one-season Players League.

-  #3  53 career HR: 18 home, 35 road

FCR -  Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Incorrect guesses:  Larry Twitchell, Cap Anson, Rocky Colavito, Pete Browning 

 

SUNDAY  —XX-Mmm

Q.  Who was the only pitcher to earn a save (retroactively-applied) for the 1887 National League’s pennant-winning Detroit Wolverines?

Hint: #1  He also had the highest W-L percentage on the team that year.

Hint: #2  He only won six more games after that year, and never had another save.

Hint: #3  After his major league career ended, he pitched for and managed the Milwaukee Brewers.

A.  LARRY TWITCHELL  [Bio]

-  Ans.  Save in 1887, no other pitchers on the team earned one.

-  #1  .917 (11-1) W-L%

-  #2  Retired after 1894 season, 17-11 record, 1 Save

-  #3  Managed Brewers 1895-96, pitched 3 games (7 IP) in 1895.

FCR -  Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Pretzels Getzien

 

WEEK’S FINALE  —27-Mar

Q.  Which BBTU outfielder was trusted enough to umpire a National League game his team was playing in when one of the umpire crew fell ill?

Hint: #1  He played for a team that set a major league record for consecutive losses and for total losses for a season.

Hint: #2  A minor league teammate of his became governor of Kansas.

A.  FARMER WEAVER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 09-Aug-1893(2), Weaver served as the 1st-base umpire between his own Louisville Colonels and the Cleveland Spiders, after the assigned umpire (Thomas Lynch) had become ill; the catcher Jack O'Connor on the other team, worked the plate.  He was  switch-hitter, but it is not known with which are he threw (unknown).

-  #1  The 1889 Louisville Colonels’ record was 27-111-2, the 1st major league team to have a 100-loss season.  They also managed a 26-G losing streak in the middle of it.

-  #2  Governor George Hodges, elected in 1912 was later helped Weaver who had serious legal issues to resolve.

FCR -  Ken Kirk, Corning, New York

Incorrect guesses:  Sport McAllister, Jocko Conlon, Pete Gray

 


WEEKLY THEME – MLB players with six hits in their cycle game

 

Player                  Date                        Team                            League

Kinsler............. 15-Apr-2009............ Texas Rangers...................... AL

Larkin............... 16-Jun1885............ Philadelphia Athletics............ AA

Orr................... 12-Jun-1885........... New York Metropolitans........ AA

Reilly............... 12-Sep-1883........... Cincinnati Red Stockings....... AA

Thompson...... 17-Aug1894............ Philadelphia Phillies............... NL

Twitchell.......... 15-Aug1889............ Cleveland Spiders................. NL

Veach.............. 17-Sep-1920........... Detroit Tigers......................... AL

Weaver............ 12-Aug-1890........... Louisville Colonels................. AA

White............... 11-Jun-1995........... Montreal Expos...................... NL

Yelich..............29-Aug-2018.......... Milwaukee Brewers............... NL

 

First Correct Respondent identifying themeAdam Foldes, New York City (after Kinsler)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

Mon     -  Oldest players to hit triples

Tues    -  Players who missed 2000 hits by a small amount, such as by fewer than 20 hits

  

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