MONDAY — 01-May
Q. Who
is the only player since World War II with more than three seasons of WAR of
10.0 or better?
Hint: #1
He has record for the most hits by a player in All-Star Game history.
Hint: #2
He received Most Valuable Player votes in three different decades.
- Ans. Mays
had 6 such seasons: 1954 (10.4),
1958* (10.2), 1962 (10.5), 1963 (10.6),
1964 (11.0) & 1965 (11.2). The only other hitters with more than 2 are Mickey
Mantle & Barry Bonds. They have 3
each. Carl Yastrzemski, Cal Ripken &
Mike Trout have 2 each.
- #1 Had
a total of 23 H in his 24 ASG. His 20 R and
40 TB (tied with Musial) are also ASG records.
Ted Williams once accurately observed, “They invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays!”
- #2 Got
NLMVP votes 1954-1966 + 1968, 1971
*Tied w/Ernie Banks in 1958.
FCR - Greg
Gits, Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Incorrect guesses: Ted
Williams, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, George Brett
TUESDAY — 02-May
Q. Which one-time
Phillies hurler was the first MVP among starting pitchers following World War
II?
Hint: #1 The first year
with his next team, he led the majors in ERA and made
his first trip to the postseason.
Hint: #2 He was that
new team’s first Gold Glove winner.
A. BOBBY SHANTZ [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Voted 1952 AL MVP. His WAR of 9.4. also led MLB the
same year. Shantz finished his playing
career appearing in 14 G for heartbreaking PHI in 1964.
- #1 His ERA in 1957 was 2.45 in his
1st season w/NYY who won the AL pennant.
- #2 In Shantz was the 1st player to
win a GG as a Yankee. He also won it in
each of the next 3 seasons, joined by Norm Siebern in 1958.
FCR - Jay Kriegel,
Oklahoma City
Incorrect guesses: Jim
Konstanty, Robin Roberts, Hal Newhouser, Mort Cooper, Lew Burdette, Steve Carlton
WEDNESDAY — 03-May
Q. Who was the first
native of Idaho to receive a Hall of Fame vote?
Hint: #1 He won the
Cy Young Award for a team that achieved more than ninety wins for the first
time in thirty-three seasons.
Hint: #2 Only Warren
Spahn surrendered more home runs to Willie Mays than he did.
- Ans. Received HOF votes 1973-1979, but never more
than 2.4%.
- #1 Law’s CYA was in 1960 when PIT’s record was
95-59. The last time PIT won more than
90 was also the last time they had won the NL flag, 1927, when they were 94-60.
- #2 Mays homered off Law 15 X (Off Spahn 18 X)
FCR - Joe Cohen,
Holden, Massachusetts
Incorrect guesses: Steve Carlton, Harmon Killebrew
MIDWEEK BONUS — 03-May
Q. Which one-time
Oriole hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats, against four Yankee pitchers?
Hint: #1 He twice
led American League outfielders in fielding percentage, committing only one
error each year.
Hint: #2 He was
sometimes called the “Sunday Punch”.
A. CHARLIE MAXWELL [SABR Bio]
- Ans. In the 1st G of a double-header on
03-May-1959(1) at Brigg Stadium in
Detroit, Maxwell homered off NYY’s Don Larsen.
In the 2nd
G, he homered off Duke Maas, Johnny Kucks &
Zach Monroe in the 1st, 4th & 7th
innings, as DET swept NYY that day.
(Perhaps he’s enjoying a small memorial celebration today?)
- #1 Playing LF, he led all AL OFs in fielding %
in 1957 (.997) & 1960 (.996) w/exactly 1 error each.
- #2 It
felt to many observers as though he often hit home runs on Sunday. (See Ans. above)
FCR - Dave Raglin, McLean, Virginia
Incorrect guesses: Al Bumbry, Jim Gentile, Paul Blair, Brady
Anderson, Rougned Odor, Frank Robinson,
THURSDAY — 04-May
Q. Which
Oklahoma native infielder was named Most Valuable Player of the AAA
International League when he led the league in batting with a .337 average?
Hint: #1
He preserved Carl Erskine's first no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in
the 1952 season with two brilliant fielding plays at third base.
Hint: #2
In his eight seasons in the majors, he played alongside eleven teammates
who are now in the Hall of Fame.
A. BOBBY MORGAN [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. IL MVP in 1949 the year
before he was call up to MLB by Bro.
-
#1 "I made two super plays on swinging bunts where they
just dribbled down the line & I fielded them one-handed & threw to Gil
Hodges at first," said Morgan.
-
#2 HOF Teammates:
W/BRO
– Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider &
Dick Williams.
W/PHI
– Richie Ashburn & Robin Roberts.
W/STL
– Stan Musial & Red Schoendienst
W/CHC
– Ernie Banks
FCR - Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses: Billy
Cox, Jim Gilliam, Randy Jackson, Pee Wee Reese
FRIDAY — 05-May
Q. Who
broke Howard Ehmke's twenty-four-year-old World Series single-game strikeout
record?
Hint: #1 He was the first Dodger in the Modern Era to
throw two no-hitters in his career.
Hint: #2
He threw the first major league pitch at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
A. CARL ERSKINE [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. - PHA’s Ehmke had K'ed 13
Cubs in G 1 on 08-Oct-1929;
-
BRO’s Erskine K’ed 14 Yankees in G 3 on 02‑Oct‑1953;
-
That record was broken by LAD’s Sandy Koufax who K’ed 15 Yankees in G 1 on 02-Oct-1963; - & Is currently
held by STL’s Bob Gibson who K’ed 17 Tigers in G 1 02-Oct-1968.
-
#1 Erskine no-hit CHC on 19-Jun-1952 & then no-hit NYG
on 12-May-1956.
-
#2 On 18-Apr-1958, Erskine also
surrendered the stadium’s first H (1st batter, rookie Jim Davenport)
& its 1st HR (Former NL MVP Hank Sauer in the 4th),
not to mention the Coliseum’s 1st double (Willie Kirkland/3rd
inning) & 1st triple (Bob Schmidt/6th inning).
FCR - Peter Dupuis, Hooksett, New Hampshire
Incorrect guesses: Sandy Koufax, Don Newcombe, Don Drysdale, Johnny Padres Bob Feller
SATURDAY — 06-May
Q. Which
former Boilermaker is the last
living player managed by both Frankie Frisch and Rogers Hornsby?
Hint: #1
Frisch used to call him, “Bases on Balls Bob”.
Hint: #2
Disheartened because he’d been traded, he received support and encouragement from a surprising source.
-
Ans. Kelly’s skipper for his 1951
Cubs was the
Fordham Flash. Rajah was at the helm of
Kelly’s 1953
Reds. Kelly played for Purdue University 1946 to 1947.
-
#1 I got off of Route 1 & we drove by a house. I looked at the guy taking care of his
garden. The more I looked at him, I
thought, “My God, that’s Frankie Frisch!”
Much to the dismay of my family, so anxious to get to the beach, I
stopped the car & yelled, “Frankie! Frankie! How are you doing?” He took one look at me & said, “Bases on
Balls Bob!” After all those years, he
remembered me as “Bases on Balls Bob.”
(Kelly’s K/BB ratio is 164/146.)
-
#2 After learning of his 12-June-1953 swap by CHC to CIN, Kelly
was heading out of Ebbets Field with a downcast look on his face. As he was leaving the ballpark, he walked past the Dodgers' clubhouse &
the door opened. Out came Jackie
Robinson. As Kelly tells the story:
“Jackie took one look at me & said, 'Kell, what’s going on?’" I said, “Jackie, I’ve just been traded. He could see that I was distraught, but Jackie
took time to talk to me, a white guy who was the opposition. He gave me confidence to get me out of my
slump & accept the trade. He offered
me encouragement & success. Jackie was
not only a wonderful player, but he was a great human being also. I will always remember him as such."
FCR - Dr.
John Rickert, Terre Haute, Indiana
Incorrect guesses: Bobby
Shantz, Bob Kelly, Moose Skowron, Bob Borkowski, Bob Friend, Bob Bailey
IN MEMORIAM — 06-May
Q. Which
colorful Cajun was the most recent switch-hitter to win the American League
Most Valuable Player Award?
Hint: #1
Amazingly, he struck out at least once in thirty-three straight games
that year.
Hint: #2
He broke Johnny Bench’s record for being the youngest ever to win an MVP
in the majors.
Hint: #3
One year, much later, he had not a single pitching victory in spite of
double digits in starts.
Hint: #4
In his major league debut, he took a small step for a rookie, but a
giant leap for baseball-kind.
Hint: #5
He was the first pitcher in
history to start the All-Star Game for both leagues.
Hint: #6
His franchise owner tried to persuade him to change his first name to
“True”.
Hint: #7
He was one of the first baseball players to wear his given
name on the back of his uniform rather than his surname.
Hint: #8
He caused the turnstiles to spin everywhere.
-
Ans. AL MVP 1971. He was born in Mansfield, Louisiana.
-
#1 In 1971, Blue fanned at least once in every one of his games
between 9-Apr-il and 3-Sep-. For the
season, he struck out 63 X in 102 ABs. Blue
is also the only AL pitcher to K 8 X consecutively in WS play.
-
#2 He turned 22 years old on
28-Jul- that year.
-
#3 Pitching for KCR in 1983,he started 14
G, but didn’t win any of them; record that year was 0-5.
- #4 Blue debuted 20-Jul-1969 the day Neil Armstrong
stepped out on the surface of the moon.
- #5 Blue
started & won the 1971 ASG with A's & the 1978 ASG w/SFG where he was not the
pitcher of record.
- #6 Only
one of Charlie O. Finley’s bizarre requests of his team.
- #7 Listen to him talk about his uniforms.
- #8 The average crowd for his starts was 85%
larger than for all other Oakland road games, a gain of almost 13,000 fans each
time he was scheduled to appear.
FCR - Jim Lovelace, Kent, Ohio
SUNDAY — 06-May
Q. Who is the only retired Fullerton Union High
School pitching alumnus who didn’t throw a major league no-hitter? (That was actually Bill Ross so the question is not valid.)
Hint: #1
He may be
the oldest former major league player to speak to a SABR chapter.
Hint: #2
His
specialty was painting the black, much like his namesake occasionally did.
-
Ans. Ross counts among his fellow Fullerton Union HS (CA) alumni just 3 other
retired major league pitchers, all of whom have thrown big league no-nos: Mike Warren (29-Sept-1983), Steve Busby (2X - 27-Apr-1973 & 19-June-1974) & Walter Johnson (1-July-1920).
-
#1 On 02-Dec-2017, Ross, then aged 89 years and 35, was welcomed
as a special guest to a Los
Angeles chapter meeting of the Society for American Baseball Research.
-
#2 Never overpowering as a pitcher, Ross was a finesse lefty who liked
to work the corners. His namesake, when told by a
colorblind fan that he needed help, once showed how easily it could be done.
FCR - Susan Nelson, Moscow, Tennessee
Incorrect guesses: Bob
Friend, Larry Dierker, Mike Warren Tom Lasorda, Walter Johnson,
Michael Lorenzen
WEEK’S FINALE — 07-May
Q. Who hit his first major league home run just a month before
being inducted into the US Armed Services as
a teenager?
Hint: #1
Using keen powers of in-game observation, he once denied Willie Mays a
home run.
Hint: #2
He is the youngest player
to steal home in major league history.
A. TOMMY
BROWN [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Brown went deep on 20-Aug-1945 versus Preacher Roe, becoming the youngest player, at 17
years and 257 days old, to homer in the Big Leagues. WWII had ended, but Brown still fulfilled his
military obligation & sat out the entire 1946 major league season.
-
#1 Mays hit what appeared to be an inside-the-park home run on 03-Sept-1951(1), but Brown, playing for PHI spotted that Mays had missed
touching 3rd base. On appeal,
Mays was declared out & awarded a double.
-
#2 After hitting a triple off PHI’s Rene Monteagudo on 28-Aug-1945, Brown took full advantage of the southpaw Monteagudo’s
methodical, back-to-the-runner wind-up, to steal home. This was the first of Brown’s career stolen
base. He was just 17 years and 265 days
old.
FCR - Foster
Beach, Rock Hall, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Rusty Staub, Maury Wills
WEEK’S THEME – Surviving players
who appeared in the iconic 1952 Topps baseball card set. Click on the links below for the images.
Player Card No. Birthday Age WAR
Mays................. 261......... 06-May-1931.......... 92+ 156.1
Shantz............... 219......... 26-Sep-1925.......... 97+ 34.6
Law.................... 81......... 12-Mar-1930........... 93+ 32.3
Maxwell............. 180......... 08-Apr-1927........... 96+ 19.8
Erskine.............. 250......... 13-Dec-1926.......... 96+ 13.9
Morgan.............. 355......... 29-Jun-1926........... 96+. 9.5
Kelly................. 348......... 04-Oct-1927........... 95+ 1.5
Ross.................. 298......... 02-Nov-1928.......... 94+ -0.9
Brown............... 281......... 06-Dec-1927.......... 95+. -2.1
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall,
Michigan (after Morgan)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Mon - MLB players who played in the Negro League
and have 1,500 or more MLB hits
Tues - The original Rawlings Gold Glove
team
- Oldest living All-Stars
- Oldest living MVPs
- Oldest living World Series winners
- Oldest living somethings
- Former MLB all-stars now in their nineties
- Oldest living World Series champion players
- Players with the most consecutive Gold Gloves
Wed - Highest WAR for players 90 years old and older
- Oldest living player with the earliest MLB
debut
- Oldest living players to win major MLB
awards/titles
- Living MVP/Cy Young Award winners who are in
their 90's
Thur - Oldest living player to have played last game in 1964 or later
- Living players who played in 1950
- Oldest living
player for each position
- Oldest living all stars (X2)
- The last living players from before teams
started changing cities in the 1950's
Fri - List of living players who debuted their careers between 1948-1950
- Oldest living player on each surviving team
from the original 16
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