MONDAY — 24-Sep
Q. Who
is the sole player to hit fifty doubles and fifty home runs in one major league
season?
Hint: #1
He led the majors in both those categories that year as well as in slugging
and total bases.
Hint: #2
In the complete seasons of his career, he averaged One hundred twenty runs
batted in.
Hint: #3 He came to be known to his teammates as Mr.
Freeze.
- Ans. In
1995, playing for CLE, Bell hit 52 2B & 50 HR.
- #1 Also
led MLB in SLG .690 & TB w/377.
- #2 RBI
Avg = 1991-2000, 3 X leading the league, with a best of 148 & once leading
the majors with 129 in 1993.
Final career RBI total 1,239.
- #3 Belle
preferred to have the clubhouse temperature cold, below 60°f & when chilly teammate
Kenny Lofton turned up the heat, Belle walked over, turned down the thermostat
then proceeded to smash it with his bat. "Mr. Freeze" indeed! Lofton elucidates here.
FCR - John
Bath, Gahanna, Ohio
Incorrect guesses: Cecil Fielder, Hank Greenberg, Willie Mays,
Barry Bonds, Johnny Mize, Mark McGwire
IN MEMORIAM
—— 25-Sep (Not connected with this
week’s theme.)
Q. Who was the first
player to be named American League Most Valuable Player, All-Star Game Most
Valuable Player and World Series Most Valuable Player?
Hint: #1 He owns
what is possible the highest vertical leap by an infielder in World Series
history.
Hint: #2 Oh yeah… He
won sixteen (16!) consecutive Gold Gloves.
Hint: #3 He is
honored with an action statue outside the ballpark of the team he played for.
Hint: #4 He homered
off Don Drysdale the first time he came to the plate in a World Series game.
Hint: #5 This hint’s
number, his famous uniform number and his position’s scorekeeping notation number
are all the same.
Hint: #6 He was an
American League All-Star eighteen times.
Hint: #7 Not every
record he holds is enviable.
Hint: #8 He was the
first player in his team’s history to hit for the cycle.
Hint: #9 A glimpse
into his discipline and dedication is seen when he said, “If you're not
practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he'll be ready to take your job.”
Hint: #10 Two quotes
about him paint an accurate picture of the man and his craft: Pete Rose said,”(He) belongs in a higher league.” Several people have come out with a version
of this quote, “Elsewhere they have named candy bars named after players. In Baltimore people name their children
after Brooks Robinson.”
A. BROOKS ROBINSON [SABR Bio] , [Baltimore
Sun Obit] , [Washington
Post Obit]
- Ans. Won
the 1964 AL MVP; the 1966 MLB ASG MVP; & the 1970 WS MVP. The very next season, he was joined by his
longtime teammate, Frank Robinson, to win those 3 honors. They are the only 2 to win all 3.
- #1 After the last out of the 1966 WS, Brooks is
shown leaping with
joy at the team’s victory, greeting teammates C Andy Etchebarren
& P Dave McNally.
- #2 His string of AL 3rd base Gold
Gloves was unbroken between 1961 & 1975.
No position player has won more.
- #3 The bronze nine-foot statue shows his glove as solid
gold.
- #4 His HR was a dark omen for the Dodgers in
that WS. The next batter up, Frank
Robinson, also homered. LAD came in as
WS champions, but. were swept by a young BAL.
- #5 Robinson wore #5 for 21 seasons, 1957-77.
- #6 His unbroken string of All-Star games played 1960-1974
is slightly tainted as he was on the losing side in 15 of those.
- #7 In addition to #6 above, Robinson hit into a
triple play 4 times, twice in 1973. 02-Jun-1958, 6th inning;
10-Sep-1964, 5th
inning; 18-Aug-1965, 1st
inning; & 06-Aug-1967(2) 5th inning; Robinson
is quite aware of the distinction that is likely to be his forever. “I wouldn't
mind seeing someone erase my record of hitting into four triple plays” is his
standard line. “But I did have the touch,”
he told a reporter in 2015.
- #8 Cycle = 15-Jul-1960. 11 other Orioles have “cycled” since.
- #9 View additional quotes by and about Brooks
Robinson here.
- #10 "
FCR - Rick Fink,
Edison, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses: Ozzie
Smith
TUESDAY — 24-Sep
Q. Which
one-time Chicago Cubs outfielder made a spectacular catch directly in front of
the assembled SABR conventioneers at the Great American Ball Park in 2004?
Hint: #1
He was the first player to hit two upper deck home runs in one game at Coors
Field.
Hint: #2
He and his now Hall of Fame manager were ejected from a postseason game
for arguing.
Hint: #3
He would have been the Rookie of the Year but only if the seven players
ahead of him had received no votes.
A. JIM EDMONDS [Wiki Bio]
-
Ans. Reds C Jason LaRue was
robbed of an otherwise certain home run by Edmonds’ 9th inning over-the-outfield-fence catch on 16-Jul-2004. Any timing but perfect timing would not have
resulted in an out.
-
#1 HR X 2 = 04-Apr-2001, 2nd G of
the season.
-
#2 Edmonds and Tony LaRussa were
both tossed for arguing balls & strikes 16-Oct-2005, NLCS G#4 by umpire
Phil Cuzzi.
-
#3 1994 AL ROY
voting.
FCR - Jim
Casey, Savannah
Incorrect guesses: Moises Alou, Jeromy Burnitz, Mark Grace
WEDNESDAY —— 27-Sep
Q. Who led the
majors in triples the year his team won the pennant but did not play in the World
Series?
Hint: #1 He had three
triples in the first World Series, but so did two of his teammates.
Hint: #2 As a player/manager,
he took over a team in the American League with two future Hall of Famers, but
with a terrible record and failed to pull them out of basement.
A. CHICK STAHL [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Stahl had 19 3B on the
successful 1904 Boston Americans team.
Though the WS had begun the year before, the manager of the NL champs,
John McGraw refused to play BOS as a way of protesting against the upstart AL.
- #1 Stahl, Buck Freeman & Buddy Parent all
tripled thrice for the victorious AL Americans in the 1903 WS. Due to overflow crowds at the Exposition Park
games in Allegheny City, if a batted ball rolled under a rope in the outfield
that held spectators back, a "ground-rule triple" would be scored. 17
ground-rule triples were hit in the four games played at the stadium.
- #2 Stahl took over 1906 BOS as player/manager on
27-Aug when they had a record of 35-97-1 & finished the season with them
going 14-26. They finished dead last at
a .318 clip, 45.5 G behind CHW. On that
team were Jimmy Collins & Cy Young, not to mention Buck Freeman, Jesse
Tannehill & Bill Dinneen. Whose 4.1
WAR led the team that season? Chick
Stahl.
FCR - Bill Deane,
Cooperstown
Incorrect guesses: Tris
Speaker, Hughie Jennings, Rogers Hornsby, Fred Clarke Jimmy Collins,
Buck Freeman, Patsy Dougherty
WEDNESDAY-AGAINSDAY —— 27-Sep
Q. Who was the first
batter to hit two upper-deck home runs in one game at Cinergy Field?
Hint: #1 He and a
teammate once totaled more than one hundred home runs in one season.
Hint: #2 Before
committing completely to baseball, he was the first running back to rush for a
thousand yards in a season for the Modesto Junior College football team.
A. RAY LANKFORD [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. On 15-Jul-1997, Lankford went 2 for 3
for the visiting STL, but those two were HR and both went into the 3rd
deck at the 1-year-old stadium.
- #1 In 1998 when Lankford hit 31 HR, his
teammate, Mark McGwire in his 1st full year with the team, hit a record shattering 70!
- #2 No
photos could be readily found of Lankford’s stint as a starring JC running back. In any case, watch here to see a bit of his athletic prowess.
FCR - Mark
DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect guesses:
THURSDAY —— 28-Sep
Q. Which one-time
Dodger infielder is the only Angel
to hit three home runs in one postseason game?
Hint: #1 His impressive
hitting and steady defensive play earned him MVP status for that series.
Hint: #2 As a Matador, he twice bulled his way to
the country’s top hit totals.
Hint: #3 His glovework and that of his teammates one
year helped them set their franchise’s record for Defensive team WAR.
A. ADAM KENNEDY [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. Kennedy
went deep 3X in the decisive G 5 of the 2002 ALCS, one off helping to propel ANA toward their only WS
championship. Kennedy finished his MLB
career in 2012, playing 86 G for LAD.
- #1 Kennedy was 2002 ALCS MVP. 3 HR & OPS of 1.357.
- #2 Playing
for the Cal State Northridge Matadors, he paced the nation in H for consecutive seasons, 121 as a
sophomore, 134 as a junior.
- #3 In 2002
ANA boasted a team-best dWAR of 9.3. The
excellent field efforts of CF Darin Erstad’s 4.1 dWAR & C Bengie Molina’s 1.7
(both GG) + 2B Kennedy’s 1.5 dWAR helped ANA surrender the fewest R, record the
most PO & achieve the best team defensive efficiency on their way to that WS win.
FCR - Ed Masone, New
York City
Incorrect guesses: Bill Grabarkewitz, Troy Glaus
FRIDAY —
29-Sep
Q. Which
ex-Tiger was the first relief pitcher to win the American League Rookie of the Year
Award?
Hint: #1
He was elected to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock,
Texas.
Hint: #2
His continued attempt at growing a reasonable mustache hardly covered
the youthful mien he was given by Mother Nature.
A. GREGG OLSON [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. AL ROY = 1989 w/27 saves. Played
for the Auburn University Tigers in addition to
the 43 innings he pitched for DET in 1906.
-
#1 NCBHOF in 2015, Olson is their only member from Auburn U. Olson
is also a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame.
-
#2 W/o in college; 1990, still clean-shaven; Solid effort with progress evident, but he’s still no Al Hrabosky.
FCR - Paul
Nielsen, Bowie, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Butch
Metzger, Neftali Feliz, Mike Marshall, John Hiller,
SATURDAY — 30-Sep
Q. Who drove
in more major league runs than any other alumnus of the University of California
at Los Angeles?
Hint: #1
He hit home runs for eleven different major league teams.
Hint: #2
He founded a movie production company, Green Diamond Entertainment,
after retiring.
A. TODD ZEILE [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Zeile’s RBI total = 1,110. He’s also atop the Bruins’ Leader Board in PA & AB. He’s in their Top 5 in G, R, H, 2B, HR & BB.
-
#1 Zeile hit at least 5 HR for
each of STL, NYM, LAD, TEX, COL, PHI, MON, CHC, NYY, BAL & FLA not to mention
hitting no fewer than 14 minor league HR for each of Erie (A-); Springfield (A): Arkansas (AA) & Louisville (AAA).
-
#2 Green Diamond’s 2005 movie
release Dirty Deeds had investors including Jason Giambi, Mike Piazza,
Al Leiter, Cliff Floyd, Tom Glavine & Robin Ventura.
FCR - Tom
Willoughby, Halethorpe, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Matt
Stairs, Shawn Green, Reggie Sanders, Willie Hernandez
SUNDAY —
01-Oct
Q. Who was
the first left-handed starter to win his major league debut against the New
York Yankees in the Joe Torre era?
Hint: #1
He is the only major leaguer to develop a line of men’s cologne.
Hint: #2
He is possibly the least hirsute player in American League history.
A. GUSTAVO CHACIN [Wiki
Bio]
-
Ans. Chacin’s debut = 20-Sep-2004.
-
#1 A joke on Toronto sports radio
station Fan 590 that the name Chacín (\SHA-seen\) sounds like it should
be the name of a cologne led the Blue Jays to do a "Chacín Cologne
Night" on 27‑Jun‑2006. He turned a prank into a product. However, we haven’t
been able to find any.
-
#2 Chacin has had alopecia areata from birth, unable to
grow hair.
FCR - Adrian
Fung, Toronto
Incorrect guesses: CC Sabathia
WEEK’S THEME – Various
players whose final major league at bat was a home run
Player Date Team Career HRs WAR
Belle............... 01-Oct-2000......... BAL..... 381....... 40.1
Chacin........... 31-May-2010....... HOU........ 1......... 4.1
Edmonds........ 21-Sep-2010......... CIN...... 393....... 60.4
Kennedy......... 07-Sep-2012......... LAD....... 80....... 20.9
Lankford........ 03-Oct-2004......... STL...... 238....... 38.2
Olson............. 20-Apr-1998......... ARI.......... 1....... 12.8
Stahl.............. 06-Oct-1906......... BOS....... 36....... 31.6
Zeile............... 03-Oct-2004......... NYM.... 253....... 19.3
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Joe Cohen, Holden, Massachusetts (After Edmonds)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Mon - Players
with the most HR with 10 or more SB and no CS
Tues - Players with the most career home runs to hit
HR in final at bat
Thur - Players whose final MLB at-bat was a home run and....
outfielders
Fri - Players with the
highest career Batting Average who hit HR in final at-bat
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