MONDAY — 01-Jan-2024
Q. Who
was the first native of the state of Alabama elected to the Baseball Hall of
Fame?
Hint: #1
He was once ejected from a World Series game for “snapping” an umpire's
bow tie?
Hint: #2
He once had four straight
seasons of exactly thirty-six walks each and in the fifth year had thirty-five.
Hint: #3 His career batting average is better than
those of, for example, Joe DiMaggio, Cool Papa Bell and Rod Carew.
- Ans. Born
on 20-Jul-1901 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, Manush was elected to
the Hall in 1964 by the Veteran's
Committee.
- #1 [Film
unavailable.] In the 6th inning of G4 of the 1933 WS, Manush was in a dispute & pulled umpire Charley Moran’s
bow tie and let it snap back. Moran usually
wore a necktie.
- #2 36
BB/years = 1931-34, 35 in 1935
- #3 Manush hit .330 for his career, his highest
coming in 1926 when he hit .378 & led the AL. He’s listed tied for 35th here.
FCR - Tom
Veal, Spanaway, Washington
Incorrect guesses: Satchel Paige, Buck O’Neal, Tris Speaker,
Willie Mays, Jimmy Collins
TUESDAY — 02-Jan
Q. Which pitcher did
team manager and owner Clark Griffith sign five separate times, in part because
he was Griffith’s favorite pinochle partner?
Hint: #1 In a season
where his earned run average was higher than 5.00, he made the All-Star team
and finished in the top five in MVP
votes.
Hint: #2 For each of
consecutive seasons, he won his team’s Opening Day game. The next two years, he began the season pitching against that
team and lost both.
A. BOBO NEWSOM [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Newsom suited up for WSH in 1935-36-37; 1942; 1943; 1946; 1949; & 1952.
- #1 In 1938, Newsome’s record was 20-16. His ERA was 5.08. He still did, however, make the All‑Star
team & earned some respect from the MVP voters. No AL P who won 20 G ever had an ERA that
high.
- #2 Newsom won the openers for the SLB in 1938 & 39. Then, opening for DET in 1940 & 41, lost both to SLB. In his career, he was his team’s Opening Day
starter 8 X w/a 4-4 record.
FCR - Thom Tracy, West Pittston, Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses: George
Earnshaw, Camilo Pasqual, Jim Perry, Monte Weaver, Walt Masterson
WEDNESDAY — 03-Jan
Q. Who surrendered
Jimmie Foxx’s first major league home run?
Hint: #1 Known
for his pinpoint accuracy hurling the baseball, he was the
one who also squarely landed a precise right hook to
Ty Cobb's jaw, sending Cobb reeling.
Hint: #2 At the
beginning of his career, he pitched an eleven-inning no-hitter for Toronto.
A. URBAN SHOCKER [SABR Bio]
- Ans. On 31-May-1927(1), Foxx homered off starter
Shocker in the 8th. It was Shocker’s last full season
& the 1st season that the teenaged Foxx had seen any appreciable
playing time. They only faced each other in only 1 additional
G.
- #1 In a donnybrook in the 1st inning on
26-Apr-1923, Shocker shocked &
clobbered Cobb. Shocker’s teammate &
sometimes batterymate, Josh Billings, stepped in from the bench and prevented
Cobb from responding in kind. Neither
combatant was ejected. The spit ball ace
Shocker walked a mere 2.2 batters per 9 innings during his 13-year career.
- #2 On 22-Jul-1916, pitching for the AA International
League’s Toronto Maple
Leafs, Shocker went all 11 & the Rochester Hustlers never
got a single H.
FCR - Philip
Guiliano, Chester, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses: Howard
Ehmke
WEDNESDAY II — 03-Jan
Q. Which
Double-Unique Sooner was the first full-time third baseman to hit thirty home
runs in a season?
Hint: #1
He was the first player at that position to strike out one hundred times
in a major league season.
Hint: #2
Mike Trout passed him in 2023 for total career doubles by players at all
positions.
A. HARLOND CLIFT [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. In 1938, Clift hit a
career-high 34 HR. It would be another
10 years before another 3rd baseman would exceed 30 HR. It
was a full decade before the next 3B reached the 30 HR in a year plateau.
That was CLE's Ken Keltner w/ 31 in 1948. Harlond Clift was born in Reno, Oklahoma. Read about Double-Uniques here. Full list here.
-
#1 In 1934, Clift led the majors
w/100 K by a batter who played 3rd. It would be 18 more years before another 3rd
baseman made his way into triple digit Ks.
-
#2 Clift finished with 309
2B. Trout hit his 310th on 29-Jun-2023 .
FCR - Jess
Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses: Pie Traynor, Pete Incaviglia
THURSDAY — 04-Jan
Q. Who
was the first twentieth-century player to amass at least 200 hits in a season
for four consecutive years?
Hint: #1
The only time he led the league in hits in the majors, he wasn’t playing
for an American League team and he never played in the National League
Hint: #2
His Hall of Fame player-manager said that he was "...the best
drag-bunter anyone ever saw."
A. JACK TOBIN [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Tobin’s 200 H streak was
1920-1923 (202, 236, 207, 202). He led his
team in years 2 & 4 of that skein.
-
#1 Tobin led the Federal League
in hits in 1915 playing for the St. Louis Terriers w/184.
-
#2 Tobin himself said he could
probably bunt for a .300 season. The
quote is by the great George Sisler.
FCR - Joe
Cohen, Holden, Massachusetts
Incorrect guesses: Benny Kauff, Wee Willie Keeler
FRIDAY —
05-Jan
Q. Willie
Mays was the first National League member of the Thirty/Thirty Club (30 HR + 30
SB in the same year) with 36 HR and 40 SB in 1956. Who was the first in the American League?
Hint: #1
He was the first player to lead the league in home runs while hitting
more home runs than strikeouts that year.
Hint: #2
He holds the American League record
for fewest games played in a 100-RBI season.
Hint: #3
He and another ex-major
leaguer from his neck of the woods, operated a billiards parlor after their
playing days.
A. KEN WILLIAMS [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Williams was the inaugural
member w/39 HR & 37 SB in 1922.
No longer the tremendous statistical feat it was once held to be, there
have now been 69 30/30 seasons done by 55 different players.
-
#1 In 1922, Williams led the AL
w/39 HR, striking out only 31 X all season. It was the only season in the 1920s that the
AL home run lead was not won by a NYY player.
-
#2 In 1925, he had 105 RBI in
just 102 games.
- #3
Their establishment was called the Owl Club in Grants Pass, Oregon. Williams and fellow native Hub “Piano Legs” Pernoll, ran the establishment for many years
.
FCR - Jason
Hammon, Arlington, Texas
Incorrect guesses: Mickey Mantle, Joe Jackson, Hal Trosky, Joe DiMaggio
FRIED DAY — 05-Jan
Q. Who followed
Urban Shocker buddy as manager of the Kenosha Comets?
Hint: #1
He led an effort to unionize professional baseball and other
professional athletes together under a major existing national labor
organization.
Hint: #2
Fourteen of his fifteen years playing in the majors were spent in the American
League.
Hint: #3
He nosed out Babe Ruth for most strikeouts by a batter one year.
A. MARTY McMANUS [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. He was a manager in the All-American
Girls Professional Baseball League for the Comets in 1944 & the South Bend Blue Sox in 1945 & 1948. First
manager was Josh Billings (Not Schocker.)
-
#1 McManus led an effort to
unionize professional baseball, football & basketball players under the umbrella
of the American
Federation of Labor.
-
#2 After playing for SLB, DET &
BOS, he finished with BSN.
- #3 His 69 strikeouts as a batter led the
AL in 1925. Ruth was right behind w/68. CHC’s Gabby Hartnett led MLB w/77.
FCR - Mike
Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses:
SATURDAY — 05-06-Jan
Q. Who
thew the pitch that ended the career of the first Hall of Famer to homer in his
last at bat?
Hint: #1
Because he was more interested in sports than academics, he dropped out
of an Ivy League university in his sophomore year to the chagrin of his father,
a Boston lawyer.
Hint: #2
He and Joe DiMaggio, his roommate on road trips, became lifelong friends.
A. BUMP HADLEY [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. On 25-May-1937, Hadley, pitching for NYY, surrendered a solo HR to 2X AL MVP
(1928, 1934) Mickey Cochrane in the 3rd
inning. In Cochrane’s next plate appearance
in the 5th, Hadley threw a pitch that caught the great catcher in
the head. Details here. Ted Williams is
the only other HOFer to home in his last AB.
-
#1 Hadley was accepted to and
enrolled in Brown University, but the fact that he had lettered in baseball,
basketball, football, rowing & track in high school might have been a
better predictor of his future career preferences.
-
#2 Hadley had pitched for WSH,
CHW, SLB Y & then WSH again before signing with NYY in 1936, DiMaggio’s
rookie season.
FCR - Bill
Deane, Cooperstown
Incorrect guesses: Jack
Fischer
SATURDAY-SATURDAY — 06-Jan
Q. Who surrendered the first National League
home run in All-Star competition?
Hint:
#1 He was the first American League
pitcher to lead the majors in pitching wins without throwing a single shut out.
Hint:
#2 The previous season, in which he also
led the majors in pitching victories, he did so without throwing a single wild
pitch.
A. GENERAL
CROWDER
[SABR
Bio]
- Ans. Crowder replaced AL starter Lefty Gomez
to begin the 4th
inning of the
1933
ASG & Crowder retired the next 7 batters, the 1st 4 of whom
are now in the Hall of Fame. In Crowder’s 3rd inning of work (the 6th), however,
Frankie Frisch homered, the 1st
NLer to do so. Frisch
was also the next NL All-Star batter to homer, this time off Lefty Gomez
in 1934. The 1stASG,
1933, was Crowder’s only one.
- #1 In 1933,
Crowder started 35 G, won 24, but was shut out of shutouts.
- #2 In
1932, he started 39 G, faced 1,356 batters & won
26 G, but never once uncorked a WP. Only
Joe McGinnity threw more innings (339⅔) in a season (1906) with nary a WP.
FCR - John Michael Pierobon, Fort Lauderdale
Incorrect
guesses: Bob Feller, Lefty Gomez, Lefty Grove
SUNDAY
ONE — 06-Jan
Q. Who holds the record for the most runs batted
in by a Yankee shortstop in one season?
Hint:
#1 His teammates called him “Broadway”
and with good reason.
Hint:
#2 A base-running blunder of his cost
Lou Gehrig an undisputed home run crown.
- Ans. Lary’s
mark of 107 RBI, set in 1931 is an amazing anomaly. Derek Jeter came closest with 102 in 1999,
but Lary takes home the gold on this one.
Although MLB shortstops have tallied 100+ RBI seasons 89 times in
history, only Lary and Jeter did it while playing for the Yankees.
- #1 Lary
was a huge fan of the entertainment available on Broadway. In fact he married a Broadway actress. It was none other than The Babe who dubbed
Lary “Broadway”.
- #2 In
the 1st inning of the G in Washington on 26-Apr-1931,
Gehrig cleared the fence with a home run, but it bounced back onto the field &
into the hands of WSA CF Harry Rice. Lary,
having reached earlier on a BB, thought the ball was caught & that it was the
3rd out. He returned to the
dugout without crossing home plate. Meanwhile,
Gehrig ran around the bases with his head down & was ruled out for passing base
runner Lary. Gehrig was credited with a mere
triple on the play & ended the 1931 season tied with Babe Ruth for
the AL lead in homers with 46. Otherwise…
FCR - Frank
Wakefield, Franklin, Kentucky
Incorrect
guesses: Mark Koenig, Tony Lazzeri, Leo
Durocher, Frank Crosetti, Derek Jeter
SUNDAY TWO — 06-Jan
Q. Whom does SABR refer to as “… arguably the
second-best second baseman of the second decade of the twentieth century.”?
Hint:
#1 He helped the Tide roll, even as he
played professional sports. He was elected to the
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame the same year as were two Cooperstown Hall of Famers.
Hint:
#2 He compiled a twenty-game hitting
streak the same year his teammate George Burns did.
- Ans. Eddie Collins
rightfully wins the debate for the top spot of that period, but Pratt
definitely belongs in the conversation. Among the top-5 2Bs by WAR from
1910 to 1919, Pratt ranked 3rd
overall. And thus it is, you…
argued.
- #1 He
is believed to be the first
University of Alabama graduate to become a star in major league baseball. Made the ASHOF
in 1972 with Satchel Paige & Heinie
Manush. Other baseball notables
enshrined there include Rip, Luke & Joe Sewell, Early Wynn, Ben
Chapman, Riggs Stephenson, Dixie & Harry Walker, Mel Allen, Virgil
Trucks, Billy Hitchcock, Willie Mays, Virgil Davis, Eddie Stanky,
Frank Lary, Rudy York Hank Aaron, Monte Irvin, Frank Bolling, Gabby
Street, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey, Ivy Andrews, Don Sutton,
Billy Southworth, Jimmy Outlaw, Clay Carroll, Piper Davis, Alex Grammas,
Lum Harris, Terry Moore, Bo Jackson, Ozzie Smith, Bubba Church, Tommy
Agee, Jimmy Bragan, George Foster, Cleon Jones, Amos Otis, Joe Beckwith,
Jim Davenport, Bob Veale, Al Lary, Don Mincher, Jimmy Key, Lee May, Mule
Suttles, Frank Thomas, Al Worthington, Dave Magadan, Oscar Gamble,
Todd Jones, Tim Hudson, Luis Gonzalez, Doyle Alexander, Rusty Greer, Jake
Peavy.
The ASHOF’s complete list of
honorees can be viewed by clicking here.
- #2 Pratt
& Burns both had streaks of 23 G in 1922 for BOS in 1922. It didn’t
impress the Boston brass enough not to trade Pratt to DET after
the season.
FCR - Jason Winston, Riverside, California
Incorrect
guesses: Eddie Collins, Frankie Frisch,
Joe Morgan, Joe Dugan, Larry Doyle, Nap Lajoie, Tony Lazzeri, Joe
Sewell
SUNDAY
THREE — 06-Jan
Q. Which player, in only his second full season
in the majors, led all major leagues in slugging, OPS, OPS+ and total bases yet
didn’t get a single vote for MVP nor did he make the All-Star team?
Hint:
#1 He was once traded for a player who
became a Hall of Famer.
Hint:
2 His inclusion in the book Great
Jews in Sports was found to be in error.
Hint: #3 One of his hobbies was playing the violin.
A. GEORGE
STONE
[SABR
Bio]
- Ans. His
stellar career performance in 1906 occurred before MVPs or All-Stars existed.
- #1 On
26-Dec-1904, Stone was traded by BOS
with cash to SLB
for Jesse
Burkett.
- #2 Stone was not Jewish. Research confirmed that neither of his
parents was Jewish.
- #3 No
photos of Stone with a violin were available.
FCR - Mike McCroskey, Sugar Land, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Chuck Klein, Ryan Braun, Lou
Boudreau, Hank Greenberg, Buddy Meyer
SUNDAY FOUR
— 07-Jan
Q. Which pitcher gave the Live Ball Era a nice
boost by leading the majors in losses, hits surrendered and an ERA of more than
5.00?
Hint:
#1 His nickname “Dolly” was based on a
song by Cobb.
Hint:
#2 He had an Eskimo teammate who is now
in the NFL Hall of Fame.
- Ans. The
Live Ball Era is generally defined as beginning in 1920 as Ruth’s home runs
began flying out of every AL park. A helpful
article. More
than you wanted to know. In 1931, Gray
lost 24 G, had 323 of his pitches result in hits
and wound up with an ERA of 5.09. (Although his ERA of 6.28 the year before was
probably even more helpful for the cause.
Note that neither was the major’s or even league’s worst.)
- #1 "Goodbye, Dolly Gray"
a music
hall song, has lyrics by Will D. Cobb & music by Paul Barnes.
- #2 Ernie Nevers played with Sam Gray for the 1928 St. Louis
Browns. The Duluth
Eskimos was Nevers’ 1st NFL team, not the
Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. Interesting
that Nevers had also been a Stanford
Indian.
FCR - Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect
guesses: David Clyde
WEEK’S
FINALE (SUNDAY V) — 07-Jan
Q. Who was the first Oklahoma native to get a
hit for the American League in All-Star competition?
Hint:
#1 In his first seven full seasons, his hit
totals exceeded one hundred, twice reaching at least 200.
Hint:
#2 In his All-Star season, he led his
league in fewest strikeouts per at bat with a rate that would have led the
majors in any of the past seventy seasons.
A. RIP RADCLIFF [SABR
Bio]
- Ans. In
Boston for the 1936
ASG, his only one, Radcliff singled off Carl Hubbell in the 5th
after being retired twice by Dizzy Dean earlier. He was replaced in the outfield & the
lineup by Goose Goslin in the 6th. Radcliff was born in Kiowa, Oklahoma in 1906.
[Just before Georg Stone was to have his great season!]
- #1 From
1935 through 1941, Radcliff had 100+ H.
In 1936 & 1940, he had 207 & 200 respectively.
- #2 Radcliff’s
impressive 51.5 AB/K has not been bettered since Nellie Fox’s 51.8 in 1962.
FCR - Joe O’Neill,
London Ontario
Incorrect
guesses: Mickey Mantle
WEEK’S THEME – St.
Louis Browns (1902-1953) players not named George Sisler who
led the major leagues in a significant category.
Player Year Led MLB with Career WAR
Clift...................... 1939............ 111 bases on
balls......... 42.0
Crowder.............. 1928............ .808
W%........................ 27.9
Gray..................... 1931............ 37 GS............................ 23.2
Hadley................. 1933............ 1,365 BF........................ 35.0
Lary..................... 1936............ 37 SB............................. 20.2
Manush*.............. 1928............ 241
hits.......................... 48.1
McManus............. 1925............ 44
doubles..................... 34.2
Newsome*......... 1938............ 329⅔
Innings................. 47.8
Pratt..................... 1916............ 103 RBI......................... 45.6
Radcliff................ 1940............ 200 hits............................ 9.0
Shocker............... 1921............ 27
pitching wins............. 58.8
..... "..................... 1921............ 1,401 BF........................ 58.8
..... "..................... 1922............ 149 K............................. 58.8
Stone................... 1906............ .358 batting
average...... 26.2
Tobin................... 1921............ 18 triples........................ 20.9
Williams.............. 1922............ 155
RBI......................... 42.8
There were others. These stood out.
Vern Stephens........... 1944......... 109 RBI.................................... 46.3
New Garver................ 1950......... 8.1 WAR.................................. 43.0
1906 OBP George Stone
.417
1925 SLG Kenny Williams
.613
+ 1906 George Stone
.501
19** Hits Bob Dillinger,
Heinie Manush, George Sisler, Beau Bell, Rip Radcliff
19** BB Burt Shotton
19** SB Bob Dillinger,
1945 W% Bob Muncrief
.765
1929 ShO George
Blaeholder 4
1905 CG Harry Howell 35
*Hall of Fame
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Several people were close, but no one zeroed
in on the absence of Sisler nor the fact that these were major league bests,
not just the AL.
Incorrect theme guesses:
Tues - All-Stars signed by the Red Sox in the
30's
- 1935
Senators who went by a nickname rather than their first name
Wed - Double-Unique
players who have played for the St Louis Browns
-
Players who led the St. Louis Browns in WAR in a
season
-
Players with 40+ Career WAR who played for the ST Louis Browns
Thur - Louis Brown players who led the American League in at least
one hitting or pitching category in a season
Fri - Franchise career batting and pitching leaders
for the St. Louis Browns
Sat - The all-time St. Louis Browns team
-
St Louis Browns (other than George Sisler, I'm
assuming) with black ink (league leader) on Baseball Reference.
-
St Louis Browns (other than George Sisler) with
black ink on Baseball Reference and was never a Baltimore Oriole.
-
St Louis Browns (other than George Sisler) with
black ink multiple times and was never a Baltimore Oriole
Sun - St. Louis Browns players who have been managed during their
careers by former Hall of Fame players
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https://horsehidetriviaanswers.blogspot.com/2024/01/2024-01-01-st-louis-browns-1902-1953.html Contains all
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