MONDAY — 29-Jan
Q. Who was the last
National Leaguer to hit .400 for a season?
Hint: #1 Once, as a
manager, he was heard to say, of his cross-town rivals, “Are they still in the
league?”
Hint: #2 He finished
exactly third in league MVP voting for exactly three seasons in a row.
A. BILL TERRY [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Terry hit .401 in 1930 for NYG.
- #1 On 24-Jan-1934, Terry was preparing for the
upcoming season, having played & managed NYG to a WS title the prior season. A reporter asked him how he thought the
Dodgers might fare in the upcoming campaign.
Terry, full of a champ’s swagger, didn’t take much time to come back
with, “Brooklyn? Are they still in the league?” Get the full story here.
- #2 Terry took the “show” position thrice in 1929, 1930 & 1931, despite leading all
NL players in WAR in each of those last two seasons: 7.9 in 1930 & 6.6 in 1931.
FCR - Scott Morrisey,
Hamilton, Ontario
Incorrect guesses: Rogers
Hornsby, Mel Ott
TUESDAY — 30-Jan
Q. Which one-time
Atlanta Brave was the first Expansion Era catcher to catch multiple no-hitters
by Bobs?
Hint: #1 He was the
first Milwaukee Brewer to homer from each side of the plate in the same game.
Hint: #2 He was the
first catcher with a one hundred runs-batted-in season for teams in each
league.
A. TED SIMMONS [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Simmons caught Bob Gibson’s no-hitter vs. PIT
14-Aug-1971 then caught Bob
Forsch’s vs. PHI 16-Apr-1978. Also the 1st C to be behind the
plate for 2 STL no-nos. AL catcher Jim
Hegan had turned the two-Bob trick earlier for CLE w/Bob Lemon on 30-June-1948 & w/Bob Feller
on 01‑July‑1951(1). Simmons finished his HOF career with ATL
1986-88.
- #1 HR s R&L = 02-May-1982 as DH.
- #2 100+ RBI for STL in 1974 & 1975. 108 for MIL 1983.
FCR - Jim Goggin, Williamsburg,
Virginia
Incorrect guesses: B.J.
Surhoff
TUESDAY TWICE — 30-Jan
Q. Who managed the
Red Sox for the most games without ever taking them to the post-season?
Hint: #1 He once had
hits in twelve consecutive at-bats.
Hint: #2 He brought
his colorful nickname with him to the majors.
A. PINKY
HIGGINS [SABR Bio]
- Ans. From 1955-1962, the BOS record was 560-556 or
.502 in 1,119 G. There were a few G at
the end of 1960 & the beginning of 1961 where BOS used some other managers
before bringing Higgins back.
- #1 Hitting
streak 19(1)-19(2)-21-Jun-1938 with 2 walks squeezed
in, broke the AL record set by Tris Speaker in 1920 w/CLE & tied the
major-league mark set in 1902 by CHC’s Johnny Kling. DET’s Walt Dropo later matched the record
with 12 consecutive hits in 1952.
- #2 Higgins’ rosy complexion as an infant earned him the name Pinky, a
name he was never able to shake, at least not in his lifetime.
FCR - Bill Henry, East
Greenwich, Rhode Island
Incorrect guesses: Jim
Bottomley, Joe Cronin, Don Zimmer, Johnny Pesky
TUESDAY THRICE — 30-Jan
Q. Who got an
unofficial save facing Detroit in the famous “Tiger Replacements” game in
the second game he pitched in the majors?
Hint: #1 Only a
single in the ninth, by a future Hall of Famer, prevented him from having the first
Opening Day no-hitter.
Hint: #2 He was the
first left-handed pitcher to have a twenty-game winning season for the New York Yankees.
A. HERB PENNOCK [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Replacements G 18-May-1912. Details here. The nine 1-day replacement players that day have
a cumulative career WAR of -0.8. His
save was not only unofficial, but has been awarded retroactively.
- #1 The almost O.D. no-no = 14-Apr-1915. The single was by Harry Hooper. The next batter struck out. The only 2 major league pitchers with a no-hitter on O.D. are
Bob Feller (16‑April‑1940) & Leon Day (05-May-1946).
- #2 His record for NYY in 1924 was 21-9.
FCR - Kyle Sammin, Cheltenham,
Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses: Russ
Ford, Lefty Gomez, Jesse Tannehill
WEDNESDAY — 31-Jan
Q. Who
was the last pre-expansion player with a hundred of each of these stats in the
same season: a.) Bases-on-balls, b.) Runs,
c.) Runs batted in and d.) Extra-base hits?
Hint: #1
His RBI total for that season is only one short of the American League
record.
Hint: #2
New York Giants’ manager John McGraw passed on him, finding him “too
clumsy”.
Hint: #3
His date of birth can be represented with a single digit.
A. HANK GREENBERG [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. In 1937, Greenberg collected
for DET, 102 BB, 137 R, 184 RBI & 103 XBH. Here is everybody with such a season.
-
#1 Greenberg’s 184
RBI in 1937 is second only to Lou Gehrig’s 185 in 1931, the AL
standard. The all-time best RBI season
still belongs to CHC’s Hack Wilson and the 191 he had in 1930 (a
record that Babe Ruth said would never be broken).
-
#2 McGraw also gave up on Hall of
Famer Hack Wilson for anatomical reasons.
- #3 His birthday is “1-1-11” (01-Jan-1911).
FCR - Michael
Schneider, Wilmington, Delaware
Incorrect guesses: Mickey Mantle, Hank Greenberg, Lou Gehrig,
Honus Wagner, Hack Wilson, Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Mel Ott
MIDWEEK BONUS — 31-Jan
Q. Which
one-time Phillies pitcher, holds the record for the most balks in a season?
Hint: #1
He gave up a double to Ken Griffey Jr. in Griffey's first major league
at bat.
Hint: #2
After struggling at the beginning of his career, he accepted some advice
offered him by a pitching icon.
A. DAVE STEWART [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Stewart’s record 16 balks in
the 1988 season has him at the top of the 11 pitchers who had 10+ in 1 season.
Stewart pitched 8 G for PHI in 1986.
-
#1 Watch Griffey’s 03-Apr-1989 1st at bat.
-
#2 Help from Sandy Koufax reference
= p.16, February 2024 Sports Illustrated. Don’t subscribe? Read here about Koufax’ influence
on Stewart’s success.
FCR - Barry
Nelson, Guilderland, New York
Incorrect guesses: Jamie Moyer, Steve Carlton, Rich Gossage, Robin
Roberts, Tom Murphy, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling
THURSDAY — 01-Feb
Q. Who
holds the dubious record of the most hitless at bats in a single World Series?
Hint: #1
He was born in, attended high school and college in and played his first
ten plus major league seasons (home games) in the city where he was born.
Hint: #2
The only season where he received MVP votes was the only year his team
was in a World Series they didn’t win.
Hint: #3
That same year, he won his only Gold Glove award.
A. DAL MAXVILL [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. In the 1968 WS, Maxvill went 0 for 22
with 3 walks. There were, however, contenders for his crown.
-
#1 All events mentioned were in
or around St. Louis, Missouri.
-
#2 Maxvill was on teams that won
World Series 5 X, winning 4. Won w/STL
in 1964 & 1967; won w/OAK in 1972 & 1974. (He did not play in the ’72 WS.) He was part of the 1968 STL team that lost to
DET in the WS, but Maxvill placed tied for 20th in league MVP voting. He was tremendous on defense, but a well
below MLB average hitter. His best season shows a 91 OPS+ in, ironically enough, the Year of the Pitcher—1968.
-
#3 He was on the NL GG team that
included multiple
winners Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Johnny Bench, Wes Parker,
Ron Santo & teammates Bob Gibson & Curt Flood.
FCR - John
Rickert, Terre Haute, Indiana
Incorrect guesses: Jimmy Sheckard, Gil Hodges, Dick Green
THURSDAY TWICE — 01-Feb
Q. Which
one-time Boston Red Sox first baseman/designated hitter was the first player
over the age of thirty-five to hit a home run in his first World Series at bat?
Hint: #1
He is calculated to have scored the one-millionth run in major league
history.
Hint: #2
He is the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues.
A. BOB WATSON [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Watson was 35 years, 193
days in G 1 of the 1981 WS, on 20-Oct-1981. It was a 3-R HR off Jerry Reuss in the 1st
inning. Joe Harris, with a HR in his 1st-WS
at bat (G1 of the 1925 Series)
was the previous record holder at age 34 years, 140 days old.
-
#1 Visiting SFG on 04-May-1975(1), Watson scored what was believed to
be the one-millionth run in major league history, tallying the milestone run
just seconds ahead of CIN's Dave Concepcion, who had virtually
simultaneously hit a home run in another game that afternoon. This calculation, celebrated at the time by
the Black community at the time, did not foresee the time when the Negro
Leagues would be properly elevated to major league status. A re-calculation has been to be done.
-
#2 Watson’s cycles were for HOU 24-Jun-1977 & BOS 15-Sep-1979. 2 others have done it since: Michael Cuddyer did
it for MIN, 22-May-2009 & COL, 17-Aug-2014(2) & John Olerud did
it for NYM, 11-Sept-1997 & for SEA, 16-June-2001. [John Olerud hit exactly ONE triple in
each of 1997 & 2001!]
FCR - Dave
Raglan, McLean, Virginia
Incorrect guesses: John Olerud, Bill Buckner,
FRIDAY — 02-Feb
Q. With
a White Sox 3-0 victory over the Tigers on Sunday, 06-Jun-2021, manager
Tony La Russa moved to second place on the all-time wins list for managers
by passing the legendary John McGraw.
However, in a less-publicized event sixteen years earlier, another
manager passed McGraw to take the all-time lead with a career total once
believed “unbreakable” in a different category.
Which one‑time Yankees coach was this manager?
Hint: #1
He was the youngest Blue Jays manager Toronto ever had.
Hint: #2
He won the Manager of the Year Award in each league and was to win it in
back-to-back seasons.
-
Ans. On Tuesday, 30-Jun-2005, Bobby Cox was ejected
from the G by umpire Doug Eddings for arguing balls & strikes. It was Cox’s 125th career
managerial ejection and he passed McGraw for good. Cox retired in 2010 with 165 ejections. That’s more than Weaver, Durocher, & yes,
Tony LaRussa. Cox coached for NYY
in 1977. N.B. Totals differ between Baseball-reference
and Retrosheet.
-
#1 Cox was age 40 when he took
over the reigns in T.O. in the spring of 1982.
-
#2 Cox was MOY for TOR in 1985, after leading them to
the postseason for the 1st time.
He then won it for ATL in 1991, 2004 & 2005.
FCR - Steve
Hild, Oswego, Illinois
Incorrect guesses: John Gibbons, Jim Fregosi
SATURDAY — 03-Feb
Q. Who
hit the first grand slam for the Baltimore Orioles after they moved from St.
Louis?
Hint: #1
At age sixteen, he sold popcorn at a famous World
Heavyweight Boxing match.
Hint: #2
Despite the occasional comment about nepotism, he was never Attorney
General.
A. BOB KENNEDY [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Kennedy took NYY’s Allie Reynolds
deep on 30-Jul-1954, scoring Waitkus, Diering
& Stephens ahead of him.
-
#1 On 22-Jun-1937, young Kennedy was a popcorn vendor at Comiskey Park during the World Heavyweight Boxing Title between Joe Louis & James J. Braddock. Click here to see Louis knock out Braddock at 2:24 in the 8th
round with a savage right cross. Louis
held the title for another 11 years.
-
#2 Kennedy’s son Terry Kennedy had
a successful 14-year career in MLB. Bobby
Kennedy the A.G. was the president’s brother.
FCR - Mark
DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Jim Gentile, Vern Stephens
WEEKEND
BONUS — 04-Feb
Q. Who
was the catcher behind the plate when the only on-field fatality occurred to a
batter in a major league game in the Modern Era?
Hint: #1
He is still the only player with five hundred or more career runs batted
in while hitting fewer than five career home runs.
Hint: #2
He became an attorney in the eleventh year of a nineteen-year career as
a starting catcher in the majors, licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme
Court.
A. MUDDY RUEL [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Ruel was the catcher in the already
crepuscular 5th inning on 16-Aug-1920, when NYY’s BLTR side-arm
ace Carl Mays threw a pitch that struck batter Ray Chapman in his left
temple. Chapman, only brief conscious,
was declared dead the next day. The sad
saga is well detailed here.
-
#1 Ruel’s ratio of 4 HR to 536 RBI
has never been equaled. Only 50% of his HR cleared the fence.
-
#2 Ruel attended the law school
at his hometown Washington University in St. Louis. Ruel passed the Missouri
state bar examination & received his license to practice before the Supreme
Court in May of 1927. Although he fully
expected to go into practice when his playing days ended in 1934, Ruel never
did. His legal training did not,
however, go to waste. He became the
chief aide to baseball’s second Commissioner, “Happy” Chandler in November
1945.
FCR - Dave
Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect guesses: Moe Berg, Steve O’Neill, Wally Shang, Benny
Bengough, Phil Marchildon
SUNDAY — 04-Feb*
Q. Which
Canadian, who played for only one team in the majors, is the only player to be
walked twice in an inning no fewer than four times during this career?
Hint: #1
He homered in his first World Series at-bat, the first of his franchise
to do it. He would only hit one other in
his subsequent sixty-seven World Series at-bats.
Hint: #2
He hit a grand slam in the first night game at Griffith Stadium.
A. GEORGE SELKIRK [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Selkirk was born in
Huntsville, Ontario, identified in today’s parlance as an exurb of Toronto. He played for 9 seasons for the New York
Yankees. He had double-walk innings an
amazing 4 X. Selkirk (1936), Eddie
Stanky (1950) & Skeeter Webb (1940) drew 2 BBs in an inning in 2 different
G during the same season.
-
#1 In the 1936 WS, G 1 on 30-Sep-1936,
Selkirk, in his first postseason action, homered off Giants screwballer, Carl
Hubbell. Hitting from the 8th
position in the lineup, he had the only run NYY scored that day in the Polo
Grounds. His only other WS HR came in
the 5th
G of the same series. Selkirk had homered in the only 2 WS G losses
NYY suffered in 1936.
- #2 The first game under the lights at Griffith
Stadium in Washington, DC was held on 28‑May‑1941 w/NYY visiting. Selkirk’s pinch-hit HR in the 8th
w/3 on, provided the margin of victory. On
that exact date, 5 years later, the first night G was played at Yankee Stadium
a loss to WSH in front of 49,917 paying customers.
FCR - Michael
McCroskey, Sugar Land, Texas
*Willie
Mays Day was declared today in San Francisco
Incorrect guesses: Matt Stairs, Harmon Killebrew
WEEK’S THEME – Major
league players who became major league GMs, general managers.
Player/G.M. WAR
Cox........................................................................... 0.9
Greenberg*.............................................................. 55.4
Higgins................................................................... 26.0
Kennedy................................................................... -2.5
Maxvill..................................................................... 7.7
Pennock.................................................................. 45.5
Ruel........................................................................ 20.9
Selkirk..................................................................... 23.4
Simmons................................................................. 50.3
Stewart.................................................................... 26.9
Terry....................................................................... 56.5
Watson.................................................................... 28.3
The following would
also have qualified for this week’s theme.
Perhaps we’ll see them in the theme for another week some time. There may indeed be others, unnamed here, who
belong among them.
Billy Beane.............................................................. -1.6
Eddie Collins*.................................................... 124.2
Dallas Green............................................................ 2.2
Tom Haller............................................................. 29.3
Bucky Harris........................................................ 16.2
Whitey Herzog........................................................ 2.8
Gene Michael........................................................... 0.0
Stan Musial*.......................................................... 128.6
Branch Rickey........................................................ 0.6
Eddie Robinson..................................................... 14.8
Al Rosen*............................................................... 32.3
Bill Stoneman......................................................... -1.6
Dick Williams......................................................... 3.5
Kenny Williams....................................................... -0.2
Chris Young....................................................... 17.5
K E Y -
Bold = HOF;
Italics = All-Star;
* = MVP;
Yellow
= Double Unique
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan
(after Watson)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tues - Hall
of Fame players with the most at-bats in a season without a stolen base
Wed - Players with double letters in their last name
Thurs - Players who got MVP votes who later became MLB general
managers
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