MONDAY — 19-Aug
Q. Whose
mania helped advance his team to a World Series title in a labor-dispute-shortened
season?
Hint: #1
He was the first player to be awarded $1,000,000 through salary
arbitration.
Hint: #2
After pitching eleven consecutive years for his original team, he tossed
a no-hitter. Less than nine months after
that, the team released him.
A. FERNANDO VALENZUELA [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. Valenzuela was so successful
in his rookie season he garnered almost overnight an enormous following,
beginning with fellow Mexican natives. His popularity exploded & was dubbed “Fernandomania”. LAD beat NYY in the 1981 WS after 50 G disappeared
from the schedule.
-
#1 On 19-Feb-1983, Valenzuela was
awarded $1,000,000 through salary
arbitration.
-
#2 On 29-Jun‑1990, he stopped
St. Louis 6-0 with a no-hitter in L.A.
Any kudos due him that day were ever so slightly diminished because
former teammate Dave Stewart had thrown his 1st no-hitter
just 3 hours earlier in Toronto. Valenzuela
debuted with LAD in 1981. Then, after
he’d won a CYA, ROY, AS X 6, SS X 2 & MVP votes X 4, the Dodgers released him in spring training 1991. He pitched successful professional baseball
for 7 more seasons.
FCR - Eric
Stone, Los Gatos, California
Incorrect guesses: Tom Seaver, Tom Glavine, Fernando Vina, Steve
Howe, Andy Messersmith, Rollie Fingers, Dwight Gooden, Dickie Thon
MONDAY
AGAIN — 20-Aug
Q. Who
was the first player to appear in All-Star games and World Series for teams in
both leagues?
Hint: #1
He hit the four hundredth home run in World Series history.
Hint: #2
He won the first outfield Gold Glove for his franchise.
A. FRANK ROBINSON [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. NL ASG = 1956, 1957, 1959(1), 1959(2), 1962(1), 1962(2), 1963, 1965 & 1974
AL
ASG = 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971*
NL
WS = 1961; AL WS = 1966*, 1969, 1970, 1971
-
#1 400th WS HR = 4th
& last G of the 1966 WS.
-
#2 GG in 1958—his only one.
* MVP
FCR
- Barry Gogel, Baltimore
Incorrect
guesses: Dave Winfield
TUESDAY — 20-Aug
Q. Who hesitated pitching in the majors but
threw two no-hitters there?
Hint:
#1 His nickname invoked images of
violent weather.
Hint:
#2 He reached five hundred strikeouts in
the fewest number of innings.
A. HIDEO NOMO [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Nomo’s windup included a hesitation on every pitch. No-hitters on 17-Sep-1996 (1st
one thrown at Coors Field) & 04-Apr-2001 (Missed by one game of
tying Bob Feller for a no-hitter on Opening Day.) He did not throw one when he played for
the Mets, but he was the first to throw no‑hitters both before and
after he was a New York Met!
- #1 He
was called “The Tornado”.
- #2 His
500th K came in his 444⅔rd inning.
FCR
- Steve Riach, Southlake, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Smoky Joe Wood, Cy Young, Storm
Davis, Luis Tiant, Dwight Gooden, Sam McDowell, ,Clint Hartung, Corbin
Burnes
WEDNESDAY — 21-Aug
Q. Who trails only Yogi Berra in the number of
World Series rings won?
Hint:
#1 He was the first rookie to hit two
home runs in an inning.
Hint:
#2 His second cycle came a decade after
the first one.
A. JOE DiMAGGIO [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Yogi’s 10 may never be matched,
but DiMaggio had 9, 2 more than the 5-way tie for 3rd
place. He was on the winning WS team in 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950 & 1951. He played in every game of all 9.
-
#1 Two HR/inning = 24-Jun-1936, 5th inning
off CHW’s Ray Phelps then Red Evans.
-
#2 Cycles: 09-Jul-1937; & 20-May-1948.
FCR
- Michael Schneider, Wilmington,
Delaware
Incorrect
guesses: Mickey Mantle, Frank Crosetti
Phil Rizzuto, Derek Jeter
MIDWEEK
BONUS — 21-Aug
Q. Who was the sixteenth team captain of the New
York Yankees?
Hint:
#1 He led the majors in strikeouts in
his first full season.
Hint:
#2 He broke Ralph Kiner’s record for
hitting three hundred home runs in the fewest games.
A. AARON JUDGE [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. Judge earned the honor in December
2022. The position had been empty since
Derek Jeter’s retirement in 2014.
-
#1 In 2017, Judge was AL ROY, but
walked back to the dugout an eye-brow-raising 208 times. Judge stuck out more in his 1st 3
full seasons than Joe DiMaggio did in his career: 441 to 369.
-
#2 Judge reached the milestone in
an impressive 955 G—his 3,431st at-bat. He beat Kiner by 132 G.
FCR
- Obrey Brown, Tallahassee
Incorrect
guesses: Derek Jeter, Thurman Munson
THURSDAY — 22-Aug
Q. Who is the only American League player to win
batting titles in each of his first two full seasons?
Hint:
#1 He had a day in the majors where he
got eight hits in a row.
Hint:
#2 He was the last batter to face Lew
Burdette.
A. TONY OLIVA [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Oliva
hit .323 in 1964 & .321 in 1965. He led again in 1971 with a .337 mark.
- #1 In
a twin-bill, this Twin had 3 H in the G of 29-Jun-1969(1) & 5 H in the
nightcap 29-Jun-169(2).
-
#2 He closed out Burdette’s
career on 16-Jul-1967 by grounding into a
double play in his team’s last at-bat that day.
FCR - Tom Cleary, Macungie, Pennsylvania
FRIDAY
— 23-Aug
Q. Who
was the last rookie to lead the majors in earned run average and ERA+?
Hint: #1
He was known to shake hands with his infielders after good plays.
Hint: #2
He was the first post-expansion American League rookie to win fifteen
games in his team's first 125 games.
A. MARK FIDRYCH [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Led MLB with a 2.34 in 1976
& an ERA+ of 159.
-
#1 It was a regular practice in
the first half of his rookie season.
Teammates were simultaneously bemused & amused.
-
#2 Fidrych earned his 15th
major league win in DET’s 125th G on 25-Aug-1976.
FCR
- Michael Green, Las Vegas
Incorrect
guesses: Vida Blue, Dwight Gooden, Stan
Bahnsen, Gary Peters
SATURDAY — 24-Aug
Q. After
Cecil Cooper in 1980, which one-time Miami Marlin was the next player to
compile three 15+ game hitting streaks in one season?
Hint: #1
He was the first rookie to lead the majors in All-Star voting.
Hint: #2
He played at least one hundred professional baseball games for twenty-four
consecutive seasons.
A. ICHIRO SUZUKI [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. In his 1st season
in MLB, 2001, Ichiro had streaks of…
15-G: 04-20-Apr;
23-G: 22-Apr—May 18;
&
21 G: 03-24-
Aug-2001
-
#1 In 2001 Ichiro amassed 3,373,035
ASG votes.
-
#2 He played 7 straight years of
103+ G for the Orix of the Japan Pacific League then 130+ G for 17 seasons in a
row in the AL & NL.
FCR
- Jim Casey, Savannah
Incorrect guesses: Miguel Cabrera, Andrew McCutchen, Gary
Sheffield, Andre Dawson, Jose Fernández
SUNDAY — 24-Aug
Q. Who
is the most recent winner of the John Olerud Award to make it to the majors?
Hint: #1
He is only the second pitcher, twenty-one years old or younger, with at
least ten strikeouts in a game in
Wrigley Field, while allowing no more than one hit.
Hint: #2
He played in college for skybound and earthbound teams.
A. PAUL SKENES [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. The JOA is award to the best two-way player in college baseball in
the U.S. Skenes won it as a sophomore
playing for the Air
Force Academy in 2022. Skenes made the majors in 2024.
-
#1 Skenes’s 2nd MLB G was
on 17-May-2024. The previous pitcher with such a G was Kerry
Wood on 06-May-1998 when Wood, also a
rookie, K’ed 20 batters.
-
#2 Skenes pitched for the Air
Force Academy Falcons & the LSU Tigers.
FCR - Jesse
Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect
guesses: Mark Prior
WEEK’S
FINALE — 25-Aug
Q. Which
Rhode Island native is the first rookie pitcher to start a major league All-Star
game?
Hint: #1
Ten of his first thirteen decisions in the majors were complete game victories, including two shutouts.
Hint: #2
It was a teammate of his who set the still-unbroken record for the most
strikeouts in a single major league game.
Hint: #3
His son, a Harvard alum, followed dad to the majors two decades later.
A. DAVE STENHOUSE [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. [See
below.] Born in Westerly, Rhode Island. (Known today as the town with Taylor Swift’s
favorite house. [A Stenhouse, maybe?])
- #1 Stenhouse’s
rookie season was with manager Mickey
Vernon’s 1962 Washington Senators.
- #2 Teammate Tom Cheney pitched all 16 innings, striking
out 21 Orioles in the G on 12‑Sep‑1962.
- #3 Father Stenhouse debuted in relief for
WSA on 18-Apr-1962. Son Mike
Stenhouse’s first MLB game was as a pinch-hitter on 03‑Oct‑1982.
FCR - Jim Casey, Savannah
WEEK’S THEME – Rookies who started an All-Star game
Year Player Team Lg Career WAR
1936......... DiMaggio............. NYY......... AL..................... 79.1
1956......... Robinson............. CIN........... NL.................. 107.2
1962(2)...... Stenhouse*......... WSA......... AL....................... 2.9
1964......... Oliva.................... MIN.......... AL..................... 43.0
1976......... Fidrych................ DET.......... AL..................... 11.3
1981......... Valenzuela.......... LAD.......... NL.................... 41.5
1995......... Nomo................... LAD.......... NL.................... 20.9
2001......... Suzuki................. SEA.......... AL..................... 60.0
2017......... Judge................... NYY......... AL..................... 50.6
2024......... Skenes................ PIT........... NL...................... 4.4
Italics indicate active player
*BAL’s BBTR Jerry Walker was the first overall rookie pitcher to start an All-Star game. He had played for them in 1957 & 1958,but not enough, it turns out‑‑even added together, to erase his rookie status when he started the 1959(2) ASG.
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Erik Lundegaard, Seattle (After
Fidrych)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Mon - Questions
taken from the SABR 52 trivia contests
- Cy
Young Award winners born outside the United States
Wed - Rookies
who led a league in a category
-
Rookie record holders
Sat - Unanimous
Rookies of the Year
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