MONDAY — 09-Jun-2025
Q. Who
was the first player to be voted Rookie of the Year, to win his league’s Most
Valuable Player Award and the Cy Young Award?
Hint: #1
His career batting average was .268.
Hint: #2
He was an All-Star, but not the year he won the MVP.
A. DON NEWCOMBE [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Newcombe was voted ROY in 1949 w/BRO in the 1st year the award was given in both leagues. In 1956, Newcombe was not only the NL MVP, but the same year, he won the first ever Cy Young Award. The only other pitcher to win all three is
Justin Verlander.
-
#1 He was very proud of his BA
& used it as a trivia question if someone approached claiming to be a “big
fan”.
-
#2 Newcombe made the NL AS team in
1949, his rookie season.
He also was an AS 1950, 1951 & 1955.
FCR - Brian
Barris, Oneida, New York
Incorrect guesses: Fernando Valenzuela, Justin Verlander, Roger
Clemens, Vida Blue
TUESDAY — 10-Jun-2025
Q. Which
middle infielder was the first Hispanic player to be voted a league’s Most
Valuable Player?
Hint: #1
It came at a time when no one from his franchise had won that honor in
35 years and he was just one vote from winning it unanimously.
Hint: #2
He and four of his teammates once all homered in the same inning of a
major league game.
A. ZOILO VERSALLES [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. He was AL MVP in 1965. Five of his
teammates finished in the top 15 vote getters, including the future Hall of
Fame player whose vote prevented Versalles’ selection from being unanimous—Tony Oliva.
-
#1 The Twins had been the
Washington Senators until 1961. Their
last MVP was HOF-to-be Joe Cronin who had won it in 1930.
-
#2 In the 7th inning
of the game on 09-Jun-1966, 5 Twins all went deep: Rich Rollins, Versailles, Oliva, Don Mincher & Harmon Killebrew. Except for a groundout by Sandy Valdespino
after Versalles, it was a straight string of back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to
back. Still, they did OK.
FCR - Tom
Cleary, Macungie, Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses: Luis Aparicio, Bobby Avila, Roberto Clemente
WEDNESDAY
— 11-Jun-2025
Q. Who
was the first black player to hit a home run in a World Series game?
Hint: #1
He was also the first black player to hit a home run for his league in
an All-Star game.
Hint: #2
He was the last player to lose a home run to a game being called on
account of darkness.
A. LARRY DOBY [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Doby hit a solo HR in the 3rd
inning of Game #4, supplying half of his team’s scoring, giving them a 2-1 W
& a 3-1 edge in WS games over the Braves in 1948.
-
#1 He homered in the 8th
inning off Gene Conley in the 1954 ASG.
Jackie Robinson had homered for the NL in the 1952 ASG.
-
#2 On 28-Aug-1949(1), the CLE played a
marathon doubleheader w/BOS. In the scheduled
nightcap, Doby homered off Joe Dobson in the bottom of the 3rd with 2
outs & 2 on. But when the game was
halted at the top of the 4th due to failing light, the entire fourth
inning was wiped from the record, including Doby’s homer.
FCR - Bill
Deane, Cooperstown
Incorrect guesses: Jackie Robinson, Monte Irvin
MIDWEEK BONUS
— 12-Jun-2025
Q. Whose
record for the most strike outs in a fifty-home run season did Chris Davis break
in the 2013 season?
Hint: #1
A former Rebel, he hit the first grand slam at Bank One Ballpark.
Hint: #2
The first two times he received Most Valuable Player votes in the
majors, he was a strong second place both times.
A. CECIL FIELDER [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Fielder had struck out 182
X in 1990 when he hit 51 HR in his 1st season w/DET. Davis hit 53
HR & struck out 199 X in 2013, his signature season for BAL.
-
#1 B.O.B. gs = 09-Jun-1998, 3rd inning off of Willie Blair. Fielder played for the U.N.L.V. Rebels.
-
#2 In 1990, Fielder led the
majors in HR (51), RBI (132) & SLG (.592)
and finished a respectable second to Rickey Henderson for AL MVP, w/10 1st-place
votes to Henderson’s 14. Fielder led MLB
again in HR (44) & RBI (133) but finished
behind Cal Ripken 15-9 in 1991.
FCR - Mark
Hayne, Dumfries, ,Virginia
Incorrect guesses: Adam Dunn, Matt Williams, Jim Thome, Aaron
Judge, Mark McGwire, Mark Reynolds, Jay Bell
THURSDAY — 12-Jun-2025
Q. Which
slugger said, not without cause, "The distance of every tape-measure home
run depends upon your press agent."?
Hint: #1
As a rookie, he ranked high in the National League Rookie of the Year
voting then ten years later twice finished in the Top Five in American League
Most Valuable Player voting.
Hint: #2
His first Major league home run was at the expense of a future Hall of
Famer.
Hint:
#3 At least nine additional Hall
of Fame pitchers experienced the same display of power.
A. FRANK HOWARD [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Fortunately, some of the
longer ones he hit at RFK were measurable & remained visibly marked for years.
-
#1 Howard was the NL ROY in 1960 w/LAD & ranked 4th & 5th in 1969 & 1970 in AL MVP voting, behind winners Harmon Killebrew &
Boog Powell.
-
#2 Howard’s first round-tripper
was off future game-winning, Hall of Famer Robin Roberts on 10-Sep-1958, that year’s NL WAR leader w/6.3.
-
#3 Other hurlers headed for
Cooperstown who surrendered HRs to Howard were Warren Spahn, Juan
Marichal, Bob Gibson, Gaylord Perry, Hoyt Wilhelm, Whitey Ford, Jim Palmer,
Catfish Hunter and Jim Kaat.
FCR - Leonard
Epstein, Dallas
Incorrect guesses: Mickey Mantle, Dick Allen, Frank Robinson,
Ralph Kiner
FRIDAY — 13-Mar-2025
Q. Who
was the last twentieth century position player to go more than seven years in-between
major league hits?
Hint: #1
His childhood was filled with stories about the great Negro League
players because his father had played with them.
Hint: #2
He is an accomplished drummer and has jammed with the rock band Rush.
A. WARREN CROMARTIE [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Cromartie had a H for MON on 24-Sep-1983. Then the seasons
1984-1990, he played professional baseball in Japan. Returning stateside for the 1991 season, he got
a double for KCR on 20-Apr-1991, seven years & 208 days between MLB hits.
-
#1 “He (Cromartie’s father Leroy) used to tell me about Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige,”
said Cromartie. “We were good friends
with Buck O’Neil.”
-
#2 A blueprint for the fictional
"Warren Cromartie Secondary School" appears on the back cover of Rush's 1982 release, Signals. Cromartie is
thanked in the album's liner notes.
FCR - Steve
Riach, Southlake, Texas
Incorrect guesses: Minnie Minoso, Manny Mota, Tim Raines Jr., John
Wathan, Luis Tiant Jr., Randy Johnson
SATURDAY — 14-Mar-2025
Q. Who
has more hits as a Los Angeles Dodger than any other player?
Hint: #1
He received a congratulatory wire from Hall of Fame Dodger Zack Wheat,
the text of which was shown on the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium.
Hint: #2
In high school, he ran a 9.5-second 100-yard dash, set a city record in
the long jump of 25' 5" & once scored 36 points in a varsity
basketball game.
A. WILLIE DAVIS [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. Davis has 2,091 H in 14
seasons w/LAD.
-
#1 On 01-Sep-1969, as Davis was poised to break Wheat’s franchise record for
hit in the most consecutive games w/30.
Wheat graciously accepted the inevitable, writing, “Congratulations —
keep going. You have done a real job. Good luck.” It was from Sunrise Beach, Missouri & was
signed “Zack Wheat”. Davis’
single in the 2nd was the hit needed in his 31st straight
game to set a Dodger record.
-
#2 Davis attended Theodore Roosevelt HS in L.A. A fellow alumnus is Heisman Trophy winner
Mike Garrett.
FCR - Dave
Rickard, Tigard, Oregon
Incorrect guesses: Ped Wee Resse, Steve Garvey, Bill Russell
SUNDAY — 15-Jun-2025
Q. Who was
the first player to hit two home runs in the same inning in the expansion era?
Hint: #1
He was the first Yankee to win a Gold Glove as a first baseman.
Hint: #2
Once, forgetting that the steal sign was a wink, blew his third-base
coach a kiss when the coach repeatedly winked at him.
A. JOE PEPITONE [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Leading off the 8th
on 06-Aug-1969, Pepitone homered off KCA’s Dan Pfister. By the time Pepitone batted again in the same
inning, Kansas City had already used 3 relievers. Facing John Wyatt, the 4th such,
Pepitone launched his second homer—a 3-run shot.
-
#1 He won GGs for NYY at first
base the end of the 1965, 1966 & 1969 seasons.
-
#2 Wink/blown kiss story is from Baseball
Digest August 1973.
FCR - Larry
Lamb, Oakwood, Ohio
Incorrect guesses: Chris Chambliss, Don Mattingly
WEEK’S THEME
– Noted U.S. players who also played in Japan for Japanese teams
Name MLB JAL Year JAL team
Cromartie..... MON........ 1984-’90........ Yomiuri
Giants
Davis............. LAD......... 1977........... Chunichi
Dragons
Doby............. CLE......... 1962........... Chunichi
Dragons
Fielder.......... DET......... 1989............. Hanshin
Tigers
Howard.... LAD/WSA.... 1974.......... Taiheiyo
Club Lions
Newcombe... BRO......... 1962........... Chunichi
Dragons
Pepitone....... NYY......... 1973............... Yakult
Atoms
Versalles....... MIN......... 1972........ Hiroshima
Toyo Carp
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Joe Haardt, Bethany Beach,
Delaware (after Versalles)
Incorrect
theme guesses:
-
How
about MVPs that never made an AS team after they won MVP
-
The
theme is MVP winners who never again received a single MVP vote
If you know
someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, have them
click here: Horsehide Trivia or do it on their
behalf.
Click here
=> THIS WEEK’s quiz, compete with
questions, answers and even the incorrect guesses.
Scroll back
to see previous Horsehide Trivia posts as far back as 2010. Quizzes before that may also be available
upon request.
Horsehide
Trivia encourages independent research. ⚾️
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25046054/167779675.jpg){kind=link}
No comments:
Post a Comment