2025-12-29 Pitchers with at least one 300 strikeout seasons this century

MONDAY  — 29-Dec-2025

Q.  What was his answer when Nolan Ryan was asked who the next great strikeout pitcher would be?

Hint: #1  His passion for photography, developed in college but put on hiatus during his baseball career, has come into focus in retirement.

Hint: #2  He is the last pitcher to walk more than one hundred and fifty batters in a season.

A.  RANDY JOHNSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Said during a media interview following Ryan’s 7^th no-hitter 01-May-1991.

-  #1  He photographs wildlife & NFL football games among other subjects.

-  #2  Johnson issued 152 BB for SEA in 1991.

FCR -  Jeff Miller, De Soto, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Steve Carlton

 

 

TUESDAY  — 30-Dec-2025

Q.  After Roger Clemens, who was the next full-time starting pitcher to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award?

Hint: #1  He accomplished a Triple Crown for pitchers that season.  He was almost a Triple Crown-winning pitcher again eleven years later.

Hint: #2  He was the only alum from his college in Virginia ever to make a major league All-Star team.

A.  JUSTIN VERLANDER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Verlander’s MVP 2011.  Clemens had won in 1986.

-  #1  In 2011, Verlander led the AL in W (24), ERA (2.40) & K (250) for DET.  In HOU in 2022, he had W (18) + ERA (1.75) but he would have had to borrow one of his strikeout title from 2009, 2012, 2015 or 2018.  (My consigliere advises me that that is not allowed.)

-  #2  He played for Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.  He was an MLB AS 9 X. 

FCR -  Dave Camburn, Capitola, California

Incorrect guesses:  Dennis Eckersley, Roy Halladay

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 31-Dec-2025

Q.  Whose career WAR is the highest in the history of the Dodgers’ franchise (1884-2025)?

Hint: #1  His career ERA is still the lowest of any pitcher in the majors whose whole career was in the Live Ball Era and had three thousand strikeouts.

Hint: #2  His career winning percentage is the best of any pitcher in the Modern Era (min. 2,000 IP), even that of Whitey Ford, the previous title holder.

A.  CLAYTON KERSHAW  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Kershaw’s combined career WAR of 80.9 tops those of any other Dodger player at any position.

-  #1  He finished with a career ERA of 2.53 & 3,052 strikeouts.

-  #2  Kershaw’s .699 W-L% tops all others.  Whitey Ford’s is .690.

FCR -  Jason Winston, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Sandy Koufax, Orel Hershiser, Don Drysdale Don Sutton

 

 

THURSDAY  — 01-Jan-2026

Q.  The only pitchers to throw multiple no-hitters in the same regular season are Johnny Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds, Virgil Trucks, Nolan Ryan and ______________?

Hint: #1  He pitched for seven major league franchises and in four World Series—he was on the winning side twice.

Hint: #2  He set a record in his major league debut.

A.  MAX SCHERZER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Vander Meer – 1938 w/CIN;] Reynolds – 1951 w/NYY; Trucks – 1952 w/DET; Ryan – 1973 w/CAL; & Scherzer – 2015 w/WSN on 20-Jun & 03-Oct(2).

-  #1  2012 WS w/DET (L)

         2019 WS w/WSN (W)

         2023 WS w/TEX (W)

         2025 WS w/TOR (L)

His other teams were ARI, NYM & LAD

-  #2  In his debut with ARI he set a record for the most consecutive batters retired for a pitcher making his MLB debut in 2008 as a reliever, with 13.

FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma

Incorrect guesses:  Ken Holtzman, Steve Carlton, Steve Busby, Roy Halladay, Matt Scherzer

 

FRIDAY  — 02-Jan-2026

Q.  Which bi-colored hosiery star pitcher finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting result before finally capturing the top spot more than a decade after his first votes?

Hint: #1  His late CYA prompted Major League Baseball to name him his league’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Hint: #2  He reached the plateau of 2,500 career strikeouts in fewer innings pitched than any other pitcher ever had.

A.  CHRIS SALE  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Sale had finished 6^th, 5^th (2X), 3^rd & 4^th w/CHW; 2^nd & 4^th w/BOS; before winning the Cy Young Award in 2024 w/ATL.  [Changed to Red Sox in 2017 after 7 seasons with the White Sox.]

-  #1  Sales in 2024 was the NL CPOY.

-  #2  It took Sale only 2,026 innings to reach 2,500 K.  The record previously was held by Randy Johnson, when he fanned his 2,500^th batter after 2,107⅔ innings in 1999.

FCR -  Tom Galligan, Baton Rouge. Louisiana

Incorrect guesses:  Jim Palmer, Curt Schilling

 

 

SATURDAY  — 03-Jan-2026

Q.  Who became both the highest-paid pitcher annually and overall the moment he put pen to paper in with just a few shopping days left in 2019?

Hint: #1  His Cy Young Award win was practically assured when he put up a season where he led the league in win-loss %, ERA and ERA+.  Interestingly, he had exceeded each of those numbers in previous seasons.

Hint: #2  Being drafted in the first round by the Yankees, but not near the top of the round convinced him to  go to college.  A National League team drafted him #1 overall three years later.

A.  GERRIT COLE  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  On December 18, 2019, Cole signed with NY for $36,000,000 annually for 9 years, a contract totaling $324M, passing Max Scherzer’s then best.  Cole’s number has been exceeded in the ensuing 6 years, placing him 5^th on that list according to Yahoo Sport..  He has 3 seasons left on that deal.

-  #1  In 2023 Cole’s pitching WAR was 7.4, his EA was 2.63 and hi ERA+ was 165.  He won the 2023 CYA unanimously.

-  #2  NYY took Cole 28^th in 2008.  He opted to accept a scholarship offer and played for UCLA.  In 2011, PIT drafted him #1 overall.  He played for them for the first 5 seasons of his MLB career.

FCR -  Jason Winston, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Steven Strasburg

 

 

SUNDAY  — 04-Jan-2026

Q. What pitcher tallied the most strikeouts in a single World Series this century?

Who is the only pitcher with more than fifty complete games in the Wild Card Era?

Hint: #1  The first major league game he ever attended was Roberto Clemente’s final game

Hint: #2  Again with the hosiery?

A.  CURT SCHILLING  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Schilling struck out 26 in 2001:  8K in G1 + 9K in G4 + 9K in G7.

Schilling has 61 complete games 1995-2025, even though his career finished in 2007.  Greg Maddux is second with 49.

-  #1  Schilling’s father was a Pirates fan, hailing from western Pennsylvania.  Clement’s last game was 03-Oct-1972.  Young Schilling was just shy of his 6^th birthday.

-  #2  Hosiery hero.

FCR -  Josh Sullivan, Tomball, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Tim Wakefield, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay, Mark Buehrle

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers with at least one 300 strikeout seasons this century

 

Pitcher          300+ K’s in       For     Yr/WAR      WAR

Cole.............. 326 - (2109).... HOU..... 6.7........... 43.2

Johnson........ 372 - (2001).... ARI..... 10.1......... 101.1

Johnson........ 334 - (2002).... ARI..... 10.7......... 101.1

Verlander...... 300 - (2019).... HOU..... 7.4........... 81.7

Scherzer....... 300 - 2018)...... WSN.... 7.9........... 75.6

Sale.............. 308 - (2017).... BOS..... 5.9........... 57.3

Kershaw........ 301 - (2015).... LAD...... 7.2........... 80.9

Schilling........ 316 - (2002).... ARI....... 8.6........... 79.5

 

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Ira Levinton, Bordentown, New Jersey

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Wed     -  Most scoreless starts of 7+ IP with 2 or fewer hits allowed, since 1900

 

Tues    - 

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