MONDAY — 04-May-2026
Q. Which
Hall of Famer was drafted into the Army Air Corps during WWII, despite being
nearly 38 years old and missing four toes?
Hint: #1
He was the first Yankee pitcher to hit a grand slam.
Hint: #2
The first of his career and the last of his career represent a thorough
bleaching of hosiery.
A. RED RUFFING [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. He pitched with 4 toes
missing from his left foot as a result of a mining accident.
-
#1 In his 1st game of
the season, 14-Apr-1933, with 3 runners on base, Ruffing homered off Boston’s Bob
Weiland. He & only 3 other NYY
pitchers have hit grand slams: Spud Chandler, Don Larsen & Mel Stottlemyre.
-
#2 Ruffing’s first team was the Red Sox. His final team was the White Sox.
FCR - Jeff Freedman, Westwood, California
TUESDAY — 05 May-2025
Q. Who is the only diabetic to throw a perfect
game in the majors?
Hint:
#1 He is the first native of Wyoming to receive
a Hall of Fame vote.
Hint:
#2 He was the only player in the
twentieth century to win twenty games as a rookie for his franchise.
A. TOM BROWNING [SABR Bio]
- Ans. On
16-Sep-1988, Browning didn’t let a single Dodger
batter reach first base. The Dodgers finished that season
as World Series champions. Only 4 months before his death in 2022 did public
find out that he was diabetic.
- #1 In
the HOF vote of 2001, Browning received a
vote. He was born in Casper, Wyoming.
- #2 From
1901-2000 no other Cincinnati Red rookie could match Browning’s 20-9
record. Neither could he, in the rest of
his career.
N.B. – It turns
out that Catfish Hunter also qualifies for the question, although not the
hints. Reader Bill Deane brought us up to speed with, “Hunter lost a toe after a hunting
accident when he was a teen. He was diagnosed with diabetes in March,
1978. Source: Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia (Total
Sports Illustrated, 2000). – BD”
FCR - Stephen
Krevisky, Middletown, Connecticut
Incorrect
guesses: Bert Blyleven, Bill Gullickson,
David Wells, Catfish Hunter,
WEDNESDAY — 06-May-2025
Q. Before Geritt Cole in 2022, who was the last
New York Yankee pitcher to lead the American League in strikeouts for a season?
Hint:
#1 In his seventeen-year career, he made
the Al-Star team once and received National League Cy Young Award
votes only once. They were not in the
same season.
Hint:
#2 He and Bo Belinsky were alumni of the
same East Coast high school.
A. AL DOWNING [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. Downing
struck out 217 batters in 1964 to lead the AL.
- #1 He
was in the 1967 All-Star game & pitched
scoreless 9th & 10th innings. In 1971, he finished 3rd in CYA
voting, behind Fergie Jenkins & Tom Seaver.
That year was his 1st year with LAD & was his only 20-win
season.
- #2 They
attended Trenton Central HS in Trenton, NJ.
FCR - Damian Begley, New York City
Incorrect
guesses: David Cone, Mel Stottlemyre, Ron
Guidry Dave Righetti
THURSDAY — 07-May-2025
Q. Which Hall of Famer was called “Lucious”?
Hint:
#1 After finishing second in the Most Valuable
Player voting, he reported for military duty.
Hint:
#2 No other shortstop has had a higher single-season
batting average in the Modern Era.
A. LUKE APPLING [SABR Bio]
- Ans. “Lucious
Luke” was one of his nicknames. His
better-known nickname was “Old Aches and Pains”.
- #1 In
January of 1944 the AL MVP vote was released. Appling saw that he finished just being NYY pitcher,
Spud Chandler. Both men were tied for
WAR that year with 7.3 but Chandler’s team had won the pennant. (They also won the WS, but well after the MVP
voting.) Speaking of war, Appling reported
for military duty at Camp Lee, Virginia
in January 1944.
- #2 Between
Al Simmons in 1931 and Ted Williams in 1941, no one in the National or American
Leagues had a higher qualifying batting average than his .388 for
CHW in 1936.
FCR - Thom Frohnhoefer, U.S. Armed forces, Germany
Incorrect
guesses: Pop Lloyd, Lou Boudreau, Arky
Vaughan
FRIDAY — 08-May-2025
Q. Who led his league in pitching victories in each
of his first five seasons in the majors, increasing in number each season?
Hint:
#1 His career winning percentage is the
highest all-time.
Hint:
#2 He became so famous after playing
that the average fan doesn’t know that he was a Hall of Fame player.
A. AL SPALDING [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Spalding
was stellar 1871-1875, winning 19, 38, 41,
52 & 54 for the Boston Red Stockings of the National Association.
- #1 Spalding
played for 7 seasons amassing a career total of 251/65, or .794.
- #2 Spalding
created the sporting goods company that bears his name in
1876 while he was still playing. Today,
it is still a strong force in its sector.
FCR - Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect
guesses: Jim Palmer, Spud Chandler, John
Ward, Lefty Gomez, Dizzy Dean, Lefty Grove, Cy Young
SATURDAY — 09-May-2025
Q. In the history of the New York Mets, who is
the only pitcher to be honored with a Gold Glove Award?
Hint:
#1 He is the first major leajuer born in
the last state.
Hint:
#2 In his thirteen-year major league
career, he only hit two home runs, but they were hit within a week of each
other, in consecutive starts, in his seventh season.
A. RON DARLING [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Darling
won his GG in 1989, just the year before
Greg Maddux began to dominate the award, winning 18 all told.
- #1 Darling
was the first player born (19-Aug-1960) in the state of Hawaii, the 50th,
after it attained statehood 21-Aug-1959. Sid Fernandez was also born in Honolulu, but 9
weeks later. Joe DeSa was born in
Honolulu too, but on 27-Jul-1959, 4 weeks before statehood.
- #2 Darling’s
home runs were hit 1.) on 24-Jun-1989 at Shea Stadium off
PHI’s Floyd Youmans & (2. On 30-Jun-1989 in Cincinnati off Norm
Charlton.
FCR - Jeremy Frank, New York City
Incorrect guesses: Sid Fernandez, ,R.A. Dickey, Vida Blue
IN
MEMORIAM — 10-May-2025
Q. Who was the first manager to lead the
expansion Blue Jays to the postseason?
Hint:
#1 For that accomplishment he was voted
American League Manager of the Year.
Hint:
#2 He was three times National League
Manager of the Year.
Hint: #3 As a player, he once completed a triple play
throwing the ball to Mickey Mantle.
Hint: #4 He ranks fourth in career games won as a
manager. All three ahead of him required more seasons.
Hint: #5 No manager was ejected from more games.
Hint: #6 He was inducted into the Hall of Fame with
two of his players.
A. BOBBY COX [SABR Bio] [MLB Obit]
- Ans. TOR
won the AL East for the 1st time in 1985 with Cox. The Jays had never finished any place but
last (1977-1981) until Cox became their manager.
- #1 He
became a hero in Canada. He described it as 4 of the happiest years of
his life.
- #2 Cox
won the NL MOY with ATL in 1991, 2004 & 2005, the 1st NL manager
to win it in consecutive seasons.
- #3 On 03-Jun-1968 in Minnesota, Cox took the toss from P Dooley
Womack and fired it to Mickey Mantle at first base for the 3rd out
of the play.
- #4 Manger Wins Years %
Connie Mack 3,731 53 .486
Tony LaRussa 2,884 35 .536
John McGraw 2,763 33 .586
Cox 2,504 29 .556
- #5 Cox
was kicked out of 162 MLB games, 41 more than 2nd-place McGraw.
- #6 In 2014, Cox & pitchers Greg
Maddux & Tom Glavine became Hall of Famers.
FCR - Michael Green, Las Vegas
Incorrect
guesses:
SUNDAY — 10-May-2025
Q. Which Stanford University alumnus struck out All-Stars
Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco and Hall of Famer Ivan Rodríguez on nine
pitches, the only pitches of the inning?
Hint:
#1 He broke a thirty-year-old record one
season by surrendering sixty-six doubles only to break his own record the
following year.
Hint:
#2 In his best season, he tied Roger Clemens,
David Cone and Tom Glavine by leading the majors in pitching wins.
A. RICK HELLING [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. Helling’s
Immaculate Inning was the 1st inning of the game against DET on 20-Jun-2006, pitching for MIL. (The next batter, however, led off the 2nd
inning by homering off Helling.) It was
MLB’s 38th Immaculate Inning.
- #1 Pitching
for TEX in 2000, hitters got
66 doubles off him. In 2001, Rangers teammates
watched him exceed his own mark, giving up 68.
- #2 In
1998, Glavin & Clemens had records of 20-6 that year. Each won his league’s Cy Young Award. Helling & Cone were close behind with 20-7. Cone finished 4th in AL
CYA
voting. Helling never received a single
CYA vote in his entire 12-year career.
FCR - Steve Berman, Wanaque, New Jersey
Incorrect
guesses: Mike Mussina, Jack McDowell
THEME: Gerund pitchers (a sampling). Thanks to Ed Baranoski for his help
assembling this list.
Ruffing................................................................................. 68.6
Appling................................................................................. 77.2
Downing............................................................................... 21.0
Spalding............................................................................... 60.2
Darling................................................................................. 19.6
Browning.............................................................................. 19.8
Helling.................................................................................. 20.2
Or…
as one English gentleman responded when asked if he enjoyed Kipling, responded,
“I don’t really know—I’ve never kippled!”
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Bill Carle, Lee's Summit, Missouri
(After Dowing)
,
Incorrect
theme guesses:
Tues - Pitchers
with a color in their name
-
Players
who were missing toes
Wed Pitchers
whose name rhymes with "clowning"
-
Pitchers
with colors in their name that have thrown no-hitters
-
Pitchers
whose last name ends in -ing who won 20 or more games in a season
Sun - Winningest
ing pitchers
-
Famous
players whose last name ends in "ing"
-
Famous
players whose last name ends in "ing."
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