MONDAY — 25-May-2026
Q. Who was
the last player, active in the majors, who had once been on the St. Louis
Browns?
Hint: #1
In his first major league season he led the team in WAR.
Hint: #2
He was the first Baltimore Oriole to lead the majors in pitching losses.
A. DON LARSEN [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Larsen was signed by the St.
Louis Browns as an amateur free agent before the 1947 season, but didn't see
action in the majors until 1953, due primarily to military service. His last team was the Cubs in 1967.
-
#1 He posted a respectable 3.6
WAR (his career best for a season). His HOF
mound mate, Satchel Paige, ended the season a 2.6.
-
#2 His 21 losses in
1954 is the most in Orioles history./
FCR - Mat
Kovach, Avon Lake, Ohio
Incorrect guesses: Bob Turley, Harry Breechen, Ned Garver
TUESDAY — 26-May-2025
Q. Which Hall of Fame pitcher had the lowest
Earned Run Average for any major league qualifying season between 1881 and 1913
inclusive?
Hint:
#1 He had the National League’s first season
with double-digits in saves (though not yet an official stat).
Hint:
#2 “Miner” (not ‘minor’) was one of his
nicknames.
A. MORDECAI BROWN [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Pitching
for the pennant-winning Cubs in 1906, Brown’s ERA was 1.04.
(Not a typo.)
- #1 No
pitcher since NL’s founding in 1876 had more than 7 pitching saves in a season. Brown had 13 in 1911.
- #2 The
world knows him better by his other nickname, “Three Finger”.
FCR - Richard Tourangeau, Boston
Incorrect
guesses: Dazzy Vance, Paul Dean
WEDNESDAY
— 27-May-2025
Q. Which Hall of Fame pitcher had the lowest
Earned Run Average for any major league qualifying season in the 1920s?
Hint:
#1 He pitched four one-hitters one year.
Hint:
#2 He managed the House of David team
during the first-ever night game in Sportsman's Park, an exhibition game with
the St. Louis Cardinals.
A. PETE ALEXANDER [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Alexander
posted an ERA of 1.91 in 1920. The
only other pitcher in the with an ERA under 2.00 was the Reds Dolf Luque in
1922 with 1.93. [ Pete Forster of the Negro National Legue posted a 1.62
ERA in 1925.]
- #1 In
1915, he threw complete-game 1-hitters on 05-Jun, 26-Jun, 05-Jul & 29-Sep,
- #2 The
game was an exhibition under portable lights on 22-Sep-1932. Attendance reportedly jumped to about 9,000,
far beyond the Cardinals’ daytime crowd.
Alexander was associated with the House of David club during that era as
a player-manager/barnstorming attraction.
FCR - Jay Caldwell, St. Petersburg, Florida
Incorrect
guesses: Dazzy Vance, Duster Mails
IN MEMORIAM
28-May-2026
Q. Who was the only player to hit four home runs
in a game in the 1980s?
Hint: #1 He was the number one overall selection in
the MLB Draft.
Hint: #2 After a stellar college career, he bypassed
the minor leagues entirely. His first
professional game was in the majors.
Hint: #3 He homered off a Hall of Fame pitcher in his
first game in the majors.
Hint: #4 He was voted National League Rookie of the
Year, edging out Padres shortstop Ozzie Smith.
Hint: #5 He became an All-Star and thrice received MVP
votes.
Hint: #6 He was instrumental in helping his team
capture only their second-ever division title.
A. BOB HORNER [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. On
06-Jul-1986, at home in Atlanta
against the Expos, Horner went deep 4 times, 3 off Andy McGaffigan &1
off Jeff Reardon. The most recent
four-home-run game before his was Mike Schmidt’s in 1976. The next one following Horner’s belonged to Mark Whiten in 1993.
- #1 Horner
was chosen #1 in 1st Round of
the 1978 MLB June Amateur Draft.
- #2 He was
the 1st winner of the Golden
Spikes Award,
among many other collegiate accolades. He
debuted in the majors with ATL on 16-Jun-1978, a mere 8 days since
his final game at Arizona State University in the NCAA College World
Series.
- #3 In
the 6th inning, off Bert Blyleven, Horner hit the first of his 218
career home runs.
- #4 ROY
in 1978.
- #5 AS
in 1982, receiving MVP votes
in 1979, 1980 & 1983.
- #6 In 1982 Horner was an important part of
getting the Braves into the postseason,
winning only their NL West division championship since 1969.
FCR - Jim Cochran, Tuscaloosa
Incorrect
guesses:
FRIDAY 29-May-2025
Q. Which Hall of Fame pitcher was a major league
teammate of:
Bill Dickey,
Jimmie Foxx,
Hank Greenberg,
Mel Ott,
Jim Thorpe,
Van Mungo,
Arky Vaughan and
Hack Wilson?
Hint:
#1 Red Barber called him, “the best of
all former athletes who went to microphone, highly intelligent, industrious,
great story teller.”
Hint:
#2 He led the 1927 Yankees and the
American league in pitching wins.
Hint:
#3 The following season, he led the majors
in saves.
A. WAITE HOYT [SABR Bio]
- Ans. He
played with them on:
Dickey......... 1928
NYY
Foxx............ 1931
PHA
Greenberg... 1930
DET
Ott............... 1932
NYG
Thorpe......... 1918
NYG
Van Mungo.. 1938
BRO
Vaughan...... 1933
PIT
Wilson......... 1932
BRO
- #1 Barber
hired Hoyt to host the Dodgers' post-game shows on WOR in New York in 1940. After two years, Hoyt moved to Cincinnati,
where he spent twenty-four seasons broadcasting Reds games. He was a fan favorite during rain delays
because he was such a polished raconteur.
- #2 Hoyt ’s record in 1927 was 22-7 for .759
W-L%, which also led the AL.
- #3 Retroactively
credited with 8 saves in 1928, Hoyt led the majors in that
category. The save would not become an
official statistic until 1969.
FCR - Kenneth Edwards, Ferrisburgh, Vermont
Incorrect
guesses:
SATURDAY
— 28-May-2025
Q. Who was the last pitcher in the twentieth
century to earn a win after allowing eight runs in the first two innings of a
game?
Hint:
#1 In his eighteen-year Hall of Fame
career, he managed to hit, in a career total of 1,197 plate appearances, only three
triples in. He hit two of them in the
same game!
Hint:
#2 He is the only pitcher in the last one
hundred one hundred and twenty years the Giants franchise who lost twenty games
in a season.
A. RUBE MARQUARD [SABR Bio]
- Ans. On
14-May-1913, Marquard struggled
through the 1st 2 innings, but stayed in, righted the ship & got
the Giants the 14-11 win over the Cubs.
- #1 On 24Jul-1911, Marquard tripled in
the 2nd off Cincinnati starter Bobby Keefe, driving in two teammates. Keefe was replaced later that inning by Frank Smith. Marquard tripled off Smith to open the 9th & scored on a sac
fly. In an unusual twist, however, Smith
had tripled off Marquard in his first at-bat leading off the bottom of
the 3rd, but didn’t score.
- #2 Marquard’s
record in 1914 was 14-22.
FCR - John Murray, Taylors, South Carolina
Incorrect
guesses: Gaylord Perry, Joe McGinnity
WEEKEND
BONUS —
30-May-2025
Q. Which pitcher was leading the National League
in ERA when he departed for WWII?
Hint: #1 The
year he returned from military service, he led the league in wins, innings
pitched and ERA.
Hint: #2 As a coach for the Cardinals, he once offered
to personally put up $5,000 in bonus money for the team to sign an amateur whom
he saw a great future in.
Hint: #3 In 790 plate appearances over his fourteen
major league seasons, he hit exactly two triples. You guessed it—he hit them in the same game!
A. HOWIE POLLET [SABR Bio]
- Ans. When
Pollet left to register after his game on 10-Jul-1943, he sported a tidy 1.75
ERA.
- #1 In
the return season of 1946, Pollet had 21 W, 266.0 IP, an era of 2.10
& even an impressive ERA+ of 165.
He made the All-Star team & finished 4th in MVP voting. Teammates Stan Musial & Enos Slaughter
were 1st & 3rd in that MVP vote.
- #2 Cardinals
scout Chase Riddle became aware of the
lanky teenage Steve Carlton playing American Legion ball in Florida. Pitching coach Pollet accompanied
Riddle to evaluate Carlton. Pollet was
impressed, but St. Louis was initially hesitant to offer the requested $5,000
signing bonus. When Pollet heard the
Cardinals' front office balk at the price, he offered to pay the money himself. The Cardinals ultimately matched the request
& Carlton went on to a Hall of Fame career, striking out 4,136 batters and
winning four Cy Young Awards.
- #3 He
hit his 2 triples on 25-Jul-1947 in Sportsman’s Park off
Boston Braves pitchers, Ed Wright & Red Barrett. Pollet hit as many triples that day as his catcher,
Joe Garagiola, hit all that season.
FCR - Phil Koss, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
Incorrect
guesses: Bob Feller, Harry
Brecheen
SUNDAY — 31-May-2025
Q. Who was the Opening Day starting pitcher for
the Yankees the first season they went to the World Series?
Hint:
#1 On the team, he was second only to
Babe Ruth in WAR that season.
Hint:
#2 Ty Cobb once threw his bat at him after
a couple of pitches came too close to Cobb’s head.
- Ans. Mays
pitched a 3-hit complete game in an 11-1 win over PHA. NYY lost 5 games
to 3 to their neighbors, NYG ,in the 1921 WS.
- #1 Mays
had a very respectable WAR of 7.5 in 1921, but Ruth was ruthian, posting a 12.8,
the 2nd-highest of his career.
- #2 Bat-thrown
game: 16-Sep-1915
in Boston’s Fenway Park, Mays pitching for BOS. Full
story.
FCR - Andrew Hersh, Kingston, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Bob Shawkey, Joe Bush, Herb Pennock
THEME: Select Modern Era pitchers who hit 2 triples
in a game. (There are others.)
Player Date Victims Career
triples WAR
Alexander.... 06-Jun-1917....... [off T. Seaton, M. Prendergast]...................... 13............119.7
Brown.......... 31-Jul-1910(1) .... [off Eddie Higgins]...................... 11........................ 58.0
Hoyt.............. 08-Jun-1925....... off E. Vangilder, D. Danforth]...................... 11................... 52.4
Larsen.......... 08-Jun-1925....... off D. Stone, C. Pascual]...................... 5.......................... 18.4
Mays............. 07-Aug-1926(1).... [off E. Wright, R. Barrett]...................... 21........................ 51.3
Pollet............ 25-Jul-1947......... off E. Wright, R. Barrett]...................... 2.......................... 34.4
Marquard..... 24-Jul-1911......... [off F. Smith, B. Keefe]...................... 3.......................... 32.4
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Philip Fickling, San Diego
Incorrect
theme guesses:
Mon - Pitchers
who have thrown perfect games or no-hitters but whose career w-l is less than
.500.
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