Monday, June 15, 2026

2026-06-08 Pitchers with multiple Silver Slugger Awards

MONDAY  — 08-Jun-2026

Q.  Which former New York Met gave up a record seven consecutive hits in an All-Star game?

Hint: #1  He won twenty games in a season five times, leading the majors in four of those, but threw fewer than five complete games in the last three.

Hint: #2  He won a World Series MVP.

A.  TOM GLAVINE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Glavine had not lost a game in nearly 2 months.  Then, in the 1992 ASG, he was beaten in the 1st 20 minutes.  In the top of the 1st inning, he gave up successive hits to Boggs, Puckett, Carter, McGwire, Ripken, Griffey Jr. & Alomar Jr.  4 runs scored.  Glavine played for NYM 2003-2007.

-  #1  Won 20 G in 1991 (20)*, 1992 (20), 1993 (22), 1998 (20) & 2000 (21).  In each of the last 3, he had just 4 CG.  (Which would lead the league today.)

-  #2  WS MVP in 1995.

*Won the Cy Young Award that year.

FCR -  Mike Clark, Cincinnati

Incorrect guesses:  Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Warren Spahn, Dave Stewart, Orel Hershiser

 

TUESDAY  — 09-Jun-2026

Q.  Who is the only pitcher to lead all MLB players in WAR for a season since Pedro Martinez did it?

Hint: #1  He won the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award as a high school senior.

Hint: #2  He is one of only seven pitchers to strike out 1,000 different major league batters.

A.  ZACK GREINKE  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Greinke’s 10.4 WAR led all major leaguers in 2009, the first time a pitcher had topped the majors since Pedro Martinez posted 11.7 in 2000.

-  #1  Named GNPOY in 2002 pitching and playing shortstop for Apopka High School in central Florida.

-  #2  The other pitchers with 1,000 discrete Ks:  Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux & Roger Clemens Justin Verlander & Max Scherzer.

FCR -  Damien Begley, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Randy Johnson, Cliff Lee

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 10-Jun-2026

Q.  Who is the only pitcher from Venezuela ever to lead the National League in wins?

Hint: #1  He tied a forty-year-old record by hitting a home run in a game he won as a pitcher, five times in one season.

Hint: #2  He was ordered to stay off his home computer after complaining about elbow troubles.

A.  CARLOS ZAMBRANO  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 2006, Zambrano tied the NL for the most wins that year, with 5 other pitchers.  Joining him, each with 16 wins, were Aaron Harang, Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, John Smoltz & Brandon Webb.  (Interestingly, the AL wins leader that year, with 19, was Venezuelan Johan Santana.)

-  #1  That same year, Zambrano won & homered on:  05-Jun, 02-Jul, 25-Jul, 17-Sep & 23-Sep, tying Don Drysdale, who, in 1965, hit a HR and was the winning pitcher in each of 12-Apr, 06-Jun, 11-Jun, 06-Jul & 10-0Sep.

-  #2  In 2005, the Cubs told Zambrano to cut back on computer time after he complained of elbow trouble.  He had been spending up to 4 hours a day e-mailing his brother.  (That seemed to work—perhaps psychosomatically?)

FCR -  Christian Ruzich, Evanston, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Johan Santana, Freddy Garcia, Clayton Kershaw, Fernando Valenzuela

 

 

THURSDAY  — 11-Jun-2026

Q.  Which one-time Double Unique pitcher is the only pitcher to lead the majors in home runs for at least one day of the season?

Hint: #1  He passed Carl Hubbell for most career strikeouts by a Giants left-handed pitcher.

Hint: #2  He passed Christy Mathewson, Mariano Rivera and Babe Ruth while setting the lowest career World Series ERA.

A.  MADISON BUMGARNER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  On 02-Apr-2017 Bumgarner homered off Zack Greinke in the 5th inning & hit another off Andrew Chafin in the 7th *.  He was the only Giant to homer that day.  He is the only pitcher to hit two home runs in a single Opening Day game.  His name had been Double Unique until Madison Younginer’s sip of coffee with the Braves beginning 07-Aug-2016.

-  #1  Hall of Fame lefty Carl Hubbell amassed 1,676 career Ks in his 16-year MLB career, all with NYG  Bumgarner got his Giants 1,677th strikeout in the 2019 season, the final of his 11 years with SFG.

-  #2  Bumgarner stands alone at the top with his 0.25 career WS ERA.  Here are the next 14.

FCR -  Dave Williams, Glastonbury, Connecticut

*Further research has revealed that other pitchers had enjoyed this ephemeral distinction.

Incorrect guesses:  Tim Lincecum

 

 

FRIDAY 12-Jun-2026

Q.  Who is the only Mexican native to win the Cy Young Award?

Hint: #1  He did it the same year he first led the league in complete games.

Hint: #2  Five years later, he led the majors in the same statistical category.

A.  FERNANDO VALENZUELA  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Valenzuela’s rookie year was 1981 & he edged out veteran Tom Seaver for the award.

-  #1  The rookie racked up 8 complete games, the most in the NL, even more impressive because that season was interrupted by a work stoppage.

-  #2  In 1986, his 20 CG led the majors.  His career-best 21 pitching wins topped in the NL.

FCR -  John Knepshield, Orangevale, California

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

SATURDAY  — 13-Jun-2026

Q.  Who was the first pitcher to start a game as his team's designated hitter?

Hint: #1  He had an RBI, driving in Jay Buhner with a sacrifice fly.

Hint: #2  After baseball, he turned to his golf game and qualified for the U.S. Senior Open and became a dominant player on the Celebrity Players Tour.

A.  RICK RHODEN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 11-Jun-1988, Yankee Manager Billy started Rhoden in the game batting 7th in the lineup.

-  #1  Rhoden grounded out in his only other at-bat that day.

-  #2  Rhoden is a regular competitor at the American Century Championship, the annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities.  He won the tournament in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2008, and 2009, and he has a total of 22 top 10 finishes.  The tournament, televised by NBC in July, is played at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

FCR -  Jim Cochran, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Incorrect guesses:  Rich Reuschel, Ken Brett

 

 

SUNDAY— 14-Jun-2026

Q.  Which former Seattle Mariners pitcher tied the Dodger Dons for the National League record for home runs in a season?

Hint: #1  He once had a season with twenty hits and twenty pitching wins.

Hint: #2  He offered a large reward to anyone who could help find a young girl from his hometown who was missing from her home in Florida.

A.  MIKE HAMPTON  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  On 09-Aug-2001, Hampton hit his 7th HR of the season, tying Don Newcombe (1955) & Don Drysdale (1958, 1965) for most HR in a season by an NL pitcher.  Hampton debuted with SEA in 1993.

-  #1  In 1999, pitching for HOU, Hampton led the NL with 22 wins and finished behind only Randy Johnson in CYA voting.  That same season, he also had 23 hits &10 RBI as a batter.

-  #2  Hampton and his wife Katia offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who could assist in finding 9-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford who went missing from his hometown of Homosassa Florida during Spring Training 2005.  The girl was a classmate of Hampton’s son.

FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota

Incorrect guesses:  R.A. Dickey Reick Reuschel

 

 

SUNDAY BONUS — 14-Jun-2026

Q.  Which Sacramento native came to the pros as a third baseman, then spent sixteen major league seasons appearing only as a pitcher?

Hint: #1  He led the majors in 1980 in fewest walks per nine innings pitched.

Hint: #2  He was never an All-Star in spite of seasons where he won fourteen, fifteen and twenty games.

Hint: #3  His older brother, also a major league pitcher, was an All-Star in both leagues yet never won more than thirteen games in any year.

A.  BOB FORSCH  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Forsch started 422 games in MLB ending with a 168-136 record.

-  #1  His BB9 in 1980 was 1.4.  It was the only time he was even in the top ten in that category, although his brother Ken finished 4th, 3rd, & 3rd  in MLB BB9 1979-81.

-  #2  Forsch (Bob) had a 20-7 record in 1977.

-  #3  Ken Forsch  pitched 16 seasons, with a 114-113 record with a 3.37 ERA & was an All-Star with HOU in 1976 & CAL in 1981.  His career high in wins, however, was 13, done  in 1982.

FCR -  Jesse Asbury,  Norman, Oklahoma

Incorrect guesses:  Ken Forsch, Jon Matlak

 

 

WEEK’S FINALE — 14-Jun-2026

Q.  Who was the youngest member of the “Fam-i-Lee”?

Hint: #1  He was the first pitcher since the adoption of the designated hitter rule to hit a pinch-hit home run.

Hint: #2  He finished behind Bob Hiorner and Ozzie Smith in Rookie of the Year voting.

A.  DON ROBINSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  He was only 22 on the World Series-winning 1979 Pirates.

-  #1  Robinson’s PH HR = 19-Jun-1990

-  #2  NL ROY 1978.

FCR -  David Skelton, Woodway, Texas

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

THEME:  Pitchers with Multiple Silver Slugger Awards—a list unlikely to grow.  Thanks to Bill Deane for this rheme suggestion.

 

Pitcher             No.        SS Years                           ERA     WAR

Bumgarner....... 2...... 2014, 2015........................... 3.47.... 37.2

Forsch.............. 2...... 1980, 1987........................... 3.76.... 24.6

Glavine............. 4...... 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998...... 3.54.... 80.7

Greinke............. 2...... 2013, 2019........................... 3.49.... 77.4

Hampton.......... 5...... 1999-2003............................ 4.06.... 28.2

Rhoden............. 3...... 1984, 1985, 1986................. 3.59.... 35.4

Robinson.......... 3...... 1981, 1987........................... 3.79.... 17.4

Valenzuela....... 2...... 1981, 1983........................... 3.54.... 41.5

Zambrano......... 3...... 2006, 2008, 2009................. 3.66.... 43.9

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (after Zambrano)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Pitchers who threw complete-game shutouts against the Rockies in Colorado

 

Sun      -  MLB pitchers who made their MLB debut and winning a game their first season at age 21 or under and then winning over 100 games for their careers

 

 

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