IN MEMORIAM — 20-Jul-2026
Q. Who was the World
Series game-winning pitcher when Joe Carter homered off Mitch Williams?
Hint: #1 He holds
the Toronto Blue Jays' single-season franchise records for saves and games
finished.
Hint: #2 He is in
the franchise’s top two in five career statistical categories.
Hint: #3 He is in a
tie for the most All-Star appearances by pitchers who are New Mexico natives.
Hint: #4 He was
drafted out of high school in the top ten of the first round.
Hint: #5 In high
school, he led his school's basketball team to an undefeated state
championship.
Hint: #6 In his
major league debut, he faced his baseball hero.
A. DUANE WARD [SABR
Bio]
- Ans. One of the details often overlooked in
celebrations of Toronto's Game 6 and World Series victories in 1993. In game six, PHI regrouped in the T7. Dykstra
hit a WS-MVP type HR cutting the TOR lead to 5-4. Jays’ pitchers Danny Cox & Al Leiter
couldn't hold the fort & it ended up 6-5 PHI after 8. Ward had a splendid 1-2-3 T9, deservedly
earning the W.
- #1 Ward’s franchise tops of 45 saves & 70 games finished have never been
equaled since he set them in 1993.
- #2 He is behind only Tom Henke in Saves, Hits per 9 Innings Pitched, Games
Finished & Field Independent Pitching.
- #3 He is tied with NM natives Steve Ontiveros
& Trevor Rogers with 1 ASG apiece.
- #4 He was drafted out of high school in the top
ten of the first round, a few slots behind Dwight Gooden.
- #5 Ward’s basketball Scorpions had a 26-0 record
that year.
- #6 In Ward’s 1st major league game on
12-Apr-1986, the opposing moundsman was Nolan Ryan. Ward pitched a scoreless 8th
inning.
FCR - John
Robertson, Cambridge, Ontario
Incorrect guesses: Tom Henke, Eric Gagne
MONDAY — 20-Jul-2026
Q. Whose
shattered bat hit honorary third-base coach Tommy Lasorda in the chest in the 2001
All-Star Game?
Hint: #1
Pitcher Jose Mesa said, “I’m telling you, the Devil himself would be
afraid to pitch to that guy.”
Hint: #2
One study showed that he (not Mesa) hit home runs 126 times on the first
pitch of an at-bat.
Hint: #3
It’s more understandable that he never gave extended interviews once you
know he never even finished the 5th grade.
A. VLADIMIR GUERRERO [Wiki
Bio]
-
Ans. Barry Bonds tried to put a
chest protector on Lasorda in a mock effort of concern.
-
#1 Mesa added, “You can throw it
in the dirt & he'll hit it hard. You
can roll it up there or throw it over his head & he'll hit it hard. Every hitter has a hole but that guy. There's nobody like him in this game.”
-
#2 Stat quoted in his SABR biography.
-
#3 He worked with his grandfather
tending cattle in the field which left little time for school.
FCR - Steve
Hild, Oswego, Illinois
Incorrect guesses: Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez Albert Belle
TUESDAY — 21-Jul-2026
Q. Who was the first Colorado Rockies player to
start in the All-Star game?
Hint:
#1 He retained his Double Unique status
for almost nine years until Powell arrived.
Hint:
#2 He competed on the professional
foosball tour during the 1994-95 players strike.
A. DANTE BICHETTE [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Started the ASG in 1996. Had been an NL All-Star in both 1994 & 1995. HOWEVER…Teammate Vinny Castilla was an
All-Star starter in 1994 AND IS STILL a double unique! Castilla Apologies.
- #1 Bichette was a true D-U from 5-Sep-1988 to
15-Apr-1997 when Dante Powell debuted (See above.).
- #2 Bichette
entered the 1994 Tornado World Foosball Championships in Denver,
participating in multiple categories.
His presence caused a playful stir among professional competitors.
FCR - Dave Williams, Glastonbury, Connecticut
Incorrect
guesses: Andres Galarraga, Todd Helton, Larry
Walker, Eric Young
WEDNESDAY — 22-Jul-2026
Q. Which one-time Chicago Cub was the first
player in history to have a twenty-five home run season for each of five
different teams?
Hint:
#1 In his first full season in the majors,
he led the majors in strikeouts, setting the all-time mark for most in a season
by a batter. Naturally it didn’t last…
he broke it himself the very next year!
Hint:
#2 He became the first player in the
twentieth century to hit a grand slam in his major league debut game.
A. BOBBY BONDS [SABR Bio]
CLE 34 1979 Notice how high he ranks with every one of teams. Bonds played for CHC in 1981, his last year in the
majors
- #1 In 1969
with the Giants, Bonds had 187 Ks. In 1970 he had 189. The current record holder, Mark Reynolds, posted
223 K in 2009.
- #2 In his
AB in the game on 25-Jun-1968, Bonds homered off
LAD’s John Purdin in the 6th inning with teammates Willie McCovey,
Willie Mays & Jim Ray Hart aboard.
Giants pitcher Ray Sadecki turned the cushion into a 9-0
complete-game shutout.
FCR - Marek DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect
guesses: Fred McGriff, Dave Kingman Mark
Reynolds, Jeremy Hermida, Rogers Hornsby
THURSDAY 23-Jul-2026
Q. Which All-Star Texas native had three (3!)
brothers-in-law who played major league baseball?
Hint:
#1 All of his brothers-in-law have a
father-in-law who pitched in the majors.
Hint:
#2 He is the first player in MLB history
to hit at least twenty home runs and steal thirty bases in each of his first
four seasons.
A. BOBBY WITT Jr. [B-R Bio]
- Ans. Witt’s sisters:
Medical sales rep Kianna
Witt married Zach Neal;
Author Nikki Witt married James Russell; &
Shaley Witt married Cody Thomas. Witt was born in Colleyville
- #1 Bobby Witt (Sr.) is the father of Jr. & of all his
sisters, ergo, he is the father-in-law of each sister’s husband.
- #2 Year HR SB
2022 20 30
2023 30 49
2024 32 31
2025 23 38
2026* 13 30
*to
date
FCR - Michael Ageno, San Francisco
FRIDAY — 24-Jul-2026
Q. Who once wore birds on his chest and now manages
a team of different birds?
Hint:
#1 In his first season with a new team,
he led the National League in runs-batted-in, comfortably ahead of the runner-up.
Hint: #2 With the last of the six major league teams
he played for, he hit two postseason doubles and won a World Series championship.
Hint: #3 Also World Series champions… his step-father and
uncle.
A. PRESTON WILSON [Wiki Bio]
- Ans. Wilson
spent his last two seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals & is now the manager of the Aberdeen
Ironbirds* of the MLB Draft League.
- #1 Wilson
banged out 141 RBI in 2003. ATL’s
Gary Sheffield had 132 that year.
- #2 On
in his penultimate MLB season, 2006, he helped STL defeat the Padres in
the NLDS, defeat the Mets, the team of his rookie season, in the NLCS then
beat the Tigers in the 2006 WS.
- #3 Preston’s
natural father, Richard Wilson, could not support him. Richard’s brother, a minor league baseball
player named Mookie Wilson married the 4-year-old boy’s mother, Rosa Gilbert, creating
an unusual, but loving relationship.
Mookie is both Preston’s uncle & his step-father. Mookie Wilson was an important part
of the Mets’ 1986 WS championship team.
FCR - Bill Deane, Cooperstown
*Not an actual bird
SATURDAY — 25-Jul-2026
Q. Who became only the second Red Sox player to
hit two home runs in the same inning since second baseman Bill Regan did
it in 1928?
Hint:
#1 One season his stats were so solid
that he would have been the Triple Crown winner in the season just eight years previous. As it was, he only led in runs, slugging and
total bases, good for third in his league’s MVP voting.
Hint:
#2 As a youngster, he was teased because
he hit cross-handed.
Hint: #3 Once he came to the majors, he was a teammate
of his childhood hero.
A. ELLIS
BURKS [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Burks
homered 2 X in an 8-run 4th-inning of the 12–4 pasting of Cleveland
on 27-Aug-1990, victimizing Tom
Candiotti & Colby
Ward. {Bill
Regan’s feat: 12-Jun-1928}
- #1 In 1996
…
Burks hit .344 Tony Gwyn hit .353 in 1988 Gwynn hit .313
Burks had 128
RBI A. Galarraga had 150 in 1988 Will Clark led with 109
Burks hit 40
HR Galarraga hit 47 in 1988 d. Strawberry led with 39
- #2 Burks
had corrected his grip by the time he got to high school.
- #3 Burks
teamed with his idol, Jim Rice, on the 1987, 1988 & 1989 Red
Sox. About Rice, he said, “I tried to
look exactly like that in high school, I had his number, 14. I adopted his
stance. My feet were pretty much placed
the same as his in high school, junior college, and the minor leagues.”
FCR - Bill Suphan, Scottsdale
Incorrect
guesses: Fred Lynn, Bobby Doerr, David
Ortiz, Ted Williams, Pete Runnells
SUNDAY — 26-Jul-2026
Q. Which high school teammate of Willie Stargell
once stole seventy-three bases in a major league season?
Hint:
#1 A former Seattle Pilot, he led that
team in games, plate appearances, at-bats, hits, stolen bases and bases on balls. He was also their first-ever player to come
to bat.
Hint:
#2 He was a teammate of, among others, Hall
of Famers Nolan Ryan, Frank Robinson, Billy Williams, Rollie Fingers
and Luis Aparicio.
A. TOMMY
HARPER [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Harper
& Stargell were classmates and teammates at Encinal HS, Alameda, CA. Additional well-known alumni of Encinal are Jimmy
Rollins & Jimmy Rollins. Harper
stole a career-high 73 stolen bases in 1969, 20 more than Lou
Brock stole the same season.
- #1 For
SEP, Harper had 148 G, 640 PA, 537 AB, 126 H, 73 SB & 95 BB. 1st SEP G: 08-Apr-1969.
- #2 The
“among others” Hall of Fame teammates were Tony Perez, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton
Fisk, Reggie Jackson & Jim Palmer
FCR - Norm Bolotin, Woodinville, Washington
Incorrect
guesses: Tommy Davis
THEME: First 30 HR/30 SB season for an expansion franchise
Team Season Player HR SB WAR
COL....... 1996........ Bichette...... 31...... 31.............. 5.7
CAL....... 1977........ Bonds......... 37...... 41............ 57.9
COL....... 1996........ Burks.......... 40...... 32............ 49.8
WSN..... 2001........ Guerrero..... 34...... 37............ 59.55
MIL........ 1970........ Harper......... 31...... 38............ 25.7
KCR...... 2024........ Witt.............. 32...... 31............ 26.9
FLA....... 2000........ Wilson......... 31...... 36.............. 6.4
Also
qualifying would be…
Team...... Season..... Player.................. HR......... SB
HOU....... 1997......... Jeff Bagwell............. 43....... 31
ARI......... 2025......... Corbin Carroll.......... 31....... 32
TOR........ 1998......... Shawn Green.......... 35....... 35
NYM....... 1987......... Howard Johnson..... 36....... 32
SEA........ 1998......... Alex Rodríguez........ 42....... 46
TEX......... 2005......... Alfonso Soriano....... 36....... 30
Incorrect
theme guesses:
Mon - Players
with sons that (sic) are all stars
Tues - All-star
players whose sons were also all-star players
-
All
Stars with unique monikers
-
Former
MLB players who have a son currently playing in MLB
Wed - All-Star
father and sons
-
Most
career home runs combined for a father-son
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