2026-09-07 Hall of Famers who each threw a Perfect Game

MONDAY  — 07-Sep-2026

Q.  Who is the only pitcher with more than two hundred pitching wins in each of the National League and American League?

Hint: #1  His career record for complete games looks safe for now.

Hint: #2  He is the first skipper in the history of the Red Sox franchise to finish his managerial career with a win/loss record of exactly .500.

A.  CY YOUNG  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Young won 290 NL games for CLV, STL & BSN 1890-1900, 1911.  He won 221 games for BOS & CLE.

-  #1   He completed 749 of the 815 games he started.  Pud Galvin is in 2^nd place with 746.  The active career leader is Justin Verlander who has 26 & is not looking to extend that number.

-  #2  Young drove his young charges to a 3-win, 3-loss record, Young himself the winning pitcher in 2 of the 3 victories.  He was replaced in the dugout by George Huff (2-6), Bob Unglaub (9-20) then Deacon McGuire (45-61-6), all in 1907.  Bucky Harris went 76-76-1 in 1934.  Pete Runnels left managing BOS with a symmetrical 1966 record of 8-8.

FCR -  Bob Wells, Chantilly, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Jake Stahl

 

 

TUESDAY  — 08-Sep-2026

Q.  Who was the first repeat winner of the Cy Young Award?

Hint: #1  He set a record by winning twenty-seven decisions in his final year in the majors.

Hint: #2  Pictures show that the baseball was as low as the top of his left ankle when he reached back to throw.

A.  SANDY KOUFAX  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Koufax was the CYA recipient in 1965 after having won it in 1963.  He was also the 1966 winner of the award.  When the 1963 result was announced, Commissioner Ford Frick said, “I can understand why the vote was unanimous.”  Koufax was the 8^th winner of the award, but the first to win it unanimously.

-  #1  The traumatic arthritis in his left elbow compelled him to retire at the peak of his career.  He announced his retirement 6 weeks after his final World Series (1966) appearance at age 30.

-  #2  Click for a pic.

FCR -  Dan Schoenholz, Walnut Creek, California

Incorrect guesses:  Warren Spahn, Hal Newhouser, Bob Gibson, Don Newcombe

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 09-Sep-2026

Q.  When the two best pitchers in the Deadball Era faced each other in a game as starters, who was the winning pitcher?

Hint: #1  Back when he made his debut in the majors, he threw a one-hitter.  The sole safety was by another player who is now also a Hall of Famer.

Hint: #2  He holds the all-time lowest career WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) in MLB history.  Rangers’ pitcher Jacob deGrom is currently second on that list, but with little prospect of overtaking the top spot.

A.  ADDIE JOSS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Joss, pitching for CLE, held Ed Walsh & CHW to exactly no hits, facing only 27 batters, none of whom reached first.

-  #1  Joss’s 1^st MLB game on 26-Apr-1902 was prevented from being a no-hitter because of a single hit by the St. Louis Browns’ Jesse Burkett.

-  #2  Joss’s WHIP of 0.9678 over career 2,327 innings seems safe, notwithstanding some outstanding 21^st-century careers.

FCR -  Tom McLaughlin, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Smokey Joe Wood, Walter Johnson, Mordecai Brown, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Big Ed Walsh, Three Finger Brown

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  10-Sep-2026

Q.  Which former New York Yankee is the only left-handed relief pitcher to strike out fifteen or more batters in a nine-inning game?

Hint: #1  He is the first pitcher to give up a home run to a hitter using a pink bat.

Hint: #2  He put together the first pitching Triple Crown of the current century.

A.  RANDY JOHNSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In a D-Backs game that had begun on 17-Jul, Curt Schilling pitched 2 perfect innings.  However an electrical transformer exploded & caused the game to be suspended.  When play resumed the next day 18-Jul-2001, Johnson pitched innings 3-9 & gave up 1 BB, 1 hit & 0 runs to SDP.  He also K’ed 16.  His Yankee years were 2005 & 2006.

-  #1  Mark Kotsay homered off Johnson in the 1^st inning of the Mothers’ Day Game on 14-May-2006.  Kotsay used a pink bat as part of baseball’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day.  It prompted Oakland teammate Nick Swisher to remark, “If going yard off ‘Big Unit’ at Yankee Stadium with a pink bat doesn’t make you a stud, I don’t know what does.”

-  #2  At age 38 in 2002, pitching for ARI, Johnson not only led the majors with-

- a 10.7 WAR,

- 8 complete games,

- 260 innings pitched,

- 1,035 batters faced,

- a career-best ERA+ of 195,

- struck out 11.6 batters per 9 innings pitched  and

- won a unanimous Cy Young Award, …

…he also won the Triple Crown by leading the NL in Wins (24), ERA (2.32) & Strikeouts (334).

FCR -  Josh Murphy, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Incorrect guesses:  Dave Righetti, Mariano Rivera, Ron Guidry, Roger Clemens, Gerritt Cole

 

 

THURSDAY  — 10-Sep-2026

Q.  Which altitudinous righty once won a Cy Young Award with an overwhelming majority vote, yet had an ERA that season that didn’t even rank in the majors’ Top Ten?

Hint: #1  Seven years later, he won the Cy Young Award in the other league becoming the fifth pitcher to do so.  More recently two other pitchers have joined this elite group.

Hint #2  His uniform number (although not the same one) is retired by both the teams where he won a Cy Young Award.

Hint: #3  His son played for Penn State and was drafted by Toronto.

A.  ROY HALLADAY  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 2003, pitching for Toronto’s Blue Jays, Halladay posted a record of 22-7 with a more modest ERA of 3.25, scored a vote of 26 out of 28 possible first-place votes for the AL CYA.  Halladay stood 6'6".

-  #1  Playing his 1^st season for PHI in 2010, he won the NL CYA by unanimous first-place vote.  This time, he also received MVP votes as well.  Those who have won the CYA in both leagues are:

Gaylord Perry........ AL 1972, NL 1978;

Roger Clemens..... AL 1986, ‘87, ‘91, ‘97, ‘98, 2001, NL 2004;

Randy Johnson..... AL 1995, NL 1999, 2000, ‘01, ’02;

Pedro Martinez...... AL 1999, 2000, NL 1997;

Halladay................ AL 2003, NL 2010;

Max Scherzer........ AL 2013, NL 2016, ’17; &

Blake Snell............ AL 2018, NL 2023.

-  #2  Halladay’s #32 will never be worn by another Blue Jay.  His number in Philadelphia was 34 because the Phils had already retired #32 for Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.

-  #3  Braden Halladay was drafted in MLB round #32, coincidentally, his father’s uniform number w/TOR.  Watch here.

FCR -  Brad Clark, Madison, Wisconsin

Incorrect guesses:  Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, Gaylord Perry

 

 

FRIDAY  — 11-SEP-2026

Q.  Who is the only player to win 150+ games as a pitcher and collect 2,000+ hits as a batter?

Hint: #1  He did not play in the PGA Masters golf tournament just before his death at age 65.

Hint: #2  He once pitched complete games in seventy-three consecutive starts.

A.  JOHN MONTGOMERY WARD  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Ward ended with a pitching record of 164-103 and 2,107 hits as a batter.

-  #1  In early 1925, Ward traveled to Augusta, Georgia to play golf.  While there, he went on a hunting trip, caught a severe chill & collapsed with pneumonia.  His death in Augusta on 04-Mar-1925, is 1 day after his 65^th birthday.  His story frequently is often linked to the famous Masters tournament first played there beginning 9 years after his death.

-  #2  The streak began with his major league debut on 15-Jul-1878 until he was relieved in the 4^th inning of a game exactly 1 year later.

FCR -  Willis Kern, Ft. Myers

Incorrect guesses:  Dummy Hoy, Babe Ruth, Red Ruffing

 

 

SATURDAY  — 12-Sep-2026

Q.  Which one-time Dodger pitcher started the first All-Star Game he ever appeared in, threw three perfect innings and got the win?

Hint: #1  He didn’t make the All-Star team the next season, but after that, he was an All-Star eight times.  However, the year he led the league in WAR, strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings and strikeouts over walks, he wasn’t an All-Star.  Go figure.

Hint: #2  He is the only pitcher who surrendered an inside-the-park home run to Hank Aaron.

A.  JIM BUNNING  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Then a Detroit Tiger, Bunning was the starting pitcher for the AL in the 1957 ASG.  He got only outs from future Hall of Famers Henry Aaron, Stan Musial, Willie Mays & Frank Robinson.  He played for LAD in 1969.

-  #1  Bunning was an AL All-Star in 1959a, 1961a, 1961b, 1962a, 1962b & 1963.  He was an NL All-Star in 1964 & 1966.  He led in WAR 6.6, Ks 201, SO9 7.2 & SO/BB 3.14.  The best that he received for that season was a tie for 24^th in the AL MVP vote.

-  #2  On 10-May-1967 in Connie Mack Stadium, Aaron scored a 2-run homer in the 8^th off Bunning.  It was Bunning’s last inning of that game, but the Phils won with Bunning’s reliever, Turk Farrell getting the win.

FCR -  Mary Hums, Louisville

Incorrect guesses:  Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal, Rick Sutcliffe, Don Sutton

 

 

SUNDAY  — 13-Sep-2026

Q.  Whose owner dictated his nickname?

Hint: #1  He only played for two franchises but three of his managers became Hall of Famers.

Hint: #2  Coaches and teammates of his who are now Hall of Famers number more than ten.

Hint: #3  He surrendered a home run to a future Hall of Famer in that batter’s first at-bat as a designated hitter.

A.  CATFISH HUNTER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  See A’s owner Charley Finley in Hunter’s SABR Bio.

-  #1  Hunter played for the A’s in Kansas City (1965-1967) then stayed with them as they moved to Oakland (1968-1974).  He was granted free agency and signed with NYY & played for them (1975-1979).  He played under Luke Appling, Dick Williams & Bob Lemon.

-  #2  Coaches & teammates who are now HOF include:  Gabby Hartnett, Whitey Herzog, Satchel Paige, Rollie Fingers, Reggie Jackson, Orlando Cepeda, Rich Gossage , Jim Kaat, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford & Yogi Berra.

-  #3  Gave up a HR to Tony Oliva in Oakland on 06-Apr-1973.

FCR -  Brian Wood, Pacific Grove, California

Incorrect guesses:  John Blue Moon Odom

 

 

THEME:  Hall of Fame pitchers who each threw a perfect game.

 

 

Who                Date               Opponent         Career WAR

Halladay........ 29-May-2010......... FLA............... 64.2

 

Johnson........ 18-May-2004......... ATL............. 101.1

 

Young............ 05-May-1904......... PHA............. 163.6

 

Joss............... 02-Oct-1908........... CHW............. 45.4

 

Ward.............. 17-Jun-1880.......... BUF............... 62.3

 

Koufax........... 09-Sep-1965.......... CHC.............. 48.9

 

Hunter........... 08-May-1968......... MIN............... 40.9

 

Bunning......... 21-Jun-1964(1)....... NYM.............. 59.5

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Andrew Milner, Philadelphia (after Joss)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  HoF'ers who were better known by a nickname than their first name

 

Tues    -  Pitchers with a no-hitter and a perfect game. 

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