Nov 2-8, 2015 Players with double letters in their last names, A - I

02-Nov‑2015

MONDAY

Q.         What Hall of Famer stubbornly refused to change his cross-handed batting stance until he was a professional?

Hint:     He seldom clowned around, at least not for very long.

Hint:     Bud Selig sold him his first car.

Twint:    He is the only player to accumulate exactly 400 total bases in a single season.

Twint:    In the fourteen seasons where they both got MVP votes, he finished ahead of Willie Mays six times.

Twint:    But finished behind him eight times.

A.         HANK AARON

- He batted right-handed with his left hand on top http://lesterslegends.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sherry-magee.jpg

- Played with the Indianapolis Clowns

FCR -    David Karpinski, Roseville, MN

Incorrect answers:  Joe Torre, George Kell, Robin Yount, Eddie Mathews, Paul Molitor

TUESDAY

Q.         Who is the only pitcher to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award twice?

Hint:     In his sixteen seasons in the majors, he was the only one of his teammates ever to win the award.

Hint:     This in spite of the fact that nine of his teammates are now enshrined in Cooperstown.

Twint:    Only he has struck out five consecutive batters who were all eventually elected to the Hall of Fame.

A.         CARL HUBBELL

- NL MVP 1933, 36

- HOF teammates:  Freddie Lindstrom, Travis Jackson, Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Edd Roush, Gabby Hartnett, Dave Bancroft, Johnny Mize, Joe Medwick

- In the 1934 All-Star Game, Hubbell whiffed Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin, all now Hall of Famers.

FCR -    Larry Hayes, San Francisco, CA

Incorrect answers:  Sandy Koufax, Don Newcombe, Dale Murphy, Bob Gibson, Dizzy Dean, Hal Newhouser

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who won the Rookie of the Year Award without even establishing himself as a starter on his team?

Hint:     The four hits, including a still-unequaled two triples, in his debut game off one of his league’s most dominant pitchers, probably influenced the ROY voters.

Hint:     Only once in his first five seasons did he get 400 at-bats.

Hint:     Only Barry Bonds ever had more intentional bases-on-balls in a single season.

Twint:    He hit at least one grand slam in each of nine consecutive seasons.

A.         WILLIE McCOVEY

- Played on 52 of the 154-game season his rookie year.  The reason?  The previous year’s ROY, Orlando Cepeda occupied his spot, first base.

- Debut 30-Jul-1959, all 4 hits off Robin Roberts.

- 45 IBB in 1969 (Bonds topped that thrice.)

- At least one GS every year 1964-72, as record since tied by A-Rod 2005-13

FCR -    Geoffrey Dunham, Sebastapol, CA

Incorrect answers:  Steve Howe, Hoyt Wilhelm, Albert Pujols, Ted Sizemore, Bob Horner

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q.         Who was the only pitcher with 200 innings each season from 1990-2000?

Hint:     He led his league in innings pitched five times during that stretch.

Hint:     Eighteen times in his career did his effort top 200 innings.

Hint:     His rookie season was the only one with fewer than 100 innings pitched.

Twint:    He holds the career record for putouts by a pitcher.

Twint:    He also holds pitchers’ record for putouts in a single game.

A.         GREG MADDUX

- Led NL in IP 1991-95

- 31.0 IP in debut season of 1986

- 530 PO’s

- 7 PO’s 29-Apr-1990

FCR -    Mark Jones, Birmingham, AL

Incorrect answers:  Roy Halladay, Randy Johnson, Javy Vasquez, Mark Buehrle, Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine, Charles Nagy

THURSDAY

Q.         Who was the first 20^th century Philadelphia Phillie to win a batting title?

Hint:     He very likely would have won the Chalmers Award had it been introduced just a year earlier.

Hint:     When, after eleven seasons, he was traded to the Braves for Oscar Dugey, he trailed only the immortal Ed Delahanty in Phillies’ career games played, hits, doubles, triples, extra-base hits and W.A.R.

Hint:     A scribe in an opponent team’s city called him, “…one of the best all-around players the game has ever seen.”

Twint:    He had never played even one minor league game before becoming a regular in the majors.

Twint:    He once knocked out umpire after a disputed called 3^rd strike.

A.         SHERRY MAGEE

- He hit .331 in 1910, breaking a string of 4 straight years by Honus Wagner

- Chalmers Award won first by Frank Schulte (NL) and Ty Cobb (AL) in 1911

- Also led the NL that year in R, RBI, OBP, SLG, OPS and TB

- KO’ed ump Bill Finneran 10-Jul-1911

- Quote from a Cincinnati beat writer.

- Suited up the day after he signed his contract 27-Jun-1904.

FCR -    Larry Hayes, San Francisco, CA

Incorrect answers:  John Titus, Richie Ashburn, Chuck Klein, Nap Lajoie, George Sisler

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the most recent first baseman to steal 40 bases in a season?

Hint:     Three years before, he led the league in doubles.

Hint:     He hit .333 in postseason play, but it wasn’t enough to get his team to victory.

Hint:     He and Barry Bonds share an alma mater.

Twint:    He had his best seasons after moving to a new team.

Twint:    That same trade brought Bret Saberhagen to the Mets.

A.         GREGG JEFFERIES

- 46 SB 1993 w/STL

- 40 2b in 1990 w/NYM

- Postseason BA 1988 NLCS vs. LAD

- Junípero Serra High School, San Mateo, CA

- Traded 11-Dec-1991 w/Kevin Reynolds & Keith Miller for Bill Pecota and Saberhagen.

FCR -    Larry Hayes, San Francisco, CA

Incorrect answers:  Lance Berkman, Mark Grace, George Sisler, Derek Lee, Rod Carew, Jeff Bagwell, Jose Offerman 

IN MEMORIAM

Q.         Who was the first New York Yankee position player to be awarded a Gold Glove?

Hint:     He won it in his sophomore season; played ten more seasons in the majors and never won another.

Hint:     He was part of the trade that brought Roger Maris to the Yankees.

Hint:     Before securing a place in the majors for good, he was named Minor League Player of the Year by the Sporting News.

Twint:    Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Carl Yastrzemski, Brooks Robinson and Joe Adcock were all teammates of his.

A.         NORM SIEBERN

- GG 1958

- Traded 11-Dec-1959: by NYY w/ Hank Bauer, Don Larsen & Marv Throneberry to KCA for Joe DeMaestri, Kent Hadley and Roger Maris.

- MLPOY1957

FCR -    Michael Griffin, Southaven, MS

Incorrect answers:  Bob Cerv, Jerry Lumpe, Gil McDougald, Joe DeMaestri, Roy Sievers, Tom Tresh, Woody Held, Red Schoendienst, Hank Bauer

SATURDAY

Q.         Who set the record of twelve hits in twelve consecutive at-bats?  [Alas, we couldn’t find box-score corroboration of this feat, but did find many references that

Hint:     The record has been tied, but not broken.

Hint:     He managed the Red Sox for the most games without ever taking them to the post-season.

Hint:     He was fired as Red Sox general manager the same day Red Sox pitcher Dave Morehead threw a no-hitter.

Twint:    He hated his nickname, but he’d had it since childhood.

Twint:    He signed some autographs as Frank.

A.         PINKY HIGGINS

- 12 H in 12 AB set in June 1938

- Tied by Walt Dropo in 1952

- Mgr of BOS for 1,116 G 1955-62

- Morehead no-no 16-Sep-1965

FCR -    Bill Carle, Lee’s Summit, MO

Incorrect answers:  Walt Dropo, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Kling, Jim Bottomley, Billy Herman

WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Who would have substantially beaten Roger Clemens for the 1986 ERA title if he had only pitched five more innings?

Hint:     With the Angels, he set a major league record by not issuing a single walk in his first 30 appearances.

Hint:     One year he was one of six pitchers on his team to boast at least ten wins apiece.

Twint:    He won World Series rings in consecutive years.

Twint:    His son played minor league baseball.

A.         MARK EICHHORN

- 1.72 ERA in 157 IP; Clemenshad a .248 in 254 IP

- No-BB record in 1^st 30 G with CAL in 1991

- TOR in 1987 had 6 with 10+ W:  Jimmy Key (17); Jim Clancy (15)’; Dave Stieb (13); Jeff Musselman(12); John Cerutti (11); and Eichhorn(10)

- WS w/TOR 1992, 93

- Son Kevin

FCR -    Rich Klein, Plano, TX

Incorrect answers:  Mike Witt, Donnie Moore, Frank Tanana, Bert Blyleven, Kevin Brown, Mark Langford 

SUNDAY

Q.         Who, according to baseball-reference was the first ever free agent signed by the Cincinnati Reds?

Hint:     He is a member of the Iowa High School Hall of Fame in two sports, baseball and basketball.

Hint:     He is a member of the Buena Vista University Hall of Fame in two sports, baseball and basketball.

Hint:     In high school he also starred in track, but his scholarship to Drake University was for basketball.

Twint:    He was in the military from February to August of 1969, missing most of the season.

A.         LARRY BIITNER

- Redssigning 12-Jan-1981

FCR -    Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD

Incorrect answers:  Don Gullett, Greg Vaughn, Johnny Vander Meer

WEEKLY THEME – Noted players with (advancing pairs of) double letters in their names

Aaron

Hubbell

McCovey

Maddux

Magee

Jefferies

Higgins

Eichhorn

Biitner

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Terence Vent, Spokane, WA

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday   -  Member of the 1957 or 1958 Brave's World Series teams

               -  Living HOF MLB stars who started in Neg. Lgs

Tuesday   -  Giants with at least two MVPs

               -  NL MVP's who were defeated by the Yankees in the World Series

               -  Hall of Famers with just one career inside-the-park homerun

Wed        -  Hall of Famers with at least two very well-known nicknames

               -  American League Rookies of the Year

               -  First-ballot HOFers whose only WS loss came to the Yankees

               -  Led the league in ERA for at least 3 years in a row

Friday      -  Double letter double all-stars

Saturday  -  Highest career WAR by players who were at one time the youngest in the league

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