Q. Who was the first player to hit a major league home run in the month of November?

Hint: #1 He never did win the Most Valuable Player Award for his league any year, but he did win the Most Valuable Player nod for both the All-Star Game and the World Series in the same season.

Hint: #2 He tied a former teammate when he achieved his biggest, roundest number.

A. DEREK JETER [SABR Bio]

– Ans. Jeter’s HR was a walk-off in the 10^th inning of G 4 of the 2001 WS, at12:01 A.M., 01_–Nov-2001 off ARI’s Byung-Hyun Kim. Since then, Jorge Soler, Bryce Harper & Jeremy Pena have homered in November but Jeter was the original.

– #1 Was the 2000 WS MVP & the 2000 ASG MVP earlier that same year, the only player to win both in the same season. He finished in the top 10 for AL MVP votes in seven straight seasons—12 total, but never won.

– #2 Both Wade Boggs and Jeter hit a home run for their 3,000 career hit. They were teammates on NYY 1995-1997.

FCR – Rob Miller, Perrysburg, Ohio

TUESDAY — 08-Apr-2025

Q. Who hit safely in one major league season more times than any other player in history?

Hint: #1 He played more than 2,500 games but never played in a World Series.

Hint: #2 He was the first rookie to lead the majors in All-Star voting.

A. ICHIRO SUZUKI [SABR Bio]

– Ans. In 2004, his 4^th season in the AL, Ichiro broke George Sisler’s eighty-two-year-old record when he racked up 262 H. Sisler had broken Ty Cobb’s record of 248 in 1911 & most people, Cobb the foremost among them, believed Sisler’s 257would never be surpassed.

– #1 From his rookie season 2001, to his final year, 2019, Suzuki participated in 2,623 MLB games & 19 in the postseason, but never got past ALCS competition.

– #2 In 2001, voters voted 3,373,035 X for him to be an AL All-Star.

FCR – Bill Marston, St. Charles, Missouri

WEDNESDAY — 09-Apr-2025

Q. When baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, held its inaugural election for enshrinement, who received the most votes?

Hint: #1 None of the stats in his triple crown year were career highs.

Hint: #2 In fourteen of his twenty-four playing seasons, his doubles outnumbered or equaled his strikeouts.

Hint: #3 A Hall of Famer of considerable baseball stature himself, once opined, “He was the greatest all time ball player.  That guy was superhuman, amazing.”

A. TY COBB [SABR Bio]

– Ans. Cobb received the most votes of any candidate—222—or 98.23% of the vote.  Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner received 215 votes apiece (95.13%). Christy Mathewson got 205 votes (90.70%) & Walter Johnson received 189 votes (83.62%)—still 20 more than the 169 necessary to reach the 75% mark needed for induction.

– #1 In Cobb’s TC year of 1909, he led not just the AL, but the majors in HR (9), RBI (107) & BA (.377). His career highs were 12 HR (1921, 1925), 127 RBI (1911) & BA of .419 (1911).

– #2 His doubles > strikeouts:

Year  2B    K  Delta

1911 47 42 5

1912 20 20 ~

1914 22 22 ~

1917 44 34 10

1919 36 22 14

1920 28 28 ~

1921 37 19 18

1922 42 24 18

1923 40 14 26

1924 38 18 20

1925 31 12 19

1926 18 2 16

1927 32 12 20

1928 27 16 11 [The awkwardness of this table is brought to you by Constant Contact.]

– #3 Quote is from one of Cobb’s contemporary players, Casey Stengel. Similar phrases have been uttered in public by many.

FCR – Terry Sloope, Cartersville, Georgia

MIDWEEK BONUS — 09-Apr-2025

Q. Which St. Louis Cardinal finished in the top 10 in both batting average and home runs in the same season an amazing seven times during his career?

Hint: #1  He is among those with 3,000 career hits who never struck out more than fifty times in any season.

Hint: #2 His number of career home runs hit in All-Star competition is unmatched.

A. STAN MUSIAL [SABR Bio]

Ans. He did it in Year 1911 1912 1914 1917 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928

– #1 Musial joined Hall of Famers Cap Anson, Nap Lajoie, Eddie Collins & Paul Waner in this special “club”. Tony Gwynn is the most recent member. (Note also that Ty Cobb & Tris Speaker each had only one season of more than 50 strikeouts.)

– #2 Hit 6 ASG HR.

FCR – Erik Lundegaard, Seattle

THURSDAY  — 10-Apr-2025

Q. Which Hall of Famer made his National League debut on the first day players were required to take their gloves with them when they left the field at the end of each half inning?

Hint: #1 In Rookie-of-the-Year voting, he finished behind a teammate who would go on to play professional basketball.

Hint: #2 He is in the five-hundred-home-run club yet never hit as many as fifty home runs in any individual season.

A. HANK AARON [SABR Bio]

– Ans. Debuted 13-Apr-1954. Gloves-on-the-field rule changed in the 1953 Winter Meetings.

– #1 Aaron finished 4^th in NL ROY voting in 1954. His teammate Gene Conley, finished 3^rd.

– #2 Has 755 career HR; Topped out at 47 in 1971.

FCR – Andy McCue, Riverside, California

FRIDAY — 11-Apr-2025

Q. Who is the only batter with 175 hits in a season sixteen times?

Hint: #1 Who is the only player to compile multiple twenty-game hit streaks for different teams?

Hint: #2 He was the last batter to face Denny McLain.

A. PETE ROSE [SABR Bio]

– Ans. Ty Cobb & Derek Jeter came close with 15 each, but only Rose did it 16 X.

– #1 Ross had 20-G hits streaks for CIN & PHI>

– #2 On 12-Sep-1972, McLain came in to the G in relief for ATL in the 9^thinning. Rose’s H was not the only one, but it was the last one. McLain was pulled immediately after.

FCR – Terry Gans, San Carlos California

SATURDAY — 12-Apr-2025

Q. Which Hall of Famer is the most recent fifty-year-old to get a hit in a regular-season major league game?

Hint: #1 He died at age 89 or maybe he was 92.

Hint: #2 He led the American League in being hit-by-pitch for ten of his first eleven full seasons there.

A. MINNIE MINOSO [SABR Bio]

– Ans. On 12-Sep-1976(1), playing for CHW, he singled off the CAL’s Sid Monge in the second inning of Chicago’s 2-1 win.

– #1 Minoso was either born in 1922 or 1925.  Baseball-Reference uses 1925, pegging it at age 89at the time of his passing.

– #2 Minoso led the AL in HBP from 1951—1954 & 1956—1961.

FCR – Daniel Andreu, Bristol, Connecticut

WEEKEND EXTRA — 12-Apr-2025

Q. Who was the first Chicago National League player to have more than 207 hits in a season?

Hint: #1 He was a Crusader for two years under a future Hall of Fame baseball coach.

Hint: #2 He is known as “The Grandest Angel of Them All”, but a former President of The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) calls him, “…the best center fielder.  Ever.  Period.”

A. ARNOLD “JIGGER” STATZ [SABR Bio]

– Ans. In 1923, he had 209 H.

– #1 Jesse Burkett was the Holy Cross coach while Statz played there.

– #2 The Corona Del Mar Historical Society calls Statz “The Grandest Angel”. The “best” assessment comes from the late Dick Beverage, respected researcher and historian of the PCL, in an obituary in the Los Angeles Times.

FCR – Roger Lipsett, Brookline, Massachusetts

SUNDAY  — 12-Apr-2025

Q. Who is the first player whose qualifying batting average led the majors while playing for the Texas Rangers franchise?

Hint: #1 When was named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game one year, he became the first of his countrymen ever to achieve that honor.

Hint: #2 He was the first Cleveland Indians player since Hall of Famer Earl Averill in 1929-34 to collect one hundred eighty hits in each of three consecutive seasons.

A. JULIO FRANCO [SABR Bio]

– Ans. Franco hit .341 in 1991 for TEX. Rangers Michael Young (.331 in 2005) & Josh Hamilton (.359 in 2010) have joined him.

– #1 Franco was MVP of the 1990 ASG at Wrigley Field. Dominicans Pedro Martinez (1999), Alfonso Soriano (2004), Miguel Tejada (2005), Melky Cabrera (2012) & Robinson Cano (2017) have since been the ASG MVP.

– #2 Franco had 188, 183 & 183 H in 1984-86. Averill did it for the first 6 seasons to start his career.

FCR – Eric Stone, Los Gatos, California

WEEK’S THEME: Baseball players with 4,000 professional hits

Theme and questions this week have been provided by frequent theme FCR Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan. Many thanks, Warren. Well done.

Batter   Total Hits            Breakdown              MLB WAR

Rose….. 4,769….. 4,256 MLB; 427 minors; 86 postseason….. 79.6

Ichiro…. 4,394….. 3,089 MLB; 1,278 NPL; 27 postseason…… 60.0

Cobb….. 4,379….. 4,189 MLB; 166 minors; 7 Cuba; 17 postseason……….. 151.4

Aaron…. 4, 245…. 3,771 MLB; 325 minors; 125 PtoRio/Negro; 25 posts…. 143.2

Jeter….. 4,219….. 3,465 MLB; 554 minors (incl re-habs); 200 postseason… 71.3

Statz….. 4,093….. 737 MLB; 3,356 minors…………………………… 5.1

Minoso.. 4,073….. 1,963 MLB; 1,144 minors; 150 Negro; 816 Cuban Lgs… 53.2

Franco.. 4,030….. 2,586 MLB; 980 minors; 296 Japan; 146 Korea; 22 post… 43.6

Musial… 4,023….. 3,630 MLB; 371 minors;150 Negro; 816 Cuban………….. 53.2

There are claims that Mexican star Hector Espino surpassed 4,000 hits in professional play in Mexico and winter leagues. Verifiable totals, however, are either apocryphal or simply absent.

First Correct Respondent identifying theme: Not even a serious attempt (Warren would’ve got it!)

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