RJ Hamster
Answers and Theme for the Week of May 25-31,…
Peter,
MONDAY — 25-May-2026
Q. Who was the last player, active in the majors, who had once been on the St. Louis Browns?
Hint: #1 In his first major league season he led the team in WAR.
Hint: #2 He was the first Baltimore Oriole to lead the majors in pitching losses.
A. DON LARSEN [SABR Bio]
– Ans. Larsen was signed by the St. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent before the 1947 season, but didn’t see action in the majors until 1953, due primarily to military service. His last team was the Cubs in 1967.
– #1 He posted a respectable 3.6 WAR (his career best for a season). His HOF mound mate, Satchel Paige, ended the season a 2.6.
– #2 His 21 losses in 1954 is the most in Orioles history./
FCR – Mat Kovach, Avon Lake, Ohio
TUESDAY — 26-May-2025
Q. Which Hall of Fame pitcher had the lowest Earned Run Average for any major league qualifying season between 1881 and 1913 inclusive?
Hint: #1 He had the National League’s first season with double-digits in saves (though not yet an official stat).
Hint: #2 “Miner” (not ‘minor’) was one of his nicknames.
A. MORDECAI BROWN [SABR Bio]
– Ans. Pitching for the pennant-winning Cubs in 1906, Brown’s ERA was 1.04. (Not a typo.)
– #1 No pitcher since NL’s founding in 1876 had more than 7 pitching saves in a season. Brown had 13 in 1911.
– #2 The world knows him better by his other nickname, “Three Finger”.
FCR – Richard Tourangeau, Boston
WEDNESDAY — 27-May-2025
Q. Which Hall of Fame pitcher had the lowest Earned Run Average for any major league qualifying season in the 1920s?
Hint: #1 He pitched four one-hitters one year.
Hint: #2 He managed the House of David team during the first-ever night game in Sportsman’s Park, an exhibition game with the St. Louis Cardinals.
A. PETE ALEXANDER [SABR Bio]
– Ans. Alexander posted an ERA of 1.91 in 1920. The only other pitcher in the with an ERA under 2.00 was the Reds Dolf Luque in 1922 with 1.93. [ Pete Forster of the Negro National Legue posted a 1.62 ERA in 1925.]
– #1 In 1915, he threw complete-game 1-hitters on 05-Jun, 26-Jun, 05-Jul & 29-Sep,
– #2 The game was an exhibition under portable lights on 22-Sep-1932. Attendance reportedly jumped to about 9,000, far beyond the Cardinals’ daytime crowd. Alexander was associated with the House of David club during that era as a player-manager/barnstorming attraction.
FCR – Jay Caldwell, St. Petersburg, Florida
IN MEMORIAM 28-May-2026
Q. Who was the only player to hit four home runs in a game in the 1980s?
Hint: #1 He was the number one overall selection in the MLB Draft.
Hint: #2 After a stellar college career, he bypassed the minor leagues entirely. His first professional game was in the majors.
Hint: #3 He homered off a Hall of Fame pitcher in his first game in the majors.
Hint: #4 He was voted National League Rookie of the Year, edging out Padres shortstop Ozzie Smith.
Hint: #5 He became an All-Star and thrice received MVP votes.
Hint: #6 He was instrumental in helping his team capture only their second-ever division title.
A. BOB HORNER [Wiki Bio]
– Ans. On 06-Jul-1986, at home in Atlanta against the Expos, Horner went deep 4 times, 3 off Andy McGaffigan &1 off Jeff Reardon. The most recent four-home-run game before his was Mike Schmidt’s in 1976. The next one following Horner’s belonged to Mark Whiten in 1993.
– #1 Horner was chosen #1 in 1st Round of the 1978 MLB June Amateur Draft.
– #2 He was the 1st winner of the Golden Spikes Award, among many other collegiate accolades. He debuted in the majors with ATL on 16-Jun-1978, a mere 8 days since his final game at Arizona State University in the NCAA College World Series.
– #3 In the 6th inning, off Bert Blyleven, Horner hit the first of his 218 career home runs.
– #4 ROY in 1978.
– #5 AS in 1982, receiving MVP votes in 1979, 1980 & 1983.
– #6 In 1982 Horner was an important part of getting the Braves into the postseason, winning only their NL West division championship since 1969.
FCR – Jim Cochran, Tuscaloosa
FRIDAY 29-May-2025
Q. Which Hall of Fame pitcher was a major league teammate of:
Bill Dickey,
Jimmie Foxx,
Hank Greenberg,
Mel Ott,
Jim Thorpe,
Van Mungo,
Arky Vaughan and
Hack Wilson?
Hint: #1 Red Barber called him, “the best of all former athletes who went to microphone, highly intelligent, industrious, great story teller.”
Hint: #2 He led the 1927 Yankees and the American league in pitching wins.
Hint: #3 The following season, he led the majors in saves.
A. WAITE HOYT [SABR Bio]
– Ans. He played with them on:
Dickey……… 1928 NYY
Foxx………… 1931 PHA
Greenberg… 1930 DET
Ott…………… 1932 NYG
Thorpe……… 1918 NYG
Van Mungo.. 1938 BRO
Vaughan…… 1933 PIT
Wilson……… 1932 BRO
– #1 Barber hired Hoyt to host the Dodgers’ post-game shows on WOR in New York in 1940. After two years, Hoyt moved to Cincinnati, where he spent twenty-four seasons broadcasting Reds games. He was a fan favorite during rain delays because he was such a polished raconteur.
– #2 Hoyt ’s record in 1927 was 22-7 for .759W-L%, which also led the AL.
– #3 Retroactively credited with 8 saves in 1928, Hoyt led the majors in that category. The save would not become an official statistic until 1969.
FCR – Kenneth Edwards, Ferrisburgh, Vermont
SATURDAY — 28-May-2025
Q. Who was the last pitcher in the twentieth century to earn a win after allowing eight runs in the first two innings of a game?
Hint: #1 In his eighteen-year Hall of Fame career, he managed to hit, in a career total of 1,197 plate appearances, only three triples in. He hit two of them in the same game!
Hint: #2 He is the only pitcher in the last one hundred one hundred and twenty years the Giants franchise who lost twenty games in a season.
A. RUBE MARQUARD [SABR Bio]
– Ans. On 14-May-1913, Marquard struggled through the 1st 2 innings, but stayed in, righted the ship & got the Giants the 14-11 win over the Cubs.
– #1 On 24Jul-1911, Marquard tripled in the 2ndoff Cincinnati starter Bobby Keefe, driving in two teammates. Keefe was replaced later that inning by Frank Smith. Marquard tripled off Smith to open the 9th & scored on a sac fly. In an unusual twist, however, Smith had tripled off Marquard in his first at-bat leading off the bottom of the 3rd, but didn’t score.
– #2 Marquard’s record in 1914 was 14-22.
FCR – John Murray, Taylors, South Carolina
WEEKEND BONUS — 30-May-2025
Q. Which pitcher was leading the National League in ERA when he departed for WWII?
Hint: #1 The year he returned from military service, he led the league in wins, innings pitched and ERA.
Hint: #2 As a coach for the Cardinals, he once offered to personally put up $5,000 in bonus money for the team to sign an amateur whom he saw a great future in.
Hint: #3 In 790 plate appearances over his fourteen major league seasons, he hit exactly two triples. You guessed it—he hit them in the same game!
A. HOWIE POLLET [SABR Bio]
– Ans. When Pollet left to register after his game on 10-Jul-1943, he sported a tidy 1.75 ERA.
– #1 In the return season of 1946, Pollet had 21W, 266.0 IP, an era of 2.10 & even an impressive ERA+ of 165. He made the All-Star team & finished 4th in MVP voting. Teammates Stan Musial & Enos Slaughter were 1st & 3rd in that MVP vote.
– #2 Cardinals scout Chase Riddle became aware of the lanky teenage Steve Carlton playing American Legion ball in Florida. Pitching coachPollet accompanied Riddle to evaluate Carlton. Pollet was impressed, but St. Louis was initially hesitant to offer the requested $5,000 signing bonus. When Pollet heard the Cardinals’ front office balk at the price, he offered to pay the money himself. The Cardinals ultimately matched the request & Carlton went on to a Hall of Fame career, striking out 4,136 batters and winning four Cy Young Awards.
– #3 He hit his 2 triples on 25-Jul-1947 in Sportsman’s Park off Boston Braves pitchers, Ed Wright & Red Barrett. Pollet hit as many triples that day as his catcher, Joe Garagiola, hit all that season.
FCR – Phil Koss, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
SUNDAY — 31-May-2025
Q. Who was the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Yankees the first season they went to the World Series?
Hint: #1 On the team, he was second only to Babe Ruth in WAR that season.
Hint: #2 Ty Cobb once threw his bat at him after a couple of pitches came too close to Cobb’s head.
– Ans. Mays pitched a 3-hit complete game in an 11-1 win over PHA. NYY lost 5 games to 3 to their neighbors, NYG ,in the 1921 WS.
– #1 Mays had a very respectable WAR of 7.5 in 1921, but Ruth was ruthian, posting a 12.8, the 2nd-highest of his career.
– #2 Bat-thrown game: 16-Sep-1915 in Boston’s Fenway Park, Mays pitching for BOS. Full story.
FCR – Andrew Hersh, Kingston, New York
THEME: Select Modern Era pitchers who hit 2 triples in a game. (There are others.)
Player Date Victim(s) Career triples WAR
Alexander…. 06-Jun-1917……. [off Seaton, Prendergast]……..13………………. 119.7
Brown………. 31-Jul-1910(1) …. [off Eddie Higgins]…………. 11…………………… 58.0
Hoyt………….. 08-Jun-1925……. off Vangilder, Danforth]……….11………………… 52.4
Larsen………. 08-Jun-1925……. off Stone, Pascual]…………….. 5………………… 18.4
Mays…………. 07-Aug-1926(1)…. [off Davis, Barnes.]……….. 21…………………… 51.3
Pollet………… 25-Jul-1947……… [off Wright, Barrett]……….. 2…………………….. 34.4
Marquard….. 24-Jul-1911……… [off F. Smith, B. Keefe]……. 3…………………….. 32.4
First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Philip Fickling, San Diego
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D. Bruce Brown
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