Hint: #1 He received a congratulatory wire from Hall of Fame Dodger Zach Wheat, the text of which was shown on the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium.

Hint: #2 In high school, he ran a 9.5-second 100-meter dash, set a city record in the long jump of 25′ 5″ & once scored 36 points in a varsity basketball game.

Friday’s question answered:

Q. Who was the last twentieth century position player to go more than seven years in-between major league hits?

Hint: #1 His childhood was filled with stories about the great Negro League players because his father had played with them.

Hint: #2 He is an accomplished drummer and has jammed with the rock band Rush.

A. WARREN CROMARTIE  [SABR Bio]

– Ans. Cromartie had a H for MON on 24-Sep-1983. Then the seasons 1984-1990, he played professional baseball in Japan. Returning stateside for the 1991 season, he got a double for KCR on 20-Apr-1991, seven years & 208 days between MLB hits.

– #1 “He (Cromartie’s father Leroy) used to tell me about Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige,” said Cromartie.  “We were good friends with Buck O’Neil.”

– #2 A blueprint for the fictional “Warren Cromartie Secondary School” appears on the back cover of Rush’s 1982 release, Signals. Cromartie is thanked in the album’s liner notes.

FCR – Steve Riach, Southlake, Texas