2003 SABR Trivia Contest – Team Competition
1. Who is the only batter to hit two homers in a game off both Steve Carlton and Nolan Ryan? Hint: He started his career with Houston in 1963, and ended it in 1977, with Milwaukee.
2. The Red Sox crushed the Browns in a 1950 contest, 29-4. The Red Sox totaled 28 hits, with eight of the nine starters picking up at least two hits apiece. The only Boston player with one hit on the day was their centerfielder. Name him. Hint: He had started that season with Washington, and had been traded to Boston for Tommy O’Brien and Merrill Combs.
3. The Denver Bears of the American Association enjoyed a fantastic season in 1980. Despite losing in the playoffs, the Bears were 92-44 during the regular season. Bears players won both the league batting title and home run championship. The batting champ moved up to Montreal in 1981, and the homer king went to San Diego in 1981. Name the pair.
4. The AL starting pitcher in the second 1962 All-Star game, which was played in Chicago and won by the Junior Circuit, compiled the fewest career victories (16) of any pitcher ever to start an All-Star game. Name him, and the team he represented.
5. For six straight seasons between 1967 and 1972, Wes Parker of the Dodgers was the Gold Glove first sacker in the NL. Who succeeded him in 1973? Hint: he was the only major leaguer born on the day that Babe Ruth died (8/16/48).
6. There are five pitchers who surrendered homers to both Bobby and Barry Bonds. The five pitchers can be found in this list:
Juan
Berenguer
Willie Hernandez
Matt Keough
Dennis
Martinez
Steve McCatty
Scott McGregor
Sid
Monge
Mike Morgan
Jesse Orosco
Jeff
Reardon
Rick Reuschel
Nolan Ryan
Tim
Stoddard
Bruce Sutter
Frank Tanana
The teams that each of the five came up with are listed below; name the five, along with the last team that each played with, through the 2002 season. (ten-point question)
First team; Pitcher ; Last team
a. Baltimore Orioles
b. California Angels
c. Chicago Cubs
d. New York Mets
e. Oakland A’s
7. Who was the last lefthanded pitcher to win the NL Gold Glove?
8. Who was the last lefthanded pitcher to win an All-Star game for the NL?
9. The top RBI producer in each league in 1953 was a righthanded batter. Al Rosen of Cleveland led the AL with 145 RBI, and Roy Campanella led the NL with 142. Who were the top lefthanded RBI producers in each league, 50 years ago?
10. Willie Stargell of the Pirates is the only batter to hit two home runs completely out of Dodger Stadium. He hit one in 1969, and the second in 1973. Name the two Dodger pitchers he victimized.
11. In 1973, knuckleballer Wilbur Wood started 48 games for the White Sox. Another Sox hurler started 42 games; the third-busiest started just 22. Name these two pitchers.
42 starts –
22 starts –
12. In the 1963 World Series, won by the Dodgers over the Yankees in four games, the teams produced a meager total of 47 base hits. The top Dodgers hitter had six hits, and the top Yankees batter had five. (They both hit .300 or better in he Series.) Name the two.
13. In the 1903 World Series between Boston and Pittsburgh, Cy Young and Bill Dinneen pitched all but two innings for Boston. Who pitched the other two?
14. In the same World Series, both teams produced a massive total of 25 triples in the eight games. Which Pittsburgh batter led both teams with four?
15. Of all ML batters who never hit ten or more homers in a season, who are the all-time career homer leaders for left-handed, right-handed, and switch hitters?
RH (Hint: came up with the Cubs in 1958, finished with the Phillies in 1976)
LH (Hint: started with the Cubs in 1887, finished with the Giants in 1903)
B (Hint: started with the Cardinals in 1976, ended with the Mets in 1991)
16. Two pitchers have played for four different California-based teams. Both are retired. Name them.
a. Dodgers, Giants, Athletics and Padres:
b. Giants, Athletics, Padres and Angels:
17. Over which team and in what year did Cy Young win his 500th game?
18. The American League won the first All-Star game in 1933, and maintained a lead in victories over the NL for years. The NL started turning things around in 1949. In what year did the NL finally overtake the AL in All-Star game victories?
19. The Denver Bears of the American Association eventually became the Denver Zephyrs. Zephyrs hitters claimed the league batting title in three of the team’s last five years. Name those batting champs.
1988 (Hint: hit .318; his major league career lasted just two games, during which he went 0 for 3)
1991: (Hint: hit 325; he played 12 major league games, going 0 for 9)
1992: (Hint: played for the Rockies in 1993, hitting .204 in 92 games)