Category: Hornsby News

An “either-or” quiz crafted by Cy Morong, ghost runners, extra-inning games and biggest surprises thus far in the baseball season were among the topics at the June meeting on Saturday with 17 chapter members and guests on Zoom.

I shared with the group an interesting occurrence in a late-night game between the Angels and Diamondbacks. Manager Torey Lovullo lost track of the number of batters that his relief pitcher faced in the top of the 10th inning. But he wasn’t the only one! The umpires didn’t notice that he removed his pitcher after he had faced only two batters rather than the newly required three. But Angels manager Joe Maddon (of course, it would be Maddon!) ran out to point it out to the umpires, who notified Lovullo, forcing relief pitcher Ryan Buchter back to the mound. With his next pitch, Buchter plunked Kurt Suzuki. This may be the first time a pitcher has been removed prematurely under this rule only to return to face another batter. By the way, the Diamondbacks went on to lose that game.

The group also discussed the teams that are performing better than expected by us and conventional wisdom such as the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. Teams that have struggled thus far include the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees.

Jan Larson shared that he has plans to travel to Buffalo to watch the New York Yankees play the Toronto Blue Jays at their temporary home at Sahlen Field. That will be the 57th different stadium in which Jan has watched a Major League ballgame. Dixie Tourangeau, joining us from the Boston SABR Chapter, shared that he’s been to 55 different ballparks.

Meanwhile, Cy Morong put together a fun quiz, giving us choices about which player did certain things first. This way, he said, we’d have a 50-50 chance on each question. Out of 20 total points, Jim Baker took top prize with 15 points, followed by Jerry Miller with 14, Dixie Tourangeau with 13, Jan Larson with 12, Ryan Pollack with 11 and Linda Nichols with 10. Try your hand at the quiz below. The answers follow the questions.

This was the 175th consecutive month with a meeting, with all virtual meetings since April 2020.

However, after a long wait, we are making plans for in-person gatherings! On July 17, we are planning on a lunch gathering with outdoor or open-air seating. More details to come, but please mark your calendar and plan to join us.

Also, we are planning a chapter outing to the Dell Diamond for a BBQ dinner at the Salt Lick followed by a Round Rock Express game on Saturday, Aug. 7. A limited number of discounted tickets will be available for Hornsby Chapter members. More information from Jan Larson will be forthcoming.

Cy Morong’s Either-Or Quiz

1. Who hit 50 HRs first, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays?
2. Who was the first to have their second 50 HR season, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays?
3. Who won 30 games in a season first, Dizzy Dean or Lefty Grove?
4. Who won the triple crown first, Jimmie Foxx or Lou Gehrig?
5. Who had 300 strikeouts first, Sandy Koufax or Sam McDowell?
6. Who won a Cy Young Award first, Don Drysdale or Sandy Koufax?
7. Who hit 50 HRs first, Jimmie Foxx or Hack Wilson?
8. Who had 300 strikeouts first, Walter Johnson or Rube Waddell?
9. Who won the triple crown first, Chuck Klein or Joe Medwick?
10. Who was the first to bat .400, Rogers Hornsby or George Sisler?
11. Who won 30 games first, Grover Cleveland Alexander or Walter Johnson?
12. Who had a 30 HR/30SB season first, Hank Aaron or Willie Mays?
13. Who won an MVP award first, Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams?
14. Who hit their 500^th career HR first, Hank Aaron or Mickey Mantle?
15. Who was the first to win their 300^th game, Roger Clemens or Greg Maddux?
16. Who hit their 500^th career HR first, Jimmie Foxx or Mel Ott?
17. Who reached 3,000 strikeouts first, Steve Carlton or Nolan Ryan?
18. Who won their third Cy Young award first, Jim Palmer or Tom Seaver?
19. Who got their 3,000^th hit first, Wade Boggs or Tony Gwynn?
20. Who got their 3,000^th hit first, Lou Brock or Carl Yastrzemski?

Answers in bold

1. Who hit 50 HRs first, Mickey Mantle (1956) or Willie Mays (1955)?
2. Who was the first to have their second 50 HR season, Mickey Mantle (1961) or Willie Mays (1965)?
3. Who won 30 games in a season first, Dizzy Dean (1934) or Lefty Grove (1931)?
4. Who won the triple crown first, Jimmie Foxx (1933) or Lou Gehrig (1934)?
5. Who had 300 strikeouts first, Sandy Koufax (1963) or Sam McDowell (1965)?
6. Who won a Cy Young Award first, Don Drysdale (1962) or Sandy Koufax (1963)?
7. Who hit 50 HRs first, Jimmie Foxx (1932) or Hack Wilson (1930)?
8. Who had 300 strikeouts first, Walter Johnson (1910) or Rube Waddell (1903)?
9. Who won the triple crown first, Chuck Klein (1933) or Joe Medwick (1937)?
10. Who was the first to bat .400, Rogers Hornsby (1922) or George Sisler (1920)?
11. Who won 30 games first, Grover Cleveland Alexander (1915) or Walter Johnson (1912)?
12. Who had a 30 HR/30SB season first, Hank Aaron (1963) or Willie Mays (1956)?
13. Who won an MVP award first, Joe DiMaggio (1939) or Ted Williams (1946)?
14. Who hit their 500^th career HR first, Hank Aaron (1968) or Mickey Mantle? (1967)
15. Who was the first to win their 300^th game, Roger Clemens (2003) or Greg Maddux (2004)?
16. Who hit their 500^th career HR first, Jimmie Foxx (1940) or Mel Ott (1945)?
17. Who reached 3,000 strikeouts first, Steve Carlton (1981) or Nolan Ryan (1980)?
18. Who won their third Cy Young award first, Jim Palmer (1976) or Tom Seaver (1975)?
19. Who got their 3,000^th hit first, Wade Boggs (August 7, 1999) or Tony Gwynn (August 6, 1999)?
20. Who got their 3,000^th hit first, Lou Brock (August 13, 1999) or Carl Yastrzemski (September 12, 1999)?

Once again the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will conduct our monthly meeting via Zoom.  Don’t despair, however, as the chapter is planning for the resumption of in-person meetings in the near future.

If you plan to attend, please be sure to preregister for the meeting using the link below:

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jun 12, 2021 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrc-Cqqj0uHNTywdesUtIPM_X_WcNQ50ze

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Round Rock Express General Manager Tim Jackson recounted how key changes for the club after more than 600 days between professional ball games at Dell Diamond at our monthly meeting on Zoom on Saturday, May 22.

He also shared with 17 chapter members and guests that teams in Triple-A West will add larger 18-inch bases in the second half of the season as MLB experiments with the larger bases. Jackson said the shorter distance between the bases may encourage offenses to steal more bags and may enhance player safety.

After a month delay, the Express opened their season against the Oklahoma City Dodgers on May 6, the first of 60 home games.

Another big change for the Express is their affiliation. Before the pandemic, the Express were the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, but the restructuring imposed last year by MLB caused a significant reduction of minor league teams. As a result, the Astros partnered with the Sugar Land Skeeters for their Triple-A team beginning this year, while the Express reunited with the Texas Rangers as their parent club.

Jackson shared that some of his season ticket holders sought refunds after the affiliation change because they said they weren’t Rangers fans, but he pointed out that the Skeeters have 26 games at Dell Diamond this season, encouraging those fans to stick around to watch their team when it comes to town. Plus, Jackson said, he has an inventory of discounted Astros-branded merchandise that he hopes some fans will be interested in.

Meanwhile, he said the team is looking into creating some throwback uniforms connected to the Rangers, such as the team’s powder-blue unis.

Jackson also shared that MLB is soliciting input from minor league teams about the 2022 schedule, so he’s hoping they’ll know more about next season by mid- to late summer.

Many thanks to Tim for sharing part of his afternoon with us and giving us insight about the goings-on at Dell Diamond. The chapter hopes to have a group outing to the ballpark this summer.

Meanwhile, the winner of last month’s quiz, Jerry Miller, crafted a quiz with one simple question with 50 parts (!). The question: Name the last team that each given Hall of Fame player played for (not counting players who signed a one-day contract to retire with a team).

Quiz-taker extraordinaire Cy Morong took top billing with 20 points, followed by Jan Larson with 15 and Peter Myers with 14. Try your hand at the quiz below. The answers follow the questions.

Jan Larson shared that he visited TD Park in Dunedin, Florida (formerly the temporary home of the Toronto Blue Jays this season) for two games earlier this month between the Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. This is the 56th stadium that has hosted an MLB game that Jan has visited. He’s hoping to add up to four more locations to his list, including Sahlen Field in Buffalo (home of the Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays and host of the team’s home games beginning June 1), Globe Life Field (Texas Rangers), Truist Park (Atlanta Braves) and the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, hosting the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox in August.

Joe Gallagher also shared some anecdotes from his time as producer for MLB’s game of the week. One involved Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning, who initially refused to appear on a post-game interview with Ralph Kiner and was rather sharp with Joe. But a few minutes later, he relented and agreed to the interview. Later, Bunning apologized to Joe and his crew for his attitude and stubbornness.

Joe also recalled the time when he sought Sandy Koufax for a post-game interview and was surprised when Koufax said he couldn’t do the interview. The lefty explained that he had do the interview with the Dodgers sportscaster Jerry Doggett. While he was flummoxed, Joe said that Doggett recognized what was going on and told Koufax, “You go on with Kiner, first, then with me. I can wait.” Joe said it was one of the classiest things he’d ever seen and appreciated Doggett’s elegant move.

We don’t have our June meeting set yet, but we are considering an in-person lunch or outing to Dell Diamond. Once we make our plans, we’ll let chapter members know.

Hall of Fame “Last Team Played For” Quiz

By Jerry Miller

Identify the last team for which each of the following Hall of Famers played (Note: this refers to the last team with which a player physically played, and not where, for instance, the player signed a one-day contract to “retire” from that team).

1) Roberto Alomar

2) Luis Aparicio

3) Bert Blyleven

4) Jim Bunning

5) Steve Carlton

6) Gary Carter

7) Orlando Cepeda

8) Andre Dawson

9) Dizzy Dean

10) Dennis Eckersley

11) Nellie Fox

12) Jimmie Foxx

13) Tom Glavine

14) Goose Gossage

15) Hank Greenberg

16) Ken Griffey, Jr.

17) Rickey Henderson

18) Trevor Hoffman

19) Ferguson Jenkins

20) Randy Johnson

21) Harmon Killebrew

 

22) Greg Maddux

23) Juan Marichal

24) Pedro Martinez

 

25) Eddie Mathews

 

26) Willie McCovey

 

27) Joe Morgan

28) Jack Morris

29) Eddie Murray

30) Phil Niekro

31) Satchel Paige

32) Tony Perez

33) Gaylord Perry

34) Mike Piazza

35) Tim Raines

36) Robin Roberts

37) Ivan Rodriguez

38) Tom Seaver

39) Ted Simmons

40) Lee Smith

41) John Smoltz

42) Warren Spahn

43) Bruce Sutter

44) Don Sutton

45) Frank Thomas

46) Jim Thome

47) Larry Walker

48) Hoyt Wilhelm

49) Dave Winfield

50) Early Wynn

ANSWERS:

1) Chicago White Sox (Note: the original answer of Arizona Diamondbacks was incorrect. In 2004, AZ traded him back to the Sox, where he had played the year before. He then retired from the Sox. Credit to Cy Morong for catching the error).

2) Boston Red Sox

3) California Angels

4) Los Angeles Dodgers

5) Minnesota Twins

6) Los Angeles Dodgers

7) Kansas City Royals

8) Florida Marlins

9) St. Louis Browns (Note: Dean, who had been retired for seven years, was broadcasting for the Browns. He criticized their starting pitchers, who dared him to come out of the broadcast booth and pitch. He did, throwing four scoreless innings, before the Browns bullpen lost the game.)

10) St. Louis Cardinals

11) Houston Astros (Note: original answer was Houston Colt .45s. However, Fox played in 21 games as a player-coach in 1965, after the Colts had changed their name. Let’s just stick with Houston, National League).

12) Philadelphia Phillies

13) Atlanta Braves

14) Seattle Mariners

15) Pittsburgh Pirates

16) Seattle Mariners

17) Los Angeles Dodgers

18) Milwaukee Brewers

19) Chicago Cubs

20) San Francisco Giants

21) Kansas City Royals

22) Los Angeles Dodgers

23) Los Angeles Dodgers

24) Philadelphia Phillies

25) Detroit Tigers

26) Oakland Athletics

27) Oakland Athletics

28) Cleveland Indians

29) Los Angeles Dodgers

30) Toronto Blue Jays

31) Kansas City Athletics

32) Cincinnati Reds (Note: originally identified incorrectly as Philadelphia Phillies. Thanks to Cy for again keeping me honest).

33) Kansas City Royals

34) Oakland Athletics

35) Florida Marlins

36) Chicago Cubs

37) Washington Nationals

38) Boston Red Sox

39) Atlanta Braves

40) Montreal Expos

41) St. Louis Cardinals

42) San Francisco Giants

43) Atlanta Braves

44) Los Angeles Dodgers

45) Toronto Blue Jays

46) Baltimore Orioles

47) St. Louis Cardinals

48) Los Angeles Dodgers

49) Cleveland Indians

50) Cleveland Indians

After being unavoidably unable to participate in our April meeting, Round Rock Express General Manager, Tim Jackson, will be with us via Zoom for the May monthly meeting to be held on Saturday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m. CDT.  We will also be treated to a trivia quiz by Jerry Miller.

Registration information if you plan to participate:

When: May 22, 2021 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIucuCupjIrE9NZ2VAtj14fZiSKKVmJ9Ofb

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Fifteen chapter members and guests enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation about the start of the new baseball season, the dominant Dodgers and the teams that may challenge them, new experimental rules in the Atlantic League and the return of professional baseball to the Dell Diamond.

This meeting, held Saturday, April 17, on Zoom, marked one year since we shifted to online meetings.

The new rules – one that would remove the designated hitter when a starting pitcher gets pulled from the game, and another that would add a foot to the distance between the pitching rubber and home plate – drew mixed reactions from our group. Some liked the idea of encouraging a team to stick with a starting pitcher, while others worried that pitchers would be at risk with the additional foot.

We also talked about pace of play and ways to speed up the game.

But the biggest concern expressed during the meeting involved MLB’s newfound partnership with gambling establishments and how it might impact all facets of the game.

Still, despite MLB’s tinkering with the rules, the gambling shadow, the contraction of the minor leagues and Congress’ renewed interest in examining MLB’s antitrust exemption, we couldn’t help but notice that we still love the game of baseball, and maybe always will.

We also talked about the chapter’s plan to return to in-person meetings, perhaps as soon as this summer. In addition, many of us expressed anticipation of watching the Round Rock Express return to the Dell Diamond next month.

John “Jack” Sullivan of the Pee Wee Reese Chapter shared a fun quiz that he created for SABR Day with a theme involving particular members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jerry Miller took top prize with 21 points, followed closely by Cy Morong with 19. Jan Larson had 17, while Dick Adams and Ryan Pollack tied with 15.

You can take your swings at the quiz by downloading it with this link: SABR Day 2021. The answers follow the questions. Many thanks to Jack Sullivan for the fun quiz.

We were scheduled to have Tim Jackson, general manager of the Round Rock Express, join us yesterday, but a last-minute conflict prevented that. We’re hoping to get him back in the lineup for a future meeting.

Round Rock Express General Manager Tim Jackson returns for another Zoom session to discuss the whirlwind offseason that drastically changed the landscape of minor league baseball as well as the upcoming (delayed) season as the Express once again are affiliated with the Texas Rangers.

The meeting will be held online, as has been the case for the past year, via Zoom starting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 17.

If you are interested in attending, you may register in advance for the meeting at the following link:

https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYsdemvrj0tEtLtvxbCKI5tzHOVg31JNERx

 

Learning about baseball’s first drug controversy and prepping for the Hornsby Chapter’s Predictatron contest were the highlights in yesterday’s March meeting.

Seventeen chapter members and guests were treated to a presentation by SABR Halsey Hall Chapter member Dan Levitt (pictured above), who told us about Hal Newhouser’s use of Novocaine injections (relatively new at the time for ballplayers) to help pitch during the 1945 World Series in which he won two games, including a complete-game win in the clincher.

Levitt shared news articles that suggested a range of reactions when use of the drug was widely reported. Some headlines included the word “drug” and credited it with giving Newhouser an advantage, while other headlines focused on the medicinal use of the injection for recovery and prevention of injuries.

Newhouser himself said in sports articles of the day that he wouldn’t have been able to pitch with his sore shoulder without the injections. The controversy about the injections was short lived, according to Levitt.

Levitt also gave this presentation earlier this month at the 28th Annual NINE Spring Training Conference. Many thanks to Dan for visiting virtually with us to share his very interesting presentation.

In addition to Levitt’s presentation, we also discussed some of the experimental rules MLB is trying out in minor league baseball, such as adding larger bases, limiting pick-off throws to two per at-bat, using a “Robo-Ump” making balls and strikes calls, adding a 15-second pitch clock, and requiring all infielders to remain on the infield dirt prior to pitches. Monte Cely noted our discussion at the last in-person winter meeting in 2020 in which he presented information about the use of the Robo-Ump – strikes were more often called at the top and bottom of the zone while the edges were tighter.

Also, Michael Bass, winner of last month’s trivia quiz, helped us get ready for the upcoming season – and for Jim Baker’s Predictatron contest in which we try to guess the season standings and playoff winners – with a nifty quiz about offseason signings and trades.

Tad Myre, commissioner of the SABR Pee Wee Reese Chapter in Louisville, Kentucky, racked up 9 points to win our trivia quiz. I came in second with 7 points, Jan Larson with 6 and Dan Walsh with 4. Try your hand on the quiz at the end of this post (answers come after the questions). Tad Myre said he’ll provide a trivia quiz for our April monthly meeting.

This was the 171st consecutive month in which the chapter has met, with the last 12 meetings by Zoom.

Prepping for Predictatron

By Michael Bass

1. Aside from signing Jackie Bradley Jr., the Milwaukee Brewers also signed Kolten Wong, statistically the best second baseman in 2019. Who will Wong replace, statistically the worst defense second baseman of 2020?
2. The Los Angeles Angels are trying to improve their rotation with some mediocre or just plain “bad” arms. Perhaps the best is Jose Quintana. They have also added outfield Dexter Fowler. Of the $14.5 million he will be paid, within $250,000, how much will St. Louis have to pay?
3. The Chicago White Sox added a quality pitcher who was in the top six in Cy Young voting each of the last two years in the American League. He’s never had a losing record in nine years in the MLB. Who is he?
4. The Chicago Cubs added an effective starter who had his best year in 2020 statistically. He was with the San Diego Padres last year. Who is he? The Cubs also added a .230 lifetime hitter who has an OPS of .806 in his career (due to his 259 extra-base hits in 2,500 career at-bats). Who is he? Hint: He came from a far more difficult hitting park.
5. This solid left fielder went from a division rival to Cleveland. His OPS is always around .800. He would rank far higher if he drew some walks and wouldn’t try to steal (39 steals in 59 attempts). Who is he?
6. Outside of some bullpen additions, Houston has been quiet this off-season. Who did they recently sign to shore up their rotation now that Verlander is on the 60-day IL?
7. San Diego added three potentially very good/middle-to-front rotation guys. One, Yu Darvish, was from the Chicago Cubs, another from Tampa Bay and a third from Pittsburgh. Who were the latter two?
8. The New York Yankees added two starters. One is a former two-time Cy Young winner. The other is a promising fifth-year hurler from Pittsburgh. Who are they?
9. The Washington Nationals added a number of players: 1) A three-time All-Star reliever who pitched for Cleveland last year; 2) A five-time All-Star starter from the Cubs; 3) A former Cub who in his career has hit 121 home runs in 1,806 official at-bats; and 4) An ex-Pirate who had 77 extra-base hits in 2019 and has a career OPS greater than .800. Who are they?
10. Andrelton Simmons is with Minnesota now. According to Baseball Reference, he has 42.7 points of oWAR (offensive Wins Above Replacement) and dWAR (defensive Wins Above Replacement). Within two points, what is his dWar?
11. The Blue Jays have vastly improved themselves in the rotation, infield and outfield. One was second in Cy Young in 2019 with a 4.6 WAR. The infielder was third in MVP voting with 8.9 WAR. The outfield was seventh in MVP with 6.4 WAR. These players combined for nearly 20 total WAR in 2019. Who are they?

12.Within 50 points, what was St. Louis’ new third baseman Nolan Arenado’s 2019 OPS?

13. We know the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Trevor Bauer. What will he earn in his combined 2021 and 2022 seasons (within $2 million)?
14. Chris Archer is returning to the Tampa Bay Rays from Pittsburgh. Who did Tampa get when they originally traded him? Name two of the three players.
15. Kansas City added Andrew Benintendi, Mike Minor and one other player. This third player is the only major leaguer batter to have walked more than he struck out over the past five seasons. Who is he?
16. The Oakland Athletics got Elvis Andrus for Khris Davis, but they also got a reliever who didn’t allow an earned run for San Diego in the 10 innings he pitched with the Padres. He also has struck out 490 over 364 career innings. Who is Oakland’s new closer?
17. Seattle added a starter and reliever. In their last full season (2019), they were both excellent; one as a starter for the Yankees and the other as a Blue Jays reliever. Who are they?
18. Aside from the additions of Trevor May and Francisco Lindor, what three potentially frontline to mid-rotation starters will the Mets have who didn’t pitch for them in 2020?

Answers

1. Keston Hiura
2. $12,750,000
3. Lance Lynn
4. Zach Davies and Joc Pederson
5. Eddie Rosario
6. Jake Odorizzi
7. Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove
8. Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon
9. Brad Hand, Jon Lester, Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell
10. 26.6
11. Hyun-jin Ryu, Marcus Semien and George Springer
12. .738
13. $40 million and $45 million
14. Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Shane Baz
15. Carlos Santana
16. Trevor Rosenthal
17. James Paxton and Ken Giles
18. Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman

The March meeting of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter will feature Halsey Hall (Minneapolis) Chapter member Dan Levitt’s presentation on baseball’s first drug controversy.

This will, once again, be a remote Zoom meeting and will be held at 1:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, March 13.

Please register in advance at the link below if you wish to attend:

https://txstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqdOyopzksGd0f9Sba5kTH6dP4x9-aAzhL