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From: John Kasupski on 23 Jan 2010 05:13

Here's some baseball trivia to get you in the right frame of mind now that it's
less than a month before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

THE QUESTIONS

1. On June 3, 1932, Yankees second baseman Tony Lazzeri became the only player
in the history of the game to hit for a natural cycle in which the final hit was
a grand slam home run. Amazingly, this isn't the event many folks remember this
particular game for. What *do* they remember it for?

2. On September 7, 1993, Mark Whiten of the St. Louis Cardinals hit four home
runs in the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, driving in
12 runs. He also had an RBI in the opening game of that doubleheader, so his 13
RBIs that day tied the major league record for a doubleheader - which had
previously been set by who?

3. Name the only two active players (as of 2009) to hit four home runs in a
single game and did it in four consecutive at-bats.

4. Name the only two members of the 500 Home Run Club to have hit four home runs
in a single game.

5. In 1988, the same year Tom Browning tossed a perfect game against the
Dodgers, another Reds pitcher earlier in the season had a perfect game spoiled
by the 27th batter. Who was that pitcher?

6. Name the only two players in major league history to both hit for the cycle
and turn an unassisted triple play during their careers.

7. Name the only two players to hit for the cycle in both leagues.

8. You often hear about the 20-20 club (20 homers, 20 steals) and even the
20-20-20 club (20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 homers), but you seldom hear about the
20-20-20-20 club (20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 homers, 20 steals)...perhaps
because only four players in history have ever done it. Name 'em!

9. An equally exclusive "club" is the 40-40 club. Name the four players to hit
40 homers and stole 40 bases during a single season.

10. There's nobody in the 50-50 club of 50 homers and 50 steals yet, but there
is a 50-50 club of 50 doubles and 50 steals, which has two members (Tris
Speaker, Craig Biggio) and another 50-50 club of 50 homers and 50 doubles that
has only one member. It happened in 1995. The player only stole 5 bases, but he
became the first and only player in MLB history to hit 50 doubles and 50 dingers
in a single year. Who was that player?

Extra Credit - and I will warn you right up front that that this IS a trick
question: Which of the following four managers does not belong with the other
three? Sparky Anderson, Lou Piniella, Red Schoendienst, Dusty Baker.

THE ANSWERS

1. In the same game in which Lazzeri hit for the only natural cycle in major
league history, teammate Lou Gehrig hit four home runs.

2. Nate Colbert.

3. Mike Cameron and Carlos Delgado.

4. Willie Mays and Mike Schmidt.

5. Ron Robinson.

6. John Valentin and Troy Tulowitzki.

7. John Olerud and Bob Watson.

8. Frank Shulte (1911), Willie Mays (1957), Curtis Granderson (2007), and Jimmy
Rollins (2007).

9. Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998...and does
anybody else notice a pattern here?), and Alfonso Soriano (2006).

10. Albert Belle.

Extra Credit: When I run a trivia quiz, nobody gets shut out. No matter which of
the four you picked, you're right: All of the managers listed won at least one
World Series ring as a player, except Sparky (who is also the only one of the
three who has won a WS managing an AL team). All four managers have managed the
Reds at one time, except Schoendienst (who managed the Cardinals). All of the
managers listed have won a World Series as a manager, except Dusty (who is still
working on that). And all four of the men listed began their major league
playing careers with National League teams, except Sweet Lou (who broke into the
bigs with the Orioles). Still, if this is the only question you got right, you
better check for a pulse - I know of a couple 12-year olds who could've given
you Canseco/Bonds/Rodriguez/Soriano, and one of them is a girl!

JK

From: John Kasupski on 23 Jan 2010 05:23
On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:13:09 +0000, John Kasupski <w2pio(a)spamfilter.verizon.net>
wrote:

>1. In the same game in which Lazzeri hit for the only natural cycle in major
>league history, teammate Lou Gehrig hit four home runs.

Should of course read, "In the same game in which Lazzeri hit for the only
natural cycle in major league history where the final homer was a grand slam"

To clarify this - there have been 14 natural cycles in the major leagues. There
have been seven cycles in which the homer was a grand slam. Lazzeri is the only
player to accomplish both, hitting a natural cycle and ending it with a grand
salami...and it's often overlooked because he did it in the same game in which
Gehrig hit four home runs.

Guess I shouldn't do this stuff at 5:00 A.M. :-)

JK
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