Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

Inspired by george bernard's very interesting "Coffee and Trivia" question, I'm offering my own slice of mid-afternoon "Trivia and Pie in the Sky" (since I can't actually deliver on that pie.)

I'm actually offering two trivia questions. They might not necessarily be hard for seasoned fans, but I think they're kind of fun.

1. What player retired as a major leaguer having scored 33 more runs than his total of hits and walks?

2. What starting pitcher began the second game of his major league season with exactly the same number of total hits allowed as before he pitched on opening day? How did accomplish this feat and in what year?

Pie in the sky to the first right answer of either question. You pick the flavor of the pie.

1> Herb Washington?

ScumbyJr wrote:1> Herb Washington?

ScumbyJr is hot! He aced the "Coffee and Trivia" question and now he's nailed "Pie in the Sky's" question 1 on the first try.

To fill in a few details, Washington achieved exactly zero hits and zero walks in 105 games over two major league seasons. Yet he still managed to score 33 runs. He accomplished this feat because Charlie Finley, mercurial owner of the Oakland A's, hired this former world class sprinter to be his "designated runner. Herb never played an inning in the field or had a major league at bat.

Washington performed the role in 1974-75. The A's won the Series in '74 and made the playoffs in '75, so maybe the idea wasn't all bad. Still, he was released one month into the 1975 season. Maybe they needed his roster slot?

BTW, what flavor of pie to you want, ScumbyJr? I heard the Boston Cream Pie in the Sky is very good.

Outta Leftfield wrote:

ScumbyJr wrote:1> Herb Washington?

ScumbyJr is hot! He aced the "Coffee and Trivia" question and now he's nailed "Pie in the Sky's" question 1 on the first try.

To fill in a few details, Washington achieved exactly zero hits and zero walks in 105 games over two major league seasons. Yet he still managed to score 33 runs. He accomplished this feat because Charlie Finley, mercurial owner of the Oakland A's, hired this former world class sprinter to be his "designated runner. Herb never played an inning in the field or had a major league at bat.

Washington performed the role in 1974-75. The A's won the Series in '74 and made the playoffs in '75, so maybe the idea wasn't all bad. Still, he was released one month into the 1975 season. Maybe they needed his roster slot?

BTW, what flavor of pie to you want, ScumbyJr? I heard the Boston Cream Pie in the Sky is very good.

I remember Mike Marshall picking him off in the 1974 world series, Marshall also told the press before hand that he would do it. The man could pitch, but he was one of the most arrogant players I ever saw. In that same series, after some fans either ran on the field or threw junk on the field causing a delay, Marshall refused to take his warm up pitches and promptly served up a HR to Joe Rudi on the first pitch

Didn't Feller throw a no-no on opening day some time in the early 40s?

Here's a nice youtube of the pickoff play by Marshall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWb80Qz75bk

Treyomo wrote:Didn't Feller throw a no-no on opening day some time in the early 40s?

And yes, Feller pitched a no-hitter on opening day in 1940, so he began his second game of the 1940 season with exactly the same number of hits allowed as he had in game 1, that is, zero.

Good job, guys. It didn't take long for you to nail those two questions!

Good job, guys. It didn't take long for you to nail those two questions!

I think it was the thought of pie (in the sky or not, pie is pie) that urged them on.

Couldn't remember if Jack Morris' 1984 no-hitter was on opening day. It was his second start.

Here's one: August 24th will be the 31st Anniversary of Len Sakata, an infielder, being used as an emergency catcher by the Baltimore Orioles in the top of the 10th inning. He hit the game winning home run in the bottom of the tenth. What other significant event in baseball history took place in this game?