Trivia/History thread

[Scraps 13,570]

I’ll take a stab….
The Cardinals.

Thats who i originally was gonna say but they lost 100 in like 1907 and 1908 or some shit

[Dnaguy 12,044]

Just now, Scraps said:

2 minutes ago, Dnaguy said:

I’ll take a stab….
The Cardinals.

Thats who i originally was gonna say but they lost 100 in like 1907 and 1908 or some shit

Damn. 

[Scraps 13,570]

I guess i will throw out Toronto before I check them lol

Fail....first 3 seasons they lost 100

[YGIFS 19,452]

Toronto has had some rough seasons during their relatively short existence.  Before they almost knocked off the Royals in the ALCS in '85, they were dead last or second to last every season of their existence.  So I'm quite certain they lost 100 games, probably multiple times. 

I am as guilty as anyone on this thread of not phrasing questions correctly but I'd like to think it's not some trick where we're talking about a team that relocated or got a new name or got rebooted after the original franchise left the city.  But if you think about the 16 teams era that have been in the MLB for 130 years, there's no way all of them didn't drop 100 games along the way.  The sheer odds of it.  And if it's not some trick where it's like the Seattle Pilots/Mariners or some shit.  And we know the Rockies are out, and I know the D-Backs are out.  It's gotta be some 60s/70s expansion team then because they haven't played nearly as many seasons.    

So it's gotta be Twins, Padres, or Angels.  Which I know violates the etiquette of a single answer.  

[Beau Vine 54,379]

I'd guess the Angels, because:

1.  Relatively short history

2.  I can never remember them being terrible -- usually disappointing, never terrible

[Helobious 9,464]

Are you guys this stupid? What’s the only pro sports franchise that embodies excellence, class, and success year in and year out, even in “down” years? 
 

*The Highlander years do not count. Different team name, stadium, and it was over 110 years ago. So not the same franchise.

[Scraps 13,570]

Angels look to have lost 95 a couple times as their high

[Helobious 9,464]

So there’s 2 correct answers then, Angels & Yankees

[Beau Vine 54,379]

41 minutes ago, Helobious said:

*The Highlander years do not count. Different team name, stadium, and it was over 110 years ago. So not the same franchise.

[YGIFS 19,452]

Wait so what's the fucking answer then, the Angles?  Or some bullshit Yankee loophole?  Goddamn Costanza cooking the books again?  

[Helobious 9,464]

4 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Wait so what's the fucking answer then, the Angles?  Or some bullshit Yankee loophole?  Goddamn Costanza cooking the books again?  

It’s both. The Yankees have never had a 100 loss season in their 111 year history. The Highlanders had 2 but that was before becoming the Yankees franchise.

[Beau Vine 54,379]

26 minutes ago, Helobious said:

It’s both. The Yankees have never had a 100 loss season in their 111 year history. The Highlanders had 2 but that was before becoming the Yankees franchise.

Did Cleveland become a different franchise when they changed from the Indians to the Guardians?

Edited February 27 by Beau Vine

[Helobious 9,464]

Hmm. So I took it for granted that a “team” and a “franchise” was 2 different things. I thought it was the same team just under a different franchise once a name is changed or location is moved. Turns out they’re one and the same.

 

[YGIFS 19,452]

All certified mail is registered.  But not all registered mail is necessarily certified.  Newman was a Yankees fan.  

[WBT 20,653]

Correct, it is the Angels.  Could be in jeopardy this year.

The Astros made it until the Lose Now era before losing 100 three years in a row.

 

[WBT 20,653]

Last 100 loss season:

• COL 2023
• CWS 2023
• KC 2023
• OAK 2023
• CIN 2022
• PIT 2022
• WAS 2022
• ARI 2021
• BAL 2021
• TEX 2021
• DET 2019
• MIA 2019
• MIN 2016
• HOU 2013
• CHC 2012
• SEA 2010
• TB 2006
• MIL 2002
• NYM 1993
• SD 1993
• CLE 1991 (Indians)
• ATL 1988
• SF 1985 (only)
• TOR 1979
• BOS 1965
• PHI 1961
• NYY 1912 (New York Highlanders)
• LAD 1908 (Brooklyn Superbas)
• STL 1908
• LAA never

[Dutchrudder 11,150]

Try the inverse of that:  Of the current 30 MLB teams, how many of them have NOT had a 100 win season in their history?  

 

Answer in spoiler:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

The seven franchises are the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, and the Colorado Rockies.

 

 

 

Edited February 28 by Dutchrudder

[dcar00 14,342]

who is the only player in history to win 20 games and bat .400+ in a season?

[Scraps 13,570]

who is the only player in history to win 20 games and bat .400+ in a season?

Is this some interleague bullshit where it was an AL guy who had like 1 interleague start?

[dcar00 14,342]

7 minutes ago, Scraps said:

22 hours ago, dcar00 said:

who is the only player in history to win 20 games and bat .400+ in a season?

Is this some interleague bullshit where it was an AL guy who had like 1 interleague start?

nope played for one team whole season.  to help.  pre 1950 and he was a starter.

Also, post 1900 so not some 1887 dude or something like that.  

Edited March 3 by dcar00

[Beau Vine 54,379]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

nope played for one team whole season.  to help.  pre 1950 and he was a starter.

Also, post 1900 so not some 1887 dude or something like that.  

So it wasn't Tungsten Arm O'Doyle?

[dcar00 14,342]

17 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

So it wasn't Tungsten Arm O'Doyle?

nor William "Calliope Bill" Schomberg

[Helobious 9,464]

Bullshit stat. There’s no MLB pitcher ever that is officially credited with a .400 batting average for a season. So it was someone that did it in a handful of at bats.

Edited March 3 by Helobious

[YGIFS 19,452]

Well yeah, no pitcher in any era was gonna have qualifying at bats no matter how often he played.  350 PA's or whatever the fuck the number was back then.  

But yeah, to win 20 games...figure he started ~40 games or so as was the norm in the pre-war era.  The trick is how did he hit .400 given that much time on the mound?  That had to be enough to go for at least 100-150 at-bats.  To hit .400 given that charge is something else.  This one's gonna be another bitch.  Not gonna look it up but I gotta think on it. 

[WBT 20,653]

Walter Johnson?  I seem to remember that he was a good hitter.

I thought the obvious might have been Babe Ruth but he never hit .400 before or after giving up hitting.

[YGIFS 19,452]

Yeah, my first guess would be when Ruth was still a duel-threat, but he never hit .400 IIRC.  It's gotta be Walter Johnson.  

I know it wasn't exactly a  lively era for the ball, but think about this with regard to Walter Johnson.  Threw almost 6000 innings.  Gave up less than 100 HR's.  Absolutely insane.  

[Scraps 13,570]

Looks like he did it in 1925

[dcar00 14,342]

3 hours ago, Scraps said:

Looks like he did it in 1925

yes Walter Johnson.  hit .433   42 for 97.  

[dcar00 14,342]

12 hours ago, Helobious said:

Bullshit stat. There’s no MLB pitcher ever that is officially credited with a .400 batting average for a season. So it was someone that did it in a handful of at bats.

of course a pitcher would never qualify for batting title.   what are you talking about?  It is still incredible for a starting pitcher to hit .400. and it wasn't a "handful of AB's".

[YGIFS 19,452]

He’s a Yankees fan, he doesn’t understand the game.  Nor the rules.  Not really much of anything actually.  

I’ll toss out an easy one to start your workweek.  Who has played for the most franchises in a career?   

[Scraps 13,570]

Not sure this is correct but I know Edwin Jackson has played for about half the MLB teams 

[Dutchrudder 11,150]

Octavio Dotel?  If nothing else he's a top 3 Immaculate Grid random guess option. 

[dcar00 14,342]

Kenny Lofton?

[Beau Vine 54,379]

How the fuck did I not know about this?

[WBT 20,653]

I vaguely remember knowing they were related but the stepson AND nephew thing is confusing me. 

Mookie moved in on his brother's girl?

 

[Beau Vine 54,379]

 

[shadow_operative2.0 16,019]

[Beau Vine 54,379]

Quote

According to the Society for American Baseball Research, from June 5, 1982, to September 14, 1987, Cal Ripken Jr. played 8,264 consecutive innings, which is believed to be a record, although not one that is officially kept by MLB.

Who replaced him to break the streak?

Answer in here:

Spoiler

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR198709140.shtml

 

[Beau Vine 54,379]

[Beau Vine 54,379]

The 1916 Giants set a still standing major league record with 26 consecutive wins.  They also won 17 in a row that season.  They finished 4th:

 

[Beau Vine 54,379]

[YGIFS 19,452]

As much as I loved his music as a young person, turns out Paul Simon is a complete fucking asshole IRL.  

Joe seemed cool though.  That Post story kinda reminds me of when my friend Kramer ran into DiMaggio at Dinky's Donuts years ago in the Upper West Side.  

Two interesting bits of trivia about Joe.  He played 13 MLB seasons.  Was away for military service for 3 other years.  Many other players have made 13 all-star games, but played many more seasons than Joe.  Played in the AS game every season he was in the Show.  And from 1936-42 (seven games), played every single inning of the AS game.  For all his post-season HR's, and all his Yankees' trips to the playoffs, Joe never hit one out in October in Yankee Stadium.  For as memorable as he remains today in baseball lore, it took Joe until his 3rd ballot (even with allowances for three full missed seasons serving in the Armed Forces), to make the Baseball HoF.  most fans would assume he was a first ballot guy...not the case.  Much as I despise the Yankees, here's to you Joltin' Joe...

[Beau Vine 54,379]

Greatest DiMaggio story ever:

 

[YGIFS 19,452]

I'm not crying, you're crying asshole!  

longcatcsb////  Thanks for posting that.  I remember having a discussion with my uncle at my dad's funeral about hereditary diseases and then went off on some baseball tangent as the man in our family are wont to do.  And we waxed nostalgic about all these baseball stories over the years.  Players we'd met, games Dad & I went to, their high school varsity days, the way the game is cruel but shines a light on life at the same time.  This is an incredible story that tops all of that, and his wife just got over breast cancer and still vulnerable to another round (though she hates the Yankees).  I'm gonna send this to them.  Kicker is Dr. King was born about 10 miles from where they now live.  And the extra kicker is she cut her teeth, scientifically speaking, working on pesticide research for Ralph Nader.  Which is to this day a running joke between my uncle and I because my father's name (Ralph N-closetonader) sounds incredibly similar to his, so much so that during the peak Nader years in the 70's and 80's, people would call our house (from the telephone book in those days) to either ask for his help or tell him to stand down on some issue.  

Later that year, I took my now wife to a game at Fenway and invited my uncle (he couldn't make it) because I had always wanted to see a game there with my father even during the years we weren't speaking.  So I made some nominal donation to the Jimmy Fund where they put your loved one's name on the CF jumbotron.  And they tell me it goes in alphabetical order so "N's" will be about 5th or 6th inning.  So we're settling into our seats and I'm telling my wife about the green monster, and how the Sox and Yankees actually dabbled with the idea of trading Ted Williams and DiMaggio because the other would hit better in the other ballpark and both would benefit in any game other than against one another.  And we're looking at the screen right before first pitch and it's having a glitch like in "Field of Dreams", maybe one of the last movies I ever saw with my father before we kinda shifted apart.  And it's rolling through the Jimmy Fund names and right before gametime, it stops on his  "N" name for no reason at all as I'm telling her these stories and it's the only thing up there for about 90 seconds.   I snapped a picture of it before I went into shock and then it rotated through as it was supposed to later on in the middle of the Sixth.  There's a short story I penned about it in a Red Sox fandom book that they truncated but still included.  The overall book was reviewed, deemed worthy of being placed in the library in Cooperstown, and Catalogued by a man I would meet about 15 years later.  He left working at the Hall of Fame and became our daughter's school district's Superintendent.  

I used to collect baseball cards like some people collect watches or artwork.  Like Dr. Mary-Claire King, I now collect coincidences.  Far more rewarding.  

[Beau Vine 54,379]

 

[Guadaloopy 11,012]

7 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

 

I don't hate the universal DH like I thought I would, but it's sad that we will never see moments like that again.

[Ignatius 4,017]

6 minutes ago, Guadaloopy said:

I don't hate the universal DH like I thought I would, but it's sad that we will never see moments like that again.

Or Rick Camp sending a game into the 19th inning…

[Beau Vine 54,379]

From a JoePos column:

Quote

You want a weird chart? I’ll show you a weird chart—here are the fewest outs recorded for every strikeout level above 8:

• Josh Hader (April 30, 2018) — 8 strikeouts, 8 outs recorded.

• Roy Halladay (April 3, 2013) — 9 strikeouts, 10 outs recorded

• Tyler Alexander (August 2, 2020) — 10 strikeouts, 11 outs recorded

• Dylan Cease (August 12, 2022) and Carlos Rodón (July 25, 2017) — 11 strikeouts, 12 outs recorded

• Andrew Cashner (June 1, 2015) — 12 strikeouts, 14 outs recorded

• Alex Cobb (May 10, 2013) — 13 strikeouts, 14 outs recorded

• Max Scherzer (May 30, 2010) — 14 strikeouts, 17 outs recorded

• Max Scherzer (May 6, 2018) — 15 strikeouts, 19 outs recorded

• Randy Johnson (September 27, 2001) — 16 strikeouts, 20 outs recorded

• Chris Sale (May 14, 2019) — 17 strikeouts, 21 outs recorded

• Randy Johnson (September 27, 1992) — 18 strikeouts, 24 outs recorded

All the rest were complete games.

 

[WBT 20,653]

On 5/7/2024 at 4:59 PM, Guadaloopy said:

I don't hate the universal DH like I thought I would, but it's sad that we will never see moments like that again.

 

On 5/7/2024 at 5:06 PM, Ignatius said:

Or Rick Camp sending a game into the 19th inning…

I do hate it and the biggest reason is that it takes away the chance to see weird, unexpected stuff like those.

[WBT 20,653]

Rickey Henderson has the modern single-season stolen base record with 130 in 1972.  He was also caught stealing 42 times that season.  >1 attempt per game.