POINT OF FACT
The questions in this quiz refer only to records since 1900.
? Casey Stengel shares a National League record with Willie McCovey of the Giants and Mack Jones, a young outfielder with the Braves. What is it?
•Each made four hits in his first game in the major leagues. Casey had four singles in his debut with the Dodgers in 1912; McCovey hit two triples and two singles in 1959; and Jones had a double and three singles when he broke in last year.
? Last season Roger Maris hit 30 home runs at home and 31 home runs on the road. Was either of these a record for home runs by one player a) at his home park? b) away from home?
•No. a) Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers hit 39 home runs at home (58 overall) in 1938. b) Babe Ruth hit 32 home runs on the road in 1927.
? Vada Pinson of the Cincinnati Reds had 208 hits in 1961 to lead the National League, and Norm Cash of the Tigers had 193 hits to lead the American League. Who was the last player to get at least 200 hits in the AL?
•Al Kaline of the Tigers had exactly 200 hits in 1955, the last time an American Leaguer reached that mark. Since then six National Leaguers have had 200 hits: Henry Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves (200 in 1956, 223 in 1959); Red Schoendienst, who split the season between the New York Giants and the Braves (200 in 1957); Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phils, now with the N.Y. Mets (215 in 1958); Willie Mays of the Giants (208 in 1958); Vada Pinson of the Reds (205 in 1959, 208 in 1961); Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates (201 in 1961).
? Has any player a) made three hits in one inning? b) scored three runs in one inning?
•In the seventh inning of a game between the Red Sox and the Tigers on June 18, 1953, Gene Stephens, a .210 hitter with the Sox (now with the Athletics), got two singles and a double. Sammy White, the Sox catcher (now with the Phillies), scored three times that inning. In all, 16 major league records were broken or tied as the Red Sox, who won the game 23-3, scored 17 runs on 14 hits in that one inning.
? Who were the last five players to get six hits in one game?
•Pete Runnels of the Red Sox in 1960 (five singles, one double), Dick Groat of the Pirates in 1960 (three doubles, three singles), Joe DeMaestri of the Athletics in 1955 (six singles), Jimmy Piersall of the Red Sox—now with the Senators—in 1953 (one double, five singles) and Connie Ryan of the Phils in 1953 (two doubles, four singles).
? Jake Wood of the Tigers led the majors last season with 14 triples. When was the last time a player in the AL and the NL hit 20 triples?
•Willie Mays had 20 triples in 1957. Dale Mitchell of the Indians hit 23 triples in 1949.
? Only 12 major league hitters have ever had 400 or more total bases in one season. Has any player had 400 total bases in more than one season?
•Lou Gehrig of the Yankees had 400 total bases five different times—447 in 1927, 419 in 1930, 410 in 1931, 409 in 1934 and 403 in 1936. Chuck Klein of the Phillies totaled 405 bases in 1929, 445 in 1930 and 420 in 1932. Three players have done it in two different seasons—Babe Ruth (457 in 1921, 417 in 1927), Jimmy Foxx of the Athletics (438 in 1932, 403 in 1933) and Rogers Hornsby of the Cardinals (450 in 1922, 410 in 1929). The last National League player to achieve 400 total bases was Henry Aaron (400 in 1959), and the last American Leaguer to do it was Joe DiMaggio (418 in 1937).
? What player led his league in home runs for the most consecutive seasons?
•Ralph Kiner of the Pirates led the National League seven straight seasons (1946-1952). Babe Ruth holds the record in the American League with six consecutive years (1926-31).
? Only four players have ever hit 20 or more doubles, triples and home runs in the same season. Who are they?
•Frank Schulte of the Cubs had 30 doubles, 21 triples and 21 homers in 1911; Jim Bottomley of the Cardinals had 42 doubles, 20 triples and 31 homers in 1928; Jeff Heath of the Indians had 32 doubles, 20 triples and 24 homers in 1941; and Willie Mays hit 26 doubles, 20 triples and 35 homers in 1957. Mays also stole 38 bases that year.
? What were the most runs ever scored in a game by one player?
•Six. Mel Ott of the Giants did it in 1934 and 1944, Johnny Pesky of the Red Sox in 1946 and Frank Torre of the Braves in 1957.
? Mickey Mantle led the majors in walks last season with 126. Has any player ever received 150 or more walks in one season?
•Babe Ruth had 170 walks in 1923; Ted Williams had 162 walks in 1947 and 1949, and 156 in 1946; and Eddie Yost of the Senators (now with the Angels) had 151 in 1956. No National Leaguer has ever received 150 walks. The NL record is 148, set by Eddie Stanky of the Dodgers in 1945.
? What player won the batting title in each league with the lowest percentage?
•Elmer Flick of the Indians led the American League in 1905 with a .306 average, George Stirnweiss of the Yankees in 1945 with .309 and Pete Runnels of the Red Sox in 1960 with .320. Larry Doyle of the Giants had the lowest winning average in the National League with .320 in 1915. Edd Roush of the Reds hit .321 in 1919, and Dick Groat of the Pirates hit .325 in 1960.
? Sixteen major league pitchers have had both the best won and lost record and the leading ERA in their league in the same season. Has any one of them topped his league in both departments in more than one season?
•Only Lefty Grove of the Athletics and Red Sox and Walter Johnson of the Senators. Grove did it four times—1929 (2.82 ERA, 20-6), 1930 (2.54 ERA, 28-5), 1931 (2.05 ERA, 31-4) and 1938 (3.07 ERA, 14-4). Johnson did it twice—1913 (1.09 ERA, 36-7(and 1924 (2.72 ERA, 23-7). The last American League pitcher to win both titles was Whitey Ford in 1956 (2.47 ERA, 19-6), and the last National Leaguer was Johnny Antonelli of the Giants in 1954 (2.29 ERA, 21-7).
? Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers had 269 strikeouts last season. This broke the National League record held by Christy Mathewson of the Giants (267 in 1903). Has any American League pitcher struck out more men than Koufax?
•Yes. Bobby Feller of the Indians (348 strikeouts in 1946), Walter Johnson of the Senators (303 in 1912, 313 in 1910), Ed Walsh of the White Sox (269 in 1908) and Rube Waddell of the Athletics (286 in 1905, 343 in 1904, 301 in 1903).
? What pitcher has hit the most home runs in one season?
•Wes Ferrell of the Indians hit nine homers in 1931. Don Newcombe (1955) and Don Drysdale (1958) of the Dodgers each hit seven.
? Warren Spahn of the Braves pitched the only no-hitter in the majors last season (1-0 win over the Giants). When was the last no-hitter in the American League?
•On September 20, 1958 Hoyt Wilhelm of the Baltimore Orioles no-hit the Yankees 1-0.
ILLUSTRATION