Special Sub-Topic: Impossible Baseball Hodgepodge Click Here To Play: Impossible Baseball Hodgepodge

Who was the first pitcher to record 10 or more saves in a single season?

Three-Finger Brown. Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown was 21-11 with 13 saves for the 1911 Cubs.

When Babe Ruth hit 29 home runs in 1919, whose single-season home run record did he break?

Ned Williamson & Williamson. Williamson hit 27 home runs for the 1884 Chicago White Stockings.

In 1979, Phil Niekro went 21-20. This was the _______ time that a 20-game winner also managed to lose 20 games in the same season.

5th. The first occasion after 1903 was George Mullin who went 21-20 for the 1905 Tigers, then followed that up with a 20-20 campaign in 1907. Jim Scott went 20-20,for the 1913 Chicago White Sox, and Walter Johnson went 25-20 for the 1915 Washington Senators. The 5th occasion was Phil Niekro who was 21-20 for the 1979 Atlanta Braves.

Who set a record for the fewest pitches in a complete game in 1944, with 58 pitches?

Charley Barrett & Barrett. On Aug. 10, 1944, while pitching for the Boston Braves, Barrett needed just 58 pitches in a two-hit shutout of the Cincinnati Reds. He walked one and struck out one. The game lasted one hour, 15 minutes.

Who was the first pitcher to strike out 200 or more batters for nine straight seasons?

Tom Seaver. Seaver struck out 200 or more batters from 1968 to 1976.

Which player received the most votes in Major League Baseball's All-Century Team voting in 1999?

Lou Gehrig. Gehrig received 1,207,992 votes to lead all players. Ruth was second with 1,159,044. Aaron third with 1,156,782 and Bench fourth with 1,010,403.

Who was the first designated hitter to hit a home run in National League history?

Rickey Henderson & Henderson. Henderson hit a solo shot for the San Diego Padres on June 12th, 1997, in the Padres first interleague game against the Anaheim Angels. Anaheim won 8-4.

This player was the first 23 year-old to ever hit .400 in a season. He was the youngest to achieve this feat. Who is he?

Ted Williams. The Splendid Splinter turned 23 in the middle of the 1941 season, when he batted .406.

During the 20th century: who was the last pitcher to throw a shutout in his first major league start?

Mike Norris & Norris. Norris turned the trick on April 10th, 1975, by beating the White Sox, 9-0, in his debut.

Since 1901: in 1993 the Giants were the ____ team to win 100 or more games and NOT advance to postseason play?

5th. The 1909 Cubs were the first, when they finished 104-49, but the Pirates won 110 games that year. The 1942 Dodgers won 104 games behind St. Louis with 106 victories. In 1954, the Yankees won 103 games, but the Cleveland Indians were 111-43. The Dodgers were also victimized in 1962 (the 4th team since 1903), when winning 102 games was good for second place behind San Francisco with 103. The 1993 Giants were the 5th team, when won 103 games, but the Atlanta Braves were 104-58.

Two pitchers held the record for most career postseason losses at the close of the 20th century. One was Tom Glavine. Who was the other?

Greg Maddux. Both Glavine and Maddux have 13 career losses in the postseason, thanks to the extra round of playoffs introduced with the addition of the wild card. The next closest are Jerry Reuss and Whitey Ford, who each have eight.

Who was the first player to hit a grand slam in both ends of a doubleheader?

Robin Ventura. Ventura accomplished this on May 20th, 1999 while playing with the Mets. Ironically, Ventura hit two grand slams in the same game on September 4th, 1995.

Who was the first replacement player to be added to a major-league roster in 1995?

Ron Rightnowar & Rightnowar. The Milwaukee Brewers added Rightnowar to their roster on May 19th, 1995, and he made his debut the next day. He finished his short-lived career with a 2-1 record.

Who was the first pitcher to throw a shutout in both ends of a doubleheader?

Ed Reulbach. Reulbach did this for the Chicago Cubs on September 26th, 1908. By the close of the 20th century he remained the first and only player to achieve this feat.

Who was the first player to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game?

Wally Schang. Schang, a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, hit a home run from each side of the plate on September 8th, 1916.

Of the Triple Crown winners during the 20th century, how many have tied for the league lead in one of the three categories (batting average, home runs, RBIs)?

2. Joe Medwick hit 31 homers in 1937, tying him with the Giants' Mel Ott. But Ducky's .374 average and 154 RBIs far outpaced the rest of the league. And in 1967, Carl Yastrzemski tied Harmon Killebrew with 44 home runs, but Yaz paced the A.L. with a .326 average and 121 RBIs.

When Babe Ruth hit 29 homers in 1919, his total alone was more than the total of how many entire teams?

10. The White Sox (25), Indians (24), Tigers (23), Senators (24), Reds (20), Dodgers (25), Pirates (17), Cardinals (18), Braves (24) and Cubs (21) all fell well short of the Babe.

Before Pedro Martinez did it May 18th, 2002, who was the last American League pitcher to strike out the side on nine pitches?

Jeff Montgomery & Montgomery. On April 29th, 1990, Montgomery struck out the Rangers' Pete Incaviglia, Geno Petralli and Thad Bosley in succession.

Who was the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues?

Bob Watson. Watson hit the second cycle of his career on September 15th, 1979 for the Red Sox. He previously hit for the cycle with the Houston Astros.

Who was the last National League pitcher to win pitching's Triple Crown (leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts) in the 1980s or 1990s?

Dwight Gooden. In 1985, Dwight Gooden was 24-4, had a 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts.