The players in this quiz share a single game accomplishment since 1961 that no other player has matched. What is this feat?
| Player | Notes |
|---|---|
| Jose Lopez | Ichiro was the only player to appear in this game and the Edgar Martinez game |
| Edgar Martinez | A player who appeared in the George Bell game had 5 RBI in this game |
| Juan Gonzalez | Gonzalez’s team had 15 hits and lost, despite 4 runs by the starting 3rd baseman in the Edgar Martinez game |
| Chad Kreuter | Krueter was one of 7 starters with a hit, a run and an RBI, roughing up the starting pitcher in the Don Mattingly game |
| George Bell | Toronto had a grand slam in this game. But, not by Bell. Two players on the losing side would later manage that team. |
| Candy Maldonado | Three Mets grounded into double plays in this game. One Met who didn’t go GIDP played in the Vince Coleman game. |
| Don Mattingly | This game was two days after the Coleman game. Yankees roughed up a rookie starter with a higher BB/9 than H/9. |
| Vince Coleman | A teammate had 3 steals and 3 runs, but Coleman still lost to a club with two former Yankee WS champions |
| Russ Nixon | The starting catcher opposing Nixon was a future manager of Nixon’s team |
| Ernie Banks | An All-Star infielder had 3 hits for the winners, a team that player would later manage |
- Hint #1: the players are listed in chronological order of the games in which this feat was achieved, starting with the most recent
- Hint #2: no players accomplished this feat in the twenty seasons from 1966 to 1985
- Hint #3: except as noted above, all these players were on the winning team
Congratulations to William J. He correctly identified that the quiz players each had 3 sacrifice flies in a game, the only players to do so since sacrifice flies were first counted officially in 1954. Those games and the clue explanations are after the jump. These are the games.
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SF | BOP | Pos Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Lopez | 2008-04-15 | SEA | KCR | W 11-6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2B |
| 2 | Edgar Martinez | 2002-08-03 | SEA | CLE | W 12-4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | DH |
| 3 | Juan Gonzalez | 1999-07-03 | TEX | SEA | L 12-13 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | RF |
| 4 | Chad Kreuter | 1994-07-30 | DET | OAK | W 14-2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | C |
| 5 | George Bell | 1990-08-14 | TOR | CHW | W 12-4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | DH |
| 6 | Candy Maldonado | 1987-08-29 | SFG | NYM | W 9-1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | RF |
| 7 | Don Mattingly | 1986-05-03 | NYY | TEX | W 9-4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1B |
| 8 | Vince Coleman | 1986-05-01 | STL | SDP | L 3-4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | LF |
| 9 | Russ Nixon | 1965-08-31 (2) | BOS | WSA | W 8-5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | C |
| 10 | Ernie Banks | 1961-06-02 | CHC | CIN | W 7-6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | LF |
And, the clue explanations.
Ichiro was the only player to appear in the Jose Lopez game and the Edgar Martinez game.
- Thus, the Martinez game was not earlier than 2001
A player who appeared in the George Bell game had 5 RBI in the Edgar Martinez game
- John Olerud
Gonzalez’s team had 15 hits and lost, despite 4 runs by the starting 3rd baseman in the Edgar Martinez game
- Mark McLemore
Krueter was one of 7 starters with a hit, a run and an RBI, roughing up the starting pitcher in the Don Mattingly game
- Bobby Witt
Toronto had a grand slam in this game. But, not by Bell. Two players on the losing side would later manage that team.
- Glenallen Hill had the slam. Robin Venture and Ozzie Guillen would later manage the White Sox.
Three Mets grounded into double plays in this game. One Met who didn’t go GIDP played in the Vince Coleman game.
- Tim Teufel, Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter went GIDP. Kevin McReynolds didn’t
This game was two days after the Coleman game. Yankees roughed up a rookie starter with a higher BB/9 than H/9.
- Second game in 3 days, after more than 20 years without such a game.
- Bobby Witt debuted in 1986 with 8.2 BB/9 and 7.4 H/9. The gap was even wider the next year, with 8.8 and 7.2, two of only 10 such pitcher seasons (min. 140 IP) since 1901.
A teammate had 3 steals and 3 runs, but Coleman still lost to a club with two former Yankee WS champions
- Ozzie Smith had the steals and runs. Graig Nettles and Goose Gossage were the former Yankee WS champions.
- Don’t know if there are any other games of 3+ runs where one player scored all the runs and another player had all the RBI.
The starting catcher opposing Nixon was a future manager of Nixon’s team
- Don Zimmer caught the game for the Senators and later managed Nixon’s Red Sox
An All-Star infielder had 3 hits for the winners, a team that player would later manage
- Don Zimmer was the 1961 NL all-star 2nd baseman playing for the Cubs, a team he later managed
