Quiz – Nifty fifty

47 Replies

My apologies for botching this quiz. I somehow left two names off the list below, which I’ve added now. The answer is that these are the only players since 1918 with careers including 50 or more games for each of the following:
– 3 or more walks
– 3 or more strikeouts
– 3 or more hits

Thanks for playing, and sorry again for messing this up.

Since 1918, these are the only players to appear on certain statistical lists at least 50 times. What are these these statistical lists?

Player
Mickey Mantle
Harmon Killebrew
Jim Thome
Mark McGwire
Jeff Bagwell
Jack Clark
Eddie Mathews
Adam Dunn

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/8/2012.

Hint: the third time is the charm

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William Tasker

12 years ago

Walked three times in a game.

deal

12 years ago

multiple Ka in one game??

Author

Doug

12 years ago

On the right track.

Dr. Doom

12 years ago

I’m thinkin’ it’s 3 Ks in a game.

Dr. Doom

12 years ago

Reply to Dr. Doom

The “Golden Sombrero,” as it were.

Jeffrey A Pelletier

12 years ago

Homered in three straight games

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Walks and strikeouts are part of the answer, but there’s something else as well.

sjhax56

12 years ago

The 3 True Outcomes – HR, K, BB?

Josh

12 years ago

Reply to sjhax56

I think this might be it…leading the league 3 times in the 3 true outcomes.

Hartvig

12 years ago

Reply to Josh

You’re forgetting the part about appearing 50 times..

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Not TTO. Walks, Ks and something else.

Josh

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Is it double plays grounded into?

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Josh

Not GIDPs

no statistician but

12 years ago

If it’s Ws and K’s and a third thing, which the “charm,” according to the hint, you would think it would have to do with HRs, since all on the list are big in all three. I can’t believe, though, that it’s simply that fifty times or more each one followed a walk and a strikeout with a homer. If that’s it I want my prize in pin-the-tail-on-the donkey pins.

Hartvig

12 years ago

Games with multiple home runs + 3 or more walks + 3 or more K’s?

Richard Chester

12 years ago

They all struck out 3 or more times in a game 50+ times and walked 3 or more times in a game 50+ times. I don’t know what the third thing is yet.

Richard Chester

12 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

If I have done my work correctly only two other players, Dunn and Matthews, have walked and struck out 3 times in a game 50+ times. So it could be something that the six guys on the chart did that Dunn and Matthews did not do.

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Yes, it would be that.

kds

12 years ago

Did each have 50+ games in which they walked 3+ times, 50+ games in which they K’d 3+ times and 50+ games in which they hit 2+ HR?

12 years ago

Reply to kds

Nope. Jack Clark wasn’t close to having 50+ multi homner games.

MikeD

12 years ago

Reply to kds

Perhaps it’s a variation. Perhaps in 50+ games they all walked twice and K’d twice in a game when they also hit a HR.

MikeD

12 years ago

Reply to MikeD

…or a variation on the variation. They all hit a HR in a game where there other offical PAs were either all strike outs or walks.

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to MikeD

Getting too complicated, MikeD.

MikeD

12 years ago

*their*

Spelling counts, even in wrong answers.

koma

12 years ago

the third thing cannot be HR, since Doug mentioned that its not TTO

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to koma

Indeed.

koma

12 years ago

hmm, if it was Eddie Matthews instead of Jack Clark on the list, then it would be Total Bases >= 7 in a game

Hartvig

12 years ago

I think the third times a charm is the key

50 games each 3 or more K’s
50 games each 3 or more BB’s
50 games each 3 or more RBI’s + 3 or more runs scored

Hartvig

12 years ago

Reply to Hartvig

Read that + as an and- meaning doing both in the same game

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Hartvig

Not it, but good thought.

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Are the first two correct? 50 games of 3+ Ks and 50 games of 3+ BB’s.

Editor

John Autin

12 years ago

This is not the answer, but I wanted to share that Jim Thome has 154 games with a HR, a walk and a whiff — 21 more than the next guy (McGwire) and 29 more than Ruth & Bonds. He’s not only the TTO king, but the TTO Trifecta king.

Doug

12 years ago

Ed, yes first two (BB and K) are correct.

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Well I’m stumped! I’ve checked hits, singles, extra base hits, runs and rbis and none of them seem to work.

Doug

12 years ago

JA, TTO equals Thome Trifecta Output. Analogous (for you hockey fans) to the Gordie Howe hat-trick (goal + assist + fight).

Josh

12 years ago

How about appearances as a pinch hitter?

Doug

12 years ago

Josh, not pinch-hitting.

Editor

John Autin

12 years ago

Dang! Thought I had it for a minute — 50 games played at first base. But then as I was checking the list of players with 50+ games of 3 walks, and eliminating every 1B who didn’t have 50+ games of 3 SO (Foxx, Yaz, Frank Thomas, etc.), I was foiled by the last 2 possible guys: Adam Dunn and Eddie Mathews.

Chad

12 years ago

3 or more k’s
3 or more bb’s
2 or more XBH’s?

Chad

12 years ago

*3 or more XBH’s?

Doug

12 years ago

Gee! I didn’t think this was that hard. I’ll double-check when I’m back at a computer – just in case I’m the one who screwed up.

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Yup, it was me. See my mea culpa above.

Sorry, everyone.

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

No worries Doug! I still enjoyed the quiz! I’m normally pretty bad at helping answer your trivia questions, but I always enjoy them and seeing people tease out the answer.

Editor

John Autin

12 years ago

Don’t feel bad, Doug. You’ll get ’em next time!

P.S. It’s weird that the 2 players who disproved my “50 games played at 1B” theory are the same ones who were missing from the list. But I guess there aren’t all that many who met the first two “50” criteria.

Richard Chester

12 years ago

Reply to John Autin

John: See my post #18.

Editor

John Autin

12 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Good point, Richard.

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Indeed, the 3rd list – 50 games with 3 hits was superfluous in that it didn’t knock off anyone who was already on the first two lists, as Richard identified.