So, You Think You Know Baseball, hmmm?

In April of 1961 Roger Maris hit only one home run, but had 50 before September 1st. The only player to reach that mark before September until Sosa and McGwire did it in ‘98. Maris had no stolen bases that year.
Ted Williams won the AL batting titles when he was 39 and again at 40. The last At Bat of Ted’s career was a homerun on the last day of the 1960 season.

Did you know that the average baseball only lasts about 8 days?… and that it can only be used once in a Major League Baseball game?

The first “Babe” in baseball was Babe Adams who pitched from 1906 to 1926.

Until 1920, in the last of the ninth inning or in the bottom of an extra inning, home runs that drove in the winning run ahead of them were scored only as singles, doubles, or triples, according to how many bases the baserunner needed to advance to score the winning run. For example, if the batter hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning with a teammate on third base and the score tied, the batter was credited with only a single. Under current rules, the batter would be credited with a “walk-off” home run and the home team would win by two runs.

Joe DiMaggio is the only person to play on four World Championship teams in his first four years in the big leagues, the 1936-39 Yankees.

Mickey Lolich, who pitched for 16 years, hit his only home run in his first World Series game (1968).

Reggie Jackson had four consecutive home runs spanning Games Five and Six of the 1977 World Series.

Hank Bauer of the Yankees had hits in 17 consecutive World Series games spanning 1956 to 1958.

These are some of the players that went straight to the majors having never played in the minor leagues: Catfish Hunter, Al Kaline, Mel Ott, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, Ernie Banks, George Sisler, Dave Winfield, and Robin Yount.

Major League Rule 301c says before every game, umpires must rub down 6 dozen balls to get the slick shine off of them. And we’re not just talking ANY mud! It seems the “best” mud comes from New Jersey.

According to the sole supplier of this mud:

“In Major League Baseball, the club house attendents or umpires rub at least 5 dozen balls before each game. And the mud comes from a part of Burlington County, New Jersey. The exact location is still keep secret. I know this because I am the sole supplier of the Mud used for Major League Baseball. SOURCE: FAQ Farm

Cy Young Award facts: First reliever to win was Mike Marshall in 1974. The youngest player to win was Dwight Gooden in 1984.

Prior to the 1930 American League season, and prior to the 1931 National League season, fly balls that bounced over or through the outfield fence were home runs! All batted balls that cleared or went through the fence on the fly or that were hit more than 250 feet in the air and cleared or went through the fence after a bounce in fair territory were counted as home runs. After the rule change the batter was awarded second base and these were called “automatic doubles” (ground-rule doubles are ballpark-specific rules) and are covered by rule 6.09(d)-(h) in the MLB Rule Book.

Fred Thayer invented the first catcher’s mask in 1875.

With the exception of a couple of months at the start of the 1920 season, from 1906 to 1930 the foul lines were “infinitely long”: A fly ball over the fence had to land in fair territory (as determined by the infinitely long foul lines), or be fair when last seen by the umpire, in order to be a home run.. In other words, a fly ball that went over the fence in fair territory but “hooked” around the foul pole (if there was a foul pole) was ruled a foul ball. Old pictures of the New York Polo Grounds show ropes strung in line with the foul lines from each foul pole to the back of the stadium to assist the umpire in determining whether a “home run” was fair when last seen. The current rule, rule 6.09(d), says only that the ball must be fair when it goes over the fence.

The National League plays its first game ever on April 22, 1876, The Red Stockings (Boston Red Sox), 6, over the Athletics, 5.

Rookie of the Year award fact: Johnny Bench was the first catcher to get the award, 1968.

Pete Rose: Pete has now admitted to gambling, but will he be forgiven, and get into the Hall of Fame? Pete’s lifetime achievements are: 1st in number of games played, 1st in at bats, 1st in hits, 2nd in doubles, 6th in total bases, 4th in runs scored, 7th in fielding pct. among outfielders, etc.