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HALL OF FAME
Q: Who was the first Negro League pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame?
-- SweetBlackyT@aol.com
A: Satchel Paige was the first Negro League player elected to the Hall of Fame. In 1971, the National Baseball Hall of Fame created a Special Committee on the Nego Leagues to recognize African American players who played in the Negro Leagues and were unable to showcase their talents in the Major Leagues. This committee selected nine Negro League players, one at each position, to be elected into the Hall of Fame and represent the other black players whose achievements went unrecognized. The nine players were: Satchel Paige, pitcher Josh Gibson, catcher Buck Leonard, first baseman Martin Dihigo, second baseman Judy Johnson, third baseman Pop Lloyd, shortstop Cool Papa Bell , left field Oscar Charleston, center field Monte Irvin, right field
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

RETIRED NUMBERS
Q: Who was the first player to have his number retired?
-- Lacinda A. Alexander
A: Lou Gehrig became the first player to have his number retired when the New York Yankees retired his #4, on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day - July 4, 1939. The festivities of the day included, among other things, the reading of his famous "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech. He was voted into the Hall of Fame that December, and died two years later from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, now known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

FOUR LETTERS, FOUR BAGGERS
Q: How many players who have hit 40 home runs in a season have had exactly four letters in their last names?
-- GB86@aol.com
A: Nine players with four letters in their last name have hit 40 or more home runs in a season. They are (with year(s) they hit 40 home runs): American League George Bell - 1987 Norm Cash - 1961 Jimmie Foxx - 1932-1934, 1936, 1938 Jim Rice - 1978 Babe Ruth - 1920-21, 1923-24, 1926-32 National League Willie Mays - 1954-55, 1961-62 Johnny Mize - 1940, 1947-48 Wally Post - 1955 Sammy Sosa - 1996, 1998-2000
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

DODGERS INFIELD
Q: Who played shortstop in the Los Angeles Dodgers infield alongside Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, and Ron Cey?
-- Michael R. Brady
A: The shortstop for the Dodgers at the time was Bill Russell. Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey played together from 1974 through the 1981 World Series, and was the longest running infield in baseball history. The group was broken up following their 1981 World Series victory over the New York Yankees, as Davey Lopes was traded to the Oakland Athletics, and replaced at second by Steve Sax, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year award in his first year.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

NEW YORK CHAMPIONS
Q: How many World Series have been won by teams from New York?
-- gcpommom
A: New York teams have won 34 World Series between them. The New York Yankees have won 26, the New York Mets have won 2, the New York Giants won 5, and the Brooklyn Dodgers won 1.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

JOE FLASH GORDON
Q: What number did Joe Gordon wear for the New York Yankees?
-- Dean Massingill
A: Joe "Flash" Gordon wore #6 for the Yankees during his stay with them, from 1938 to 1946. He switched to number four after being traded to the Cleveland Indians, and spent the final four years of his playing career with them.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

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