Our mailbox is always full of esoteric questions from our readers. So every week, we pass along some of their most interesting queries to baseball historians who know the answers.
» Have a question? Ask the experts at BOLexperts@idealog.com! (Due to the volume of mail received, we cannot guarantee a response.)
» Are you an expert? Let us know by writing to BOLexperts@idealog.com.
TOUR OF JAPAN
Q: Can you tell me the lineup of major-league baseball players who were involved in the 1931 Tour of Japan?
-- Pete
A: According to the 1932 Spalding Official Baseball Guide (provided by Steve Gietschier), 14 major-league baseball players, managed by Herb Hunter and Fred Lieb, traveled to Honolulu and Japan after the 1931 World Series to play in exhibition games against local talent. The team consisted of:
In an exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers in 1942, Pirates catcher Al Lopez called for a changeup on a 3-2 count to Dick Wakefield. Sewell threw a high, arching lob to the plate, and when the pitch finally arrived, Wakefield swung and missed.
After the game, manager Frankie Frisch asked Sewell what he called the pitch, and Pirates outfielder Maurice Van Robays replied "that's an eephus pitch." When Sewell asked him what an eephus was, Van Robays said, "Eephus ain't nuthin'." From then on, Sewell called it the eephus pitch.
Sewell said he created the pitch after a war injury forced him to alter his wind-up. Unable to pivot on his right foot, he had to adopt an overhand delivery which led to the development of his new pitch.
Q: Which pitcher has hit the most career home runs? Was it Warren Spahn?
-- Andy Hannas
A: The record for most career home runs by a pitcher is held by Wes Ferrell, who hit 37 in 13 years as a pitcher in both the American and National Leagues. He also hit one homer as a pinch-hitter for the Boston Red Sox. He finished his career with a .280 average, 329 hits, 38 home runs, and 208 RBI.
Warren Spahn, who holds the National League record, is second on the all-time list with 35. In 22 seasons, he collected 363 hits and 189 RBI to go along with his 35 homers.
Q: Who was the first switch-hitter to get 100 hits from each side of the plate in a single season?
-- Jaime Shelton
A: The first switch-hitter to do this was Garry Templeton in 1979. In order to reach 100 from the right side, he spent the last nine games batting exclusively right-handed. He finally reached the plateau on September 28, 1979 by rapping three hits against the New York Mets. Templeton finished the season with 211 hits in 150 games.
Q: How many home runs did Nolan Ryan allow during his career?
-- Thomas L. Vanbuskirk
A: In his 27-year career, Nolan Ryan gave up 321 home runs. The most he gave up in any one season was 20, which he did in 1982 while pitching for the Houston Astros. Ryan is tied with Danny Darwin for twenty-third on the all-time list.
A: The New York Yankees won the 1947 World Series in seven games over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Led by Spec Shea, Tommy Henrich, Yogi Berra, and Joe DiMaggio, the Yankees won a thrilling series that featured the first World Series pinch-hit home run (Berra), a pitcher taking a no-hitter into the ninth and then losing the game (Bill Bevens), and a home run rob by Al Gionfriddo that sent the series to a Game Seven.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
