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K KINGS
Q: Which pitchers were the last teammates to finish 1-2 in their league in strikeouts?
-- Bobby Lawlor
A: The last pair of teammates to accomplish this feat was Nolan Ryan and Bobby Witt, who did it for the Texas Rangers in 1990. Ryan led the league with 232 strikeouts, and Witt finished second with 221. The duo combined to win 30 games that season, but the Rangers finished third in the AL West.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

ROGER MARIS
Q: On what date did Roger Maris hit his first home run during the season when he broke Babe Ruth's record?
-- Bob Tillen
A: Maris hit his first home run on April 26, 1961, off of Detroit Tigers' starter Paul Foytack, in the New York Yankees' 11th game of the season. In comparison, during the year Ruth hit 60, he hit his first homer on April 15, 1927, in his team's fourth game. In 1998, Mark McGwire hit his first on March 31, 1998 -- the St. Louis Cardinals' first game of the season.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

SWITCH-HITTERS
Q: Who are the top ten switch-hitters in terms of career home runs?
-- Anonymous
A: Through the 2000 season, the top ten career switch-hitters were: 1) Mickey Mantle - 536 2) Eddie Murray - 504 3) Chili Davis - 350 4) Reggie Smith - 314 5) Bobby Bonilla - 282 6) Ted Simmons - 248 7) Ken Singleton - 246 8) Mickey Tettleton - 254 9) Ruben Sierra - 240 10) Howard Johnson - 228
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

BATTING GLOVES
Q: Who was the first player to wear batting gloves?
-- Lee Cote
A: Batting gloves were first worn by Bobby Thomson during spring training of the 1949 season. He used golf gloves in an attempt to get a better grip on the bat, and cut down on the tension. However, because he never wore them during the regular season, he is not given credit as being the first player to wear batting gloves. That distinction goes to Ken Harrelson of the Kansas City Athletics, who first wore them during the 1964 season. That year, his average dropped 36 points to .194, but rebounded the next year to .238. He finished his career with a .239 average.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

RYAN'S RECORD
Q: Whose record did Nolan Ryan break when he struck out the 3,509th batter of his career?
-- Karen Blackburn
A: On April 27, 1983, Ryan struck out the Montreal Expos' Brad Mills for the 3,509th K of his career to move past Walter Johnson into sole possession of first place on the strikeout list. However, later that season, Steve Carlton challenged Ryan and eventually passed him on June 7, 1983, when he recorded his 3,526th strikeout -- one more than Ryan. The two went back and forth for the rest of the season, but Ryan eventually passed Carlton for good during the 1984 season.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

YANKEE RETIREES
Q: How many uniform numbers have been retired by the New York Yankees?
-- pescort1999@aol.com
A: The Yankees have retired 14 numbers to honor 15 players. They are: 1 - Billy Martin 3 - Babe Ruth 4 - Lou Gehrig 5 - Joe DiMaggio 7 - Mickey Mantle 8 - Yogi Berra 8 - Bill Dickey 9 - Roger Maris 10 - Phil Rizzuto 15 - Thurman Munson 16 - Whitey Ford 23 - Don Mattingly 32 - Elston Howard 37 - Casey Stengel 44 - Reggie Jackson As part of a tribute to Jackie Robinson, the Yankees, along with all other teams, also retired #42 in 1997.
Back to top	-- Christos Plakas

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