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STARTERS WITH SAVES
Q: Who was the first pitcher to have 15 starts and 15 saves in the same season?
-- Jennifer Silverman
A: The first player to accomplish this feat was Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. In 1999, he started 17 games, and made 32 relief appearances. He compiled a 6-11 record, along with 15 saves, and helped the Red Sox win the AL Wild Card.
Q: Who was the last Chicago Cub to hit 40 home runs in a season before Sammy Sosa?
-- Dpooj@aol.com
A: The last Cub to hit 40 home runs in a season before Sammy Sosa was Ryne Sandberg, who hit exactly 40 in 1990. He batted .306 that season, with 100 RBI, and 25 stolen bases, and finished fourth in the National League MVP voting.
Q: Who was the smallest player to ever play professional baseball?
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A: The smallest player to play in the major leagues was 3'7" Eddie Gaedel. He made his only appearance on April 18, 1951 as part of a promotional stunt by the St. Louis Browns. Wearing the number 1/8, Gaedel was put in to pinch-hit for Frank Saucier in the bottom of the first. The opposing pitcher, Bob Cain, was unable to throw a pitch into Gaedel's 1½-inch strike zone, and Gaedel walked on four pitches.
Gaedel was paid $100 dollars for his appearance. He was used in several other promotions over the years, but never played in another game.
Q: Which three relief pitchers made up the Nasty Boys?
-- Gerard Watt
A: The Nasty Boys were three relievers -- Rob Dibble (8-3, 11 saves), Norm Charlton (12-9, 2 saves), and Randy Myers (4-6, 31 saves) -- who pitched for the 1990 World Champion Cincinnati Reds. They earned their nickname for being one of the most reliable -- and feared -- bullpens in the league. After hitting a batter during the season, Charlton declared "I threw it at him. He'll be lucky if I don't take his head off next time I'm pitching."
The trio teamed up to help the Reds remain in first place from Opening Day until the last game of the season -- the first ever team to go wire-to-wire. In the playoffs, Myers earned the NLCS MVP by tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings and earning 3 saves, and combined with Dibble to toss 7 2/3 scoreless innings in the World Series against the Oakland Athletics.
The Pirates won the game, 4-3, and used an error in the bottom of the seventh to score the winning run. With the score tied at 3-3, and Pirates on first and second, Vic Davalillo pinch-hit for Jackie Hernandez. He hit a fly ball that was dropped by centerfielder Paul Blair, allowing the lead runner, Bob Robertson, to reach third. He scored on a single by the next batter, Jerry May. Dave Giusti shut down the Orioles the rest of the way, earning the save, and the Pirates went on to win the series in seven games.
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