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MAYBE BUYING A HOUSE ISN'T THE BEST IDEA
Q: Who holds the record for most teams played for?
-- Tim Heilman
A: The record for most clubs played for is 12, held by Deacon McGuire and Mike Morgan. By playing an impressive 26 seasons in the bigs, McGuire actually managed to squeeze a nine-year stint with the Senators and a four-year stint with New York into his storied catching career. In his final four seasons, however, he appeared in a total of only 11 games while playing for four different clubs. The franchises he played for over his career were:
Originally drafted fourth overall, journeyman pitcher Mike Morgan has parlayed his 23-year+ career into an unsightly 185 losses, to go along with only 139 wins. The teams he has played for are:
Q: Which batter holds the record for fewest strikeouts in a single season?
-- Mike Prieto
A: Actually, several billion people, including my 80-year-old grandmother, share the record for fewest strikeouts with zero. But among those with at least 150 games played in a major league season, Cleveland Indians shortstop Joe Sewell holds the record for fewest strikeouts with a mere four. Even more amazing is that he accomplished this feat twice, in 1925 and 1929. A .312 career hitter, Sewell struck out only 114 times in his 14-year career, also a record. In comparison, Bobby Bonds never had fewer than 120 Ks in any one full season. Even Joe DiMaggio, well known for his ability to make contact, had only one full season in which he struck out fewer times than Sewell’s career high of 20. Sewell actually had two additional years of only three Ks, but he played in only 109 and 125 games, and so did not qualify. Impressive, but that’s still three more than my grandma.
Q: What is the record for most runs scored by one team in a single inning?
-- Doggysit
A: On August 30, 1953, the Boston Red Sox pounded the Detroit Tigers for 17 runs in the seventh inning en route to a 23-3 shellacking. The normally light-hitting Sox sent 23 men to the plate using 14 hits, 6 walks, and, surprisingly, no errors. Every run was earned. This offensive explosion was engineered without the greatest run producer on the team (and one of the greatest in history), Ted Williams, who spent the majority of that season as a Korean War pilot. Outfielder Gene Stephens, ironically Williams’ replacement in left, had three hits in the inning, setting another record which still stands.
Q: What team holds the record for the longest consecutive winning streak?
-- JJucius2001
A: The 1916 New York Giants hold the record with 26 straight victories. Despite this feat they finished an unimpressive 86-66, good for only fourth place. They built on the streak the following season, when manager John McGraw led them to the World Series against the Chicago White Sox.
STRIKE ZONE TO THE SENATORS: "HONEY, WHY ARE YOU AVOIDING ME?"
Q: I seem to remember a game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators in which the Senators walked 11 consecutive Yankees. Am I right? People tell me, “no team could possibly be that bad!”
-- John Field
A: Well John, you’re almost right, and the Senators were almost that bad. Four Washington pitchers issued an inexplicable 11 walks in a single inning, though not consecutively. Such a display was not out of character for the Washington staff, which averaged 4.99 free passes per game, second-most in the league. On this Sunday afternoon, September 11, 1949, they were at their wildest. Cliff Mapes, Charlie Keller, Joe Collins, and Jerry Coleman all drew two walks apiece in the record-setting third inning, which saw the Yanks score 12 runs. After forcing in the final run of the stanza with yet another walk, Buzz Dozier finally ended the carnage by getting Allie Reynolds to pop out to first.
Q: Who was the youngest player to hit 250 home runs?
-- J.M.
A: The youngest was Jimmie Foxx, who reached the 250 home run plateau at the age of 26 years, 269 days. Following him are Eddie Mathews (26 years, 320 days), Mel Ott (27 years, 94 days), and Ken Griffey, Jr. (27 years, 155 days). Soon to join this group is wunderkind Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers (currently at 207 HR and 25 years, 325 days).
The batting order fluctuated quite often. Gilliam virtually always led off, and Snider was the permanent third hitter. The rest of the lineup was subject to constant change. Cimoli had a big offensive season, batting .293, and batted second quite often as a result. Campanella, worn down from so many years of catching, was no longer the offensive force he had once been, and as a result batted eighth the majority of the time. Hodges alternated between the fourth and fifth holes.
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