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.
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K'S
Q: How did "K" become the letter used for strikeout?
-- SIGAR815@aol.com
A: According to Paul Dickson's Baseball Dictionary, there are two theories as to how "K" came to stand for strikeout. Henry Chadwick, who invented a scoring system in 1861, developed a series of letter symbols, choosing "K" for strikeout. He explained, "It was the prominent letter of the word 'strike,' as far as remembering the word was concerned." A second story gives M.J. Kelly of the New York Herald credit for inventing the symbol.
Q: Has there ever been an instance in the history of the major leagues where one team scored a run in every inning? If so, did the team win or lose?
-- Gerry Leon
A: The last team to score at least a run in every inning of a game was the Colorado Rockies, who beat the Chicago Cubs 13-6 on May 5, 1999. The two previous teams to achieve this feat were the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 and the New York Giants in 1923.
Q: What is the record for most triples in a season?
-- HomerSuits@aol.com
A: Owen Wilson holds the single season record for triples. He collected 36 as a member of Pittsburgh in 1912, including 24 in the spacious Forbes Field.
Q: Who played third base for the Detroit Tigers in 1984?
-- DARLINNO1@aol.com
A: Howard Johnson played third base for Sparky Anderson's Tigers in 1984. The 23-year-old Johnson hit .248 with 12 HR and 50 RBI's, and the Tigers won the World Series.
A: The longest game in terms of innings was played on May 1, 1920 between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves, as the teams played to a 1-1 tie after 26 innings. The Braves' Joe Oeschger shut out the Dodgers for the last 21 innings, topping Art Nehf's record of 20 scoreless frames in a row on August 1, 1918. In their next two games, the Dodgers lost a 13-inning game to the Phillies and a 19-inning game in a return to Boston.
The longest game in terms of time went 8 hours and 6 minutes, as Chicago beat Milwaukee 7-6 in a game that lasted 25 innnings. The game started on May 8, 1984 and concluded on May 9.
A: The invention of the curveball is credited to Candy Cummings, who first began working on the pitch in 1864. However, many other claims have been made as to who invented the pitch.
Q: What were the won-loss records of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine, and Avery the first year that they all started together?
-- Tduff26506@aol.com
A: Maddux joined the Braves and their already superb pitching staff before the 1993 season. That year, the Braves went 104-58. Here are the won-loss records of the four starters:
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