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Ask The Experts
August 30, 2000
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 |
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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. |
| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
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| | RUNS IN EVERY INNING |
| 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 |
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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.
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| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
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| | THREE-BAGGERS |
| Q: What is the record for most triples in a season? |
| -- HomerSuits@aol.com |
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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.
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| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
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| | SPARKY'S NUMBER |
| Q: What number did Sparky Anderson wear when he managed the Reds?
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| -- Christina Depperschmidt |
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A: Sparky Anderson wore the number 10 on his jersey as he managed the Cincinnati Reds to two World Championships.
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| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
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| | IN FOR THE LONG HAUL |
| Q: What is the longest game on record? |
| -- Eileen Kirkham |
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.
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| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
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| | THROWING CURVES |
| Q: Who was the creator of the curveball? |
| -- Mike Walsh |
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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.
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| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
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| | BRAVES STAFF |
| Q: What were the won-loss records of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine, and Avery the first year that they all started together? |
| -- Tduff26506@aol.com |
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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:
Tom Glavine 22-6
Greg Maddux 20-10
Steve Avery 18-6
John Smoltz 15-11
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| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
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| | JESSE BARNES |
| Q: We have a baseball signed by a gentleman named Jesse Barnes. What team did he play for? |
| -- Merle and Janet Schulte |
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A: Jesse Barnes pitched from 1915-27, playing for the Braves, Giants, and Dodgers. Click his link for more information.
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| Back to top | -- Alex Friedman |
» New questions and answers are posted every Wednesday.
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