The great Roger Angell (pronounced “Angel”) died at an age equal to the speed of a great fastball, 101. Angell began contributing to The New Yorker magazine in 1944, the same year the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns met in the World Series. The current editor of the magazine, David Remnick, wrote, “His prose and his editorial judgment left an imprint that’s hard to overstate. Like Ruth and Ohtani, he was a freakishly talented double threat, a superb writer and an invaluable counsel to countless masters of the short story. He won a place in both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and in the Baseball Hall of Fame — a unique distinction.”
In an interview in 1982, Angell said, “I think the real fans are the fans of terrible teams because they know what good baseball is and they know how far their own players fall short. The rallying cry that has always struck me as so poignant and beautiful is ‘Come on, you bum!’ which means, ‘We know you’re no good, but we want to win.’ ”
Thank you, Mr. Angell.
On to the quiz:
1. Only five MLB players have hit 100-plus home runs for three teams: Reggie Jackson, Jim Thome, Alex Rodriguez, Adrian Beltre and Darrell Evans. For which three teams did Thome hit his?
2. The White Sox are off to a poor start against their American League Central rivals, not necessarily in overall standings but in intra-divisional games. From 2012 to ’21 (10 seasons), how did the Sox fare in their division?
a) Over .500 b) Under .500 c) .500 ball
3. You remember Shawon Dunston, right? On July 7, 1990, he tied a record held by Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Ernie Banks, among others. The last time this feat was accomplished was by Yasiel Puig in 2014. What did Dunston do?
a) Hit five doubles in a game
b) Hit four homers in a game
c) Hit three triples in a game
4. Loyal (and patient) reader Ron Weiner was the inspiration for this question: Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye made baseball history together. On April 13, 2009, each hit the 300th home run of their career. They also went back-to-back for the feat. Who was the Tigers’ pitcher for this major event?
a) Justin Verlander
b) Zach Miner
c) Rick Porcello
d) Edwin Jackson
5. Ferguson Jenkins was a remarkable pitcher who deserves all the accolades (and statues) he receives. He leads all Canadian-born pitchers with 284 wins. Which pitcher is second on that list?
a) Reggie Cleveland
b) Russ Ford
c) Ryan Dempster
d) Kirk McCaskill
6. While we’re talking angels, the 1994 baseball movie “Angels in the Outfield” starred Danny Glover and what child actor?
a) Jonah Hill
b) Joseph Gordon-Levitt
c) Angus T. Jones
d) Richie Cunningham
7. Recently, Nestor Cortes of the Yankees became the 41st American League pitcher, and the 104th all-time, to throw an immaculate inning (nine pitches, three strikeouts). This prompted reader Larry Rosen to ask if this had ever been accomplished by a White Sox or Cubs pitcher? Sloppy Thurston had the only one for the Sox, in 1923. These four pitchers did it for the Cubs. Who was the most recent Cub to throw an immaculate inning?
a) Milt Pappas
b) Bruce Sutter
c) Lynn McGlothen
d) LaTroy Hawkins
8. As I was watching the Sox finish off the Yankees in their doubleheader sweep Sunday, it got me wondering: Over the last 10 seasons in which they played from 2011 to ’21 (they did not play in 2020), which Chicago team fared better against their same-league New York counterpart?
a) The Cubs vs. the Mets
b) The White Sox vs. the Yankees
c) They were equal
9. Which sports anchor was on the call for Kerry Wood’s first game with the Cubs, Glenallen Hill’s home run that landed on a rooftop and Sammy Sosa’s 66th homer?
a) Dan Roan
b) Dan Roan
c) Dan Roan
ANSWERS
1. Thome hit 337 for the Indians, 134 for the White Sox and 101 for the Phillies. He also hit 37 homers for the Twins and three for the Orioles.
2. Despite playing .560 ball (107-84) over the last three seasons, from 2012 to ’21, the Sox won 330 games and lost 389, a winning percentage of .459.
3. Playing at Stade Olympique against the Expos, Dunston tripled in the fifth, sixth and ninth innings. He had five RBI that day, which is more than any of those HOFers had when they did it.
4. Zach Miner. Never before had two players hit a century milestone homer in one game.
5. Russ Ford had 100 wins, Reggie Cleveland 105, Kirk McCaskill 106 and Ryan Dempster 132 (67 with the Cubs).
6. The young star of “Angels” would find himself in “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Snowden,” “Inception,” “Mr. Corman” and, most recently, “Super Pumped.” Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
7. On Sept. 11, 2004, LaTroy Hawkins struck out Jeff Conine, Juan Encarnacion and Alex Gonzalez in one beautiful ninth inning against the Marlins to earn the save.
8. From 2011 to ’21, the Cubs were 44-22 against the Mets, winning the season series eight times, losing once and tying once. The White Sox, on the other hand, were 27-40 against the Yankees, winning the season series twice, losing six times and tying twice.
9. Have fun with your grandchildren, Dan.
SHAMELESS PLUG: My book with Bob Ryan, “In Scoring Position: 40 Years of a Baseball Love Affair,” will make a great gift for Father’s Day.
Write me at walkoffs@gmail.com, and you might be a part of the quiz
See you in June.
