Here we are in June, the sixth month of the year. Here’s your nine to know:
1. June is the month with the longest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
2. June begins on a different day than every other month of the year. (Take a look if you don’t believe me.)
3. June is LGBTQ+ month, with celebrations of diversity taking place throughout.
4. June 6 is National Yo-Yo Day. (Look at 6/6; it kinda looks like a yo-yo.)
5. June 19 is Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day).
6. My parents loved the musical ‘‘Carousel,’’ with the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It featured the somewhat sketchy song ‘‘June Is Bustin’ Out All Over.’’
7. June’s birth flowers are the rose and honeysuckle.
8. June is accordion awareness month, as well as candy, dairy and papaya month.
9. Friday — June 2 —was Lou Gehrig Day throughout baseball. Lou was born June 19, 1903. This week’s quiz is all about June. Have fun and learn a lot.
1. Who hit the most home runs for the Cubs in any month of June?
a. Sammy Sosa
b. Ryne Sandberg
c. Dave Kingman
d. Hack Wilson
2. Who has hit the most combined homers for the White Sox in all the Junes since 1901?
a. Frank Thomas
b. Paul Konerko
c. Jose Abreu
d. Robin Ventura
3. Which White Sox pitcher had the most losses in June?
a. Billy Pierce
b. Ed Walsh
c. Juan Pizarro
d. Wilbur Wood
4. On June 24, 2021, the Cubs blanked the Dodgers 4-0, holding them hitless. (I’m done calling these combined efforts ‘‘no-hitters.’’) The Cubs used four pitchers in that game. Which one of the following was not a participant?
a. Zach Davies
b. Ryan Tepera
c. Rex Brothers
d. Andrew Chafin
e. Craig Kimbrel
5. On this date in 1989, Nolan Ryan pitched a one-hitter. On this date in 1995, Pedro Martinez was perfect for nine innings before allowing a hit in the 10th. Looking for a real no-hitter? On June 3, 1971, which Chicago pitcher tossed the second no-hitter of his career, blanking the Reds 1-0?
a. Ken Holtzman
b. Ferguson Jenkins
c. Juan Pizarro
d. Milt Pappas
6. Which Chicago pitcher had the most strikeouts in a single month of June?
a. Ferguson Jenkins
b. Chris Sale
c. Dylan Cease
d. Kerry Wood
7. The 1966 Orioles hold the record for the most victories in June with 26. Who holds the Chicago record?
a. The Cubs
b. The White Sox
c. The same
8. When was the last time both Chicago teams were in first place on June 1?
a. 2011
b. 1969
c. 2021
d. 1921
9. Our walk-off question this week is for your entertainment: What TV show had a character named June?
a. ‘‘Friends’’
b. ‘‘The Donna Reed Show’’
c. ‘‘Leave It to Beaver’’
d. ‘‘Seinfeld’’
ANSWERS
1. Sammy Sosa, injected with the enthusiasm of June, hit 20 homers in 27 games in 1998.
2. In the Junes from 1991 to 2005, Frank Thomas hit 97 homers to lead the pack. Thomas hit more homers in his career in June than in any other month.
3. Oh, Wilbur! Wood went 1-8 in June 1973 and finished the season with 20 losses. But, wait, there’s more! Wood also won 24 games that season and finished fifth in Cy Young balloting.
4. He ain’t heavy, he’s Rex Brothers. Zach Davies (six innings), Ryan Tepera (one), Andrew Chafin (one) and Craig Kimbrel (one) held the Dodgers scoreless and hitless.
5. Ken Holtzman no-hit the Reds AND scored the only run.
6. In June 2015, Chris Sale made six starts and struck out 75. Ferguson Jenkins had three Junes in which he struck out 50 batters or more.
7. The Cubs won 21 games in 1967 and 1936. However, the White Sox went 22-10 in June 1961.
8. On June 1, 2021, the White Sox were 33-21 and led the AL Central by 3.5 games. The Cubs were 30-23 and on top of the NL Central by a half-game.
9. June Cleaver and her husband, Ward, were the parents of Wally and Theodore on the sitcom ‘‘Leave It to Beaver.’’ June was lovingly played by Barbara Billingsley. Billingsley also hilariously appeared as the ‘‘Jive Lady’’ in the 1980 classic ‘‘Airplane!’’
