Sporcle Saturday: Opening Day middle infielders since 1960

CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 27: Chicago White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal (1) throws to first for an out against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 27, 2020 in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Icon Sportswire)

Good morning, White Sox Saturday Sporclers! For likely the ninth consecutive season, the White Sox will begin Opening Day starting a different second baseman. If many of us have our druthers, however, it’ll be the start of new streak at second. At shortstop, the incumbent will begin his fifth straight Opening Day start, though he has a way to go to catch the all-time leader, who started 13 consecutive Opening Days.

Yes, this time around the diamond shifts to the middle infielders. Since 1960, who has started Opening Day up the middle? There are 122 entries, how many can you name? Good luck!

Previous Installments

Quiz Parameters

  • I’ve allotted the full 20 minutes for completion attempts.
  • For hints, you get…well, what you’ve been getting: the Opening Day date and everybody is grouped by year.

Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:

  • The franchise record for most Opening Day starts at shortstop is 14, by Luke Appling. Consecutive starts on Opening Day, though, as noted above, is 13, from 1985-1997.
  • The first-ever Opening Day second baseman for the franchise? The wonderfully-named Dave Brain.
  • As for the first-ever Opening Day shortstop, that honor belongs to Frank Shugart, and was to be the last season of his career.

(Photo by Rob Grabowski/Icon Sportswire)

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All data from baseballreference.com

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KenWo4LiFe

116.

asinwreck

120/122, with my misses coming at the end of the 1960s. A special thanks to Ted for

remembering a guy
cooking up about the only quiz that would include Harry Chappas (save for a quiz of starting Sox who have a listed height under 5’8″).

asinwreck

Weight would be especially tricky due to listed numbers being wildly inaccurate, but a height quiz would be fun. This franchise has employed Jon Rauch and Nick Madrigal!

tommytwonines

comment image

Last edited 3 years ago by tommytwonines
roke1960

121/122. Missed the 1968 2nd baseman.

I thought I did okay with my 94. Got most of them from my lifetime, but I always have trouble remembering 2016’s name. It doesn’t help that a lot of the names from the ’60’s and ’70’s appear to have been created by a generic white guy name generator.

Last edited 3 years ago by Right Size Wrong Shape