Sporcle Saturday: lots o’ bases
Good morning!
Originally, I was going to do a Sporcle on singles. Y’know, the hot local ones that Jim seems to always be tweeting about. They did, after all, win a game that featured only singles, and the team is currently on pace to knock just around 1,000 singles this season, which would account for 71.2% of all their hits. Looking back at previous squads that have hit a lot of singles (and a similar percentage of hits), though, those teams are pretty moribund and obscure. Now, obscure (if not moribund, usually) names can be a calling card on Sporcle Saturday, but I wanted to provide a fun list. What to do?
Well: it was on this date last season that the White Sox and Cubs played an absolutely bonkers game, with the Sox winning 17-13 on a 4-6, eleven total base effort by Yasmani Grandal. I remember my Cubs fan texting me that night as the Cubs were up 6-0 after the first half of the first inning, “Don’t worry, the Sox aren’t out of this”. He was right.
Unfortunately, the 2022 White Sox haven’t yet had a player that will feature in this quiz: White Sox batters throughout franchise history to record 10+ total bases in a game. (Two players this season have reached 9, both against Detroit) In all that’s 127 instances: how many can you name? Good luck!
Quiz Parameters
- I’ve allotted 15 minutes for completion attempts.
- For hints, I’ve provided the date, total bases, and position that player played in that game.
Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:
- The White Sox are 102-24-1 in such games.
- The franchise record for most bases in a game is 16, in game 1 of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics on 7/18/1948 (a 12-11 victory for the Sox).
- The team the Sox have had the most such games against is Detroit, with 22. Their record? 17-4-1.
All data from stathead.com
Author
119/127. Got everyone after 1955. Probably only 2 others that I should have gotten. Amazing that no one on this year’s team has made the list. Thanks go to Menechino for that dubious honor. Another great quiz, Ted!
120/127 before I ran out of time, and I only would have gotten one more had I had an extra hour to think about it.
A handful of these I got from the date (March 29, 2018 was arguably the highlight of that entire season and September 24, 1977 was a surprising display from one of the less likely Hit Men). A few names you’d expect to be here are not.
(The guy I missed that I’m kicking myself over is
Thank you, Ted, for evoking memories of great offensive displays during a season that is just offensive. Much appreciated.
I only got 99. One miss was the outfielder you put as a spoiler who I remembered from doing these quizzes but I left the “e” out of his name. I’ve made this same mistake multiple times on these quizzes.
I got the 1979 RF because I think everyone who was around for the start of TLR’s career remembers that odd player. The 1979 RF had as long of a MLB career as I think anyone could with his consistently mediocre production.
I remember the game for the 1979 RF. He hit three homers that day. Now the Sox barely hit 3 as a team in one week.
I believe if the 1979 RF were on this year’s team, he would be not be a fan favorite.
I’m reluctant to criticize players for not caring because I think it can be very hard to tell the difference between not caring and being injured or pressing and even I’ll say that the 1979 RF had some attitude issues.
A fascinating character, who didn’t play HS baseball at all (at a HS baseball powerhouse…also a jazz powerhouse and the school that graduated Ursula K. LeGuin, Philip K. Dick, and, um, me), yet still came up to the majors awfully young, had the aforementioned issues that got him traded a lot…and he played for a long, long time.
Died of prostate cancer recently. A frustrating but fascinating character.
You must have been pretty close to his age. Did you know him?
No; he is older than me (as was his contemporary and fellow major-leaguer Ruppert Jones, who actually played for the school).
I remember Ruppert Jones. He was a pretty good center fielder for the Mariners.
He was also one of the two that I missed that I should have gotten.
103/127. Thanks Ted from a fellow Ted.
Asinwreck you’re so right about considering the date and not just the year. Turned one of the 2018 entries from difficult to a piece of cake.
Who are the two from this year with 9? I got Moncada in the 5-hit game back in June @ Detroit, who’s the other?
Abreu did it on June 13 going 3 for 4 with two home runs as the Sox beat the Tigers 9-5.
Moncada did it on June 15 going 5 for 6 with a double and a home run as the Sox beat the Tigers 13-0.
Sox need more games against the Tigers.
I know this isn’t the game thread but Romy Gonzalez is batting leadoff. Again.