✅✅ midsummer classic answers
Ahoy, mateys, it's your cruise director Dave comin' at you from the crow's nest with the answers to Monday's trivia questions.
(I do not understand why I have chosen this nautical persona, but here we are.)
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
If you haven't read Monday's questions and want to, go there now.
Sorry not sorry for the repetition.
Repetition.
Repetition.
Repetition.
Repetition.
Repetition.
It's all a device to make sure the answers are below the fold.
Before we get to that, it merits mention that Monday's questions were a bit different than our Summer League questions and much closer to what our old subscribers would recognize as Oddball-style questions. For more info on what that means, read this.
🧠 questions and answers
1️⃣ Among active pitchers (i.e. pitchers who have appeared in at least one game during the 2025 season), six have over 2,000 career strikeouts. Which two have never won a Cy Young Award?
✅ Charlie Morton (2,135 Ks)
✅ Yu Darvish (2,014)
🧠 The other four are Justin Verlander (3,483), Max Scherzer (3,431), Clayton Kershaw (3,003), and Chris Sale (2,528). Gerrit Cole has 2,251 career strikeouts but he hasn't pitched this season.
2️⃣ Seven pitchers have 10 or more wins this season. None of them have over 2,000 career strikeouts. Three of them are on teams that are in first place going into the All-Star break. How many of the seven total pitchers are lefties?
✅ Max Fried
✅ Garrett Crochet
✅ Tarik Skubal
✅ Matthew Boyd
✅ Carlos Rodón
✅ Framber Valdez
🧠 The other guy —— and lone RHP —— is Freddy Peralta.
3️⃣ Seven pitchers have 10 or more wins this season. Two of those seven have won a World Series title in the last five years. One of those two plays for a team going into the All-Star break in first place in its division. What team enters the All-Star break in first place in the other pitcher's division?
✅ Toronto Blue Jays
🧠 The two WS winners are Valdez and Fried. The Astros are in first and the Yankees are... not.
💣💣💣 Okay, fine. Here are some questions about dingers —— but only because you've been good.
4️⃣ Today is July 14. Ten players in baseball history have worn #14 for 14 or more seasons. Two of them have 400 or more career HR, and spent their #14-wearing seasons playing in the same city (but not necessarily at the same time). Who are they?
✅ Ernie Banks (512 HR)
✅ Paul Konerko (439)
🧠 Banks was the easy one. He wore #14 for 19 years as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Konerko was the hard one. He wore #14 for 16 years as a member of the Chicago White Sox and is apparently pals with the pope.
🐅 Big Cat fact: Andrés Galarraga wore #14 for 15 years but he retired with 399 career jacks.
5️⃣ Among active players (i.e. who have appeared in at least one game during the 2025 season) how many have hit 50 or more HR in a season but have not won MVP or a Home Run Derby title?
✅ Matt Olson
🧠 The five active hitters: Aaron Judge (2x MVP), Shohei Ohtani (3x MVP, 1x WS) Giancarlo Stanton (MVP), Pete Alonso (2x HRD champ), and Olson.
6️⃣ What Hall of Famer was the first player to win the Home Run Derby in his home ballpark?
✅ Ryne Sandberg (1990)
⚾⚾⚾ ⚾⚾⚾ ⚾⚾⚾ ⚾⚾⚾ ⚾⚾⚾
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*️⃣ Postscript:
📷 (Darvish) D. Benjamin Miller
📷 (Konerko) Erin Hooley
Confused about what this Oddball thing is? Read this, then read this.