Are you ready to check your work? Here are the answers to this week's trivia questions. We'll be back next week with another trio of quizzical queries for you, so bone up on your research and get ready to get them all next time around!
Question 1: JOAN IS AWFUL
Joan Payson owned the New York Mets from the franchise's inception in 1962 until her death shortly after the 1975 season. From all accounts, she was not awful, but her team certainly was -- at least at the start of its existence. Name either of the two pitchers who had two 20-loss seasons for the Mets during Payson's tenure as owner.
ANSWER: ROGER CRAIG, AL JACKSON
Craig, who would one day go on to manage both the Padres and Giants, took the loss in the first-ever game played in Mets history, ultimately going 10-24 in 1962 and 5-22 in 1963 before mercifully being traded to the Cardinals. However, he won Game 4 of the 1964 World Series in relief for St. Louis.
Jackson went a combined 40-73 in five seasons between 1962-67 with the Mets, bookending his stay with identical 8-20 campaigns. He also escaped from New York (thanks to, surprise, a trade to the Cardinals) and ended up with a World Series ring in 1967, despite not getting a chance to pitch in the postseason.
Question 2: LOCH HENRY
In 1954, what player broke his ankle in spring training while sliding into second base, opening the door for a rookie named Henry Aaron to win a starting job with Milwaukee? This outfielder, who played for 15 years, was born in Scotland and is probably best known for the 131st (out of 264) home run of his career.
ANSWER: BOBBY THOMSON
Thomson, who came to America from Glasgow at the age of two and was nicknamed "The Staten Island Scot," is probably best remembered for hitting the ball that inspired the call, "a long drive... it's going to be... I believe... the Giants win the pennant!" Three years after "The Shot Heard 'Round the World," it was Thomson's unlucky slide that helped kick-start the reign of Hammerin' Hank, himself remembered for many more home runs.
Question 3: DEMON 79
Stolen bases were all the rage in 1979, with Willie Wilson leading the league with 83 successful swipes. All in all, 33 players had at least 25 stolen bases that season, but in terms of players who stole the most bases without getting caught in 1979? We're looking at just two players who both went a perfect 3-for-3. Can you name either of these players? One was a catcher who had previously won Rookie of the Year honors. The other somewhat famously hit just .198 in his 401 plate appearances of 1979.
ANSWER: CARLTON FISK, MARIO MENDOZA
Fisk, the 1972 RoY, was never what you might call a "speed demon," but he did manage to be successful on 128 of his 186 career SB attempts (68.8%) -- including all three in 1979, all coming in an one-week stretch between July 28 and August 4. Fisk would steal a career-best 17 bases in both 1982 and 1985.
Mendoza, better known for his namesake "line" of batting average futility, never played more often than he did in 1979, when he started 132 games at shortstop for the Mariners. It's hard to steal when you rarely get on base and, for his nine-year career, Mendoza only went a total of 12-for-20 on the base paths. Mendoza had only three hitting streaks of longer than four games in his career, with the best being a nine-game string of success in June, 1980, where he hit .433. Take away that anomaly and his 1980 batting average drops from a career-best .245 to a far-more Mendoza-like .223.