Kwik Kwiz

[Frayed Knot]

NAME THE PITCHER who:



-- Won his first ML game as an 18 y/o against the Mets

-- Is not a Hall-of-Famer himself but TWICE was traded for a future first-ballot HoF'er

-- Once retired 32 consecutive batters in a game, the second longest one-game streak ever, before winning the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th

-- Is not only the fourth — and last — ML pitcher to HR during his own no-hitter, but he did the other three one better by hitting TWO HRs while tossing a no-no

-- Is the last ML pitcher to record TWO multi-HR games in a single season

-- Was the winning pitcher in the epic 1975 WS Game Six, the final post-season game of his career

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I saw the news blip revealing the answer in one of your cloos today.



Would not have guessed based on the others, maybe the Game 6 clue tho.



Owl-star pitcher

[MFS62]

Saw the news story.

Also - he won three of his five wins in his rookie year against the Mets.(3-0)

Later

[kcmets]

That owl was wise too?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Eezy-peezy and I didnt see the news story. So why's nobody saying who? Who? Who it is?

[MFS62]

=kcmets post_id=39192 time=1592943073 user_id=53]
That owl was wise too?

[kcmets]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=39193 time=1592943849 user_id=68]So why's nobody saying who? Who?

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, the no-hitter/two-HR game was 49 years ago today, hence both the current publicity and the source of the quiz.



I knew he was dealt, straight-up, for Carlton as that was a well-know 'Challenge Trade' at the time. Both were coming off good seasons and both, IIRC, were having contract squabbles so the

GMs agreed to swap out their 'headaches' to each other. That he lasted just two years in StL shows which side 'Won' the trade. Did not know that, five years later, he was part of a package

deal that sent Dennis Eckersley to Boston.



The 32 consecutive batter game was interesting. After giving up 2 in the 1st inning to the Cubs and then a HR to lead off the 2nd, Wise was perfect for 10-2/3 while his team made up the 3-run

gap. Ron Santo's 2-out/12th inning single broke the string but he was then stranded. Future NYM Willie Montanez reached 2nd base leading off the bottom of the 12th for Wise's Phils w/an infield

hit + error. The Cubs then walked the next two hitters to get to Wise who promptly singled in the winning run. The only longer single-game perfect streak was, of course, Harvey Haddix (36

straight hitters retired) although at least Wise won his game.



The other oddity among all these oddities is that Wise wasn't really that great a hitter. .195/.228/.308 with 15 career HRs is certainly better than most but not stunning. But six of those taters

came in the 1971 season where he had both of his multiple-HR games which included the no-hitter.



Earl Wilson, Wes Farrell, and Jim Tobin were the only other pitchers to hit a HR while tossing a no-hitter ... but only one. No one since Wise has a HR/no-no game. Tobin, btw, is the one and only

pitcher ever with a three-HR game.

Three others -- Milt Pappas, Sonny Seibert, Pedro Ramos -- had 2 HR games while tossing a complete game shutout.

56 pitchers have produced a multi-HR effort (including Noah Syndergaard and Walt Terrell). No-hitters, by comparison, are about 6x more common.

11 pitchers have more than one multi-HR game to their credit, and again Wise is the last to accomplish that.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Guest

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: 11 pitchers have more than one multi-HR game to their credit, and again Wise is the last to accomplish that.

And, since the Angels have said that when Shohei Ohtani pitches, he might not always bat, Wise may remain the last for a long time.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I just saw this. I knew the answer was Rick Wise because of the two home runs in a no-hitter. I remember reading that on the back of his baseball card almost fifty years ago!



Now ask me what happened on the TV show I watched last night. I'll barely remember.

[Frayed Knot]

And when Ronnie occasionally mentions that someone (often deGrom and/or Syndergaard) is having themselves "a Little League game", Gary will inevitably bring up the Rick Wise feat so we Met fans

get periodic reinforcement of that fact.

[Edgy MD]

I thought all those Hoo-Hoo clues were hinting at Burt Hooton.