Here’s an assortment of notable players, with a common thread connecting them. What is the career accomplishment of which each of these players can boast?

Hint: the career accomplishment includes a particular feat that each player accomplished in his career, plus something else about his career that distinguishes the player from all others with the same feat.

Congratulations to John Autin! He correctly identified (with a little help) that these are the last active players to have homered in the traditional ballparks in use before the 1950s franchise relocations. The particulars are after the jump.

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The LDS series begin later this week. After the jump, a quick look at the players who have historically fared the best and the worst in the LDS round.

Also, a look at which teams match up best and worst with which other teams, based on this season’s play.

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All of the players in today’s quiz were active before the end of World War II. Except one, who needs no introduction. But, what season feat have only these players accomplished in the history of major league baseball?

Congratulations to Bix! He correctly identified that only the players in today’s quiz have played every inning of every game at one position, including the post-season, for a World Series winning team. Only Billy Johnson did this to start his career. Among this year’s playoff teams, only Prince Fielder and Joey Votto played every game, but neither played every inning (resting your regulars for the post-season is evidently a more recent strategy).

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While attention was focused on the sprint to the finish for the AL wild card contenders, Miami quietly completed a weekend sweep of the AL Central champion Tigers with a 1-0 walk-off win in the first no-hit game pitched by Henderson Alvarez.

In the first ever season-ending inter-league game, Alvarez required only 99 pitches to retire the Tigers who reached base only 3 times, on a 1st inning hit by pitch, a 5th inning error and a 9th inning walk, all with two outs. No Tiger would reach second base.

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The players in this quiz are the only pitchers since 1916 to achieve a certain game feat. What is this unusual pitching accomplishment?

Congratulations to Chris C and Insert Name Here! They teamed up to identify the players in the quiz as the only US-born pitchers who, in a regulation 9-inning (or longer) game since 1916, suffered a 1-0 CG loss on a home run, despite allowing no walks and no more than 3 hits. Cliff Lee and James Shields are the most recent additions to this club, with starts in the final week of this season and last. More after the jump.
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John was at the Stadium tonight for the home sendoff for Mariano. So, a few quick notes on tonight’s abbreviated schedule from your pinch-hitting reporter.

You have to hand it to the AL wild card hopefuls. Down to the last week and all three have gone into refuse-to-lose mode. The Rays and Indians have now both won seven straight and the Rangers have won their last four. But, the playoff chances for Texas have now dipped below 20%, while the Rays and Indians are both north of 80%.

Only 9 games on the sched, but 6 were decided by just one run, including two walk-off wins. More after the jump.

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Here is an unusual collection of players who share the distinction of a certain batting achievement. What season batting feat have only these players accomplished in the live ball era (since 1920) ?

Congratulations to Richard Chester! He correctly identified (with a little help) that these players are the only batters with a post-1920 season of 10 or more home runs all hit on the road. The first searchable player to do this was Babe Ruth in 1918, before he was known as the Sultan of Swat.

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After the historical emergence of two stellar rookies in 2012, the surprising Mike Trout and the much-anticipated Bryce Harper, it would be normal to expect 2013, in comparison, to be something of a letdown in terms of rookie stars. Happily, that hasn’t been the case.

This season has produced 6 rookies, 3 pitchers and 3 position players, each achieving more than 3 WAR. That’s about a normal number for recent years. What’s notable, though, is that 4 of those 6 rookies (and one other) have made the top 3 for their franchise’s best rookie WAR.

More on this year’s rookie crop and each franchise’s best all-time rookies after the jump.

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With just two weeks left in the season, Mike Trout will repeat as AL WAR champion and Andrew McCutchen, last year’s NL WAR runner-up, looks like the senior circuit’s champ. In second place are Josh Donaldson in the AL and Carlos Gomez in the NL.

Come again, you say? You’re forgiven if those two runners-up weren’t the names you were expecting to hear. Both of these players are new to baseball’s leader boards. After the jump, more on the new kids on the WAR block.

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Last season, Omar Vizquel retired after a 24-year major league career and many notable achievements. But, probably one you weren’t aware of is this – Vizquel is the only player to bat against both Jerry Reuss and Yu Darvish.

The search for such morsels of obscurity can be aided by consulting the Oracle of Baseball, one of the tools available on B-R in its “Frivolities” section. The tool lets you find linkages across baseball history from one player to another, based on common teammates. Thus, if you were to ask the Oracle to link Deacon White with Buster Posey, you could get an answer like:

Deacon White	played with	Frank Scheibeck	for the 1888 Detroit Wolverines	  
Frank Scheibeck	played with	Charley O'Leary	for the 1906 Detroit Tigers	  
Charley O'Leary	played with	Bruce Campbell	for the 1934 St. Louis Browns	  
Bruce Campbell	played with	Lou Boudreau	for the 1938 Cleveland Indians	  
Lou Boudreau	played with	Minnie Minoso	for the 1949 Cleveland Indians	  
Minnie Minoso	played with	Rich Gossage	for the 1976 Chicago White Sox	  
Rich Gossage	played with	Randy Johnson	for the 1994 Seattle Mariners	  
Randy Johnson	played with	Buster Posey	for the 2009 San Francisco Giants

This quiz is something like playing the Baseball Oracle. With a few wrinkles. Audience participation is required. Lots of answers (at least twenty-one) for you to shout out as you find them.

Thanks to our readers for identifying twenty-four correct answers to the quiz, and congratulations to RJ for finding the most correct answers. Answers are after the jump.

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