Quick quiz about players who were like Jackie Robinson.

So, here goes. What do the players below have in common with each other? This shouldn’t take long to solve.

Hint: this may not be an exhaustive list

Congratulations to John Autin, who identified that all of these players played in the post-season in their debut season, and also in their final campaign. The first 6 names all link up nicely with one or more of the others, as either teammates or opponents. For John Wathan? Well, he and Jim Gilliam were both teammates of Tommy Davis, whom Ken Hunt owned, retiring Tommy all four times he faced him, including two strikeouts.

Through last night, just about every team has played 12 games so far this season, and we’ve already had 36 shutouts in 2013. With 358 total games having been played so far, that’s 10% of games ending in a shutout.

By comparison, in all of 2012, there were 310 shutouts in 4860 games, just 6.4%. And in the first 12 games of the season for each team, there were 24 shutouts out of 36o games (6.7%).

Going back as far as we’ve had 30 teams, here are the number of shutouts within the first 12 games for each team:

2013: 36
2012: 24
2011: 20
2010: 17
2009: 22
2008: 23
2007: 18
2006: 15
2005: 20
2004: 17
2003: 26
2002: 23
2001: 16
2000: 16
1999: 15
1998: 20
1997: 15

So, the most shutouts in the first 12 games of any season from 1997 to 2012 was 26, and this year we have 36. Over those previous 16 years, there were 19.2 shutouts on average, and this year we have close to double that…

Phillis 2, @Marlins 1: The Phils had left 9 men on base and were about to squander Roy Halladay’s first good shot at win #200.

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Here are notable pitchers of the past twenty seasons. They alone have accomplished a seasonal feat that epitomizes pitchers of the current era?

What is this feat?

Hint: these are the only pitchers since 1916 to achieve this feat.

There’s also a part B to the quiz after the jump.

I’m afraid I’ve stumped the panel with this one. It’s a bit complicated to explain – the solution is after the jump

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Braves 3, @Nats 1: Eight straight for Atlanta, capturing the first series in what most see as a 2-team race with a chance at the sweep on Sunday. Last year, the Nats won the season series, 10-8; had that been flipped, the Braves might have avoided the wild-card game.

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@Indians 1, White Sox 0: The first 3-game winner is Justin Masterson, and both he and the Tribe did it in style. Masterson’s 2nd career shutout featured strikes on 81 of 113 pitches in chill and gloom, extending his scoreless streak to 19 innings. The winning run came dramatically in the 9th, from Michael Bourn (1-out double) and Nick Swisher, whose liner on the first pitch after an IBB landed just inside the line for the Indians’ first home win after consecutive rainouts.

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Bryce Harper has all season to move up on this list:

Most Career Regular Season Home Runs Before 21st Birthday
1. Mel Ott 61
2. Tony Conigliaro 56
3. Ken Griffey 38
4. Mickey Mantle 36
5. Frank Robinson 34
6. Al Kaline 32
T7. Bryce Harper, Alex Rodriguez and Andruw Jones 26
T10. Orlando Cepeda and Eddie Mathews 25

Orioles 8, @Red Sox 5: Aceves reflux? Joel Hanrahan, the Proven Closer imported to soothe Boston’s 9th-inning heartburn, had surrendered a leadoff HR, but was one strike away from closing it out with no one aboard. Then Ryan Flaherty singled, and Hanrahan crumpled.

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This post is for voting and discussion in the fifteenth round of balloting for the Circle of Greats. This round begins to add those players born in 1955. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

Riding a sudden wave of support near the end of the voting period, Barry Larkin edged out Paul Molitor by a single vote to become the 14th inductee into the Circle of Greats. More on Larkin and the voting after the jump. Continue reading →