2.23.2007

Baseball Trivia


I know a lot of people are getting baseball fever with spring training practically underway. So I thought I would change gears a little and provide a little baseball trivia. Whoever wins will win a prize. And this is actually tied to the Jets because this is a question that former Jet coach Bill Parcells came up with in this Jets book I have.

Here's the question: In one inning of baseball, can a team get two triples, two doubles, two singles without scoring a run? The answer is yes, but I would like you to describe how it would happen.

HINT: It gets a little techinical with the last out but it all scores out legitimately.

Good luck!

-Unruly Jets Fan

15 comments:

Mookie McFly said...

Anything can happen but here is my mind numbing guess.

Let's imagine that the order of events happens exactly the way you have stated w/the same order. The first guy gets a triple. The second guy gets a triple but the guy who was at third heads home & is thrown out. The next guy gets double but the guy at third holds his position. The next guy hits a double and the guy that was at third is thrown out at home and the guy who was at second only advance to third. The next guy gets an infield single and everyone hold their position, bases loaded with two outs. The next guy gets an infield single but unfortuantely the guy at third gets hung up and is tagged out before he can score.

It would take some unfathomably bad baserunning and some kookie official scoring but it could happen. I'm sure the Tuna made it seem reasonable but there is no way it could happen unless you were the 1962 Mets (or really really bad which I guess is the same thing).

Arnie Shaw said...

Nice guess McFart, however, in that last out scenerio where the guy at third got hung up and tagged out, would not credit the base runner with a base hit. Even if he reached first before the guy at third was tagged out.

You are almost there though. The way it scores out, it could actually happen. In otherwords, it is not that impossible.

Keep trying my friends!

Mookie McFly said...

I don't think that is totally true. It could've been a hit in the mind of the official scorer. Lets say it's a rope to right field, the runner doesn't leave right away and the right fielder who was playing in makes an outstanding throw to home plate. Can't the official scorer still credit the guy with a single?

I'll keep trying bitch.

Mookie McFly said...

Thanks for giving me the answer UJ, I would have gotten nothing done today without it!

Trying to come up with this scenario I came across an interesting little bit of statistical sickness.

George Brett is the only player to hit at least 20 home runs, 20 doubles and 20 triples in the course of any single season. What a freaking season!? Brett was the man.

Mike said...

I think it was 1979.

Arnie Shaw said...

I gave McFart the answer over the phone so others can try to get it.

HINT: McFly basically got everything except for the last single. The question now is, how does the batter officially get a single with bases loaded and two outs, while also getting an out while getting his single.

I know it is a mouthful but I am having fun with this.

Anonymous said...

Anyone interested in this answer? Keep guessing!

Tomorrow the answer will be revealed.

Anonymous said...

Give us more T and A! I think enough in the real world! Hey, I have an idea, next week I'm going to post a fucking NY Times crossword puzzle.
I'm kidding Unruly!
I would try but I am too busy to think that hard, but I'm interested in the answer. My guess is, bad base running and/or coaching.

Coop said...

OK, I've only been keeping score for 20 years, and this has really picked on my brain. So say that scenario unfolded the way you said, Unruly. I was thinking there could be an infield single but that's impossible -- it would be scored an FC. I also thought that in scoring, when a runner tries to leg out a single into a double and gets thrown out himself, it would be scored as a 1B 9-4, if the RF threw out the runner to the second baseman. But then, I think the run -- provided the runner crossed the plate -- would count. So that's no good

Two scenarios come to mind, batter gets a single -- the runner @ 3rd gets thrown out at home, which I don't think would count as a FC at that point as long as the ball leaves the infield (right?). The other is the batter who gets a single pulls a Sean Casey, but that wouldn't even be credited as a single.

Arnie Shaw said...

ANSWER:

The first batter gets a triple and rounds home but gets thrown out. That is in the books as a triple.

ONE TRIPLE, ONE OUT

The next batter gets a triple.

TWO TRIPLES

The next batter gets a double and the guy on third stays (I told you it is a little stretchy at times)

TWO TRIPLES, ONE DOUBLE

The next guy gets a double, the man on second goes to third and the man on third gets thrown out at the plate.

TWO TRIPLES, TWO DOUBLES, TWO OUTS

The next guy gets a single and man on second and third stay.

TWO TRIPLES, TWO DOUBLES AND ONE SINGLE

Here is where the rule book comes into play. The last batter hits the ball, and it hits a base runner. That is the third out however, the base runner is awarded a single as well.

TWO TRIPLES, TWO DOUBLES AND TWO SINGLES WITH NO ONE SCORING.

Arnie Shaw said...

THANKS FOR PLAYING EVERYONE!

Arnie Shaw said...

THANKS FOR PLAYING EVERYONE!

Anonymous said...

Like I said, bad baserunning, bad basecoaching.

Figgythemick said...

Thank God Bill Parcells isn't coaching baseball. What was his point about all this, that you have to finish your quarter, inning, game, whatever?

Mookie McFly said...

I found out that the last hit could be clean but the man at third could run out of the baseline and be called out!