Obscure sports trivia

Closing the loop on this, the ninth player is Donovan Mitchell, who scored 71 for the Cavs last season in an overtime win vs. the Bulls.

 

This one popped up on my Facebook feed.

Since 1900, eight major league pitchers have hit home runs while still teenagers. Six of those pitchers have done it since the end of the dead ball era in 1920.

So there are a number of good questions that come from those facts.

1. Name the six since 1920, since they're better known. (Bonus question: Who are the two pre-1920 teenage home run-hitting pitchers?)

2. Who was the first of those post-1920 pitchers?

3. Who was the most recent?

4. Which two pitchers hit more than one home run as a teen? Hint: One was before 1920.

5. Which one hit his first and only career homer in his first major-league game?

 

Those are some tough questions!

I’m going to guess Dwight Gooden as one of the six since 1920.

 

I’ll guess Bert Blyleven as one of the six.
I know Hoyt Wilhelm hit his only HR in his first game but don’t know if he was that young.

Edit: Nope. Wilhelm debuted at 29 and pitched til 49.

 

Don Drysdale?

 

4)Babe Ruth as a teen.
2) Bob Feller.

Nolan Ryan

 

No on Gooden.

DING DING DING!!!

Drysdale hit his first Sept. 9, 1956 at age 19, in a 6-1 complete game victory over the New York Giants.

 

Drysdale is the only correct answer so far.

Ruth would have been my first guess, too, but he only appeared in five games and had 10 plate appearances in his age 19 season in 1914. He hit four homers in 1915.

 

I will say these are not super obscure players. Two (including Drysdale) are Hall of Famers. Five of the six post-1920 players were All-Stars and three were Cy Young winners. Only one of them is a guy I had never heard of before.

 

However: According to Baseball Reference, Drysdale was born on July 23, 1936. So that would have made him 20 when he homered.

 

Oops. I just went by Baseball Reference's stat line. I hang my head in shame.

Let me check on the others' birthdays.

 

Yeah, I took a shot on his name, since he was a big guy who could hit, so I was hoping his home run that season came before his birthday.