Obscure sports trivia

Is Warren Spahn one of them?

 

Palmer? Carlton?

 

Spahn debuted in the big leagues at 21.

 

OK, just ran through the birthdates. All the others were still in their teens.

 

Bob Feller? I know he was 17 when he debuted and the AL didn’t have DH back then.

I’ll also guess Red Lucas and Red Ruffing. I think Ruffing started pretty young with the Red Sox.

 

Jim Palmer is the other Hall of Famer on the list. He hit his teenage dinger at age 19 on May 16, 1965 against the Yankees. Pitched 3 2/3 in middle relief, allowed one earned run and was credited with his first major league victory. Orioles won 7-5.

 

I did see in the Twins Almanac the other day that Blyleven holds the Twins record for most hits as a teenager.

 

New Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre is one of six players in MLB history to hit for the cycle three times.

Name the other five.

 

OK, here are the answers.

1. Dick Brodowski, 19, for Boston (AL) vs. Detroit, July 11, 1952 (first game of a doubleheader). Pitched a complete game in a 16-6 win.
Don Drysdale, 19, for Brooklyn vs. N.Y. Giants, Sept. 9, 1956. Pitched a complete game in a 6-1 victory. Oops. Drysdale actually turned 20 on July 23, 1956.
Milt Pappas, 19, for Baltimore at Chicago White Sox, July 24, 1958. Pitched a complete game in a 7-3 win (which, coincidentally, lifted his season record to 7-3).
Denny McLain, 19, for Detroit vs. Chicago White Sox, Sept. 21, 1963. Pitched a complete game in a 4-3 victory.
Jim Palmer, 19, for Baltimore vs. N.Y. Yankees, May 16, 1965. Pitched 3 2/3 in middle relief, giving up one earned run, and was credited with the win (his first major league win) in a 7-5 victory.
Larry Dierker, 18, for Houston at St. Louis, Aug. 3, 1965. Started and went 6 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs in a 10-7 victory. Was credited with the win.
Larry Dierker, 19, for Houston at Philadelphia, May 14, 1966. Started and allowed three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 6-4 win. No decision.

BONUS: Bunny Hearn, 19, for St. Louis (NL) at Chicago Cubs, Oct. 10, 1910. Pitched a complete game in a 15-7 win.
Pete Schneider, 19, for Cincinnati at N.Y. Giants, Sept. 18, 1914. Pitched a complete game in a 3-2 loss.
Pete Schneider, 19, for Cincinnati vs. Chicago Cubs (second game), June 27, 1915. Pitched a complete game in a 3-0 win.

2. Bunny Hearn, 1910.

3. Larry Dierker, 1966.

4. Pete Schneider, 1914-15; Larry Dierker 1965-66.

5. Denny McLain hit his only career homer in his first big league game. Also pitched a complete game and got his first major league win, allowing one earned run and picking two runners off base.

 

One more caveat: It seems the search criteria on Baseball Reference for this only goes up to 2013, and I have no idea how to do a search like that on BR. So if any teenage pitcher has hit a major league home run since then, I denounce myself.

 

Closing the loop on this one:

— Beltre
— Christian Yelich
— Trea Turner
— John Reilly (Cincinnati Reds, 1890)
— Bob Meusel (Murderer’s Row member)
— Babe Herman (Brooklyn Robins/Chicago Cubs)

 

What two MLB Hall of Famers played minor league ball in Eau Claire, Wis.?

Bonus: what Black Sox conspirator tried out for but failed to make the Eau Claire team?