Letters to the editor

Baseball Digest, Nov, 2004 by Paul Hitchcock, Steve Luftig, Dick Willoughby, Alex Schuhart, Jason Nygaard, Chuck Thompson, Harvey Berger, Eddie Deezen, Michael Ochs, Robert Burke, Bill Cradle, Michael Garcia, Bill Gibson, Tim Moule, Andy Mele, John Douglas, George Perry Johnson, Walter Dorf, John Gouveia, Dave Picconi, Robert Williams, Donal Corbett, Bill Swan, Charles Marsh, Beatrice Harsany Potanovic, Alfonso L. Tusa, Josh Titus, Dave Cotrone, Victoria Weisbart, Bernie Fleischacker, Roberto Bouret, Gene DeSantis

In an earlier issue of Baseball Digest this year, it was mentioned that uniform No. 42 has been retired by all major league clubs in honor of Jackie Robinson.

How come Yankee closer Mariano Rivera still wears No. 42?

Paul Hitchcock

Bracebridge, Ont.

In commemorating Jackie Robinson's first appearance in a game with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, Major League Baseball officially retired his uniform No. 42 for all clubs in 1997.

Active players wearing his uniform number in 1997 were permitted to continue wearing it for the remainder of their careers.

Mariano Rivera was wearing No. 42 in 1997, and was the only active major leaguer still wearing it through the 2004 season.

Recently, a friend was telling me about his visits to the Polo Grounds in the 1940s to watch the New York Giants. He was surprised when I told him that today major league games are preceded by the playing of the national anthem. He said he did not recall the anthem being played in the 1940s.

When was the national anthem made a regular part of major league baseball?

Steve Luftig

Riverdale, N.Y.

According to The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, "the patriotic fervor that accompanied World War II forced the playing of the (national) anthem before all major league games for the first time in 1942. That protocol continued after the conclusion of the war."

The Encyclopedia also mentioned that "unlike other major league clubs, the (Chicago) Cubs played the anthem only on holidays and special occasions in the late 1950s and early 1960s."

Modern box scores list four categories in columns: AB, R, H and RBI. I seem to remember the time when box scores also had four columns, but they were AB, R, H and E (for errors). Am I remembering right?

The reason I ask is that I would follow Stan Musial on the radio, and in the Bangor Daily News. I wondered then why they would have a column for errors for him instead of either home runs or runs batted in.

I must have been one of the few Cardinal fans in northern New England. I think it must have been because the only baseball games we could hear on the radio in northern Maine were either the Boston Braves on a Canadian station, or the Brooklyn Dodgers out of a clear station in New York, with Wm Scully, Connie Desmond and Red Barber. Musial used to kill the Braves and Dodgers (and everyone else).

Dick Willoughby

Bradford, N.H.

The old box scores had columns for at-bats, hits, runs, putouts, assists and errors.

In 1958, the Associated Press and United Press International wire services changed their box scores, eliminating columns of defensive statistics, but adding a column for RBL A five-column format is now in use, including AB, R, H, RBI and AVG, the last column indicating the player's current batting average.

Who was the last pitcher in the majors to start 40 games in a season, and who was the last pitcher to complete 20 games in a season?

Alex Schuhart

Williamson, N.Y.

Knuckleballer Charlie Hough was the last pitcher to make 40 starts in a season. He did that with the Texas Rangers in 1987.

Last pitcher to complete 20 games in a season was Fernando Valenzuela who did so for the Dodgers in 1986.

See the accompanying charts for the most recent leaders in both categories.

I've always been a big Minnesota Twins fan, and if I'm not mistaken, it's been nearly 20 years since they've had a player hit at least 30 home runs in a season.

I think the last time was the World Series year of 1987. I've got to believe this is the longest current streak in the major leagues.

Jason Nygaard

Hudson, Wis.

It is the longest streak among current clubs. As you mention, in 1987, the Twins' lineup included Kent Hrbek with 34 homers; Tom Brunansky with 32, and Gary Gaetti with 31.

Since then, no Twin has hit as many as 30 home runs.

In a recent issue, you listed six nine-inning games in which a team had seven players with three hits each.

The Cubs and Phillies once played to a 22-22 tie after nine innings, with Mike Schmidt hitting a home run in the tenth to win it for Philadelphia.

Did either team have seven players with three hits each in the first nine innings? I know Dave bring, man qualifies, because he had three home runs.

Chuck Thompson

Santa Cruz, Calif.

In that game played on May 17, 1979 at Wrigley Field, a total of 11 players had three or more hits through the first nine innings of the game. Collecting three or more hits for the Phillies were Bake McBride (3), Larry Bowa (5), Pete Rose (3), Garry Maddox (4) and Bob Boone (3). For the Cubs, they included Ivan DeJesus (3), Mike Vail (3), Bill Buekner (4), Dave Kingman (3), Jerry Martin (3) and Barry Foote (3).

The Phillies won the game 23-22 while collecting 24 hits to the Cubs' 26. The game featured 10 doubles, two triples and 11 home funs.

I have been a baseball fan for 50 years, since the Orioles started playing in Baltimore in 1954. I have read Baseball Digest for most of those 50 years.

The first game I clearly remember attending was played on July 30, 1954. I was taken to that game to celebrate my 10th birthday the next day.