Sports Whiz Trivia - March 2009
By Harry Patterson

The clarion call that baseball season is upon us is the phrase, Pitchers and catchers report….” So let’s talk a little Pirates pitchers and catchers, some perhaps more obscure than others, as the ’09 Buccos begin to assemble in Bradenton. Can you identify the following? Odd numbers are pitchers and even numbers are catchers.

1. He leads the Pirates all-time in starts, innings and strikeouts, but also in walks, runs allowed, hits allowed and homers allowed.

2. One of the most beloved Pirates ever, he is best remembered as a catcher but also spent some time in the outfield. He was the first to start in right field after the death of Roberto Clemente.

3. He led the team in strikeouts each season from ’64-’70.

4. He was Jason Kendall’s backup for seven seasons and was twice used as a desperation relief pitcher. His lifetime ERA is 40.50.

5. He pitched for the Pirates for eight seasons and later, with the Yankees, became the only pitcher to be used as a designated hitter.

6. In 2004 Kendall reached the top of the heap in all-time games by a Pirates catcher surpassing this early 20th century Pirate.

7. The Pirates had 20 game winners in ’90 and ’91 but have not had one since. Name the two.

8. When he left the team after the 1989 season he was the last Bucco to have been a teammate of Willie Stargell.

9. No pitcher has won 300 as a Pirate. This Honus Wagner teammate is the only to win over 200, which obviously leads the team all-time.

10. The fans hated to see him go but trading him brought Andy Van Slyke and Mike LaValliere to the team, laying the groundwork for the early ‘90s division champ teams.

Click here to see the answers.

Harry Patterson is the author of several sports trivia books, most of which are available on Amazon.com, and at the River City Inn downtown, where he gathers much of his material while tending bar weekday evenings.