At age nine, I was all but named "baseball's fan of the future" [source]. Let's see in what ways that interest has matured. In this one you'll still have to solve the mystery, but the last question does not explicitly ask you to name the theme. (This is what I should have done for VII below, so I'm doing it now.) Let's call it a ModKos-R because knowing stuff about baseball will definitely help.
Previous Mystery Theme quizzes here:
[ I ]
[ II ]
[ III ]
[ IV ]
[ V ]
[ VI ]
[ VII ]
| Rank | Player | Total | %ile | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money Value (% Incorrect): | 10 | 43 | 18 | 68 | 05 | 23 | 38 | 63 | 55 | 33 | 48 | 25 | |||
| 1 | KesslerA2 | 422 | 98 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 |
15 38 |
15 |
15 55 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 2 | SochackiA | 417 | 96 |
15 |
15 43 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 |
15 |
15 55 |
15 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 3 | Egantx7 | 407 | 93 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 |
15 38 |
15 63 |
00 |
15 |
15 48 |
15 25 |
| 4 | AdamLevin18 | 397 | 91 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
15 |
15 55 |
15 33 |
15 |
15 |
| 5 | BoyerA | 390 | 87 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
15 |
15 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 5 | AnthonyBianca | 390 | 87 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
15 |
15 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 7 | MarxG | 360 | 83 |
15 |
15 |
15 18 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
15 |
15 |
15 33 |
15 |
15 |
| 8 | randalleng | 345 | 80 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 8 | GrahamJ | 345 | 80 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 10 | MattK | 320 | 76 |
15 |
15 43 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 11 | groug | 317 | 72 |
15 10 |
15 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
15 63 |
15 |
15 33 |
00 |
15 |
| 11 | GoodmanDL | 317 | 72 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
15 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 25 |
| 13 | JMarg | 307 | 67 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 68 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 |
15 33 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 13 | KPope | 307 | 67 |
15 |
15 43 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 23 |
00 |
00 |
15 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 25 |
| 15 | UncleTed | 306 | 63 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 |
15 05 |
15 23 |
15 |
15 |
15 55 |
15 33 |
15 |
15 25 |
| 16 | BIngram | 302 | 60 |
15 |
00 |
15 18 |
15 68 |
15 |
00 |
15 38 |
15 |
00 |
15 33 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 16 | GarciaD | 302 | 60 |
15 10 |
15 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
15 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 18 | Oliver | 279 | 56 |
15 |
15 |
15 18 |
00 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
15 55 |
00 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 19 | Steve-Eggson | 272 | 53 |
15 |
15 43 |
15 |
00 |
15 05 |
15 23 |
15 |
00 |
00 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
00 |
| 20 | JoeM | 269 | 51 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
00 00 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
15 63 |
15 |
00 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 21 | TWright17 | 268 | 48 |
15 10 |
15 43 |
15 |
00 00 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
00 |
15 55 |
15 |
15 |
15 25 |
| 22 | Matto | 259 | 46 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
00 |
15 05 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
15 48 |
15 25 |
| 23 | Colluventus | 254 | 43 |
15 10 |
15 |
15 |
00 |
15 05 |
15 23 |
00 |
15 |
00 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
15 |
| 24 | reallydumb4real | 246 | 41 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
00 00 |
15 |
15 23 |
15 38 |
00 |
15 55 |
00 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 25 | KonkelT | 236 | 37 |
15 |
15 43 |
15 |
00 |
15 |
15 |
00 00 |
15 63 |
00 00 |
00 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 25 | ecpekkle | 236 | 37 |
15 10 |
15 43 |
15 |
00 |
15 05 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
15 55 |
15 33 |
00 |
00 |
| 27 | KCrest | 218 | 33 |
15 10 |
15 43 |
00 |
15 |
15 05 |
15 |
00 |
00 |
15 55 |
00 00 |
00 |
15 |
| 28 | Zachary | 212 | 31 |
00 |
15 43 |
15 18 |
00 |
15 05 |
00 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 |
15 33 |
00 |
00 |
| 29 | jnowell | 199 | 27 |
15 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
15 05 |
15 23 |
00 00 |
15 |
00 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
00 |
| 29 | SokolM | 199 | 27 |
15 10 |
15 |
15 18 |
00 |
15 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 00 |
15 33 |
15 48 |
00 |
| 31 | CoenM | 196 | 23 |
15 |
00 |
15 18 |
00 00 |
15 |
15 |
00 |
00 00 |
15 55 |
15 33 |
00 |
00 |
| 32 | McGeeDean | 181 | 21 |
15 10 |
00 |
15 |
00 00 |
15 |
15 23 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
15 33 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 33 | imogen | 173 | 18 |
15 10 |
15 43 |
15 |
00 |
15 05 |
15 |
00 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 34 | Zippy | 161 | 16 |
00 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 |
15 05 |
15 23 |
00 |
15 |
00 |
15 33 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 35 | HoH | 148 | 13 |
15 10 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
15 |
15 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
00 |
15 25 |
| 36 | HirschO | 128 | 11 |
15 10 |
00 |
15 |
00 |
15 05 |
15 23 |
00 00 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 |
15 |
15 |
| 37 | EfEpst | 113 | 8 |
15 10 |
00 |
15 |
00 |
15 05 |
00 |
15 38 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 |
00 |
00 00 |
| 38 | DavidL | 45 | 6 |
15 10 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 |
15 05 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 |
00 |
00 00 |
| 39 | dghunter79 | 0 | 2 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
00 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
| 39 | DouglasLovesVixey | 0 | 2 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
00 00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
At PNC Park, Pirates fans get to watch a race beween several pierogis. In DC, Nationals fans haven't yet vetoed the Presidents Race. If you grill a fan at American Family Field in Milwaukee, what will she say is the equivalent in that ballpark (after possibly rolling her eyes), continuing an almost thirty-year tradition?
A "rundown" is when a runner is stranded between two bases, usually running back and forth trying to avoid a tag. One of several common synonyms for this situation is a phrase that Shakespeare used (and may have come up with?) in The Tempest, though there it means "to be drunk". What is this three-word synonym?
What part of Tony Gwynn's bat is boxed in blue in the image below?
What reliever holds the franchise record for most Mariners games finished in his career and represented Seattle on the 2007 AL All-Star roster along with Ichiro Suzuki? He actually eclipsed his highest Mariners save total with Arizona in 2011, but he gave up Milwaukee's winning run in the 10th inning of game 5 in the NLDS.
Cy Young Winners, part I
Who threw this pitch, undoubtedly one of the deliveries with the most impact in the history of Spring Training? Give his ten-letter nickname OR his commonly-used first and last name.
Cy Young Winners, part II
What Taiwanese pitcher led the AL in wins (and finished second in voting for the Cy Young Award) for the Yankees in 2006, later pitching for Washington, Toronto, and Kansas City?
Cy Young Winners, part III
Unbelievably, what 2012 Cy Young Award winner was being interviewed about his teammate's no-hitter (the first ever pitched by the Mets) when a different undraped teammate walked through the corner of the camera frame?
Cy Young Winners, part IV
What did Wally Backman use to prank his first base coach in the South Coast League? At the Major League level, Miguel Sano used a similar (but less lively) one to prank his pitching coach with the Twins. This also appears in the nickname of a 2015 Cy Young winner and, per Baseball Reference, was the first name of three players who played 90+ years ago.
What slang term for a home run is redacted in yellow in each of the Reddit posts in the image below?
My bologna has a first name, part I
September 1908: Tie game, bottom of the ninth, two outs. Moose is on third, Fred's on first, Al comes up to the plate. Al singles, Moose scores: game over! The fans storm the field.
But wait! Fred never touched second base! What an idiot! A total compete dummkopf! The Cubs make the force play, the umps call Fred "out", and the game ends in a tie. The Cubs win the makeup game and, eventually, their second straight World Series. By what simultaneously witless and upstanding possessive name is this famous play known?
My bologna has a first name, part II
Hall-of-Famer and ten-time All-Star Harold Peter Henry (those are his first three names, anyway) stood up metaphorically, and may have walked across the field literally, to support one of his new teammates. By what nickname was Harold known?
Of the 18 players pictured below, give the LETTER next to either of the two who most closely fit the theme of this quiz.