(We'll post a baseball trivia question every Saturday, just for fun, as well as a detailed answer, stats, charts and commentary on the previous week's question. Pass along your questions, thoughts and ideas to vetronb@phillynews.com.)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION
Jim Thome is only member of the 600-HR club to hit Nos. 599 and 600 in the same game. He did so as a Twin last Aug. 15. One other member of that club managed to hit Nos. 99 and 100 in the same game, 199/200 in the same game and 399/400 in the same game. Who was it?
LAST WEEK'S QUESION
In 2011, Mark Teixeira became the fourth player to reach 25 home runs in each of his first nine seasons. Who are the other three?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWER
Eddie Mathews, Darryl Strawberry, Albert Pujols (see their numbers below).
Notable:
♦ Mathews reached 25 home runs in each of his first 12 seasons. Pujols (12 home runs through Friday) can match that this season ... Teixeira (13 HR through Friday) can extend his run to 10.
♦ Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron share the record for total seasons of 25 or more home runs (18), but neither kicked his career off with such a year.
♦ Bonds and Babe Ruth share the record for consecutive 25+ HR seasons (15). Aaron was one 1964 home run away from 19 consecutive 25+ seasons.
♦ Eddie Murray had four-season runs of 25+ HRs before and after the 1981 strike year to start his career. He hit 22 homers in 98 games in that shortened season. But for the work stoppage gods, he would have easily made the list.
♦ Phillies' Mike Schmidt had one homer in a 1972 September callup and 18 in 1973. He would reach 25+ (actually 31+) for nine straight seasons (1979-87) later in his career.