Baseball has never been synonymous with Valentine’s Day, but it might as well be. After all, baseball is a sport that inspires a profound devotion among its most ardent supporters.
With that in mind, let’s celebrate Valentine’s Day by remembering some of the players who made us fall in love with the game. Test your knowledge of everyone from Bobby Valentine to the winningest pitcher born on February 14th.
What food item does Bobby Valentine claim to have invented?
Lauded for his baseball genius and notorious for his arrogance, Bobby Valentine is a polarizing figure.
Whether or not you tolerate Valentine’s self-aggrandizing ways, it must be said that he’s led a fascinating life. He’s a former ballroom dance champion, a cultural icon in Japan, and the creator of the sandwich wrap.
Wait…what was that last part again?
As ridiculous as it sounds, Bobby V. has a legitimate claim to the invention of the wrap. According to Valentine, it all started in 1982 at his restaurant, The Bobby Valentine Sports Gallery Cafe in Stamford, Connecticut.
One day when a customer ordered a turkey club, Valentine discovered that the restaurant’s toaster was broken. Valentine improvised by taking the club sandwich ingredients and placing them in a tortilla, then melting some cheese on top. The item became a fixture on the eatery’s menu, where it was advertised as the “club sandwich wrap.”
Valentine believes he was the first person to put American ingredients inside a tortilla, though he admits that he has no definitive proof. Said Valentine, “Well, that’s legend and folklore, but until somebody disputes me or comes up with a better story, I’ll say I invented the wrap.”
Ellis Valentine hit the very first home run at which ballpark?
In 1977, a city known for its hockey fervor caught baseball fever.
The 1976 Montreal Expos finished with a pitiful record of 55-107, the worst in the majors that year. When the home opener for the ‘77 season rolled around, the fans were in higher spirits. During the offseason, the team signed its first-ever free agent and acquired future Hall of Famer Tony Pérez in a trade with the Reds.
The Expos also hired a new manager in Dick Williams and moved into a new ballpark, trading in the quaint Jarry Park for the grandiosity of Olympic Stadium (“Stade Olympique” in French). The stadium, which had hosted the Summer Olympics the previous year, opened to baseball fans on April 15, 1977.
That day, the Expos were on the losing end of a complete-game effort by Steve Carlton. Montreal got on the board in the third thanks to a home run by Ellis Valentine. Valentine’s solo shot was his second home run of the year off Carlton, and the very first home run in Olympic Stadium history.
What rare feat did José Valentín accomplish on April 27, 2000?
Hitting for the cycle is common in baseball; every year, multiple players etch their name into the record books by doing so.
Far rarer is the “natural” cycle, which entails hitting for the cycle in ascending order: single, double, triple, and home run. There are only 15 recorded natural cycles in MLB history, with the most recent by Gary Matthews Jr. of the Rangers in 2006.
White Sox shortstop José Valentín joined that exclusive club on April 27, 2000. Valentín’s day at the plate started with a bunt single and continued with an RBI double, followed by a bases-clearing triple and a solo home run.
In his postgame remarks, Valentín offered the following perspective: “I did it step by step. It looked like I just had a plan. It was a day I’ll never forget.”
Who has the most wins among pitchers born on Valentine’s Day?
Of the 57 major league players born on February 14th, only one earned 100 wins on the mound.
Born Charles H. Getzien, this right-handed pitcher went by “Pretzels.” The nickname may have been a reference to his German heritage, but it also reflected his signature pitch, which was said to have a double curve.
Sports scribes of the day (Getzien pitched from 1884 to 1892) labelled the pitch an optical illusion. Writing for Outing magazine, O.P. Caylor wrote, “The belief in the double curve still exists among the more ignorant ballplayers. As an instance of it we have the nickname of the ‘Pretzel Pitcher,’ given to Getzein (sic) by players who imagine the ball comes from his hands at them with the curves of the pretzel.”
Getzien’s pretzel tied batters up in knots, allowing him to collect 145 wins and complete 277 games over nine seasons.
How many RBIs did John Valentin have in Game 4 of the 1999 ALDS?
At first glance, John Valentin hardly feels like a Red Sox legend. But a closer look shows why he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2010.
Valentin was a consistently productive player who, on occasion, would do something extraordinary. At various points in his career he hit for the cycle, turned an unassisted triple play, and hit three home runs in a game.
In 1999, Valentin was hardly a lock to make Boston’s postseason roster when he hit just .253 with 12 home runs and missed close to a month with knee tendinitis.
Valentin ended the regular season on a five-game hit streak and stayed hot when the playoffs began. In Game 4 of the ALDS, Valentin went 4-5 with a double and two homers in Boston’s 23-7 rout of the Indians at Fenway Park. Valentin drove in 7 runs on the night, tying the single-game postseason RBI record set by Edgar Martinez in 1995, and matched by Valentin’s teammate Mo Vaughn in 1998.
Searle’s Final Say
Yogi Berra once said that “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.” And you know what? Yogi was right. Just like love, baseball nourishes our souls and rouses our spirits. It makes us believe in the power of fate and the strength of human connection. This Valentine’s Day, let’s appreciate baseball and the special place it holds in our hearts.
