TRIVIA CONTEST: By answering the TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY you are automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a Starbucks Gift Card. YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN. Please put your mailing address in with the answer so if you win we can send you the gift card in the mail.
NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Which player on the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers was also a teammate of both Dick Groat and Don Hoak in 1960?
The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates had two regulars who played in World Series for two different teams and both players were always on the winning side in those series. Interestingly enough, in all three World Series, they had a common opponent. Both Don Hoak and Dick Groat played side-by-side in the Pirates infield. Hoak was an outstanding defensive third baseman. Groat was a very good shortstop.
In 1955 Hoak was part of the legendary Dodgers team which won their only World Series in Brooklyn and which defeated the New York Yankees. Five years later he was back in the series again and again it was against the Yankees. For Groat, he was named NL MVP in 1960 and won the batting title. Four years later he also played against the Yankees for a second time as a member of the Cardinals. So not only did these two players see a total of 28 World Series games between them, they only ever played against the New York Yankees in a World Series.
Groat finished his 14 year career with a .286 career batting average. Hoak played 11 seasons and hit .265. Hoak also managed in the minors with aspirations of managing in the bigs. He died in 1969 at age 41. Groat owned a golf course in Pittsburgh and died in 2023 at age 92. He appeared with other living Pirates in the 70 year anniversary of the 1960 Pirates Championship.
TRIVIA CONTEST;