Oh! I Always Get Those Two Mixed Up! (baseball edition)

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I've posted pairs of players in the regular mixed-up thread four or five times, and I know 99% of the people who look in on that thread are completely baffled/uninterested. So one for the baseball board.

I usually arrive at these via Immaculate Grid: I'll try someone, wrong, then I try the other player, who works. Today: Charlie Moore (wrong for Mets/Brewers), Charlie O'Brien (correct).

Moore: 1973-1987, catcher, 15 seasons, .261/.319/.355, 10.3 WAR, 1 World Series, played for the Brewers and Jays (only)
O'Brien: 1985-2000, catcher, 15 seasons, .221/.303/.353, 9.7 WAR, 1 World Series, played for the Brewers and Jays (plus six other teams)

Moore played many more games.

clemenza, Tuesday, 3 September 2024 15:16 (two months ago) link

Excerpted from the regular mixed-up thread--I've posted a whole bunch of them, going back to 2011.

Bill Mueller/Rich Aurilia
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Ken Henderson - outfielder, 1965-80, 122 HR, .257/.343/.396
Ken McMullen - 1B/3B, 1962-1977, 156 HR, .248/.316/.383
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Larry Parrish - 256 HR, 992 RBI, .263/.318/.439
Tim Wallach - 260, HR, 1125 RBI, .257/.316/.416

Both were third baseman, both had their best years for the Expos--around '81 or '82, Wallach took over from Parrish. For the purposes of the game, 1) Parrish had a 30-HR season but Wallach didn't (28); 2) Wallach had a 100-RBI season but Parrish didn't.
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Reggie Cleveland
Rick Wise
Mike Torrez
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Scott Garrelts
Craig Lefferts
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Mike Moore (1982-1995, 161-176, 4.39 ERA)
Mike Morgan (1978-2002, 141-186, 4.23 ERA)
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Honestly, up until this season at least, I got Corey Seagar and Trea Turner mixed up all the time. And Seager is indeed Turner's #1 on Baseball Reference's Similarity Score (913.4), although it doesn't quite work in reverse.
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Gary Pettis and Gary Redus. Both outfielders: Pettis played from 1982-1992, Redus from 1982-1994.
Pettis was a much better defender, Redus a much better hitter. They just missed playing together in Texas towards the end of their careers.
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Ed Walsh/Eddie Plank/Ed Reulbach
Rube Waddell/Rube Marquard
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John Lackey and Jon Lester.
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Gary Matthews, Garry Maddox. (At least I did in 1973.)

Posted about Moore/O'Brien, too, a few months ago.

clemenza, Tuesday, 3 September 2024 15:30 (two months ago) link

And from the Immaculate Grid thread:

You can add Reggie Sanders alongside Ron Gant and Brian Jordan; they're all jumbled up in my mind. Their careers more or less overlap, they all retired with 30-40 WAR, and they all played for many of the same teams, Reds/Braves/Cards especially.

clemenza, Tuesday, 3 September 2024 15:47 (two months ago) link

I know gygax! and gyac aren't the same person because one started the Bill James thread and the other is blocked by Bill James on Twitter (and sometimes sends me baseball cards). Otherwise, who knows, I might get them mixed up.

clemenza, Tuesday, 3 September 2024 16:37 (two months ago) link

The story of the tragic Cubs 2003 NLCS implosion vs the Marlins cannot be told without some confusion

omar little, Tuesday, 3 September 2024 17:25 (two months ago) link

I know gygax! and gyac aren't the same person because one started the Bill James thread and the other is blocked by Bill James on Twitter (and sometimes sends me baseball cards). Otherwise, who knows, I might get them mixed up.


I like him and vice versa iirc

Romy Gonzalez’s utility infusion (gyac), Tuesday, 3 September 2024 17:29 (two months ago) link

Is he still around under a different name? (I know you don't mean Bill James...)

clemenza, Tuesday, 3 September 2024 18:00 (two months ago) link

I've mixed up Álex González and Alex Gonzalez at least twice on the Grid. One time I typed in the one I didn't mean and got it right by accident.

AG #1: 1994-2006, shortstop, .243/.302/.391, 11.2 WAR, played for the Jays
AG #2: 1998-2014, shortstop, .243/.288/.388, 9.4 WAR, played for the Jays

Only AG #2 played in the WS for the 2003 Marlins. They're each on the other's Similarity Score list (906.0).

clemenza, Tuesday, 3 September 2024 18:09 (two months ago) link

two weeks pass...

Another Alex Gonzalez situation: the two Brian Hunters (which I noticed when I checked grid answers for the Mariners/Phillies today; both would have worked. I only remember one of them, and barely at that).

Brian Hunter #1: 1991-2000, 1B, six teams, .234/.298/.430, 67 HR, OPS+ 89, 0.2 bWAR
Brian Hunter #2: 1994-2003, OF, six teams, .264/.313/.346, 25 HR, OPS+ 72, 7.4 bWAR

Both played for the Reds, Phillies, and Mariners; #1 played in three WS with the Braves (why I remember him--one was against the Jays), #2 never had a postseason AB.

clemenza, Sunday, 22 September 2024 20:13 (two months ago) link

Adam Duvall/Adam Dunn--not always, but today, when Duvall was mentioned in another thread (me: "Adam Dunn is still playing?").

clemenza, Wednesday, 2 October 2024 17:51 (one month ago) link

i never knew there were two Brian Hunters, i'm sure i knew about both of them but thought they were the same guy. some kind of mythical player for the Braves, probably, who could hit for some power but also steal 70+ bases, imagine that.

omar little, Wednesday, 2 October 2024 18:45 (one month ago) link

three weeks pass...

Hank Sauer: 1941-1959, 288 HR, .266/.347/.496
Hank Bauer: 1948-1961, 164 HR, .277/.346/.439

clemenza, Tuesday, 29 October 2024 00:36 (one month ago) link


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