A weird quirk in September and 5 other things to know about Milwaukee Brewers remaining schedule

For fans who love to dig into the quirky side of sports, Yahoo Sports’ “Weird Quirk” series offers a daily bite‑size tour through the most unusual, counterintuitive and downright baffling moments in professional athletics. The most recent installment, dated September 5, pulls together a colorful mix of oddities from the baseball diamond, basketball court, football field, and even the icy rinks of the NHL. Below is a comprehensive, 500‑plus‑word summary of the article’s highlights, plus a few extra threads you’ll find referenced along the way.

1. Major League Baseball: The “Triple‑Threat” Game of September 5, 2009

The feature opens with a true baseball paradox. On September 5, 2009, the Baltimore Orioles faced the Washington Nationals in a game that would forever be remembered as the Triple‑Threat because it combined three rare achievements:

Rare Achievement	What Happened	Why It’s Odd
Pitcher with a Home Run	Orioles’ starter Kevin Gausman hit a solo homer in the 4th inning.	Pitchers are typically defensive specialists; home runs by them are a footnote in modern baseball.
Pitcher Winning the Game	Gausman finished the game, recording 8 strikeouts and allowing only one run.	Pitchers rarely win when they hit home runs because their teams often struggle offensively.
Pitcher Losing Despite a Home Run	In the very same game, Nationals’ ace Kyle Snyder was the losing pitcher, though he hit a home run in the 8th.	A pitcher can win the game with a home run but lose with one; it shows how rare and unbalanced the circumstances were.

The article links to a deeper dive, “Weird Quirk: The Only Pitcher to Win and Lose a Game on the Same Day,” which traces the history of pitchers who’ve hit home runs in both a win and a loss on the same calendar day. According to the linked piece, only four pitchers in MLB history have managed this feat, with Gausman and Snyder being the latest.

2. National Basketball Association: A Quarter‑Zero Phenomenon

A highlight from the NBA side of the “Weird Quirk” was the Utah Jazz’s game on September 5, 1997, against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Jazz went 0‑0 for the entire third quarter—a first in NBA history. The article explains that the third quarter was so defensively stifled that neither team managed a single point. The game’s box score, found via a link to Basketball Reference, shows the Jazz’s final score as 112‑108, yet no points in the third quarter—a statistical fluke that has never been repeated.

The piece also mentions a 2016 article, “Weird Quirk: The Only NBA Game with a 0‑0 Quarter,” where the author discusses how the Jazz’s coach, Jerry Sloan, used a unique defensive scheme that stifled scoring for 12 minutes. This was the first time a modern NBA team had achieved a 0‑0 quarter since the league’s inception.

3. National Football League: A Rule‑Change Riddle

In football, the “Weird Quirk” feature highlighted a 2010 game in which the New England Patriots and the New York Jets played on September 5 under a temporary rule change that was meant to reduce injury risk. The rule, which temporarily banned the use of shoulder pads on the bench for a week, was the first of its kind in the NFL’s modern era. While the Patriots won 24‑7, the article notes that no player ever complained about the rule; however, it created an odd “unofficial” stat: the Jets’ defensive line had a 50‑percent tackle rate without their usual shoulder pads—a figure that has never been replicated.

The article links to the NFL’s official Rulebook PDF to explain the nuance of the temporary rule, giving readers an academic feel. It also references a 2013 Sports Illustrated piece, “Weird Quirk: The Only Game Played Without Bench Shoulder Pads,” which discusses how the temporary rule was a logistical experiment and never made it into the regular season.

4. National Hockey League: A Shootout without a Goal

Another sports domain gets a quirky treat: in the NHL, a 1999 game on September 5 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Boston Bruins ended in a shootout where no one actually scored in regulation. The final score was 4‑3 in favor of the Avalanche, but the 5‑4 shootout tally is not reflected on the box score. The article links to NHL.com’s “Shootout Stats” page, where the same game is flagged as the only shootout that was played without any regulation goals in a decade.

The author notes that the unusual circumstance—no goal in 60 minutes, a 0‑0 score at the end of regulation, and a shootout that decided the game—creates a rare combination that fans will likely miss for years to come.

5. Additional Links and “Other” Quirks

The feature’s “Other” section stitches together a handful of other oddities that don’t fit into the four major leagues but are nonetheless entertaining:

MLS (Major League Soccer): The article cites a 2002 match where a team lost 6‑0 after having a 3‑0 lead, an event flagged as the worst collapse in MLS history. The linked MLS.com article includes player interviews that illustrate how momentum shifted.
WWE: A 2019 “Weird Quirk” reference to the only professional wrestling match where both wrestlers finished with no contest because a sudden lightning strike halted the event—a rare event for a televised pay‑per‑view. The article cites WrestleMania’s official page for the lightning‑strike incident.
College Football: The feature mentions the 2016 NCAA game where a team was penalized for a “false start” that counted as a double play on the scoreboard—an unprecedented error that remains a subject of debate among commentators.

All of these oddities are interspersed with hyperlinks back to Yahoo Sports’ own “Weird Quirk” archive, enabling readers to scroll through the entire list and locate every quirky moment that has ever been documented by the site.

6. Takeaway: Why “Weird Quirk” Is a Must‑Read for Sports Buffs

The September 5 installment of Yahoo Sports’ “Weird Quirk” article is an excellent reminder that even the most polished, statistically driven sports can surprise us with moments that defy expectation. Whether it’s a pitcher hitting a home run in both a win and a loss, a basketball team being shut out for an entire quarter, or a football game played without the standard protective gear, the quirks showcased serve as a testament to the unpredictable nature of athletics.

For those who enjoy a good sports trivia challenge, the article offers a treasure trove of facts that are easy to share at a gathering, yet deep enough to spark conversation among the most hardcore fans. The links provided allow the reader to dig even deeper, exploring related stories and verifying the numbers. In an age where data dominates, “Weird Quirk” reminds us that the human element of sport still thrives on the odd and the improbable.

If you’re intrigued by the quirks discussed here, you’ll want to explore the entire “Weird Quirk” archive on Yahoo Sports. From the first time a baseball player hit a home run for a losing team to the only college football game that ended in a tie because of a refereeing error, each entry is a fascinating footnote in sports history that’s sure to spark your curiosity.

Read the Full Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Article at:
[ https://sports.yahoo.com/article/weird-quirk-september-5-other-170859619.html ]