Baseball Logic Puzzle: Batter Up! Online Trivia | Brain Teasers

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Dale

Since there were no outs and since Dale's home run was a solo, he had to be the first batter for the inning. A solo home run is one that is hit while there is no one on base. So after Dale's smack, the team would score their first run for the inning. Normally, Dale would bat again after the ninth batter, but, since Willie is in the on-deck circle in spot number ten, we will assume he strained a muscle celebrating.

2. Barry

Barry is a bit trickier. He was probably one of the last clues you solved, as the only clue we were given is that he is left-handed. Based on other clues, we know that Dale hit a home run and Ty was left on base, just leaving Babe and Barry as the only left-handers we are unsure about. We learn that Babe does strike out, however, that only happens after the grand slam. We also learn that there is a strikeout between a single and a double, so Babe's strikeout is most likely not the first of the inning, since a grand slam requires three players on base. With Barry being the only lefty left, he must have been the one to strike out first, meaning he must have batted before Derek. Since the bases were empty and he was the first strikeout, we can surmise he batted right after Dale.

3. Derek

We learn that Derek hit a single and was on third base by the time a home run was hit. Since Dale's home run was solo, either Derek was on third when the grand slam was hit, or there was a third home run. Since we know Ozzie struck out between a single and a double, we can ascertain that the second strikeout occurred before Derek made it to third base. Fun fact: A "hit" means a player reaches a base safely, and in this case, a "single" means the batter reached only the first base from their hit.

4. Ozzie

Ozzie is our fourth batter and our second strikeout which occurred between Derek's single and a double. Since there was only one batter stranded on base when the third out occurred, Ozzie has to be before the grand slam, since there is a batter after him. Fun fact: A double is when a batter touches first base and makes it safely to second base from their hit. The second base is the farthest from home plate in terms of straight line distance.

5. Joe

Joe would be our fifth batter, though it requires some deduction on our part. Ozzie strikes out after Derek hits a single, leaving Derek on first. This means that Joe needs to hit a double for Derek to get to third, putting Joe at second, with first base open. Additionally, we learn from Ozzie that a double occurred right after him. So Joe hit a double, letting Derek go from first base to third base. This leaves first base open which Hank fills right after Joe, thus loading the bases for Mickey's grand slam!

6. Hank

Hank would be our sixth batter, as we know he both walks and comes after Joe. This sets up Hank on first, Joe on second, and Derek on third making the bases loaded. We know that there are already two outs and that Mickey will hit a grand slam, so Mickey might be the next batter. Fun facts: A "walk" in baseball gives the hitter first base after the pitcher throws four pitches that are out of the "strike zone," and thus were deemed unhittable. Since Derek is already on third, and Joe is already on second, they would not need to move when Hank is awarded first base.

7. Mickey

We learn that Mickey hit a grand slam and since there are already two outs, the seventh batter could not be an out and thus must have gotten at least a hit. We also know that Ty was still on base when Babe hit the final out, with Willie on deck after Babe.

Therefore, the only place where Mickey could have batted was in the 7th spot. Fun facts: A "grand slam" is exciting as it scores the maximum number of runs possible from any one play. Grand slams are particularly rare, as the bases are not loaded very often during a game, and home runs are also uncommon, even for the best of batters.

When the stars do align, the mental pressure placed on the batter doesn't make it any easier to actually hit one.

8. Ty

Since Ty was on base when the final out occurred, he had to bat after the grand slam, but before the final out. We know that Babe is the final out and Willie was up next after Babe, so number eight is the only place where Ty could have been batting. Fun facts: While it is nice to get on base and critical for scoring runs, if a runner is still on base when out number three occurs, they do not score any points for the team, leaving it as a wasted opportunity.

9. Babe

Babe hit the third and final out resulting in only 9 players getting a chance to bat this inning. We know that Babe has to be in the ninth spot as we are told he bats before Willie. The third out causes the end of the inning for the batting team. In this example, we only had strikeouts where the batter ended up missing the ball 3 times. Fun facts: Other common ways a batter can be out are by the other team catching the hit ball before it touches the ground, or by getting the ball to a base before the runner can reach it. Runners can also be tagged out when a defender with the ball in their glove touches the runner in between bases.

10. Willie

We know that Willie bats after Babe and since Babe batted ninth, then Willie would have been in the on-deck circle as a pinch hitter waiting for his chance to bat. In a normal game, Willie would then be the first batter of the next inning. In reality, it is unlikely that a player who just hit a home run would be taken out for a pinch hitter, unless they are injured. Fun facts: Teams can also use a pinch runner to replace a runner who is on base. Usually, this happens because either the person on base is injured or the pinch runner is faster or has a better chance of scoring on the next hit. Anytime a pinch hitter or pinch runner enters the field, the person they are replacing can no longer participate for the rest of the game.

Source: Author BigTriviaDawg

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What's the Correct Order?	Choices
1. (Dale, Barry, Ty, and Babe are the only left-handers.)	Derek
2. (Mickey hit a grand slam.)	Dale
3. (Ty was the only one left on base when the third out occurred.)	Joe
4. (There were no outs when Dale hit a solo home run.)	Babe
5. (Babe struck out after the grand slam.)	Ozzie
6. (Joe batted before Hank walked.)	Ty
7. (A lefty struck out with the bases empty before Derek singled.)	Hank
8. (Willie is after Babe in the batting order.)	Mickey
9. (Ozzie struck out directly between a single and a double.)	Willie
10. (Derek was on 3rd base when a home run was hit.)	Barry

Baseball Logic Puzzle: Batter Up! Quiz

Place the 10 Baseball players in the order that they stepped up to bat during one inning of a game. All batters are on the same team. Basic knowledge of baseball might be helpful but solving can be done without it. Good luck and play ball!