Baseball by a Dummy Quiz / Test | MLB For Dummies

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Babe Ruth was the first player in history to reach the 500 home run mark. Jimmie Foxx was the second to do this. While the Babe was the first to hit over 700 home runs, who was the second?

Answer: Hank Aaron

Ruth, who played for 22 seasons, hit 50+ home runs in a season four times in his career. In this era of the 1920s, home runs were not a common thing. Along came Jimmie Foxx of the Red Sox, and reached the 500-plateau in 1940. Foxx retired with 534 home runs. Later in baseball history, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron battled with season home run crowns.

While the 'Say Hey Kid' stopped at 660 home runs, Aaron went on to hit 755 in his career with the Braves of Milwaukee and Atlanta, reached the 700-barrier in 1973, then later retired with 755 in 1976 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Reggie Jackson retired with 563 after 21 seasons in 1987.

2. The Los Angeles Angels, California Angels, Anaheim Angels, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, blah blah blah, or whatever they choose to call themselves, went to their first World Series in 2002 after starting as an expansion team in 1961. They won the series in their first appearance against which team?

Answer: San Francisco Giants

The others were all American League teams as the Angels also, and they all lost 100+ games in the 2002 season. The Angels had former Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia at their helm in his third season as a manager. The Angels put the Giants away, four games to three, with Angels' third baseman Troy Glaus being the series MVP. Pitcher Dean Chance was the franchise's first Cy Young winner in 1964.

3. Which of the following never won multiple season MVP awards?

Answer: Cy Young

The others listed won at least three season MVP awards in their great careers. Cy Young, whose pitching prowess was given to the Cy Young pitching award retired in 1911, the same year that the first Most Valuable Player award was given. Ty Cobb and Frank Schulte won the first MVP awards in 1911.

The Cy Young award was first given out in 1956, one year after Young's death in 1955. Don Newcombe of the Dodgers was the first recipient of the award.

4. There were many baseball greats who had over 3000 hits in their career, including Pete Rose and Ty Cobb who surpassed the 4000 mark. Which of the following never reached 3000 hits in their career?

Answer: Greg Pinchbeck

From Aaron's 3771 career hits "down to" Mays' 3283, Pinchbeck never reached the 3000-hit plateau. When Pete Rose retired in 1986, he was on top of the heap with 4256 career hits, passing Cobb in the 1985 season. He was the only player to surpass Ty Cobb's mark after 57 years in which Cobb retired in 1928. Both Rose and Cobb accomplished these feats in 24 seasons of Major League baseball.

5. Among these pitching greats and all Hall of Fame inductees, which of the following did not play for 10 seasons in the Major Leagues?

Answer: Satchel Paige

The others listed pitched for 20+ seasons in their careers. Paige was a Negro League pitching specialist for many seasons before coming to the Major Leagues. In 1948, Paige was signed by the Cleveland Indians, and the second black player after Larry Doby to join the American League. Satchel, who won over 2500 undocumented games in the Negro Leagues, pitched for the Indians from 1948-1953 and retired.

He then came back for a one-game encore appearance in 1965 at the age of 59 to make his Major League appearances last six seasons.

His Major League pitching record was 28-31. He was a Hall of Fame inductee in 1971.

6. There were many Major Leaguers who became famous as players, and many of them later became managers of a team that went to a World Series. Who in the role as a manager, never took a team to a World Series?

Answer: Babe Ruth

Stengel, who played mostly for the Brooklyn Dodgers, later took the Yankees to 10 World Series. Dick Williams, who also played most of his 13-season playing career with the Dodgers, managed the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics amongst other teams.

He took the Red Sox to the World Series in 1967, and the Athletics to the series in 1972 and 1973. Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat and many other nicknames, had a dream to manage a Major League before he left baseball. The dream never came to be.

7. Who was the first player in history to win the Cy Young and league MVP award in the same season?

Answer: Don Newcombe

The others listed were not pitchers and could not win the Cy Young award. The first Cy Young award was dispersed in 1956. In that 1956 season, Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers won the inaugural award. He also won the National League MVP going 27-7, leading the Dodgers to the World Series in a losing cause against the Yankees.

8. Of the following fantastic Major League baseball pitchers, who did not win over 400 games in their career?

Answer: Sandy Koufax

Young won 511 games in his career and was the first to reach the 500-win plateau. Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators was the second pitcher to reach 400, and the only other in the 20th century. Sandy Koufax, although one of the greatest pitchers in history, had his media attention over a six-year span from 1961-1966, while beginning his Major League career in 1955 with the Dodgers. With multiple Cy Young awards, MVPs, and strikeout records, Koufax won only 165 games in his 12-year stint with the Dodgers.

He was inducted into the hall for his efforts in 1972.

9. There was only one team who reached the century mark with wins in both 2004 and 2005. Which team was it?

Answer: Cardinals

None of the other teams listed won 100 games in either season. In 2004, the Cardinals went 105-57, the best record in both leagues, then lost the World Series to the Red Sox. In 2005, the Cardinals were the only team to reach the 100-plateau, winning 100 against 62 losses. The Yankees were the only other team to reach 100 wins in either season.

10. Which of the following never batted over .350 in a season throughout their Major League career?

Answer: Pete Rose

The Babe batted .393 in 1923, and it would be the third time of eight that he surpassed the .350 marker. Tony Gwynn, the career San Diego Padre, reached the .350 average seven times in his career. Boggs reached the .350 mark five times, all with the Red Sox.

Source: Author Nightmare

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Baseball by a Dummy Trivia Quiz

I don't know much about baseball, but thought that I would share an all multiple choice quiz for those who are not really into Major League baseball either. Here is a chance at scoring big! I hope that you enjoy it. :-)

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