Birds Playing Baseball Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have a long history; they began in 1881 as the Brown Stockings, and were renamed the Browns. (It's confusing, but it's not the same team as THE St. Louis Browns). By 1892 the team was known as the Perfectos.

Pack Robert Gibson, known as Bob, and nicknamed "Gibby", became a Cardinal pitcher in 1959 and stayed with the team his entire career from 1959-1975. During that time, he was the recipient of two Cy Young Awards, and the National League MVP Award in 1968. Gibson was a nine time All-Star, and was on two World Series Championship teams while he was a Redbird. In 1968, which is considered to be his best season, Gibby had an ERA of 1.12. Known for his competitiveness and athleticism, in 1981, his first year of eligibility, Gibson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Answer: Cardinals

In 1899 the Perfectos added the color cardinal red to their uniform, along with red socks. Legend says that a newspaper writer heard a fan make the comment that the uniforms were a "lovely shade of cardinal", and started calling the team the Cardinals. A year later the team name was officially changed to Cardinals. However, it was not until 1921 that the birds became associated with the team logo.

Stan "The Man" Musial played first base or outfield for the Cardinals during his entire career from 1941-44, and 1946-63. From 1944-45 he served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Over the course of his long career he appeared in 24 All-Star games, was a seven time batting champion, and played on three World Series championship teams. Known for his consistent hitting, Musial was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969, his his first year of eligibility.

Answer: Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinal fans have watched the team play in several ballparks, beginning with Sportsman's Park from 1882-1892, Robison Field from 1893-1920, and then back to Sportsman's Park, which underwent a name change in 1953 when the team and park were both purchased by the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

During his long career, Jay Hanna Dean pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs, and the St. Louis Browns. He was a member of the Gashouse Gang, joining the Redbirds in 1930, and then playing for the team from 1932-1937. In 1934 he won 30 games, making a record that stood the test of time in the MLB National League for almost 100 years; that year the Cardinals also won the World Series, and Dean was chosen as the NL MVP. Known for his rambunctious personality, which earned him the nickname, as well as his pitching, "Dizzy" Dean was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1953.

Answer: Cardinals

In 1953, when the Cardinals and Sportsman's Park were purchased by the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, the complex became known as Busch Stadium; later it was called Busch I. Why? There have been two other Busch Stadiums built since then - one in 1966 called Busch II or Busch Memorial Stadium, and another, Busch III, in 2005.

Albert Schoendienst, nicknamed "Red" for his hair, played second base for the Cardinals from 1945-1956, and was then traded to the New York Giants. The following year the Giants traded him to the Milwaukee Braves, where he played from 1957-1960, before returning to the Cardinals from 1961-1963. He was a ten time All-Star, and a five time World Series champion, winning the prestigious title two times as a player and three times as a manager or coach. Known for his fierce loyalty to the Redbird organization, by the time of his death in 2018, Schoendienst had spent 76 years as a player, coach, or manager, and 67 of those years were spent with the Cardinals. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1989.

Answer: Blue Jays

There was a lot of celebration in Toronto in 1977 when the city finally gained a MLB expansion team. The team's owners thought the fans should have a say in naming the team, and asked for suggestions. Fourteen judges, thousands of suggestions, and 10 finalists later, the Toronto Blue Jays were born!

Roy Halladay III, nicknamed "Doc" after the Old West Doc Holliday, was a pitcher for the Blue Jays from 1998-2009. He ended his career with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2010-2013. An eight time All-Star, and two-time Cy Young Award winner, Halladay was the third pitcher to win a Cy Young in both Leagues, and also pitch for both in an All-Star game. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, two years after his death.

Answer: Blue Jays

The Blue Jays, usually known simply as the Jays, was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, famous for their beer, Labatt Blue. Some sources suggest that the beer inspired the name for the team. Team colors are navy blue, royal blue, red, and white.

Dave Stieb, also called "Sir David" because of his high salary, was a pitcher for the Blue Jays from 1979-1992, before joining the Chicago White Sox in 1993. A back injury forced his early retirement that year, however, he did return to play with the Blue Jays in 1998 after being away from the game for five years. Stieb was a seven time All-Star and was part of the 1992 World Series championship Jays team. He ranked second in the winningest pitchers of the 1980s, and became a member of the Canadian Hall of Fame in 2005.

Answer: Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles baseball team was one of the American League's charter teams in 1901, beginning as the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1902 the team moved to St. Louis and became known as the Browns, staying there until 1953, when it was purchased and moved to Baltimore.

Cal Ripken Jr. played either shortstop or third base for the Baltimore Orioles for his entire career, from 1981-2001. After being chosen as the AL Rookie of the Year in 1982, he became a perennial favorite, playing on nineteen All-Star teams. Which 1990s baseball fan doesn't remember "The Iron Man" breaking Lou Gehrig's record of consecutive games played on September 6, 1995, with 2,141! Known for his incredible stamina and dedication, Cal Ripken Jr was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Answer: Orioles

The reason why the Baltimore team became known as the Orioles is because orioles are the state bird of Maryland. Fans typically called their team the O's or the Birds, and, as expected, the team's colors are black, white, grey, and orange.

Frank Robinson played outfield for five teams during his career, including the Cincinnati Reds (1956-1965), Baltimore Orioles (1966-1971), Los Angeles Dodgers (1972), California Angels (1973-1974), and Cleveland Indians (1974-1976). He also managed several teams, including the Orioles from 1988-1991, and was a coach there from 1978-1980 and 1985-1987. A fourteen time All-Star and two time World Series champion, Robinson was arguably the Orioles best player during his time with the team, as evidenced by his receipt of the World Series MVP title in 1966. Nicknamed "Judge", he began a program in Baltimore where teammates were fined for misdeeds. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Answer: Orioles

The Orioles play their home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992. Camden Yards was the location of a railroad terminal, and part of that structure was incorporated into the new ball park.

Jim Palmer pitched for the Orioles his entire professional career from 1965-1967, taking a break in 1968 due to arm injuries. He returned to the team in 1969 and played until 1984. Nicknamed "Cakes", because of his habit of eating pancakes on the mornings of days he was scheduled to pitch, Palmer was a six time All-Star, three time Cy Young Award winner, and a three time World Series champion. His Hall of Fame induction occurred in 1990.

Answer: Blue Jays

Originally the Blue Jays played most of their home games at Exhibition Stadiums, but made the SkyDome, which was renamed Rogers Centre, their home in 1989. The Jays won back to back World Series victories in 1992 and 1993.

Paul Molitor played as an infielder and designated hitter for the Blue Jays from 1993-1995, in between stints with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1978-1992 and the Minnesota Twins from 1996-1998. During his career, Molitor was a seven time All-Star, and was chosen as the World Series MVP in 1993. Called "The Ignitor", he is known as one of the most consistent offensive players in baseball, and is considered one of the best lead off batters in the history of the game. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.