The Ultimate MLB Ballparks Quiz | Baseball

Answer: Named after a swamp

The park was constructed in a swampy area known as 'The fens', which in 1910 was changed from a saltwater to a freshwater swamp by the construction of the Charles River Dam. There is a 'red seat' in right field indicating, supposedly, the longest home run of 502' ever hit by anyone.

It was a Red Sox player by the name of Ted Williams. It is interesting to note that the opening of the park on April 20, 1912, was overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic just six days earlier.

Answer: A British general

The field was named for General John Forbes, a British general, who captured Fort Duquesne in 1758 from the French during the French and Indian Wars. It was also called 'The Seven Years War'. Forbes then renamed it Fort Pitt. Can you imagine a soccer field in the U.K. named after an American general? The park was constructed outside the centre of Pittsburgh, leading many to think that it would fail and thus called it "Dreyfuss Folly" after the owner Barney Dreyfuss. All those naysayers were proven wrong as this became profitable franchise.

Answer: Shibe Park

Shibe Park was initially named for Benjamin Shibe, who was one of the owners along with Connie Mack. Though Connie Mack eventually obtained full ownership of the Philadelphia Athletics, he kept the name "Shibe Park". However, in 1953 it was renamed Connie Mack Stadium which was three years after Mack's retirement.

Interestingly, it was home to two MLB teams for 17 seasons, the Philadelphia Athletics and the Phillies from 1938 to 1954. Shibe park hosted its first Negro League games in 1919 when the Hilldale Club and Bacharach Giants played home games at the ballpark.

In the 1940s, the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro League played all their home games there.

Answer: Exhibition Stadium

There had been four different stadiums constructed on the site in Toronto from 1879 until 1948. Exhibition Stadium was built for Canadian football and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Then from 1977 to 1989, it became home to the Toronto Blue Jays. There were two significant problems for hosting baseball.

The first were seats that at ground level were 820 feet from home plate (this was the farthest of any home field in MLB at that time). A second difficulty was that many seats faced away from the play, therefore the spectators had to crank their heads to the left or right to view the play.

The Blue Jays thankfully moved to the Skydome on June 5, 1989, and the Toronto Argonauts also moved to the Skydome in 1989. Exhibition Stadium was finally demolished in 1999.

Answer: Jarry Park

When Jarry Park was first constructed, it was a 3000-seat recreational venue. By opening day it had been expanded to seat 28,270 fans. On that Opening Day, April 14, 1969, there were over 29,000 fans that crowded in to see the first-ever Major league baseball game in Canada. The park was named after Raoul Jarry (1885-1930), who had been a member of Montreal's municipal council.

Answer: A west coast bird

The site for the stadium is on Candlestick Point, which according to several sources was named after the local 'candlestick bird'. It is a member of the curlew family and is a wading bird about the size of a chicken. The stadium was constructed in 1958. Candlestick Park or "The Stick" is known for its winds. One of the most famous events occurred during the 1961 All Star game when Stu Miller, the pitcher, was blown off the mound by a big gust of wind and the umpire called him for a balk.

In 2000, the Giants moved to Pacific Bell Park leaving Candlestick Park to the NFL San Francisco 49ers.

Answer: The Polo Grounds

The Polo Grounds was home to the New York Giants from 1891 to 1957, but it was also home to the Yankees from 1913 to 1922, and then the New York Mets from 1962 to 1963. "Merkle's Boner' occurred in 1908 when Fred Merkle of the Giants had hit a single and was on first. Al Bridwell hit a single and Merkle ran towards second and saw Moose McCormick, who had been on third, run to home plate. Merkle, believing that the Giants won the game, turned and headed to the club house.

He was declared out and Bridwell's run did not count.

The Chicago Cubs won the game. The make-up game the next day went to the Cubs who also won the pennant. It was a true boner to be sure. In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" refers to the game-ending home run hit by New York Giants outfielder, Bobby Thomson, off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant on October 3, 1951.

The Giants won the game 5-4, defeating the Dodgers in their pennant playoff series.

It is considered to be one of the most famous moments in Major League Baseball history. "The Catch" is the famous improbable catch over his shoulder by Willie Mays on September 29, 1954, during the first game of The World Series. The Giants went on to win the series over the Chicago White Sox by 4 games to 0.

Answer: Enron Field

When the Enron debacle occurred in 2002, the naming rights were sold to the Minute Maid Company. This new stadium replaced the old Astrodome which had been used from 1965 to 1999. The new venue has a high tech retractable roof which had been financed by both private and public funds and now allows the fans to enjoy baseball under the sun, weather permitting.

Answer: The Skydome

Rogers Centre is the home of the Toronto Blue Jays who won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, thus becoming the first non-American team to have accomplished that. In 2009, there was a 348-room hotel in the facility with 70 of the rooms overlooking the playing field along with 161 private skyboxes.

The centre is named after a major communications company in Canada that actually had its start as a vacuum tube company selling battery-less radios, using vacuum tube technology. Edward S. Rogers Sr founded CFRB in Toronto, the world's first all-electric radio station. Rogers Communications purchased the Skydome in 2005 as well as the Blue Jays.

Answer: Redland Field

'Redland Field" is referring to the name "Reds" of Cincinnati. It was among the first concrete and re-enforcing steel ball parks to be constructed. It was called Redland Park until local businessman, Powel Crosley Jr., bought the struggling Reds in 1934, and the name was changed in 1934 to honour him. On May 24, 1935, the first-ever MLB game under the lights was played between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Reds. Cincinnati defeated Philadelphia 2-1 in front of 20,422 fans under the lights, and baseball has not looked back.