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MLB 1880s Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
MLB 1880s Quizzes, Trivia

MLB 1880s Trivia

MLB 1880s Trivia Quizzes

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The 1880s of professional baseball layed the ground work for the stability of game. The American Association, Union Association, and the National League were all there. The leagues who tried and failed, and those who moved forward are all here along with the greats of the early game!
4 MLB 1880s quizzes and 40 MLB 1880s trivia questions.
1.
  Decade in a Box: 1880s   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Don't let the decade bother you if you look at the answer options and take a moment. This is about the 1880s. I hope that you leave with new knowledge. :-)
Average, 10 Qns, Nightmare, Dec 28 08
Average
Nightmare gold member
355 plays
2.
  1880s in a Bucket   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A look back at the decade of the 1880s in all multiple choice. One question for each season. I hope that you enjoy it. :)
Average, 10 Qns, Nightmare, Apr 14 11
Average
Nightmare gold member
184 plays
3.
  1880s on the Diamond    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Another matching quiz in a series of decades in baseball. Have fun with this quiz about the 1880s.
Difficult, 10 Qns, dg_dave, Jan 23 17
Difficult
dg_dave gold member
119 plays
4.
  Decades on the Diamond: 1880s    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The final quiz in a series of baseball decades. I hope that you have enjoyed them. :-)
Tough, 10 Qns, Nightmare, Dec 28 08
Tough
Nightmare gold member
315 plays

MLB 1880s Trivia Questions
1. The 1880 National League season saw the first thrown perfect game in baseball history. Not only that, it would be the only one thrown by a left-handed pitcher for another 85 seasons. Which pitcher threw this perfecto?

From Quiz 1880s in a Bucket

Answer: Lee Richmond

Lee was in only his second season of professional baseball. With the Worcester Ruby Legs of the National League, he threw a perfect game against the Cleveland Blues in the 1-0 win. Richmond went 32-32 in the season while starting 66 games. Lee retired after only six seasons with a 75-100 record. The next National League perfect game that would be thrown by a left-handed pitcher did not happen for eight decades. It was thrown by Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax, who threw one against the Chicago Cubs in 1965.

2. How many professional leagues appeared in the 1880s?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: 4

The five leagues were the National Association, Union Association, American Association, and the National League.

3. Which team of the National League won the most pennants in the decade of the 1880s?

From Quiz Decade in a Box: 1880s

Answer: Chicago White Stockings

The other teams did not exist in the 1880s. The White Stockings were the infants of the eventual Chicago Cubs of the National League. They won all their five titles from 1880-1886 under the management of player-coach Cap Anson. In 1890, the franchise changed their name to the Chicago Colts, then Orphans in 1898. They became the Cubs in 1903.

4. This 1881 member of the Troy Trojans of the National League made history by hitting baseball's first-ever grand slam home run. He would go on to be the career leader in home runs over his seasons. Who is this Hall of Fame Member?

From Quiz 1880s in a Bucket

Answer: Roger Connor

Connor played well before the other greats began their careers. Roger played with the Trojans for three seasons before joining the New York Giants in 1883. He retired as a St. Louis Brown in 1897 with 138 home runs over 18 seasons. He was not surpassed for his career home run record until 1920 by the great Babe Ruth.

5. Which team dominated the decade by taking five National League pennants?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: Chicago White Stockings

The other teams folded before the decade ended. The White Stockings won the league pennant in 1880, '81, '82, '85, and 1886. Cap Anson was the player/manager throughout their decade.

6. Which pitcher set a decade-high in 1886 by striking out 513 batters in the season?

From Quiz Decade in a Box: 1880s

Answer: Matt Kilroy

The others listed never played in the 1880s. Kilroy was in his rookie season in 1886 with the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association when he struck out 513 batters. He started 68 games in the season which was not uncommon in that era, and completed 66 of those. His season record was 29-34 which did not reflect his season success. In 10 seasons, Matt never struck out more than 220 again in his career, but his 513 was not surpassed through the 19th or even entire 20th century.

7. Which professional league tried to make a run for their money in 1882 by competing with the existing National League, only to fold after 10 seasons?

From Quiz 1880s in a Bucket

Answer: American Association

The American Association survived longer than any other league who was trying to compete with the National League. The league existed from 1882-1891. The league begin with only six teams, expanded to eight teams in 1883, then 13 teams in 1883, but teams would come and go, and would not give stability to the AA. The league folded after the 1891 season. The St. Louis Browns franchise (later Cardinals) would dominate the league by winning four consecutive American Association pennants, and being runner-up another three times during the league's 10-season existence.

8. In 1884, this player hit 27 home runs in the season which smashed the previous season record of 14. Who was this slugger?

From Quiz Decade in a Box: 1880s

Answer: Ned Williamson

The others did not start their careers until after the turn of the century. Williamson hit 27 home runs in 1884, even though that was the year of the pitcher due to rule changes. He was with the Chicago White Stockings of the National League. Ned never hit 10 home runs in a season again. Williamson broke the record of Harry Stovey in 1883, who hit 14 with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association.

9. Who walked away with the highest season batting average of the decade?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: Tip O'Neill

O'Neill of the St. Louis Browns with the American Association batted .435 in 1887.

10. Which pitcher set a season win record by going 59-12 in 1884, a record that was still intact throughout the entire 20th century?

From Quiz Decade in a Box: 1880s

Answer: Charley Radbourn

The other pitching greats had not started their careers yet in the 1880s. Radbourn, with the Providence Grays of the National League won 59 games in the season while starting in 73 games. Although a high number of starts, this was normal for baseball in the 1880s. Radbourn was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1939.

11. Only two players in the 1880s hit 20 or more home runs in a season. Ned Williamson was one in 1884. Who was the other player?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: Sam Thompson

Thompson of the Philadelphia Quakers hit 20 in 1889. The Quakers still finished fourth in the National League.

12. Which player had the highest season batting average in the 1880s?

From Quiz Decade in a Box: 1880s

Answer: Tip O'Neill

Although all listed did exist in baseball, O'Neill of the St. Louis Browns with the American Association hit .435 in 1887. This helped the Browns to a first place finish and pennant in the season, 14 games of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Charlie Comiskey managed the ballclub.

13. After almost tripling the National League season home run record in 1884 with 27 home runs, Ned Williamson of the Chicago White Stockings hit how many in 1885?

From Quiz 1880s in a Bucket

Answer: 3

For no known reason, Williamson hit 27 big ones, breaking the National League season home run record of 10, set previously by Buck Ewing of the New York Giants. With the rules changes to pitching for the 1883 season, it took 'the bat' away from hitters. Although a ball that bounced over a fence was still considered a home run, that rule had been in effect for many seasons already. Williamson's record stood until 1919 when Babe Ruth hit 29 for the Red Sox, then 54 in the following season for the Yankees.

14. Which team won the most games in a season in any league during the decade?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: St. Louis Browns

The Browns of the American Association won an amazing 90+ games four consecutive seasons from 1886-1889, and topped out at 95. They were led by player/manager Charlie Comiskey. The team won four pennants in the decade.

15. After leading his league with 52 wins in 1884, this pitcher made history when he won a batting title in 1886, the first and probably the only pitcher to ever accomplish this. Who was this pitcher with an arm and a bat?

From Quiz 1880s in a Bucket

Answer: Guy Hecker

Hecker was with the Louisville Colonels of the American Association in 1884 when he led the league with a 52-20 record, along with 385 strikeouts. In 1886, Guy went 26-23 from the mound, and also took the batting crown with his .341 average.

16. The owner of the 1887 National League Champion Detroit Wolverines challenged the owner of the American Association's St. Louis Browns to an unprecedented championship series of how many games?

From Quiz 1880s in a Bucket

Answer: 15

Detroit's owner was Frederick Stearnes, and he wanted to show the National League's superiority by the challenge. Although the National League did not officially sanction the series, the championship series took place with the Wolverines winning the series, eight games to six. With nothing but sour grapes, the Browns' owner Von Der Ahe refused to pay his players anything for the series.

17. The Brooklyn franchise (later Dodgers) played in which league in the 1880s?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: American Association

The franchise began in 1884 as the Brooklyn Atlantics. From 1885-1887 they were named the Grays, then Bridegrooms in 1888. In 1889, the team won the American Association pennant. They jumped to the National League in 1890.

18. This league existed for only one season in 1884. It consisted of 12 teams but folded at the end of the season. Which league was it?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: Union Association

The St. Louis Maroons easily won the pennant with their 94-19 record. The Kansas City Packers had the worst record, going 16-63. The other teams in the league were the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Outlaw Reds, Baltimore Monumentals, Boston Reds, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Keystones, St. Paul White Caps, Altoona Mountain City, Wilmington Quicksteps, and a combined team from Chicago and Pittsburgh.

19. Four future Hall of Famers were born in 1887. They were Eddie Collins, Grover Alexander, Joe McCarthy, and Walter Johnson. Which of those never actually played the game?

From Quiz Decade in a Box: 1880s

Answer: Joe McCarthy

McCarthy was a manager in his entire baseball career from 1926-1950. From 1931-1946, Joe managed the Yankees to eight World Series, winning seven of them. He was inducted into the hall in 1957.

20. This last place team in the American Association in 1889 set a baseball record by losing 26 consecutive games in the season. Which team was this?

From Quiz 1880s in a Bucket

Answer: Louisville Colonels

The other teams never existed. The Colonels finished with a dismal 27-111 record while going through four different managers in the season. They did not have a starting player bat .300, nor have a pitcher that won more than 10 games. The pitching leader was Red Ehret who won only 10 games, but also lost 29 in the process. The Colonels were the first actual team to go from worst to first in professional baseball by winning the American Association pennant the following season in 1890 with a record of 88-44, 10 games ahead of the second place Columbus Solons.

21. How many total teams were in the National League during the 1880s?

From Quiz Decades on the Diamond: 1880s

Answer: 17

Many teams came and went throughout the decade. Ironically, it began with eight in 1880, and finished with eight in 1889.

22. In the 1880s, there were four pitching Triple Crowns thrown in the decade. How many batting Triple Crowns were won?

From Quiz Decade in a Box: 1880s

Answer: 1

The pitching Triple Crowns were thrown by Guy Hecker and Charley Radbourn in 1884, Tim Keefe of the New York Giants in 1888, then John Clarkson of the Boston Beaneaters in 1889. In 1887, Tip O'Neill of the St. Louis Browns in the American Association was the only batter to do it.

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