1961 Cincinnati Reds Quiz | MLB Teams

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Good teams are put together by good general managers. Who was the GM of the 1961 Reds?

Answer: Bill DeWitt

The Reds, having only one superstar, were affectionally known as the Ragamuffins. DeWitt assembled a group of solid veterans and hungry youngsters for his Cinderella team. For his efforts he was named 1961 Major League Executive of the Year. Gabe Paul preceded DeWitt. Howsam was the architect of the Big Red Machine of the 70s. Former team president Crosley died in 1961.

2. A three team trade in December of 1960 brought two key players to the Reds. One was pitcher Joey Jay. Who was the other?

Answer: Gene Freese

Freese hit 26 homers and drove in 87 runs as the regular third baseman. Coleman joined the Reds in 1960. Blasingame and Johnson came aboard during the 61 season.

3. The 1961 pennant was the first for the Reds since which year?

Answer: 1940

After losing four straight to the Yankees in the 1939 World Series, the Reds rebounded to beat Detroit in seven games in 1940. It was their first World Championship since their tainted victory over the "Black Sox" in 1919. The 1956 team set a NL record for home runs but finished third. Had it not been for 1961, the Reds would have gone 30 years between pennants.

4. Fred Hutchinson was named NL Manager of the Year for bringing the Reds from a 6th place finish in 1960, to the pennant in 1961. As a pitcher, Hutch went 95-71 for which team during his playing career?

Answer: Detroit Tigers

Hutch, a lifetime .263 hitter, was occasionally used as a pinch hitter. He managed the Tigers and Cardinals, but had nothing to do with the Athletics or Phillies.

5. An image of former Reds manager Fred Hutchinson is part of the seats in what city's new ballpark?

Answer: Seattle

Hometown hero Hutch played for and later managed the Seattle Raniers in the minors before making it to the show. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center was established by his brother, Dr. Bill Hutchinson, after his death from cancer at age 45 in 1964.

6. The '61 Reds went 19-3 against which opponent?

Answer: Philadelphia Phillies

Beating up on the weak teams is a must for a contender, and the Phillies were truly awful (47-107) in 1961. Surprisingly, the Reds had a .500 or better record against every team except the 7th place Cubs (10-12).

7. The Reds clinched the pennant with a September 26th win against which team, setting off a huge celebration in downtown Cincinnati's Fountain Square?

Answer: Chicago Cubs

At least they beat the Cubs when it really counted! Jim Brosnan picked up the win with three scoreless innings of relief. How many pitchers would have been used if the game were played with today's strategy is anybody's guess. The Dodgers lost to Pittsburgh later in the day to clinch the pennant.

8. It is said that good teams must be strong "up the middle," yet the Reds platooned at three of the four defensive positions. Only in center field did one player start consistently. Who was he?

Answer: Vada Pinson

Pinson hit .343 and stole 23 bases, while handling 420 chances in the field with only four errors.

9. The Reds used five catchers during the season. Who caught the most games?

Answer: Jerry Zimmerman

Zimmerman, the former Red Sox bonus baby, was lucky. He got to the World Series in his rookie year and his only season with the Reds. He spent the next seven years with Minnesota and retired with a less than stellar .204 lifetime average. Bailey, the popular regular catcher since 1956, was traded to the Giants in April of '61 and got to the World Series with them the next year.

Called up from the minors in June, Edwards went on to become the Reds' regular catcher until replaced by Johnny Bench in 1968. Johnson caught 20 games after being acquired in August, and managed the Red Sox against the Reds in the thrilling 1975 World Series. Bob Schmidt caught in 27 games. Even reserve outfielder Pete Whisenant got into a game behind the plate.

10. Eddie Kasko platooned at shortstop with which of the following Latin American players?

Answer: Chico Cardenas

Cardenas hit .308 in '61 and remained with the team through 1968. Known as one of the league's slickest fielders, he won a gold glove in 1965. Kasko, the team MVP in 1960, hit a solid .271 and also saw action at second and third. He along with catcher Darrell Johnson, was one of two '61 Reds who later managed the Boston Red Sox.

11. Which of the following did not play any games for the Reds at second base during 1961?

Answer: Pete Rose

Rose, unpopular with his teammates because he replaced the well-liked Blasingame, was Rookie of the Year in 1963. Blasingame arrived in April in exchange for Ed Bailey and saw the majority of the action at second. Chacon went to the Mets in the 1962 expansion draft. Never heard of Baumer? That's understandable as his entire major league career consisted of 8 games with the White Sox in 1949 and 10 with the Reds in 1961.

His only contribution to the '61 team, other than his .125 batting average, was being traded for Dick Gernert in May. Gernert hit .302 as a back-up first baseman and pinch hitter in his only year with the Reds.

12. Who went 21-10, was the winner in the only World Series game won by the Reds, and was named 1961 NL Pitcher of the Year?

Answer: Joey Jay

Jay, who also won 21 in 1962, was the Reds' first 20-game winner since Ewell Blackwell in 1947. O'Toole went 19-9 and Purkey was 16-12, rounding out a solid staff. Maloney's big years came later. He was only 6-7 in 1961.

13. Which pitcher called "professor" by his teammates, wrote a book to chronicle the 1961 season?

Answer: Jim Brosnan

It was called, "Pennant Race". His previous book, "The Long Season", was also a top seller.

14. This veteran led Reds' pinch hitters in 1961, going 19 for 47 (.404) in the pinch, including five pinch hit home runs, 25 pinch RBI's, and 12 pinch walks. Who turned in this amazing clutch performance?

Answer: Jerry Lynch

He went hitless in the series in three at bats but did draw a walk.

15. Which 1961 Red, headed a three-generation family of major leaguers?

Answer: Gus Bell

Gus' son Buddy and grandson David played in the majors. Boone also headed a three-generation family, but he never played for the Reds. Perez and Griffey have sons who made it to the big leagues, but neither was on the '61 team.

16. The first member of the '61 Reds to be elected to the Hall of Fame, he was the National League MVP in 1961, when he hit .323 with 37 homers, 124 RBI's, and 117 runs. He led the league in slugging and stole 22 bases. He went on to win the MVP in the American League in 1966, becoming the first player to take MVP honors in both leagues. Who is he?

Answer: Frank Robinson

In December of 1965, the Reds traded him to Baltimore for Milt Pappas and others, arguing that he was past his prime, and the rest is history. In 1975, he became the first African-American to manage a major league team, heading the Cleveland Indians.

17. He led both teams in slugging in the 1961 World Series with a mark of .566. Who was he?

Answer: Wally Post

True Reds fans shouldn't be surprised. Post won 11 free suits over the years for hitting homers off a sign on a building behind the left field wall. Big Klu was no longer with the Reds in '61. Mantle was injured and saw limited action in the series, hitting and slugging only .167 in six at-bats.

After breaking Babe Ruth's single season home run record, Maris had a miserable series, hitting only .105 with a .316 slugging percentage.

18. Who was the Reds' lead broadcaster in 1961, who regailed the fans with personal stories during rain delays?

Answer: Waite Hoyt

A Hall of Famer, Waite was a star pitcher for the 1927 Yankees. He loved telling stories about his playing days, particularly about teammate Babe Ruth. Nuxhall, the old lefthander, was only 15 when he appeared in his first major league game with the Reds in 1944. Before going into broadcasting, he played with the Reds from 1952-1960 and 1962-1966, thus missing the only pennant-winning year of his career.

He spent 1961 with Kansas City. Vin Scully, of course, was the broadcaster for the Dodgers.

19. Crosley Field was home to the 1961 Reds. Autograph collectors loved the fact that the players had to pass through an area under the grandstand called the players runway, which was accessible to fans to get to the field. Where was this up close and personal area located?

Answer: third base side

Everyone loved the access to the players. Gordy Coleman and Johnny Edwards always stopped to sign, but most others would sign fairly regularly, too. No autograph fees. How about that!

20. The bleachers at Crosley Field were given which name?

Answer: Both of these

Moon Deck for night games, Sun Deck for day games, same seats regardless. Cost: $1.00 for adults, 75 cents for kids, 50 cents on ladies day.

Source: Author dch47

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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1961 Cincinnati Reds Trivia Quiz

The Big Red Machine dominated the 1970's, but if you were a fan in the 50's and 60's you only cheered for one pennant winner. What do you remember about the 1961 Cinderella team?

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