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Quiz about Awkward Baseball Player Names

Awkward Baseball Player Names Trivia Quiz

There are many baseball players with names or nicknames that appear on team rosters throughout all of Baseball that make us laugh and wonder what they were thinking. Nicknames and first names are used.

A multiple-choice quiz by AlexT781. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
AlexT781

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
373,225

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
402

Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. "Sloppy" Thurston was a pitcher, who in 1908, managed to accomplish a rare pitching feat twice in two separate games. His control of a pitch is immaculate. What feat did "Sloppy" manage to pull off? Hint

Sparkling Strikes

Clean Catches

Immaculate Inning

Sloppy Seconds

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Question 2 of 10

2. Another player with a weird nickname is William Van Winkle Wolf. He played from 1882-1892 carrying this funny nickname the entire decade. Hint

"Ducky" Wolf

"Where?" Wolf

"Chicken" Wolf

"Big Bad" Wolf

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Question 3 of 10

3. Granville Hamner began his MLB career in 1944, at age 17. That meant he was destined for a fitting nickname. Pick the correct nickname. Hint

"Poppa" Hamner

"Wet Ears" Hamner

"Granny" Hamner

"Greenville" Hamner

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Question 4 of 10

4. Dennis Ray Boyd is better known as "Oil Can" Boyd. In his hometown in Mississippi, beer is called "oil". What would the reason be he earned the nickname "Oil Can"? Hint

Drank a lot of beer

Shot beer cans in his spare time

Worked at a brewery

Delivered beer to stores

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Question 5 of 10

5. Charles Schmidt played six seasons for the Detroit Tigers. Before playing baseball, he worked in a coal mine, gaining a powerful physique, allowing him to beat Ty Cobb in several fights and reportedly fought an exhibition match against the boxing heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. He had a big ego, thinking he was the best fighter in baseball, supposedly challenging everybody to a fight. His nickname is also a little egotistical. What would a leader in fighting be called? Hint

Boss

John Henry

Bunyan

The Greatest

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Question 6 of 10

6. Frank Hahn must have loved pasta to get his odd nickname, or unraveled a lot of string from baseballs. Hint

Noodles

Spaghetti

Cat

Chef

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Question 7 of 10

7. Clifford Carlton Cravath was considered a power-hitter during the "dead ball" era. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies. He earned the nickname "Gavvy" while playing in the minor leagues. "Gavvy" comes from the Spanish word 'gaviota', meaning seagull. How did "Gavvy" earn that nickname? Hint

Shot seagulls for fun

Fed seagulls

Beat a seagull to death with his bat

Killed a seagull with a ball he hit

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Sometimes nicknames are mean-spirited. Luther Taylor earned the nickname "Dummy" while playing for Cleveland during the 1901 season. In 1902, he was traded to the Giants, and on May 16, 1902 while playing against Cincinnati, played against William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy. It was a unique baseball first with two "Dummies" playing against each other. Just how did Taylor (and Hoy) get their nicknames? Hint

They ran the bases the wrong way

They had speech impediments

They had low IQs

They were deaf mutes

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Question 9 of 10

9. Milton Bradley. This name needs no nickname to give you a chuckle. Just how many games did Milton Bradley play during his major league career? Hint

666

1896

1327

1042

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Question 10 of 10

10. Kennesaw Mountain Landis is probably well known as the first commissioner of baseball. What controversial event is he arguably best known for? Hint

Named his son Lookout Moutain Landis

played for the Cleveland Spiders

Stopped the first baseball strike

Banning "Shoeless Joe" Jackson from Baseball

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Immaculate Inning

"Sloppy" accomplished a rare pitching feat called an "Immaculate Inning". It means the pitcher threw only 9 pitches in one inning and all 9 were strikes.

2. Another player with a weird nickname is William Van Winkle Wolf. He played from 1882-1892 carrying this funny nickname the entire decade.

Answer: "Chicken" Wolf

"Chicken" Wolf supposedly got his nickname from his habit of stuffing himself with chicken before every game while in the minor leagues. The name stuck in the majors.

3. Granville Hamner began his MLB career in 1944, at age 17. That meant he was destined for a fitting nickname. Pick the correct nickname.

Answer: "Granny" Hamner

Granny Hamner spent a good deal of time playing, but found himself eventually shuffled to the Cleveland Indians, and then managed the Kansas City Athletics' minor league team. His nickname isn't as colorful as some other players, being just a shortened (but funny) version of his first name.

4. Dennis Ray Boyd is better known as "Oil Can" Boyd. In his hometown in Mississippi, beer is called "oil". What would the reason be he earned the nickname "Oil Can"?

Answer: Drank a lot of beer

Dennis Ray Boyd said in a 2012 interview that his nickname came not from drinking beer (being known as "Oil") but from drinking moonshine from the local distiller.

Answer: Boss

As a catcher, he never wore shin guards, could supposedly hammer nails into floors with his fists, and took some teammates to a carnival and wrestled a bear. "Boss" is a fitting nickname since the other choices werere already taken. The numerous fractures and injuries he sustained cut his career short.

6. Frank Hahn must have loved pasta to get his odd nickname, or unraveled a lot of string from baseballs.

Answer: Noodles

"Noodles" Hahn was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1899 - 1905, and for the New York Highlanders in 1906, with a career ERA of 2.55. Hahn himself said he had the nickname "Noodles" as a child, but didn't remember how he got it.

Answer: Killed a seagull with a ball he hit

Clifford Cravath actually had two nicknames: "Cactus" and "Gavvy". He also lead the defunct American Association in homeruns once, and also the National League homerun leader until Babe Ruth broke it in 1921. He finished his career with a .287 batting average and 119 homeruns, and six National League homerun titles.

Answer: They were deaf mutes

Both Taylor and Hoy were deaf mutes, commonly called "Deaf and Dumb" at the time. Taylor was the first deaf mute to play baseball, and Nap Lajoie later remarked Taylor "was the first deaf mute ever tossed from a game for talking back to an umpire".

9. Milton Bradley. This name needs no nickname to give you a chuckle. Just how many games did Milton Bradley play during his major league career?

Answer: 1042

On September 19, 1999, while playing for the Expo's minor league team, hit a bottom of the ninth, two-out, full count, grand slam that not only won the game but also the championship.

10. Kennesaw Mountain Landis is probably well known as the first commissioner of baseball. What controversial event is he arguably best known for?

Answer: Banning "Shoeless Joe" Jackson from Baseball

Kennesaw Mountain Landis was named after the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during the American Civil War. Landis is best known for banning Jackson after the Black Sox scandal of 1919, where eight members of the White Six were banned for supposedly attempting to purposely lose the World Series.

Source: Author AlexT781

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor 1nn1 before going online.
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