Baseball Brothers 2 Quiz | Baseball Families

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. These two brothers both began their careers in 1986 despite their 5-year age difference. The older brother went 39-37 in his career, playing with 9 teams over 15 seasons. His younger sibling played 23 seasons in the majors, most of them with the Cubs and Braves. He retired after the 2008 season, sporting 355 wins and 227 losses, a career 3.16 ERA, and 3371 strikeouts. Who are these brothers, who have 18 Gold Gloves between them?

Answer: Mike and Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux's first appearance in any game at the major league level was not as a pitcher, but rather as a pinch runner. In September 1986, the Cubs and Astros went to 18 innings, and in the bottom of the 17th, Greg was called upon to run. He did come back to pitch in the 18th inning, when he gave up a home run to record his first loss.

His first start came against a familiar opponent - his older brother, Mike Maddux - who was also a rookie playing for Philadelphia. Greg won the game, and went on to have a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

2. This pair had a 4-year gap between the oldest brother's final game and the younger's debut. The oldest played from 1980-1989 (except 1988), spending 7 years in Boston. He managed the Dodgers in 1998. The younger entered the majors in 1993 as a relief pitcher, spending the vast majority of his career in San Diego. On September 24, 2006, he broke Lee Smith's career save record. Who are these brothers, who both originally played shortstop?

Answer: Glenn and Trevor Hoffman

Glenn Hoffman was born 9 years before his younger brother Trevor and played for 9 years in the major leagues, but they were still never in the pros at the same time. Glenn found a home in coaching after his career was through, coaching the Albuquerque Isotopes until the Dodgers fired manager Bill Russell partway through the 1998 season. He finished the season with an 88-47 record but missed the playoffs.

Trevor broke into the majors in 1993 with the Florida Marlins in their inaugural season, but was quickly traded to San Diego during the season. After a few average seasons, Trevor recorded 31 saves in 1995, 42 in 1996, 37 in 1997, and then an amazing 53 in 1998. That same year the Padres would go to the World Series, but lose to the Yankees; Trevor gave up a 3-run home run in the 8th inning that ended up losing Game 3 for the Padres. Still, he broke Lee Smith's save record of 478 saves in 2006. In 2007 he got his 500th save against the Dodgers, and then in 2008 he got his 550th save against the Brewers.

3. These brothers both had lengthy careers, but they were very different. The older brother played for 10 teams over 14 seasons, making the All-Star team once as a starting pitcher in 1974 for the Pirates. The younger brother played 21 seasons for the Kansas City Royals, making 13 consecutive All-Star games from 1976-1988 and the MVP Award in 1980. Mostly a third basemen, he led the Royals to a World Series championship in 1985 over the Cardinals and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1999. Who are these long-winded brothers?

Answer: Ken and George Brett

To non-Royals fans, George Brett is perhaps best known for the "Pine Tar Incident", where he hit a 2 run go-ahead home run against the Yankees in the top of the 9th inning with two outs. Yankees manager Billy Martin had the umpires measure the amount of pine tar on George's bat, because a rule was in place that pine tar could extend no further than 18 inches. Brett's pine tar went roughly 24 inches, so George was called out and the game was over. Eventually the Royals protested the game and it was accepted, allowing the game to continue later on in the season with the Royals up 5-4 following Brett's at-bat.

The Royals kept the Yankees scoreless in the bottom of the 9th and won the game.

4. The basis for the ESPN "Baseball Tonight" show's mock-game "Name That Molina" are these three catcher brothers. The oldest two entered in 1998 and 1999 (in order of their ages), and the youngest debuted in 2004. In 2002, the oldest two won the 2002 World Series with the Anaheim Angels, while the youngest won in 2006 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Can you name the Molinas?

Answer: Bengie, Jose, and Yadier

Bengie and Jose Molina were both on the 2002 Anaheim Angels when they beat the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. Jose was Bengie's backup catcher, only playing in 29 games during the regular season. Bengie was a key part of the team, however, getting 2 RBIs in each of the ALDS, ALCS, and World Series as well as being an excellent defensive catcher. Yadier carried on the exceptional defense of his older brothers, but also showed some offensive prowess in the 2006 playoffs.

In the NLCS against the New York Mets, Yadier hit a go-ahead 2-run home run in the top of the 9th against Aaron Heilman, leading to a dramatic save by rookie Adam Wainwright with the bases loaded against Carlos Beltran.

5. These two brothers combined have 19 All-Star games, 2 Gold Gloves, 8 Silver Sluggers, 2 MVPs, a Rookie of the Year award, a World Series championship, and a Hall of Fame induction; and that's without even mentioning anything the younger brother did. However, what the older brother is most remembered for is not any of those accomplishments, but rather simply taking the field a remarkable amount of times. Who are these brothers, who played together on the Orioles while being managed by their father?

Answer: Cal and Billy Ripken

Cal Ripken, Jr. played in 2,632 straight games over 17 seasons, all with the Baltimore Orioles. When he was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2007, Cal received 98.53% of the vote, giving him the 3rd-highest percentage ever behind Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. Billy Ripken played 150 games during the 1988 season, but that was the most he ever played in a single year.

He played for 12 seasons, going to Texas, Cleveland, and Detroit as well as playing for Baltimore. He never made near the impact his brother did, but helped Cal form the "Ripken Baseball" company, which now owns 3 minor league teams.

In the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Billy served as an assistant coach for the United States.

6. The older brother in this duo was in the majors 16 years before his younger brother made his debut, and continued playing after the younger finished his 6-game career. The older played most of his career with the Atlanta Braves, topping 300 career victories in 2007 with the Mets. He won 2 Cy Young Awards (in 1991 and 1998) and earned a World Series title in 1995 with Atlanta. Who were these brothers, who both played for the Mets in 2003?

Answer: Tom and Mike Glavine

Mike Glavine played in only 6 games with the Mets in 2003, getting 1 hit and 2 strikeouts in 7 at-bats. He was a first baseman. His older brother Tom Glavine broke in with the Braves in 1987, and had an unpromising start. In 1987 he went 2-4 in 9 starts with a 5.54 ERA, and the next year he went 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA.

His career would get on track though, making up a stellar rotation consisting of himself, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz that anchored the Braves for years. Tom went to 10 All-Star games, though only going at most 3 consecutive times, from 1991-1993.

7. These pitching brothers made a comparable number of All-Star games (the older made 3 while the younger made 5), and both won an AL Cy Young Award, but the younger made more of an impact on the game. The older brother went 215-174 in his career, mostly with the Indians and Twins. The younger played 22 seasons, going 314-265 with 8 different teams, and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1991. Who are these brothers that both played for Cleveland in 1974 and 1975?

Answer: Jim and Gaylord Perry

Gaylord and Jim Perry rank second in total wins for pitching brothers to Phil and Joe Niekro. Gaylord is perhaps most famous for his spitballs, which he got away with until his waning years, when he was finally ejected in 1982. Gaylord also allegedly quipped "They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run," and mere minutes after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, he hit his first career home run.

8. These identical twins had anything but identical careers in the MLB. The older (by a matter of minutes) played only 3 years, hitting 0 home runs in 65 at-bats. The younger played 17 seasons for 7 different teams, though he is mostly identified as an Oakland A. He hit 462 home runs, but later would attribute those to his anabolic steroid use in his book "Juiced," where he also named several former teammates as steroid users. Who are these brothers that played for Oakland in 1990?

Answer: Ozzie and Jose Canseco

Jose Canseco indicted several players in his book on steroids in baseball, including names like Mark McGwire, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro. As of mid-2009, Giambi, Sosa, and Palmeiro had all been identified as steroid users. Jose was also famous for one of the greatest bloopers in history, when Carlos Martinez of the Cleveland Indians hit a home run off of his head while he was on the Texas Rangers. Ozzie has been seen much less than Jose, but was still arrested in 2003 for possessing an illegal anabolic steroid.

9. Early in their careers, it seemed like the older brother would have a more promising career, but that ended up not being the case. He made the 1990 All-Star game and finished with a 20-6 record that year with 12 complete games. Unfortunately, that was his only All-Star appearance. His younger brother made 8 All-Star games, won 3 Cy Youngs, and helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series. Who are these brothers, who both played for the Dodgers in 1992 and 1993, and the Red Sox in 1999 and 2000?

Answer: Ramon and Pedro Martinez

Ramon Martinez entered the majors in 1988 at the age of 20. After 2 average years with 21 total starts, he had an amazing 1990 season with the Dodgers. It ended up being his only 20-win season over his 14-year career. Pedro debuted in 1992 with the Dodgers, going 10-5 in 1993.

He then joined the Montreal Expos, winning the 1997 NL Cy Young Award going 17-8 with a 1.90 ERA. He then went to Boston, winning consecutive Cy Youngs in 1999 and 2000, and broke the "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004 by helping the Sox defeat the Cardinals to break their 86-year streak without winning a World Series.

10. The older of these brothers, Albert, only played 1 year for the Washington Senators and Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1898. His younger brother John played 21 years, starting with the Louisville Colonels but mostly starring for the Pittsburgh Pirates. John amassed 3415 hits and a career .327 batting average, but never won the MVP. Who are these brothers, the younger of which was part of the first class into the Hall of Fame?

Answer: Butts and Honus Wagner

When Honus Wagner retired in 1917, his career 101 home runs were only 37 behind the career record set by Roger Connor in 1897. Beginning in 1912, Honus was the active career leader with 90 home runs, and held the distinction until he retired. In 1921, Babe Ruth took over the record and held it until 1974. Honus tied Ruth in Hall of Fame votes for the inaugural class, both getting fewer votes than Ty Cobb.

In 1999, "The Sporting News" ranked Honus the #1 shortstop of all time.

Source: Author illiniman14

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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Baseball Brothers 2 Trivia Quiz

Many people have played professional baseball, but rarely do two or more brothers both make it to the majors. This quiz celebrates those few combinations of successful brothers in baseball.

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