Baseball Challenge Match Trivia Quiz

Answer: Roy Face

It was Face's sixth season with the Pirates in 1959 when he won 17 consecutive games before posting his first loss, and he never started a game in the season. He finished the season at 18-1. He finished seventh in the NL MVP voting to winner Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, and others. Ironically, his only loss of the season was on September 11 to the NL Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Answer: Willie McCovey

Nicknamed "Stretch", McCovey was a rookie San Francisco Giant in 1959 and won the Rookie of the Year Award. In 1969 he hit his season-high of 45 home runs which helped earn him the NL MVP Award. Willie retired in 1980 with 521 career home runs with the Giants over 22 seasons.

Answer: Dale Mitchell

The series saw the Brooklyn Dodgers against the powerful New York Yankees. After winning the World Series in the season prior, they took the Yankees to seven games in 1956. With Sal Maglie on the mound for the Dodgers in game five, Mitchell was pinch-hitting for Maglie in the ninth and was caught looking at the third strike for the perfect game. Larsen and the Yankees won the game 2-0.

After going 11-5 in the season, Larsen was chased from the mound early in game two that the Dodgers won 13-8.

The Yankees went on to win the series four games to three.

Answer: Bob Gibson

Being a rookie with the Cardinals in 1959, "Hoot" came out firing K's in the 1960s, totaling 2071 strikeouts. His season high in the decade was 269 in 1969. He led the league the season prior with 268. Bob retired with 3117 career strikeouts after winning the prestigious Cy Young Award in 1968 and 1970.

Answer: Ernie Banks

Banks was known as "Mr. Cub" and spent his entire 19-season career in Chicago. He mostly played first base and shortstop. Ernie won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1954, then the National League MVP in 1958 and 1959. He hit 512 home runs in his career, the same number as fellow Hall of Fame member Eddie Mathews, and one more than Hall of Fame great Mel Ott.

Answer: Sandy Koufax

Koufax was brought in as a Brooklyn Dodger in 1955 and used sparingly. He went only 2-2 in the season. It wasn't until 1961 when he started to blossom by going 18-13. The following season he went 14-7, then exploded by winning 25+ games in the next three of four seasons.

He retired in 1966 after only 12 seasons due to elbow issues, but only after winning one NL MVP, three Cy Young Awards, throwing three Triple Crowns, and winning two World Series MVP Awards. He retired with a 165-87 record in his shortened career.

Answer: George Bell

Bell played in only 12 seasons in his career and was entering his 11th when the trade was made. Bell won the AL MVP in 1987 with his 47 home runs for Toronto but that was his only big season. George retired in 1993 with 265 career home runs. Sosa went on to hit 60+ home runs in a season three times with the Cubs and retired with 609.

He hit 545 in a Cubs uniform. Patterson was a pitcher who spent only the 1992 season with the Cubs. He won 14 games in his entire career.

Answer: Al Kaline

Idle conversation led to the 'almost trade' of the century between Tigers General Manager Jim Campbell and Giants General Manager Charles "Chub" Feeney. The trade would have been three future Giant Hall of Famers and cash for one Tiger Hall of Famer in Kaline.

The talks went through the entire 1964 season when all four players were in the prime of their careers. The deal fell through because the Tigers also wanted first-year catcher Randy Hundley in the deal who later became an all-star with the Cubs. Feeney was comfortable with the initial talks of Mays, Marichal, Cepeda, and cash, but not to add Hundley to the deal, therefore it all fell through after many attempts.

As absurd as the trade seemed, a first-season catcher blocked the deal.

The Giants finished in second place for the next five seasons, third in 1970, then won their division in 1971.

Answer: Christy Mathewson

After pitching in 17 seasons for the New York Giants, they traded him mid-season 1916 to the Reds along with two other players for two Reds players. Christy did not like the trade but pitched in one game for Cincinnati. He threw a complete game for the Reds and won the game.

He then retired with 373 career wins. Mathewson died in 1925 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 during the inaugural inductions.

Answer: Harvey Haddix

Haddix was a Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher who brought on a lot of controversy in Major League Baseball. On May 26, 1959, he threw a perfect game all the way into the 13th inning against the Milwaukee Braves but lost the game. After a walk to Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock hit a walk-off double which scored Aaron and the game was over. Harvey was given credit for a perfect game, but Major League Baseball changed the rule in 1991 and his was taken out of the record books, although it went more than nine innings. Haddix retired after a 136-119 record with his 14 seasons in 1965.