10 Questions: Baseball Managers Multiple Choice Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Many would say that winning 1,000 games with one franchise is the mark of a good career. Tommy Lasorda, Casey Stengel, and Cap Anson, all won over 1,000 with their ball clubs. Winning 2,000 is rare, although it has happened. Of the following managers, who accomplished the nearly impossible feat of winning over 3,000 games all with the same ball club?

Answer: Connie Mack

Connie Mack managed the American League Philadelphia Athletics club to 3,637 victories from 1901 until 1950. In that time, his team played in the World Series five times. In terms of games won, his best season was 1931, winning 107 games. The team lost, however, to the St. Louis Cardinals.
As a footnote, Connie Mack managed exactly 20 Hall of Famers including the likes of Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Jimmie Foxx and Nap Lajoie during his 50 year managerial career.
Mack finally retired from baseball at the age of 88 with a combined total of 3,776 wins including his wins as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2. Of the following hard-luck managers, who had the most victories without reaching the World Series?

Answer: Gene Mauch

Gene Mauch compiled a record of 1902-2037 in his 27 year managerial career. In those years, he managed the Phillies, Expos, Twins, and Angels. Jimmy Dykes won 1,307 games, mostly as the manager of the Chicago White Sox. As a player, Dykes competed in the World Series three times, from 1929-1931, as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics, managed by none other than Connie Mack. Clark Griffith won 1,491 games from 1901 to 1920. Bill Rigney won 1,239 as the manager of the Angels, Twins, and San Francisco Giants. Rigney did get to play in the 1951 World Series as a player.

3. Managing in the Major Leagues is sometimes truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, meaning that the person only had the chance to manage one game. Which of the following unlikely candidates only managed one game in their brief managerial career?

Answer: Ted Turner

The charismatic Ted Turner had the opportunity that few will ever realize, the chance to own and manage a Major League franchise. Turner managed his one and only game in 1977, racking up a lifetime record of 0-1. His loss came on May 11, 1977, as his Braves lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 2-1.

4. I would suppose that having a winning record as a manager would be rewarding enough, but having a winning record every year you managed would be an awesome feat. Which manager never experienced a losing season over a 24 year career, a truly incredible accomplishment?

Answer: Joe McCarthy

Joe McCarthy won 2,136 and lost only 1,335 in his 24 seasons. That's a winning percentage of .614, but with no losing seasons. McCarthy managed the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the New York Yankees over his career, reaching the World Series seven times.

5. Sometimes the world of managing baseball can seem almost like a roller coaster. Manager firings are almost routine. There are some that get to reprise their role as manager of the same team from time to time. Once, twice, and sometimes even three times managing the same team. Which manager had the opportunity to manage the New York Yankes on five separate occasions?

Answer: Billy Martin

Billy Martin had quite the storied career with the Yankees. It all began in 1975 when he replaced Bill Virdon as manager. He then went on to manage the team in 1979, 1983, 1985 and 1988. Martin was one of the most colorful mangers in the history of the game and a long time favorite of many baseball historians due to the stories and events surrounding his career.

6. Of the following, which manager was a lawyer?

Answer: Tony LaRussa

Tony LaRussa, a Tampa native, was a graduate of Florida State Law School. Other manager/lawyers include John Ward (Columbia Law School), Hughie Jennings (Cornell), Miller Huggins (Cincinnati), and Branch Rickey (University of Michigan).

7. Many teams are identified with certain long term managers. For instance, the Baltimore Orioles are associated with Earl Weaver, the New York Giants are associated with John McGraw and the Cincinnati Reds are associated with Sparky Anderson. I always associate the LA Dodgers with Tommy Lasorda. Lasorda managed the team for 20 years from 1976 to 1996, amassing 1,599 wins. I would like to know who managed the team prior to Lasorda's run?

Answer: Walter Alston

Walter Alston had a great career with the Dodgers, both in Brooklyn and in Los Angeles. He compiled a record of 2040-1613 over a 23 year career. He also managed his club to four World Series. Dick Williams is most associated as the short lived manager of the San Diego Padres and as the World Series winning manager of the Oakland A's. Davey Johnson had a four year career with the New York Mets. Bucky Harris had an on-and-off again relationship with the Washington Senators from 1924 until 1954.

8. Of the following teams, who did Cy Young manage to a 3-4 record in 1907?

Answer: Boston Red Sox

The 1907 Red Sox finished a dismal seventh in the American League, supporting the need to experiment with different managers during the course of the season. In addition to Cy Young, the team used George Huff, Bob Unglaub, and Deacon McGuire as managers.

9. Most baseball managers that were once baseball players are typically position players (first base, catcher, outfield). Which of the following managers were pitchers?

Answer: Dallas Green

Dallas Green managed the Phillies, Yankees, and Mets, to a career record of 454-478. His pitching career saw him compile a record of 20-22 over eight seasons with the Phillies, Senators, and Mets.

10. Bobby Cox had a great career managing in the Major Leagues. Which team gave him his start as a player?

Answer: New York Yankees

Bobby Cox was an infielder for the Yankees for two seasons in 1968 and 1969. His career batting average was .225 with nine homers. Atlanta gave Bobby his first chance to manage in 1978 where he had a record of 69-93, finishing sixth in the National League West. He later managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982-1985 before returning to the Braves in 1990.

Source: Author ralzzz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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10 Questions: Baseball Managers Multiple Choice Quiz | Sports

Baseball players get all the attention. Let's focus on the managers for a bit on this 10 question quiz.

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