Baseball Name Game Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dizzy Dean

Dizzy Dean was one of the most dominating pitchers of the 1930s. A line drive off his foot at the 1937 All Star game changed his pitching motion and his effectiveness declined. After retirement he became a popular television sportscaster, much to the chagrin of English teachers due his poor grasp of grammar. (Dizzy said thing like "he slud into third") He won 150 games.

Dizzy always referred to his brother as 'Paul' but the newspapers and fans liked to call him 'Daffy'. Paul had a couple of good seasons in 1934/35 when he won 38 games. But Dizzy won 58 games those years. Dizzy and Daffy won 96 games between them for the Gashouse Cardinals. Paul 'Daffy' Dean won only 12 games the rest of his career.

Dean Chance won 128 games in his 11 year career with 5 teams. He was the winner of the Cy Young award in 1964 and the Comeback Player of the Year in 1967. Upon retirement he became a carnival and boxing promoter.

Wayland Dean stuggled for three years in the 1920s, ending with an ERA just under five.

Answer: Matty

Matty (Mateo) Alou had a lifetime batting average of .307 in 15 years with 6 teams.

Jesus Alou had a lifetime batting average of .280 in 15 years witth 4 teams.

Felipe Alou had a lifetime batting average of .286 in 17 years with 6 teams.

Moises Alou had a lifetime batting average of .303 in 17 years with 7 teams.

Answer: False

According to records of that game, "Felipe started and played all outfield positions. Jesus replaced McCovey and played right field. Matty replaced Willie Mays and played left."

All three are in the outfield together but only Felipe was a starter. Late in the season the three played eight games in which two or three played but never all three as starters.

Answer: Mort Cooper

Mort Cooper compiled a record of 128 wins and 75 losses in his 11 year career.

Cecil Cooper was a first baseman, Walker Cooper was a catcher, and Andy Cooper played in the Negro Leagues with a 116 wins and 57 loss record, but died in 1941 before he had an opportunity to pitch in MLB.

Mort and Walker were brothers.

Answer: Vincent

Joe DiMaggio played his entire career with the New York Yankees as did Dom with the Boston Red Sox--both American League teams.

Vince played for six National League teams. He was the oldest of the DiMaggio brothers. His 11 year career yielded him a lifetime batting average of .249 with 125 home runs. He led the league in striking out six times and came in second and third in two other seasons.

Gerri DiMaggio is a blues/jazz singer.

Answer: Uncle and Grand Nephew

Eddie Cicotte won 208 major league games. His career was finished when he was caught in the grips of the Black Sox scandal of 1919 and was banned from baseball.

His grandnephew had a mediocre career in the late 1950s and early 60s with a record of 10 wins and 13 losses in 5 years with 6 teams.

Answer: Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson played 21 seasons for 4 different teams. He was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees. Jackson's teams had a outstanding record of making the playoffs and World Series. He hit three consecutive home runs in the clinching game of the 1977 World Series.

Joe Jackson was, of course, another player caught up in 1919 Black Sox scandal; Bo Jackson was a talented athlete who played both baseball and football; Larry Jackson was a pitcher active in the 1950s and 60s with 4 National League teams with a career record of 194 wins against 183 loses.

Answer: Nippy Jones

Here is an account of the incident: "Jones led off the Milwaukee half of the tenth inning. He jumped back from a low pitch that home plate umpire Augie Donatelli called a ball. Jones protested that it had hit his foot, and he was awarded first base after showing Donatelli a shoe polish mark on the ball to prove it. Yankees manager Casey Stengel protested the call, but to no avail. The Braves scored three runs in the tenth. The play was the turning point in the series, as the Braves went on to win the series in seven games."

Ironically, Cleon Jones was involved in a similar incident in the 1969 World series but was much more complex. Cleon Jones was awarded first base by the finding of shoe polish on the ball. Later Jerry Koosman, the pitcher, said that he had used shoe polish from his shoe as he was scuffing up the ball. Ron Swoboda claimed that a foul ball went into the dugout and got mixed up with other balls so he threw a ball at random back to the field.

Answer: Ozzie Smith

Ozzie Smith, sometimes called the 'Wizard of Oz', was one of the finest shortstops to play the game. His statistics and awards speak for themselves.

Lee Smith was primarily a relief pitcher and 'closer'; Chino Smith played in the Negro League; Reggie Smith had a 17 year career with 4 teams with a lifetime batting average of .287 coupled with 314 home runs.

Answer: The Waner Brothers

Why Lloyd was 'Little Poison' and Paul was 'Big Poison' probably had to do more with age than size as Paul was the older brother but both were about the same height and weighed about 150-155 pounds. Another theory is that western Pennsylvanians meant 'little person' or 'big person' but due to their accent it came out 'poison'.

Lloyd Waner played 18 years and spent the 17 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a lifetime batting average of .319 and was not a power hitter. He was selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967 by the Veteran's Committee.

Paul Waner lasted 20 years in his career, mainly with the Pittsburgh Pirates also. He had a .333 lifetime batting average and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952 by the baseball writers.