Baseball by the Decades Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The American League began in 1901 with eight teams. Which team in that league had the dubious honor of being the first-ever to lose 100+ games in a season, when they lost 113 games in 1904?

Answer: Washington Senators

The other teams listed all played in the National League. The Senators not only lost 100 games, they did it right by losing 113 against only 38 wins. It was baseball's worst showing since the 1899 NL Cleveland Spiders. No Washington starter batted over .265. Pitcher Casey Patten led the team with 14 wins, but lost 23 in the process. No other pitcher won more than six games in 1904 for the Senators either.

2. In 1911, Major League Baseball introduced the Most Valuable Player Award. Frank Schulte of the Cubs won the first-ever award for the National League. Who was the first to win the award for the American League in 1911?

Answer: Ty Cobb

Unfortunately for the Detroit Tiger Cobb as he just missed a Triple Crown in 1908, but then batted for the Triple Crown in 1909, both before the MVP Award began. In 1911, Ty batted .420 to win the MVP, but it wasn't good enough as the Tigers finished in second place, 13.5 games back of the Philadelphia Athletics. The others were all career National League players.

3. Baseball saw some big changes in the 1920s, mainly with the fans. The biggest was the emergence of Babe Ruth with the New York Yankees in 1920. He broke the previous Major League season home run record of 29, by hitting how many in his first Yankee season?

Answer: 54

What a tremendous amount of home runs in a season, which broke his own Major League season record of 29 in 1919 with the Red Sox. The Babe had the audacity to break his 1920 record by hitting another 59 in 1921. He would go on to hit 60 in 1927. Yankee Stadium certainly was "The House That Ruth Built". The Babe would retire with 714 career home runs.

4. The 1930s saw four Triple Crown hitters in the decade. The two in the National League were hit by Chuck Klein and Joe Medwick. The American League saw Lou Gehrig, and which other hitter who was also the second player in history to hit 500 home runs in a career?

Answer: Jimmie Foxx

Foxx split his career with the Athletics and Red Sox. His Triple Crown came in 1933, the second time that he won the MVP. Jimmie also won it in 1932 and a third time in 1938. He topped the 500 home run mark in 1941. The others were all pitchers.

5. In 1942, fans would only get a 15-inning glimpse of this Boston Brave pitcher before the country borrowed him for World War II. He returned in 1946, and would go on to be a 20-game winner a tremendous 13 times in his career. Who is this Cy Young Award winner and Hall of Famer?

Answer: Warren Spahn

Spahn, arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher in history, won the second presentation of the Cy Young in 1957 with his 21-11 record. He had two seasons of 23-7 records but came up empty-handed for the Cy Young Award each time. He was in the top five balloting for the MVP four times, but just couldn't bag one. Over his 21 seasons and 19 with the Braves, Warren won 363 games against 245 losses. Ironically, his 363 wins matched the number of career hits that he had also.

The others were not pitchers and never played for the Braves.

6. The 1950s were ruled by the New York Yankees for their eight World Series appearances in the decade. Which unfortunate team lost to them three times in the promised land in that decade?

Answer: Brooklyn Dodgers

The others never made it to the World Series in the 1950s. The Dodgers made a name for themselves by making it to four World Series appearances in the 1950s. They met the Yankees each time, and could only pull off a title in the 1955 series. The Yankees also defeated the Dodgers three times in the 1940s.

7. Which National League team had four Cy Young awards come their way in the 1960s?

Answer: Dodgers

The first-ever Cy Young Award was won by a Dodger in the name of Don Newcombe in 1956. In the 1960s, Don Drysdale was the first Dodger in the decade to win it in 1962, then the great Sandy Koufax won it in 1963, 1965, and 1966. Dean Chance of the Angels interrupted Koufax's streak by winning it in 1964. The other teams didn't have any Cy Young winners in the 1960s.

8. The World Series in the 1970s is mostly remembered for the Oakland Athletics winning three consecutive series in the decade. Which National League team made four appearances in the decade?

Answer: Cincinnati Reds

The Big Red Machine of Cincinnati won two consecutive World Series in 1975 and 1976, but also lost to the Athletics and Orioles. The others didn't make a World Series appearance in the 1970s.

9. Which of these sluggers hit the most home runs in the 1980s?

Answer: Mike Schmidt

Mike Schmidt was a career Philadelphia Phillie third baseman from 1972-1989. He hit 548 home runs, 313 in the 1980s along with winning three MVP awards. The others didn't play in the 1980s.

10. Just like other decades throughout baseball history that have seen some greats pass away, the 1990s lost quite a few Hall of Fame greats also. In which year did the fans lose Roy Campanella, Bill Dickey, Don Drysdale, Charlie Gehringer, and Johnny Mize?

Answer: 1993

Baseball lost 100 former Major League Baseball players in 1993. That season saw the Blue Jays win their second consecutive World Series, Mike Piazza and Tim Salmon win Rookie of the Year awards, along with Greg Maddux and Jack McDowell win the Cy Young awards. Reggie Jackson was also inducted into the Hall of Fame all by himself.

Source: Author Nightmare

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All multiple choice with one question for each decade in baseball's 20th Century. Look closely at the answer options. You can do this! :)

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