Baseball for Dummies #59 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leo Durocher

Leo 'The Lip' Durocher, created havoc on umpires throughout his managerial career. His 'Nice Guys Finish Last' quote has been infamous in the halls of baseball. Leo managed for 24 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and the Chicago Cubs.

He also played for 17 seasons with the Yankees, Reds, Cardinals, and Dodgers. As a player he was a three-time All-Star. He won 2 National League pennants, and obtained a World Series ring with the 1954 New York Giants.

Answer: Lou Gehrig

The iron man was a pinstripe all the way, as he played with the Yankees from 1923-1939. His MVP's came in 1927 and 1936, with the Triple Crown obtained in 1934. Ironically, his 1927 MVP came when Babe Ruth hit his 60 home runs in a season. The other listed, were Los Angeles Laker basketball players in the 1980s.

Answer: They were always the Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks franchise began in 1998, with Buck Showalter managing the club. Showalter set the team up for its 4th season World Series Crown in 2001, under new manager Bob Brenly.

Answer: No player did this

The highest season total in 2002 was Alex Rodriguez, who hit 57 with the Texas Rangers. Alex topped his career total of 52 in 2001 with his 57. He was runner-up to the American League MVP in 2002. All other players listed had already retired.

Answer: Maury Wills

Wills broke the almost unreachable mark in 1962, by breaking Ty Cobb's record of 96 set in 1915. Wills only stole more than 55 bases in his 14 season career, one other time in 1965 when he stole 94 bases. The 1962 National League playoff between the Dodgers and Giants, saw much controversy, as the Giants were accused of wetting the infield down excessively, to slow the speedster down.

The Giants won the playoffs.

Answer: 1876

The National League's inauguration came in 1876 with 8 teams. The Chicago Cubs won the first pennant with a 52-14 record. 2nd baseman Ross Barnes and third baseman Cap Anson led the team. Left-hander Al Spalding went 47-12, and appeared in 61 games, and Cal McVey pitched in 11 games.

These were the only two Cubs pitchers, who pitched in more than two games in the season. The initial National League rostered teams in order of finish, and consisted of the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Brown Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, Boston Red Caps, Louisville Grays, New York Mutuals, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Cincinnati Reds.

Answer: 1983

The first Manager of the Year Award was given in 1983, which Tom Lasorda of the Dodgers and National League, and Tony LaRussa of the Chicago White Sox and American League, winning the awards. It is too bad that Major League baseball waited that long, before recognizing some of the greats like Miller Huggins, Rogers Hornsby, Leo Durocher, Connie Mack, and Walter Alston, amongst others.

Answer: 2

The Yankees were swept in a World Series only twice in their dominating appearances in the century. In 1976, the were swept by the Cincinnati Reds at the hands of Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Pete Rose. In 1963, the were greeted by Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Yankees also provided their share of skunking World Series opponents, as they did this 8 times in the 20th century.

Answer: Mike Schmidt

Schmidt played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1972-1989. He won the MVP in 1981, 1982, and 1986. He deservingly is a member of the Hall of Fame. The others listed never played in the National League.

Answer: 1993

The Rockies began under the guidance of manager Don Baylor. They finished the season with a 67-95 record. They were rostered by Andres Gallarraga, Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, and pitcher Armando Reynoso. They did not make it to a National League pennant in the 20th century.