Cal and Tony Trivia Quiz

Answer: Maryland

Cal Ripken was born on August 24. Ripken's father, Cal Sr., was a career minor league ballplayer, and his son knew at a young age that he wanted to become a Major League ballplayer. Ripken was a hometown hero for most Baltimore Orioles fans because he was a native of Maryland.

Answer: San Diego Padres

Gwynn was born in Los Angeles in 1960 and attended San Diego State, where he was a star baseball and basketball player. Gwynn played right field for the Padres, compiling some impressive statistics: 3141 hits, 319 stolen bases and a .338 lifetime batting average. Gwynn was an ardent student of hitting, and he became a close friend to Hall of Fame slugger Ted Williams.

Answer: Tony LaRussa

Cal Ripken never played for Tony LaRussa during his playing career, 1981-2001. LaRussa managed the Oakland As and later the St. Louis Cardinals during that time period. Ripken's first manager was Earl Weaver, and his final manager was Mike Hargrove. Joe Altobelli was Ripken's skipper from 1983-1985. Ripken also played for the following Orioles' managers: Frank Robinson, Davey Johnson, Ray Miller, Johnny Oates, Phil Regan, and Cal Ripken Sr.

Answer: 19

According to legend, Gwynn was given jersey number 19 by clubhouse man Whitey Wietleman who had worn the number during his minor league career with the old Padres. Gwynn's number 19 was retired by the Padres in a 2004 ceremony held at San Diego's Petco Park.

Answer: 2632

Cal Ripken became the "Iron Man" of Major League Baseball on the evening of September 6, 1995, when he played in his 2131st consecutive game. This history-making feat occurred against the California Angels. Ripken broke the immortal Lou Gehrig's record of 2130 straight games played.

However, Ripken did not stop at 2131. He continued to play every game for the next three years. Ripken finally ended his streak at 2632 consecutive games played, a truly prodigious accomplishment. Sachio Kinugasa of the Hiroshima Carp played in 2216 straight games in the Japanese Major Leagues.

Answer: 135

Tony Gwynn wasn't considered a power hitter in the majors, but the right fielder managed to belt 135 home runs during his career. His single season high was 17 round trippers, which he accomplished in 1997. During his career, Gwynn had 543 doubles and 1138 RBIs. Gwynn always maintained that "swinging for the fences" would cause him to develop bad habits in his hitting style.

Answer: The Metrodome

Cal Ripken got his 3000th Major League hit in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on April 15, 2000. Ripken singled against relief pitcher Hector Carrasco, one of three base hits which Ripken collected in the contest. The Metrodome, located in downtown Minneapolis, was the home stadium of the Twins from 1982 until 2009. The Kingdome was home to the Seattle Mariners from 1977-1999.

Answer: San Diego Clippers

Tony Gwynn was an outstanding point guard at SDSU, and he was drafted in the 10th round by the San Diego Clippers of the NBA. The Clippers, formerly known as the Buffalo Braves, played in San Diego from 1978-1984. Paul Silas coached the team from 1980-1983. Gwynn was also selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 Major League amateur draft, and he decided to pursue a baseball career.

Answer: Ryan Minor

On September 20, 1998, Cal Ripken's "Iron Man" streak officially ended when he decided not to play in a game at Baltimore's Camden Yards against the New York Yankees. Rookie third baseman Ryan Minor replaced Ripken in the starting lineup that day. Minor played in the Major Leagues from 1998-2001, hitting just .177 with 5 home runs and 27 RBIs. Brady Anderson was an outfielder for the 1998 Orioles, Roberto Alomar was their starting second baseman, and Chris Hoiles was the main catcher for that team.

Answer: Honus Wagner

Between 1984 and 1997, Tony Gwynn won eight National League batting titles. The "Flying Dutchman" collected his eight batting crowns between 1900 and 1911. Roberto Clemente earned four NL batting titles during his Hall of Fame career. Neither Willie Stargell nor Bill Mazeroski won any batting average crowns.