Changing of the Guard Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carl Hubbell

Hubbell was overshadowed during his career by other pitching greats such as Dizzy Dean, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and others. Nicknamed 'Meal Ticket', Carl died at the age of 85 in 1988. Carl's final game was in 1943. In 1943, Hubbell's baseball recycler may have been Cincinnati Reds great Joe Morgan, born 26 days after Carl's final pitch.

Answer: Willie Mays

The others did not debut until the 1960s. Willie played 20 loyal seasons with the Giants, then was traded to the New York Mets. He retired with 660 home runs. Mays was a Hall of Fame inductee in 1979. With Mays retiring in 1973, his recycling replacement may have been the Royals' George Brett, who played from 1973-1993 with an AL MVP and three batting crowns.

Answer: Nolan Ryan

The other pitchers all retired in the 1950s. Ryan was a New York Met rookie in 1966, and went 0-1 in the season. Four teams, 27 seasons, seven no-hitters, and 5714 career strikeouts later, Nolan Ryan walked away from baseball as one of the most phenominal arms in baseball history in 1993.

As Nolan retired in 1993 with the Rangers, they also had a rookie pitcher in the name of Robb Nen, who might have been Nolan's changing of the guard.

Answer: Carl Yastrzemski

The others were all pitchers, and debuted in the Major Leagues 10 seasons earlier. Yaz played his entire 23 seasons with the Red Sox. His 1967 Triple Crown also won him the AL MVP award over Harmon Killebrew. Carl's last game was on October 2, 1983. Yastrzemski's changing of the guard may have been Darryl Strawberry, who debuted with the Mets in 1983, and won a NL Rookie of the Year award.

Answer: Pete Alexander

The others were not born yet. Alexander played with the Phillies, Cubs, and Cardinals, from 1911-1930. His Triple Crowns came in 1915, 1916, and 1920. Grover Cleveland 'Pete' Alexander retired with 373 career wins. He was a 1938 hall inductee, and died in 1950.

In 1930, Alexander's changing of the guard might have been Cardinal MVP pitcher Dizzy Dean, who pitched from 1930-1947, and was also a Hall of Famer.

Answer: Andre Dawson

The others were all former Giants, and all retired before 1976. Dawson played for 21 seasons and retired in 1996. His MVP season was as a Cub in 1987. Andre's changing of the guard might have been Nomar Garciaparra, who debuted with Boston in 1996, and was also a Rookie of the Year winner.

Answer: Ron Guidry

The others were not pitchers. Guidry helped the Yankees to three World Series, and won three games himself. Ron's Cy Young award came over Mike Caldwell of the Brewers and Jim Palmer of the Orioles. Guidry's own changing of the guard was Randy Johnson, who debuted with the Expos in 1988, and would go on to win five Cy Young awards, along with a Triple Crown.

Answer: Steve Carlton

Carlton pitched from 1965-1988, mostly with the Cardinals and Phillies. He retired with 4136 strikeouts, second to the great Nolan Ryan at the time. In 1988, Steve saw his own changing of the guard when Oriole rookie Curt Schilling took the mound.

Answer: Rickey Henderson

The others never stole more than 20 bases in their career. Henderson retired with 1406 bases. He broke Brock's record of 118 by stealing 130 in 1982 with Oakland. Three times in his career, he stole 100+ bases in a season. Henderson retired in 2003. Rickey's changing of the guard might have been the Mets' Jose Reyes.

As a rookie in 2003, Jose stole 13 bases, but went on to lead the league in 2005 and 2006 with the most stolen bases.

Answer: Dave Kingman

They others never played for the Giants. Kingman played from 1971-1986. In 1979, Dave hit his season high of 48 as a Cub. When Kingman retired in 1986, Fred McGriff took over as a rookie with the Blue Jays. The Crime Dog retired with 493 home runs in 2004.