Decade in a Box: 1940s Trivia Quiz

Answer: 56

DiMaggio's streak stopped on July 17th, but it wasn't all bad, as the Joe DiMaggio that had his draft number picked, was a different 21-year old with the same name. The baseballer DiMaggio also had a 61-game hitting streak with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific League in 1933.

Answer: Lou Gehrig

The others all died 40 years later in the 1970s. Gehrig of the Yankees, nicknamed the 'Iron Horse', played in 17 seasons with a record consecutive game appearance streak amongst it. In 1939, and after only eight games, Lou pulled himself out from the Yankee line-up. He died two years later.

Answer: New York Yankees

The others never saw the World Series in the 1940s. The Yankees saw the World Series in 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, and 1949. But, it was 1949 which began a World Series consecutive winning streak of five, including defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers three times. The Yankees won four of their five World Series in the 1940s.

Answer: Ralph Kiner

The others never hit 50 in a season. Kiner hit 54 home runs in 1949 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the second time in his career that he reached the 50-plateau in a season, hitting 51 in 1947. Ralph played for only 10 seasons, but amazingly compiled 369 home runs. He was a 1975 hall inductee.

Answer: Bob Feller

The others did not play in the 1940s and never struck out 300 in a season. 'Rapid Robert' was in his eighth season with the Indians in 1946 when he whiffed 348. It was the only time in his career that he reached the 300-mark, but Cleveland still finished sixth in the American League that season. Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers broke Feller's record in 1965 with 382, then the great Nolan Ryan struck out 383 in 1973 as a California Angel.

Answer: Jackie Robinson

The others did not begin their careers yet in the 1940s, and none won a Rookie of the Year award. A well documented player, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947, the same year that the first rookie award was presented. Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers won it by hitting .297 with 175 hits, which earned him the award in a close ballot over Larry Jansen of the New York Giants. Jackie later won the National League MVP in 1949.

He died in 1972. His number 42 was later retired Major League wide.

Answer: Ted Lyons

The other pitchers listed were not born yet. Lyons played from 1923-1946, all for the Chicago White Sox. He won 20 games twice in his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955. Ted died in 1986 at the age of 85.

Answer: Stan Musial

The others were all American Leaguers in the 1940s. Musial, a 22-season St. Louis Cardinal, won this awards in 1943, 1946, and 1948. Stan was a 20-season all-star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969 along with Roy Campanella, Stan Coveleski, and Waite Hoyt.

Answer: 1

Ted Williams hit for the Triple Crown twice in 1942 and 1947. In both instances, Ted did not win the AL MVP due to his friction with sports writers. He did win the MVP in 1946 and 1949 though.

Answer: Rogers Hornsby

The others weren't inducted for more than 30 years later. Due to WWII, there were no inductions, except for Hornsby, then only Kenesaw 'Judge' Landis in 1944. Hornsby played mainly with the Cardinals in 23 seasons. He won the Triple Crown and NL MVP twice.