Did They Stink or What? Multiple Choice Quiz | Baseball

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This 2003 team set a franchise record for winning only 43 games in the season. None of their pitchers won 10 games, no starting player batted over .300, and their attendance ranked 13th of 14 teams. Which team was this that had nothing going for them in 2003?

Answer: Detroit Tigers

Both the Twins and Mariners won at least 90 games in 2003. Although Tampa Bay finished last in their AL East, they still won 20 more games than the Tigers. 2002 saw Detroit win 55 games with promising hopes for 2003. However, it didn't happen as Mike Maroth led the pitching staff with only nine wins, followed by Bonderman and Cornego who won only six. Only 1.36 million fans walked through the doors of Comerica for the season, and only the Devil Rays fared worse.

2. With the final year of a baseball icon in 1935, his team finished a terrible 61.5 games out of first place by winning only 38 games. They lost 26 more games than the second-worst team, Philadelphia Phillies. Fred Frankhouse led the team with 11 wins, the only pitcher to win in double-figures. Who was this pathetic team?

Answer: Boston Braves

The Cubs and Cardinals both won over 95 games in the season, with the Cubs going to the World Series against the Tigers. The icon factor was with the Boston Braves with a legend on their roster in the name of Babe Ruth, embarrassed the franchise. The team won 83 games in 1933 and 78 in 1934 both without the Babe.

In 1935, in Ruth's only Braves season, they could muster only 38 wins, then Ruth retired. In 1936 without Ruth, the Braves went back and won 71, then 79, then 77 in 1938. Go figure.

3. While the 2001 Seattle Mariners tore up the American League by winning 116 games, over in the National League was a team that lost 100 games. Not one of their NL starting pitchers had a winning record in the season. Their starters averaged an ERA of 4.69. Who was this team with their rookie manager?

Answer: Pittsburgh Pirates

All others listed were in the American League except for the Mets, and they even won 82 games in the season. The Pirates were helmed by Lloyd McClendon in his first year as a manager. Todd Ritchie was their only pitcher to win in double-figures with 11, but lost 15 in the process. Tony McKnight had the highest ERA of all starters with 5.19.

4. While the Dodgers and Giants won over 100 games in this season and forced a playoff between them, the New York Mets won a dismal 40 games in their inaugural season in the National League. Which year was this?

Answer: 1962

The Mets' first year was that of 1962. Going 40-120 under Casey Stengel was not a good start for the franchise. The team had a bevy of big name players such as Richie Ashburn, Gil Hodges, Don Zimmer, and pitcher Roger Craig, but these greats were well past their prime. Craig threw a pathetic record of 10-24 for the season, then took a curtain call in 1963 with a 5-22 record. Six seasons later the Mets would win the World Series in 1969.

5. In the year of the first World Series, the American League took bragging rights for defeating their National League rival. At the other end of the standings were the Washington Senators in the American League who only won 43 games. The National League also had a 43-game team winner who rostered Pasty Donovan and pitcher Mordecai Brown. The following season they would receive help in the arms of Jack Taylor and Kid Nichols. Who was this last place National League team in 1903?

Answer: St. Louis Cardinals

The others listed were American League teams except for the Pirates, who were the NL representative in the World Series. The Cardinals would have to wait until 1915 to receive a rookie by the name of Rogers Hornsby.

6. After the emergence of Babe Ruth in 1914, this team went to three World Series in six seasons with him. After the Babe left this team, they would not finish better than fifth place for the next 15 years. Who was this team?

Answer: Red Sox

In this Babe-less stretch, the Red Sox won 70+ games only twice, and mostly won games in the amount of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. In 1934, the team finally finished in fourth place, but would still have to wait until 1946 to win their next American League pennant.

The Babe hit 29 home runs for the Red Sox in 1919, then it was on to the Yankees where he hit 54, then 59 in his first two New York seasons.

7. For five consecutive seasons from 1938-1942, this team couldn't win more than 50 games in a season. So, they tried a name change for two seasons. Although they then won in the 60-game area, they went back to their original name in 1945, where they won another 46 games. Who was this National League team that went through this horrible dry spell?

Answer: Philadelphia

None of the other teams listed existed in the 1940s. The Philadelphia franchise attempted a new look in 1943-1944 and changed their team name to the Blue Jays. They fans didn't like it at all, and already had finished last in attendance (eight out of eight teams) from 1932-1942.

The Phillies name came back in 1945, and the team finished last in attendance again. 1950 would be their first National League pennant, and 1980 would be their first World Series.

8. Although winning only 51 games in 2004, this National League team still had the runner-up Cy Young winner. Which team was this?

Answer: Arizona Diamondbacks

The only other National League team listed were the Dodgers. The Astros had Roger Clemens who was the NL Cy Young winner in the season. Arizona had a record of 51-111 in 2004. Had the Astros not won 92 games in the season, Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks could have very well won his sixth Cy Young award. Instead, Houston's Roger Clemens took home his seventh Cy Young.

9. This franchise went 54-100 in a season, moved the team to another city, then went 54-100 the following season in 1954. Which team in 1954 did this?

Answer: St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles

The others were all National League teams. In 1953, the St. Louis Browns were in their last season after existing for 51 years in the American League. 1954 saw them as the Baltimore Orioles, but it apparently didn't do any good in the first season of their new home.

They did have three pitchers win in double-figures, but another starter went 3-21 in the season. Ironically, that other starter was Don Larsen, who threw a perfect game in the World Series two years later. The Orioles would go on to win the franchise's first World Series in 1966 with a star-studded cast of pitchers.

They were Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker, and Steve Barber.

10. This 'bum' of a team began their franchise in the American Association in 1884, then joined the National League in 1890. Up until 1919, the franchise had less than 60 wins in a season 10 times. After 1919, the team always won at least 60, including winning 100+ five times, but never reached that 100 plateau in the last 25 seasons of the 20th century. The franchise went through 11 name changes before finally settling down in California. Which 2005 team was this?

Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers

The franchise's worst season was in 1905 when they went 48-104 while carrying the name of the Superbas. Their greatest season throughout the 20th century was in 1953 when they went 105-49. Those Brooklyn Dodgers had some greats in the names of Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Jim Gilliam, Jackie Robinson, and the arms of Carl Erksine and Johnny Podres.

Their nickname 'Bums' was created by fans around the 1940s era.

Source: Author Nightmare

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Did They Stink or What? Trivia Quiz

An all multiple choice quiz about some teams that smelled pretty bad at some point in their franchise history. I hope you find it fun. :-)

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