Hall of Fame Players Quotes Quiz | Baseball

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This player, who wore No. 24 in his playing days, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979. He was asked at his induction ceremony, "Who was the best player that you've seen in your career?" His answer was, "I don't mean to be bashful, but I was." Who is this player?

Answer: Willie Mays

Willie Mays is considered to be one of the greatest ever to play the game. He made 24 appearances to the All-Star Game. Willie Mays was on deck when Bobby Thompson hit "The Shot Heard 'Round the World", the home run that gave the Giants the NL pennant in 1951. That same season Mays won the Rookie of the Year Award.

2. When asked if he had any superstitions, this Hall of Famer who was born in Baltimore said, "Just one, whenever I hit a home run, I make sure I touch all four bases." Who said that?

Answer: Babe Ruth

George Herman "Babe" Ruth, aka "The Sultan of Swat", is known for his home runs. But, before he was sold to the Yankees, Ruth was a pretty good pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. In 1916 he was 23-12, 1.75 ERA, 324 innings pitched with 23 complete games in 44 starts.

3. This Hall of Fame player who tallied exactly 3000 hits in his career said, "Why does everyone talk about the past? All that counts is tomorrow's game." Who was this outfielder?

Answer: Roberto Clemente

Clemente finished the 1972 season with exactly 3000 hits. That December, he was killed in a plane crash while helping to bring supplies to Nicaragua in the aftermath of an earthquake. Baseball writers inducted him the following year, waiving the usual 5-year Hall of Fame waiting period. Playing his entire career in Pittsburgh, his 12 Gold Gloves in right field tied him with Willie Mays for the MLB record. Along with 4 batting titles, Clemente was MVP in 1966. Rickey Henderson loved to talk about the past, especially about himself and always in the 3rd person. Walter Alston was manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for 23 years.

4. This American League pitcher who wore orange and black in his playing days, was heard to say, "The only thing Earl knows about big league pitching is he couldn't hit it." Which pitcher is this?

Answer: Jim Palmer

Palmer was referring to Earl Weaver, the sometimes cantankerous manager of the Baltimore Orioles. The other pitchers all pitched in the National League. Inducted in 1990, Palmer won three Cy Youngs and had eight 20-win seasons in his 19 years in the Majors. Also, he never gave up a grand slam home run in his career.

5. This player who was an avid outdoorsman said, "Baseball is the only endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer." Who is this Hall of Fame great?

Answer: Ted Williams

Ted Williams, a.k.a. "The Splendid Splinter", won 6 batting titles and 2 MVP awards in his career. Also, he won the Triple Crown 2 times in 1942 and 1947, but did not win the MVP in either of those years. Who could have a better season than a Triple Crown hitter? Those who vote for the award were not a fan of Williams, as he had many run-ins with the media.

6. This former right-handed pitcher who played for four teams in his career said, "It helps if the hitter thinks you're a little crazy." Which of these strikeout specialists said this?

Answer: Nolan Ryan

Ryan set many pitching records and reportedly threw the ball over 100 mph on occasion. He played for four teams in his career, of which three have retired his numbers. Number 30 and 34 were retired with the Angels, and number 34 with the Rangers and Astros. With 7 no-hitters and 12 one-hitters, his stats are impressive. "Rapid Robert" Feller was a feared pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Steve Carlton and Bill Lee were both left-handed. Bill "The Spaceman" Lee played with the Red Sox and Expos.

7. This Hall of Famer who played third base said, "I wouldn't mind seeing someone erase my record of hitting into four triple plays." Who said that?

Answer: Brooks Robinson

Robinson was known as "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", cleaning up the "hot corner" for the Baltimore Orioles. Inducted in 1983, he won the MVP in 1964, and was the World Series MVP in 1970. Schmidt and Mathews were stand out third basemen of their day, both hitting over 500 HRs in their career. Lou "The Iron Horse" Gehrig played first base for the New York Yankees.

8. Inducted into the hall in 1980, this former Dodger said, "Swing hard, in case they throw the ball where you're swinging." Who was this that wore the number 4?

Answer: Duke Snider

Duke Snider, a.k.a., "The Duke of Flatbush", was the biggest bat in the Dodger line-up in the 1950s. He led all major League hitters in HRs and RBIs during the 1950s. He also hit the last home run ever hit at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn on September 22, 1957. Reese, Robinson, and Hodges were teammates of Snider.

9. Who said this, about Sandy Koufax (the "We are Family" man)? "Trying to hit him was like trying to drink coffee with a fork."

Answer: Willie Stargell

Inducted into the Hall in 1988, Stargell played his entire career (1962-1982) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He won the MVP in 1979 at the age of 39, the oldest to ever do so at the time. Willie also hit the most home runs in the 1970s. Sandy Koufax could be the subject of another quiz all by itself.

His accomplishments in his short 12-year career are mind blowing. Among those stats were three 25-win seasons, which prompted Yogi Berra to comment, "I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five?"

10. This manager who was known to speak his mind said, "You don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain." Who said this?

Answer: Leo Durocher

Leo "The Lip" Durocher was a good fielding shortstop in his playing days but could not hit well. He is most remembered for his 24 years as a manager with the Dodgers, Giants, Cubs, and Astros. He was named Manager of the Year three times by "The Sporting News". He was the starting shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers when they hosted the Cincinnati Reds to the first televised game on August 26, 1939.

Sparky Anderson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Source: Author L_B_Johnny

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Hall of Fame Players Quotes Trivia Quiz

Interesting and obscure quotes from Hall of Fame players. A real baseball nut should have fun with this one!

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