Just Play the Record [2] Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arky Vaughan

It was Vaughan of the 1941 Pittsburgh Pirates who banged out two for the National League. The game was held at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, but the American League would still win the game 7-5.

Answer: Bobby Lowe

Both Gehrig and Klein also hit four home runs in a game, but the Babe never did. Lowe knocked his four out of the park before the others were born. Bobby was with the Boston Beaneaters (later Braves) of the National League in 1894. Lowe popped 17 home runs in the season which was an amazing number in that era. Gehrig was the first American League player to hit four home runs in one game in 1932.

Answer: Walter Johnson

Johnson was a Washington Senator pitcher for his entire career from 1907-1927. He accomplished this strange record in 1911, 1913, 1915, and 1917. In addition to his two MVPs, Walter threw three Triple Crowns in his career. He was one of the first five inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

Answer: 2

Rickey had the audacity to do this twice in 1982. The first was on June 8th against the White Sox and pitcher Dennis Lamp. On July 26, he pulled it off again with Andy Hassler of the Angels on the mound. He stole third base an amazing 34 times in the season also. He went on to be the first player in history to steal 1000 bases, and retired with 1406.

Answer: Ned Garver

Garver went 20-12 for the lowly St. Louis Browns in 1951. The Browns went 52-102 for a last place finish, 46 games behind the pennant-winning Yankees. Garver was the team's only season highlight. They had no starter bat .300, only one player hit home runs in double-figures (Ken Wood 15), and no other pitcher won more than six games in the season.

Answer: Bill Dahlen

In 1894, the Chicago Colt (later Cubs) third baseman and shortstop had a 42-game hitting streak. In 1897, Willie Keeler of the National League Baltimore Orioles hit safely in 45 games to take Dahlen's record. Joe DiMaggio smashed Keeler's record in 1941 with his 56-game hitting streak. Pete Rose almost touched Keeler's total in 1978, by hitting safely in 44 games.

Answer: 8

Maris created the most famous asterisk in sports when he hit his 61 in a 162-game season. The Babe hit his in 1927 in a 154-game season. Mark McGwire erased that asterisk in the record books when he hit 70 home runs for the Cardinals in 1998.

Answer: Fred Dunlap

In early baseball, many leagues tried to form, where in good standing, then went suddenly defunct. Dunlap began his career with the Cleveland Spiders of the National League in 1880. In 1884, he joined the St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association where they won the UA League pennant.

The Maroons joined the National League in 1895, and Dunlap was still with them. In 1886, Fred was traded to the Detroit Wolverines of the NL, then joined the Pittsburgh Pirates. His third league was with the New York Giants in the Players League in 1890, then with the Washington Statesmen of the American Association in 1891.

The second baseman accomplished all this in only 12 seasons.

Answer: Walter Mueller

It happened in Mueller's Major League debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 7, 1922. Walter was the first of five generations to play the game. His first pitch came from future Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland 'Pete' Alexander of the Chicago Cubs, who was in the prime of his career. Strangely enough, Mueller hit only two home runs in his career.

Answer: Buck Freeman

John "Buck" Freeman had his historical shot come on April 30, 1901, in the ninth inning of the game. The team was called the Boston Americans at the time, before changing the name to Red Sox in 1908. Freeman hit 12 home runs in the 1901 season, and 82 over his 11-season career.