Major League Baseball: 1980s Challenge Quiz

Answer: 0

No team had either changed locations or began as a new franchise in Major League Baseball, unlike others dating back three decades.

Answer: Elston Howard

The others all passed in the early 1970s. Howard died on December 14, 1980, at the age of 51. He spent 14 of his 15 seasons as a Yankee catcher, and won the AL MVP Award in 1963.

Answer: Mike Schmidt

Schmidt was an 18-season career Philadelphia Phillie from 1972-1989. Eight times in his career, Mike led the National League in home runs for a season. He topped out at 48 in 1980, leading the Phillies to their first World Series crown in their 96-year history. He hit 313 home runs in the 1980s, and retired with 548.

Answer: Brian Kingman

Kingman was in his second season in the big leagues with the Athletics in 1980. He went a dismal 8-20, but the Athletics still finished second place in the season in the AL West. Brian was out of baseball by the end of his fifth season with a career record of 23-45.

Answer: Walter Alston

Frey was manager of the 1980 Kansas City Royals, and took them to the World Series in a loss to the Phillies who was managed by Dallas Green. Anderson won the 1984 World Series with the Tigers. Alston stepped down from the helm with only four games left in the 1976 season due to illness, and that was the end of his managing career.

He took the Dodgers to their first World Series crown in 1955. Alston died in 1984.

Answer: Jack Morris

Morris was a Detroit Tiger in the 1980s, and led the league only once with wins when he went 14-7 in 1981. He won 162 games in the decade to be on top of the mound in the 1980s. In 1983, he also led the American League in strikeouts with 282.

Answer: Cesar Cedeno

Cedeno was a Houston Astro in 1980, and the incident occurred in his own Astrodome of all places. This was the third day in a row that the same fan had screamed obscenities and racial slurs at Cesar, and he'd had enough. He was suspended for his actions, and baseball took a hard look at the increase in fan violence and verbal abuse towards players.

Answer: Eddie Murray

Murray was a Baltimore Oriole for every season in the 1980s except for 1989 when he was with the Dodgers. He had 996 RBIs during the decade, and 1917 over his 21-season career. Yankee Don Mattingly had the most in a season during the decade, driving home 145 in 1985.

Answer: Rickey Henderson

Rickey stole 838 of his career 1406 in the 1980s. He led the league 12 times in stolen bases. He also set a record for leading off a game with the most home runs in a career.

Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers

1981 was the only postseason in the 1980s that had a NLDS, NLCS, and World Series. The Dodgers defeated the Astros three games to two in the NLDS, the Expos by the same margin in the NLCS, then the Yankees four games to two in the World Series.