Major League for Dummies Quiz | Baseball

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The great Babe Ruth played for how many teams in his Major League career?

Answer: 3

Ruth started off with the Red Sox in 1914, then came the infamous sale to the Yankees where he played from 1920-1934. Ruth played his final season with the Boston Braves in 1935. The Bambino retired with 714 career home runs, only later to be topped by Hank Aaron of the Braves.

2. The Chicago White Sox skunked their World Series opponent in 2005, four games to none. Which team was on the losing end?

Answer: Houston Astros

The Twins and the Indians were in the same American League, and the Mets were still rebounding from their 2000 loss to the Yankees. The White Sox finished off the season with the best record in the AL with 99 wins. The Astros were a wildcard entry with 89 wins. The series' MVP was Chicago's Jermaine Dye.

3. Which of the following did not reach the 500 home run plateau in their career?

Answer: Johnny Bench

Palmeiro retired in 2005 with 569. Mantle was the first switch-hitter in history to reach 500 with 536. The great Chicago Cub, Ernie Banks, hit 512. Winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1968, Bench added two season MVPs to his resume, but hit 'only' 389 home runs for the Reds from 1967-1983.

4. Which of the following managed for over 50 seasons in their career?

Answer: Connie Mack

Mostly known for managing the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League from 1901-1950, Mack also managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1894-1896. A record never to be surpassed, Cornelius Alexander Mack won 3731 games in his long career. He also retired with the most losses of 3948. He died in 1956.

5. Which team was the first to win 50 games in the 2007 season?

Answer: Angels

The Angels were first, then the Indians, then the Red Sox. The others listed hadn't won even 40 at the time. The Angels were led the arm of John Lackey.

6. Which team moved and changed their name to the Milwaukee Brewers?

Answer: Seattle Pilots

The Seattle Pilots lasted only one season, and with their 64-98 season in 1969, the team moved to Milwaukee. Still in the American League, they were in the West Division. In 1972, the team was placed in the AL East Division. In 1998, the team was moved to the NL Central.

The very first Milwaukee Brewers franchise (not related) began in 1901 with the new American League. In 1902, that team moved and became the St. Louis Browns. In 1954, they moved again and became the Baltimore Orioles.

7. The New York Yankees went to three World Series in the 1990s, and that was with no postseason in 1994. Which team out-did them with five World Series appearances in the decade?

Answer: Atlanta Braves

The others listed didn't see a World Series in the 1990s. The Yankees won all three in 1996, 1998, and 1999, all under the helm of Joe Torre. The Braves lost in 1991 and 1992, but then won it all in 1995 against the Indians. They lost to the Yankees the following season, then again in 1999, the Yankees showed their superiority.

The Yankees' 1996 series win was their first in a dryspell of 19 seasons. It was also Joe Torre's first time at the helm of the Yankees.

8. In which decade was the Cy Young award first given out?

Answer: 1950s

The first recepient of the award was in 1956, awarded to Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers. For the first 11 seasons of the award, it was presented to only one pitcher in the entire Major League. In 1967, it was finally split and given to the most oustanding pitcher in each league.

In those first 11 seasons of the award, Dodger Sandy Koufax won it three times from 1963-1966, standing above all others in both leagues, which showed his dominance. Dean Chance of the Angels won it in 1964, watching Koufax finish third in the balloting in Sandy's injury-riddled season.

9. Who was the only player in history to appear in a game, who was under four feet tall?

Answer: Eddie Gaedel

The others were at least 6'5" (as documented in personal bios and officially by Major League Baseball). Gaedel, a very well documented 3'7" short person by Major League baseball, appeared as a pinch-hitter for the St. Louis Browns in 1951. He walked on four pitches from Bob Cain, and never appeared in a game again.

After his at-bat, Major League baseball changed the rules regarding people of this height to play. On another note, Chuck Connors was a first baseman for the Chicago Cubs in 1951. He later starred and co-starred in many movies, and had his own television series called, "The Rifleman".

10. The Anaheim Angels became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005. The Angels began their franchise with which team name in 1961?

Answer: Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels were an expansion team in 1961 in the American League. They finished eighth of ten teams in their inaugural season. In 1962, they finished third in the AL while sharing Dodger Stadium with the NL club Dodgers. In 2002, the Angels enjoyed their first World Series appearance by winning it all against the San Francisco Giants, four games to three.

Source: Author Nightmare

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Major League for Dummies Trivia Quiz

An all multiple choice quiz about some baseball stuff for dummies like me. I hope that you find something new as always! :-)

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