National League Player Nicknames Quiz

Answer: Don Drysdale

The others were not career Dodgers, and Clendenon never played for them. Drysdale pitched from 1956-1969, most of the time alongside Hall of Fame great Sandy Koufax. Don was the NL Cy Young winner in 1962. His career record was 209-166. He went to five World Series and won three.

He also had a personal vendetta, that for every batter that an opposing pitcher hit, Drysdale would hit two of theirs. Five times he led the league in hit batsmen, and was runner-up another four times.

Answer: Casey Stengel

The others never played a game in the National League. From 1912-1925, Casey played for Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. Although he hit two home runs in the 1923 World Series for the Giants, the Yankees would walk away with their first World Series crown. Stengel would later manage for 25 seasons.

He took the Yankees to 10 AL titles in 12 seasons from 1949-1960, winning seven World Series.

Answer: Paul Waner

Paul played 15 of his 20 seasons with the Pirates from 1926-1940. Brother Lloyd played with Paul from 1927-1940. Paul was the 1927 NL MVP while brother Lloyd finished sixth in the voting that season. Both were later inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Answer: Nolan Ryan

Ryan pitched in 27 seasons, retiring with an unreachable record of 5714 career strikeouts. He pitched for the Mets, Astros, Angels, and Rangers. He threw an amazing seven no-hitters, but yet never won a Cy Young or MVP Award. The hall took Lynn Nolan Ryan in his first year of eligibility in 1999.

Answer: Zack Wheat

The others were all pitchers. Zack played all but 88 games of his career as a Dodger. Twice he was in the top ten voting for the MVP Award. He led the league in total bases and extra base hits in 1916. He also led the league in 1918 with his .335 average. The hall took him in 1959.

Answer: George Sisler

George played first base for the Browns between 1915 and 1927. Six times in his career, he had over 200 hits in a season. His season hit record of 257 set in 1920, would stand until Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners would break it in 2004 with 262.

Answer: Don Sutton

The others were not 300-game winners. Don pitched in 16 seasons as a Dodger and made three World Series appearances with them. Beginning his career in 1966 alongside Sandy Koufax, Sutton won his 300th game in 1986 as a California Angel. He retired with a career record of 324-256 in 1988. The hall took Sutton in 1998.

Answer: Lewis Wilson

"Hack" also blasted out 56 home runs in 1930 for Chicago, but there was no MVP Award handed out that season. Short, stocky, and all muscle, he hit 244 career home runs before alcohol issues led to his demise. He played in only 12 seasons, and retired as a Phillie in 1934. He was inducted into the hall in 1979.

Answer: Johnny Bench

The others listed were all catchers, but listed by their nicknames already. From 1967-1983, Bench was a career Cincinnati Red. He won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1968, and the NL MVP in 1970 and 1972. He helped the Reds to four World Series while winning two. Johnny won 10 Gold Glove awards behind the plate. He was inducted into the hall in his first year of eligibility in 1989.

Answer: Sparky Anderson

George Lee "Sparky" Anderson came into baseball with the Sparky nickname, then gained Captain Hook because he never hesitated to yank a pitcher. He played for the Phillies in only one season in 1959, then took over the Reds in 1970, taking them to four World Series while winning two.

He also took the Tigers to a World Series crown in 1984. Anderson won two Manager of the Year awards while managing the Tigers. The Manager of the Year Award began in 1983. It is most certain that if the award began in the 1970s, that he would have won more.

He managed for a total of 26 seasons.