Outrageous Baseball Records Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nolan Ryan

Ryan broke in with the New York Mets in 1966. His first winning season was in 1971 with the Angels, after a four-player trade from the Mets for Angel shortstop Jim Fregosi. Nolan went 19-16 in that season, with better things to come. With his 100th career win, Nolan also threw his fourth no-hitter.

He would retire with seven no-hitters. He also retired with 5714 career strikeouts, another one of those records that is seemingly untouchable. Nolan pitched for 27 seasons overall, missing the 1967 season.

In 1930, American Leaguer Eddie Collins retired after 25 seasons of baseball. Pete Rose played in 24 seasons with two as a player/manager. The picture is of Houston Astro Nolan Ryan, throwing his smoke.

Answer: Brooks Robinson

The others didn't play for more than 15 seasons in their careers. Robinson, the third baseman nicknamed the "Human Vacuum Cleaner", won 16 Gold Glove awards during his 23-season career. He was the 1964 American League MVP, and also was an All-Star and World Series MVP. Robinson was with the Baltimore Orioles for 23 seasons from 1955-1977. Carl Yastrzemski, known as 'Yaz' to Red Sox fans, was the other play to be so loyal. He played in Boston for 23 seasons from 1961-1983.
The picture is of a retired Brooks Robinson.

Answer: Matt Stairs

The infielder-outfielder began his career in 1992 with the Expos. From there it was off to Boston, Oakland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Texas, Detroit, Toronto, Philadelphia, then to San Diego in 2010 to tie the record. Only two players in history before Matt had played for 12 different teams. They were Deacon McGuire and Mike Morgan.
The picture is of a stairway, giving the clue of Stairs.

Answer: Nick Altrock

Altrock was a rookie with the Louisville Colonels of the National League in 1898. He left baseball, but then came back with the Boston Americans of the American League in 1902 at the age of 25. The pitcher played until he retired with the Washington Senators in 1919. He came back to the Senators in 1924, pitching in only two innings. He once again came back with the Senators in 1933 for a one-game appearance, but this time as a pinch-hitter at the age of 56. Nick died in 1965 at the age of 88.
The picture is of Fred Flintstone who lived in Bedrock. Altrock?

Answer: Jose Bautista

Nicknamed 'Joey Bats', Jose debuted with the Orioles on April 4, 2004. He also played for the Rays, Royals, and Pirates before the season ended. The 2010 season saw Bautista in a Blue Jay uniform. Two other players also did this before Jose. They were Dave Martinez in 2000, and Dan Miceli in 2003.

Answer: Joe Morgan

Morgan began his career with 10 seasons as a Houston Astro in 1963. He is most noted for being part of the 'Big Red Machine' of Cincinnati in the 1970s. Joe also won consecutive National League MVP awards in 1975 and 1976. He played in 2472 games at second base. Morgan became a baseball commentator after hanging up his cleats.
The picture is of Joe Morgan himself.

Answer: Satchel Paige

Satchel was a Negro League star pitcher, with over 2000 undocumented wins. The Cleveland Indians signed him to a contract in 1948, and he debuted as a 42-year old rookie, setting another record. He pitched in two seasons with the Indians, three seasons with the St. Louis Browns, then retired in 1953.

He came back for a one-game appearance with the Kansas City Athletics on September 25, 1965, and pitched in three innings at age 59+. He allowed one hit and had one strikeout in the three innings. Paige was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971, then died in 1982 at the age of 75.

Answer: Joe Nuxhall

Joe debuted on June 10, 1944, at the age of 15 years, 11 months and 10 days for the Cincinnati Reds. He entered the game in relief, and the St. Louis Cardinals pounded him for five runs in less than one inning, leaving Joe with an ERA of 67.50. The Cardinals went on to win that game 18-0.

He left baseball for a few years and came back to a fresh contract with the Reds in 1952. His best season was in 1955 with the Reds with his 17-12 record. Nuxhall retired after 16 seasons with a 135-117 record. The picture is of a player in a Cincinnati uniform, one that the others never wore in their career.

Answer: Walter Johnson

Johnson pitched his entire 21-season career with the Washington Senators from 1907-1927. He helped the Senators to their only World Series crown in 1924. Amongst many other records set by Walter was his 110 shutouts, and was the first pitcher in history to strikeout 3500 batters. He was one of the first five Hall of Fame inductees in 1936.
The picture is of the Lincoln Memorial, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Walter Johnson played for Washington throughout his entire career.

Answer: Rickey Henderson

Rickey broke in with the Athletics in 1979 and stole 33 bases. The following season he stole 100 bases, being only the third modern-day player after Maury Wills (104 in 1962) and Lou Brock (118 in 1974) to reach 100 thefts in a season. Henderson wasn't done though.

He would set a season record in 1982 by stealing an amazing 130, then would reach the 100-plateau again in 1983. When Rickey retired in 2003 with 1406 career thefts, he surpassed the career record of the retired Lou Brock who had 938 stolen bases. The picture is the Oakland Athletics logo, where Rickey played most of his career.