Peppers, Cilantro, and Baseball [1] Quiz

Answer: Washington Nationals

The others all won at least 80 games in the season, playing over .500 ball. The Nationals went 59-102 in the season. In four seasons since moving from Montreal after the 2004 season, the team had not played better than .500 ball. 2008 saw them managed by Manny Acta.

Answer: Minnesota Twins

The Twins drafted him into their farm system, then he played his first Major League game in 2004. He won batting titles in 2006 and 2008. Ernie Lombardi was the first National League catcher to win a batting title. He did it with the Cincinnati Reds in 1938.

Answer: 2

Only the Red Sox and White Sox team names did not end with a "S". Both teams made it to the postseason in 2008. In the National League, all team names ended with a "S". It is a rarity throughout baseball history to see a team with no "S" ending their team name.

Answer: Mike Schmidt

The others didn't win any MVPs in the 1980s. Schmidt won the MVP in 1980, 1981, and 1986 for the Phillies. Mike hit 313 home runs for Philadelphia during the 1980s, and 548 during his career. He was also a Gold Glove winner 10 times. After retiring in 1989, the Hall of Fame took him in 1995.

Answer: Prince Fielder

The others were all American League sluggers. Fielder hit 50 with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007, and made Howard take a backseat with his 47. In the three seasons listed, Ryan hit 153 home runs for the Phillies.

Answer: National Association

The National Association existed from 1871-1875, and set the stage for baseball to grow. When the league folded, the new National League carried the torch in 1876. The Philadelphia Athletics won the first National Association league crown in 1871, then the Boston Red Stockings won the remaining four titles from 1872-1875.

Answer: Emmett Ashford

On April 11, 1966, Ashford took the field in a game that pitted the Senators against the Indians. Cleveland won the game 5-2. Emmett also appeared in one World Series in 1970, where the Orioles defeated the Reds.

Answer: Gaylord Perry

Perry went 22 seasons and topped out at 24-16 in 1972, and won his first of two Cy Young awards. Gaylord was the first pitcher to win the award in both leagues, winning his second in 1978 with Padres. Three times, Koufax hit the 25-win mark, and also won three Cy Young's along with throwing three Triple Crowns. Hunter went 25-12 in 1974, his first season with the Yankees.

He won the Cy Young for his efforts. Seaver won 25 games with the Mets in 1969, also earning him the Cy Young. Amazingly, another Hall of Fame and Cy Young pitcher, Warren Spahn, won 363 games in his career, but never won more than 23 games in a season.

Answer: Jonathan Papelbon

The others did not play for the Red Sox. Papelbon went only 1-3 in the season, but had 37 saves to his credit. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Curt Schilling all had one win each in the series. They controlled the bats of the Rockies, and the Red Sox out-scored them 29-10 in the four games.

Answer: Jamie Moyer

The others all retired 10 seasons earlier. Moyer was a pitcher and was in his 22nd season in 2008. He went 16-7 with the Phillies. After allowing 111 earned runs in 2007, he allowed only 81 in 2008. 2008 was also Jamie's first World Series appearance, and he helped the Phillies defeat the Rays in the promised land.