Pitchers of the 1960s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Juan Marichal

Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants won 191 games from 1960 to 1969. The "Dominican Dandy" notched 45 shutouts and had 1840 strikeouts during the decade. Marichal, a winner of 243 games during his career, was inducted into Cooperstown in 1983. Don Drysdale won 158 games during the 1960s, Larry Jackson had 141 wins, and Whitey Ford won 115 games.

Answer: St. Louis Cardinals

Bob Gibson was a legendary pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. The Redbird righty had a record of 164-105 during the 1960s with 2071 strikeouts and 41 shutouts. Gibson led the Cardinals to World Series appearances in 1964, 1967 and 1968. This fierce competitor was inducted into Cooperstown in 1981.

Answer: He retired from baseball in 1966 due to severe arm problems

Sandy Koufax was perhaps the greatest pitcher of the 1960s. From 1960 to 1966, Koufax compiled a record of 137-60, with 1910 strikeouts and 37 shutouts. Koufax led the Dodgers to World Series triumphs in 1963 and 1965. Koufax was forced to cut short his brilliant career in 1966 because of severe arm and elbow problems.

He was diagnosed with arthritis and inflammation. Koufax was a woeful hitter, batting just .097 in his career. He never managed a big league club.

Answer: Ron Perranoski

Ron Perranoski was a lefty relief specialist for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. During the 1960s, Perranoski recorded 138 saves and had 69 victories. His best season occurred in 1963 with Los Angeles when he had a record of 16-3 with 21 saves. Relief pitchers John Wyatt, Ted Abernathy, and Stu Miller were right-handed.

Answer: Jim Kaat

Jim Kaat was an outstanding lefty pitcher for the Minnesota Twins during the 1960s. In 1965, Kaat compiled a record of 18-11 to help the Twins capture the AL pennant. The following season, the smooth-fielding hurler had a superb record of 25-13. Mudcat Grant, Jim Perry, and Dean Chance were right-handed starting pitchers.

Answer: He won 31 games during the 1968 season

Denny McLain won 31 games for the Detroit Tigers during the 1968 season, going 31-6 with 280 strikeouts. During the 1960s, McLain had a record of 114-57, with 1098 strikeouts. McLain's Tiger teammate, Mickey Lolich, was the hero of the 1968 World Series, winning three games against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Answer: Jim Bunning

Jim Bunning was a hard-throwing pitcher in the Major Leagues for 17 seasons. During the 1960s, Bunning had a record of 150-118, with 2019 strikeouts and 35 shutouts. In 1964, Bunning pitched a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies. After he retired from baseball, Bunning entered the political world.

In 1998, Bunning was elected as U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Bunning was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Chris Short, Bob Veale, and Claude Osteen were lefty pitchers.

Answer: Catfish Hunter

Jim "Catfish" Hunter earned baseball immortality on May 8, 1968, when he pitched the Oakland As to a 4-0 perfect game victory against the Minnesota Twins. During the 1960s, Hunter had an unimpressive record of 55-64, but the North Carolina native would blossom into a star hurler in the 1970s.

In 1968, Jim Palmer pitched for the Orioles, Tom Seaver played for the Mets, and Gaylord Perry pitched for the Giants.

Answer: New York Mets

Hoyt Wilhelm didn't pitch for the New York Mets at any time during a career which lasted from 1952 until 1972. During the 1960s, the knuckleball specialist pitched for the Orioles from 1960 to 1962, for the White Sox from 1963 to 1968, and with the Angels and the Braves in 1969. Wilhelm earned 152 saves during the 1960s and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Answer: He hit two grand slam homers in a single game

Hard-throwing pitcher Tony Cloninger had a record of 101-82 during the 1960s while playing for the Braves and the Reds. It was Cloninger's bat, however, which earned him a spot in baseball history. On July 3, 1966, while playing for the Atlanta Braves, Cloninger belted a pair of grand slam home runs in a 17-3 rout of the San Francisco Giants. Cloninger added an RBI single to accumulate nine runs batted in for that game.

The native of North Carolina became the first player in National League history to hit two grand slams in one game.