Quirky Blue Jay Tidbits Quiz | MLB Teams

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1. These four all wore the number one on their Jays' uniform, but which one of them made three pitching appearances in 1980, did not figure in any decisions, walked only one, struck out nobody and registered a 7.73 ERA?

Answer: Bob Bailor

Robert Michael (Bob) Bailor was the Blue Jays' first pick in the 1976 expansion draft, and was listed as a shortstop by his former team, the Orioles. In four years in Toronto (1977-1980) he showed his versatility, playing short, third, second and the outfield as well as the three desperation outings on the mound. His .310 batting average in 1977 set a new standard for players on a first year expansion team.

Tony Fernandez first wore a Blue Jay uniform from 1983-1990, returning in 1993, 1998-99 and 2001 and always wearing number one. He never pitched for any team. Second baseman Orlando Hudson also did not pitch for the Jays, having worn a three on his uniform from 2002-2003, then switching to the one for 2004-2005. Catcher Bengie Molina took over the number when he was acquired in 2006.

2. One of these players, all of whom wore the number three on their Blue Jay uniform, had a career that lasted precisely two games. One of these was as starting catcher in a 24-10 marathon win against the Baltimore Orioles at Exhibition Stadium, a game in which he had three hits, scored three runs and drove in two. Who was that player?

Answer: Brian Milner

Despite that stellar performance, Brian Tate Milner slid into oblivion shortly after that game in June 1978.

Outfielder Steve Bowling wore the number three in the Jays' inaugural season (1977), and was the starting right fielder in their first ever game. He played in 89 games for Toronto, having debuted for Milwaukee in 1976. Infielder-outfielder Felipe Crespo had a five year career, including 1996-98 with Toronto, wearing number six for the first season, then switching to three. Mookie Wilson started his twelve year career with the New York Mets in 1980, playing the outfield regularly for them until 1989 when he moved to Toronto. He finished his career in a Blue Jay uniform in 1991.

3. These four players all sported the number nine on the back of their Blue Jays uniforms, and three of them were catchers! Only one of them, however, could claim to be the nephew of catcher Rick Dempsey, who spent almost half of his 24 year career with the Baltimore Orioles. Which one was it?

Answer: Gregg Zaun

Gregory Owen (Gregg) Zaun arrived in Toronto in 2004, having played for six other teams since his Baltimore debut in 1995. He really stepped up in 2005, appearing in 133 games for Toronto and becoming a team leader. His mother Cherie, a former pro golfer, is Rick Dempsey's sister.

Rick Cerone was the starting catcher in the Jays first ever game in 1977, and had two hits that day. He was with the team until traded to the Yankees in November 1979. Rick Leach, the only non-catcher in this group, was with Toronto from 1984 until 1988. During that time he played mostly in the outfield, with some time at first base and as designated hitter. He even pitched in one game in 1984. Darrin Fletcher was a Blue Jay from 1998 until 2002. His over 500 appearances for the Jays were mostly behind the plate, with a very few in the DH role. In 2006 he could be heard doing colour commentary for Blue Jays telecasts.

4. These four players have all worn the number 10 as Blue Jays, but which of them hit three home runs in a single game against the Jays, a year before becoming their starting first baseman?

Answer: John Mayberry

I well remember the ugly marks those three home runs made on the scorecard I kept as I listened to that game in June 1977 on my radio. John Claiborn Mayberry helped the Kansas City Royals to an 11-3 victory that night. I also remember how pleased I was to learn that Big John had been acquired by Toronto for the 1978 season! He was with the club until 1982, when he went to the Yankees.

Doug Rader was with Toronto for part of the 1977 season, playing mostly at third base or as designated hitter. Pat Borders was catcher for the Jays from 1988-94, and again briefly in 1999. He appeared on both World Series teams in the nineties, batting .450 in the 1992 edition, and .304 a year later. Vernon Wells made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in 1999, and by 2006 had established himself as the everyday centre fielder.

5. Although it is sometimes considered to be unlucky, the four players listed here all wore the number 13 on their Blue Jays uniforms. Which of the four was a third baseman renowned for always appearing with bare arms, even on the coldest days at Exhibition Stadium?

Answer: Roy Howell

I used to wear a down-filled ski jacket to games at the Ex in the spring and fall, and there'd be Howell with his bare arms hanging out of his short-sleeved uniform shirt. It was enough to make you shiver! (Try an image search for Howell, and you'll see what I mean.) Roy Lee Howell joined the Jays from Texas early in the 1977 season, and was pretty much the regular third baseman from then until 1980.

Catcher Buck Martinez was a Blue Jay player from 1981-86, and returned to manage the team for 2001 and part of 2002. Jeff Musselman pitched in just under a hundred games for the Jays in 1986-89, with a combined 20-10 record, and three saves. Outfielder Kenny Williams had a short stay with the team in 1990-91, wearing the 13 only in the latter year.

6. Number 17 belonged to these four at one time or another, but one of them had a sister who was a pretty good tennis player. Which one could boast that he was Billie Jean King's brother?

Answer: Randy Moffitt

Ever since 1983, when Randall James (Randy) Moffitt pitched for the Blue Jays, I have had no problem recalling the answer to the oft-asked trivia question "What is Billie Jean King's maiden name?". He had a 6-2 record, 10 saves and a 3.77 ERA that year, the last of his 12-year career.

Tim Johnson was a Jay in 1978-79, and played all four infield positions during that time. He returned to Toronto as manager for the 1998 season. Mark Bomback spent 1981-82 with the Blue Jays, pitching in 36 games for them. Kelly Gruber spent the most time in the number 17 uniform, wearing it from 1984 until 1992 and playing mostly third base. He was on the 1992 World Series champion team, but wouldn't thank me for reminding you of his average!

7. Each of these Blue Jays wore the number 18, some for longer than the others. Which one was the pitcher who came within three outs of perfection in September 1982?

Answer: Jim Clancy

I was in the ballpark that night, and I can still see Randy Bush's little blooper falling in to lead off the ninth, and give the Twins their only hit. I blame the guy in the row behind me, who moments earlier had commented on the fact that Clance was perfect through eight, for jinxing him. Clancy still won the game 3-0, and Bush was erased by a double play, but perfection eluded the Jays' starter. Jim Clancy was a Blue Jays stalwart from 1977 until 1988 and posted winning records in four of those seasons, with his sixteen wins in 1982 his personal best.

Utility player Tom Lawless appeared in seventy-odd games for the Jays in 1989-90 in both the outfield and infield, and even once behind the plate, but never pitched for them. Catcher Benito Santiago was with the Blue Jays in 1997-98. Outfielder Gabe Gross played for the team in 2004-2005, before going to Milwaukee in the trade that brought Lyle Overbay to Toronto.

8. One of these players, all of whom wore the number 24 as a Blue Jay, had a younger brother who made his major league debut in a game that matched the brothers as starting pitchers for the opposing teams. The younger one got the win in a 1-0 game, but who was his older brother?

Answer: Tom Underwood

On 31 May 1979, Thomas Gerald Underwood of the Blue Jays matched up against his brother Pat and the Detroit Tigers. Tommy went the distance, giving up just one run on six hits, but brother Pat allowed only three hits and needed just a bit of help from the bullpen for the final two outs. Tom spent 1978 and '79 with the Blue Jays, midway in a career that spanned eleven years and six teams.

Chuck Hartenstein pitched in a few games for the Jays in 1977, logging an 0-2 record and 6.59 ERA. Outfielder Shannon Stewart hit a few home runs for the Toronto team between 1995 and 2003 when he was traded to Minnesota. Outfielder John-Ford Griffin made his major league debut with the Jays in September 2005.

9. The number on the uniform of these four was 27. Which one of them was featured in a story in a major Toronto newspaper, that told about the 'book' this player, often described as a professional hitter, kept on opposing pitchers?

Answer: Frank Catalanotto

Frank John 'Cat' Catalanotto allowed the paper to publish extracts from his book, updated after each game, only if they changed the names of the pitchers being described. He explained that it would be disadvantageous to allow opponents to know what comments he had made about them, and what conclusions he had drawn. He joined the Blue Jays in 2003 and was making good use of his observations early in 2006, often coming through with a clutch hit, even whilst being used in an outfield platoon situation.

The others might all have appeared in Cat's book, had their careers coincided. Pitcher Jeff Byrd spent his entire career - seventeen games in 1977 - in Toronto, compiling a 2-13 record with a 6.18 ERA. Tony Castillo pitched for the Blue Jays in 1988-89 and again in 1993-96, only wearing 27 during the first time he was on the team. His combined record for the two stints with the Jays was 13-13. Willie Blair was also a pitcher, and debuted with the Jays in 1990, his only season in Toronto before moving on to play with seven more teams in a twelve year career.

10. Before becoming a Blue Jay, one of these fellows incurred the wrath of Toronto fans by killing a seagull with a thrown baseball. All of them wore 32 on their jerseys when they played for Toronto, but which one had to apologise for killing that bird?

Answer: Dave Winfield

David Mark Winfield was wearing a Yankee uniform when the seagull incident occurred in 1983. He did apologise, and all was forgiven when he joined the Blue Jays in 1992 and helped them to their first World Series victory.

Don Kirkwood pitched for the Blue Jays in 1978 putting together a 4-5 record in sixteen appearances. Charlie Beamon appeared in eight games for the team in 1981, half of them as designated hitter. Roy Halladay debuted with Toronto in September 1998, and won the Cy Young Award in the American League in 2003. Early in 2006 he was the stopper in an injury-plagued starting rotation.

Sources include personal observation, the Toronto Blue Jays official website, Baseball-Almanac.com, Baseball Library.com, various online news stories and the Toronto Star article about Frank Catalanotto (hardcopy).

Source: Author spanishliz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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Quirky Blue Jay Tidbits Trivia Quiz

Try your luck on these ten questions, about some fairly useless, yet interesting, Blue Jays facts. The answer choices for each question all wore the same number as Blue Jays, which might help you narrow down the correct answer.

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