Raining Baseballs Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carlos Martinez

All the others listed retired very long before the 1993 season. It was May 26 when the Indians played host to the Texas Rangers. Martinez hit the ball off pitcher Kenny Rogers which bounced off the head of Canseco. The Indians won the game 7-6. Canseco was most noted for becoming the first player in history to create the 40-40 club.

It was also the last season of Ranger great Nolan Ryan.

Answer: Sparky Anderson

Sparky managed in the big leagues from 1970-1995. He split his time with the Reds and Tigers. The nickname Captain Hook came early in Cincinnati as he was known for changing pitchers in a game often. Sparky took his teams to five league championships and three World Series.

He was voted Manager of the Year in 1984 and 1987 with the Tigers, and was runner-up in 1991 to Tom Kelly of the Twins.

Answer: 2

The Blue Jay franchise began in 1977 in the American League Eastern Division. Although never winning 100 games in a season for the rest of the century, the team went to five playoffs. In 1992 they defeated the Atlanta Braves for their first crown. Toronto repeated it all in 1993.

Answer: Chicago Cubs

The Twins and Yankees were in the American League. It was the era of the Cubs in the early 1900s. They owned the National League from 1906-1910 while making four World Series appearances. After throwing 30 in 1907, the pitching staff threw another 32 in 1909. They were led by Orval Overall and Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown. Chicago won two of the those World Series in 1907 and 1908.

Answer: Craig Biggio

Both Seaver and Spahn were career pitchers in baseball, Seaver mostly with the New York Mets, and Spahn with the Braves. The "Splendid Splinter" pitched in one game in 1940 for his career Red Sox franchise. Biggio was a 20-season Houston Astro and was seen mostly at second base.

Answer: Happy Chandler

Landis spent 23 seasons at the helm of baseball, and took over after the Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 World Series. Landis died in November of 1944 and Chandler was appointed in April 1945. Chandler served as commissioner until July 1951 and gave the torch to Ford Frick as the next commissioner. Happy Chandler died in 1991.

Answer: Ted Lyons

Ted Lyons pitched his way to stardom with the Chicago White Sox in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. During his entire career, the White Sox never won 90 games in a season. He was inducted into the Hall in 1955. Appling, nicknamed "Old Aches and Pains" was also a Chicago White Sox and played in 20 seasons from 1930-1950. "Mr. Cub" known as the great Ernie Banks played in 19 seasons in Chicago from 1953-1971. Walters was a 16-season pitcher between 1934-1950 and found two World Series with the Reds.

Answer: 1934

Though the spitball was banned due to rule changes, the pitchers who were throwing it as their bread and butter pitcher were grandfathered in to use it until they retired. Burleigh Grimes was one of those pitchers. He was the last pitcher who was grandfathered in and used it up until the last game of his career on September 20, 1934. Grimes pitched for 19 seasons and won 270 games.

The Hall of Fame inducted him in 1964.

Answer: Braves

The Braves franchise has a history going all the way back to the Boston Red Stockings when the National League opened their doors in 1876. Through a variety of name changes including the Boston Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers, then Braves in 1912, the franchise finally moved to Milwaukee in 1953.

The Milwaukee Braves went to two World Series shortly after, winning in 1957, and lost in Game 7 in 1958. The franchised moved again to Atlanta in 1966. After the Athletics being rooted in the American League for over 50 seasons, they moved to Kansas City in 1955.

The St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles in 1954. The Washington Senators moved in 1961 to become the Minnesota Twins.

Answer: Hugo Bezdek

Bezdek had the helm of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1917 to 1919. Hugo was later a coach for Penn State. In 1937 and 1938 he was the head coach of the Cleveland Rams in the NFL. The Czech Republic native died in 1952 at the age of 69.