Random Baseball Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bill Bevens

In game 6 of the 1947 World Series with the Dodgers facing the Yankees, pitcher Bill Bevens took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Then Harry "Cookie" Lavagetto of the Dodgers stepped up to the plate, he hammered an opposite-field double off the left field wall in Ebbets Field.

This double scored two runners (Al Gionfriddo and Eddie Miksis) and gave the Dodgers the momentum they needed to win the game, but ultimately they lost to the Yankees in game 7. This was actually Cookie Lavagetto's last hit in a major league baseball game.

He wasn't even in the starting lineup, he was called off of the bench to replace Eddie Stanky. He went on to manage the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins for four years before being replaced due to a 271-384 win/loss record.

Answer: Germany Schaefer

Yes, this actually happened. On August 4th in a game against the Chicago White Sox, Germany was on first and Clyde Milan was on third. Hoping to bait the catcher to throw to him so Clyde could steal home, Germany stole second but catcher Fred Payne didn't bite.

In an outlandish decision, Schaefer decided to steal first which, at this time, was technically legal. Once again, Payne didn't throw, but White Sox manager Hugh Duffy did throw something - a fit. He came out and argued because no other player on record had ever stolen first.

In the midst of the tirade, Germany tried to go for second again but the second baseman got the ball in time; instead of tagging Schaefer he threw to home and got Clyde Milan out when he tried to steal home. Allegedly, this wasn't the first time that Schaefer stole first but the other attempt's authenticity is questionable.

This was just one event on a laundry list of Schaefer's antics which included, but is not limited to, wearing a fake mustache to the plate, wearing a rain coat to the plate (both of which got him ejected), hitting a home run off Rube Wadell and shooting the bat like a gun at him after each base, and even calling a home run off of the White Sox's Doc White in a pinch hit appearance.

Answer: John Paul Cobb

Ty Cobb's brother, John Paul, was an outfielder for 12 minor league teams in his nine minor league seasons. He was a pretty effective batsman with a .287 batting average and 25 home runs. So why wasn't he called up to the major leagues? Well, all the affiliates of the teams he played for already had a decently solid outfielder and simply didn't need poor John Paul. Notable is John Paul's toughness, however, as in a game on September 11, 1912, he reportedly broke his arm when he got hit by a pitched ball in a game, and still, he managed to be effective for another three years.

Answer: Elton

Elton "Ice Box" Chamberlain pitched for six teams across two leagues from 1886 to 1896. Despite his constant movement, he was an effective pitcher, even leading the American Association in shutouts with six in 1890 with the Columbus Solons. After his retirement, Chamberlain tried ventures in both umpiring and boxing, neither of which worked out for him. Still, Elton achieved a total of 264 complete games.

It is likely that Chamberlain got his name for one of two reasons: either his ability to remain composed in dire pitching situations or (the less epic answer) he had "chronic laziness".

Answer: Silver King

Yes, it was Silver King (real name Charles Koenig) who pitched a no-hitter on June 21, 1890, for the Chicago Pirates of the Players' League. However, he lost because the defense made an error that scored a run and he only pitched eight innings, so it isn't counted as on official no-hitter by the MLB.

Interestingly, he acquired the nickname "Silver" because of the fact that other teammates thought that his hair looked silver.

Answer: Lee Richmond

The first perfect game was thrown on June 12, 1880 in a game between the Cleveland Blues and the Worcester Worcesters. Lee Richmond is a little-known pitcher in the early era of baseball but he also pitched the first perfect game in recorded baseball history.

In the game, the Chicago Tribune credited his success with his "puzzling curves" that left "The Clevelands utterly helpless." Surprisingly, his opponent, Jim McCormick, was no slouch either, allowing only three hits and the Worcesters' only run came on a double error by second baseman Fred Dunlap.

After retiring six years later, Richmond became a school chemistry teacher at Scott High School in Toledo, Ohio. He later married Mary Naomi Chapin, who was actually a former student of his.

Answer: Alamazoo

On August 15, 1878, Milwaukee Grays catcher Alfred Jennings played his only career game against the Cincinnati Reds. He had a deplorable defensive performance, committing four errors and having 10 passed balls attributed to him while having only two putouts and one defensive assist.

He wasn't better at the plate either, having two at-bats and making nothing out of either of them - although at least he managed to draw a walk. His umpiring career started unexpectedly when he was unable to play in 1878 due to a broken thumb.

He spent the rest of his umpiring career teetering from AA games to American Association games, he even worked in Northwestern League games when regular umpire Charlie Cushman was injured after being hit in the face by a stone thrown by an 11-year-old boy who he ejected.

Answer: His defensive prowess

Bob Ferguson was a utility infielder who spent his 13-year career with seven teams from 1871-1884. He received the nickname Death To Flying Things because his teammates thought he was a really great defensive player. During his career and three years after his retirement, Ferguson managed every team he played for.

He eventually became an umpire and set the record for most games umpired with 786, however, this record was soon broken. Interestingly, his nickname referenced his great defense, but his career fielding percentage was an abysmal .799.

Answer: Ed Beecher

After "Lewis" was pulled due to a horrible three innings in which he allowed 20 runs, manager Jack Rowe pulled him and, not wanting to tire his pitchers, called on Ed Beecher to potentially contain the slaughter. He fared but little better, pitching the rest of the game and allowing eight runs.

Other than this game Beecher had an unremarkable career, batting an average .273 and hitting seven home runs for five different teams.

Answer: 1

John Mongomery Ward was both a pitcher and a position player who dominated at both. He had a win/loss record of 164-103 and an ERA of 2.10. At the plate, he had a .275 batting average with 26 home runs, which was pretty good in those days. He also pitched the second perfect game in MLB history against the Buffalo Bisons on June 17, 1880, just five days after Lee Richmond.

But by far his greatest achievement was when he led the league in saves with...one. After a successful managerial career that spanned 12 years he was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1964 by the Veteran's Committee. Of note is that Ward owned and managed a team named after him, Brooklyn Ward's Wonders, which only existed for one year in the Players' League in 1890 but finished with a 76-56 win/loss record.