Teary-Eyed Baseball Trivia Quiz

Answer: Henry Schmidt

Henry Schmidt is known by few in the world of baseball. He pitched for only one season. Ironically, both Schmidt and Koufax pitched for the Dodger franchise. Schmidt went 22-13 in his only season in 1903. Koufax left baseball due to an arthritic elbow in 1966 with a 27-9 record. Unlike Schmidt, Koufax won many awards and went on to be a Hall of Fame inductee in 1972.

Answer: Jimmy Collins

Collins was a player-manager-third baseman for the Boston Americans in 1903. He began his managerial position when the franchise started in the American League in 1901. The first-ever World Series was held in 1903, and saw the Americans go up against the NL Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

Although the Pirates with Fred Clarke at the helm won the first game of the series, Boston came back to win it five games to three. Collins took the Americans to a 1904 AL Championship also, but there was no World Series played that season.

His career record was 455-376 over six seasons.

Answer: Babe Herman

Although hitting for the cycle is a rare feat in baseball, these all hit for the cycle with two different teams. Herman hit for the cycle twice in 1931 with the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers), then he hit for his third cycle in 1933 with the Cubs. Cronin was the next to do this in 1929 with Washington, then in 1940 with Boston. Watson did his cycles with the Astros and Red Sox. Bob was the first player in history to hit for the cycle in both leagues. Olerud also hit for the cycle in both leagues.

Answer: Cincinnati Reds

The Big Red Machine swept the Phillies in the 1976 NLCS, then mowed over the Yankees four games to none in the 1976 World Series. The League Division Championship Series was also added to the postseason schedule beginning in 1981. Even after that, no team had swept in all postseason playoff games in the next 30 seasons of the Major League Baseball playoffs.

This made the Reds rather elite.

Answer: Babe Ruth

Ruth had 15 consecutive seasons of hitting at least 25 home runs. He began it with 29 in 1919, and ended the streak with 34 in 1933. Aaron had two separate streaks of nine seasons when he hit at least 25. If it weren't for his 24 that were hit in 1964, Hank would have had an amazing streak of 19 seasons. Mays had a 13-season streak. Rodriguez reached his 12-season consecutive streak in 2009.

Answer: Rick and Paul Reuschel

On August 21, 1975, the Reuschels and their Chicago Cubs went up against the Dodgers. Rick started the game and allowed five hits before he gave way to his brother in relief in the sixth inning. Paul finished out the game while allowing only one hit. The Cubs won it 7-0. The Reuschels threw only one total strikeout in the game.

Answer: Denny McLain

The Tigers franchise had to wait 68 seasons before a pitcher hit the magic 30-mark, and it would be the only time in the franchise's first 100 seasons of existence. In 1968, McLain, who won the AL Cy Young and AL MVP, went 31-6 in the season. The Tigers also won the World Series against the Cardinals in 1968, four games to three.

However, it was not the arm of McLain, who went only 1-2 in the series. It was the arm of pitching teammate Mickey Lolich who went 3-0 for the Tigers with a 1.67 ERA and 21 strikeouts. Lolich was the World Series MVP.

Answer: 1946

In 1946, the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers ended the regular season with identical 96-58 records. While the Boston Red Sox who won the American League had to wait, they watched the Cardinals win the first two games in a best out of three game series against the Dodgers.

The Cardinals went on to win the World Series against Boston, four games to three. Two seasons later, the Indians and Red Sox tied for the AL pennant, then Cleveland won it in a one-game playoff. The most famous league tie was in 1951, pitting the Dodgers and Giants, and seeing Bobby Thomson's historical home run to win it for the Giants.

Answer: Nap Lajoie

Of the 226 ballots, Ty Cobb was on 222. Both Ruth and Wagner had 215 votes. Mathewson was the fourth inducted with 205 votes, and Johnson squeaked in past Nap Lajoie with 189 votes. Lajoie, Mack, and Young were inducted in the next round in 1937, then Spalding in 1939.

Answer: 1887

The umpires had a difficult time with many rules changes for the 1887 season. A base on balls was shortened from nine balls to five. Also, for a batter to strikeout, it would take four strikes instead of the previous three. 1887 also changed the terminology of a walk, and officially scored a walk as a base hit.

This later explained why Tip O'Neill set a record for batting .435 in 1887 with the St. Louis Browns. The rules were later modified.