The M&M&M&M Boys: New York Yankee "M" Players Quiz

Answer: 61 in '61

Roger Maris is one of my all-time top-five Yankees. I admired him for the way he handled the pressure from the NY fans as he was approaching Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. There were many who did not want to see Maris break the record because of Ruth's greatness and stature and at one point near the end of the 1961 season Maris' hair began to fall out due to nerves from the constant criticism.

He hit his 61st homer on the last day of the regular season. Collectively, he and Mickey Mantle were known as "The M&M Boys" hence the reference in the title of this quiz. Maris was with the Yankees from 1960-66 and traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967.

Answer: Triple Crown Winner

Mickey Mantle played his entire career with the Yankees from 1951-1968. He spent the majority of his playing days patrolling centerfield but when his knees began to give him trouble he was moved to first base. Overall, he hit 536 home runs in the regular season and 18 more in World Series play. Mantle hit one of the longest homers in MLB history in 1953 at Washington's Griffith Stadium that traveled 565 feet.

He won the American League Triple Crown in 1956 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

Answer: Pitcher 1964-1974

Mel Stottlemyre in 11 years with the Yankees pitched in 360 games with a record of 164-139 and of those 164 victories, 40 were shutouts. Stottlemyre was always considered a decent hitter (those were the years before the DH) and on July 20, 1965 he hit an inside-the-park grand slam.

In 1996, the Yankees hired him as their pitching coach under manager Joe Torre and he continued in that position until 2005. The Yankees won four World Series titles during Stottlemyre's tenure as pitching coach.

Answer: #7's Centerfield Heir

Bobby Murcer is my all-time favorite Yankee. He played 13 seasons in New York from 1965-74 and then again from 1979-83 with the years in-between playing for the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs. Like his idol, Mickey Mantle, Murcer hailed from Oklahoma and in fact Murcer took over the starting centerfield job in 1969 after Mantle retired. Bobby Murcer for his career hit 253 home runs with 175 of those for the Pinstripers.

He was named to the AP All-Decade Team for the 1970s.

Answer: 1970 AL Rookie of the Year

Thurman Munson played for the Yankees from 1969 until the time of his death in 1979. He was trying to land his private plane at the Akron-Canton airport in Ohio when it crashed and ended a very prominent baseball career. In addition to being the AL Rookie of the Year in 1970, he was the AL MVP in 1976. That same year he was named the Yankee Captain, the first since Lou Gehrig in 1935.

He had all the tools being both a tough out at the plate and a great defensive catcher with a strong accurate arm for throwing out potential base runners.

Answer: "Mick the Quick"

Mickey Rivers was an exciting player to watch. He came to the Yankees from the California Angels in 1975 in a trade that sent Bobby Bonds to California and Rivers and pitcher Ed Figuroa to the Yankees. Nicknamed "Mick the Quick", Rivers was a speedy outfielder who could cover a lot of ground but only had an average throwing arm. With the bat he was exactly what you wanted in a lead-off hitter as he had a great eye at the plate, drew plenty of walks and was a constant base stealing threat. From 1976-79 while with the Yankees, his batting average was .299 and in 1976 he was 3rd in the AL MVP voting behind teammate Thurman Munson and KC's George Brett.

Answer: 1984 AL Batting Champ

Nicknamed "Donnie Baseball", Mattingly was born to be a baseball player. Unfortunately, he played for the Yankees during their lean years and only made it to the post-season once. He played first base for the Yankees and spent his entire career with them starting in 1982 and retiring after the 1995 season.

He won the AL batting title in 1984 nosing out teammate Dave Winfield in a race that went right down to the final day of the season. Mattingly averaged .307 for his career and belted 223 home runs.

He was also elected Yankee Team Captain in 1991.

Answer: "Moose"

Mike Mussina came to the Yankees in 2001 from the Baltimore Orioles where he had played the first 10 years of his career. "Moose", as he was affectionately called, was a smart pitcher who had an arsenal of five different effective pitches: two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, knuckle-curve, changeup and a slider.

He was a 7-time Gold Glove winner, finished in the top-five voting for the Cy Young Award six times and finished his 17-year career with a record of 270-153. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Answer: "Godzilla"

Hidecki Matsui was nicknamed "Godzilla" and he was a hitting machine. He came to the Yankees in 2003 after playing for 10 years in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. He was the first Yankee to hit a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium and in his first season in New York hit .287 and had 106 RBIs.

His second Yankee season in 2004 was even better with a .298 average and 31 home runs. His last season with the Yankees was 2009 where he helped New York defeat the Phillies in the World Series.

He went on to play for the Angels, A's and Tampa Bay. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Answer: "The" Closer

Mariano Rivera is one of the best relief pitchers to every play the game. He played his entire career with the Yankees from 1995 until 2013. He basically had one pitch - an overpowering cut fastball with amazing control. He was World Series MVP in 1999, was a five-time World Series Champ and finished his playing days with 652 total saves.

He was the last full-time major league ballplayer to wear the number 42 before it was permanently retired in honor of Jackie Robinson. Rivera was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 on the first ballot getting a rare 100% of the votes.