Vegetable Soup Baseball Trivia Quiz

Answer: Boston Red Sox

None of the others listed went to a World Series in the decade. The Yankees began the decade with a 2000 World Series win against the Mets, then closed the decade out in 2009 against the Phillies. The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals in the 2004 series, then the Rockies in 2007. Manny Ramirez won the series MVP in 2004 while Mike Lowell won it in 2007.

Answer: Brooks Robinson

Berra wore the number 35 in his first two seasons with the Yankees. When Hall of Fame catching great Bill Dickey retired, Berra went to Dickey's number 8 in 1948. Stargell, lovingly known as "Pops" in the Pittsburgh area wore the number 8 from 1962-1982. Yaz was another player listed who played for only one team, and wore the number 8 with the Red Sox from 1961-1983. Brooks Robinson was a powerhouse nicknamed "Human Vacuum Cleaner" by his Baltimore Orioles. With his 16 Gold Glove Awards at third base, he wore the number 5 from 1957-1977.

Answer: Vince

The others weren't the DiMaggio brothers of Major League Baseball. Vince was the oldest while being born on September 6, 1912. He played for the Pirates, Phillies, Braves, Reds, and Giants. The Hall of Famer Joe was next being born on November 25, 1914. He was a career Yankee. Dom of the Red Sox was the youngest. He was born on February 12, 1917.

Answer: Denny McLain

The other greats never won more than 20 games in a season. After the Athletics' Lefty Grove won 31 in 1930, it was Dizzy Dean of the Cardinals who won 30 in 1933. Then a 30-win season would go dry until 1968 when McLain of the Tigers went 31-6 and helped lead them to the World Series in a win over the Cardinals. Tiger pitcher Mickey Lolich overshadowed McLain in the series and took the World Series MVP Award.

Answer: He retired on the fourth of July

Tatis was the first player in history to hit two grand slams in the same inning on April 23, 1999. As a St. Louis Cardinal he hit two grand slams in the third inning in a game against the Dodgers. Pitcher Chan Ho Park gave up both grand slams. After an 11-run third inning blowout, the Cardinals won the game 12-5.

After playing with five teams over 11 seasons, Tatis retired as a New York Met on July 4, 2010. It was his final game against the Nationals and he had a pinch-hit single in the 9-5 Mets win. Fernando retired with 113 home runs, but none bigger than those on that April 23 day.

Answer: Detroit Tigers

Not just one but two Manager of the Year Awards. Sparky managed only two teams over 26 seasons. From 1970-1978 he was on the podium for the Reds. He took the Reds to four NL Championships while winning two World Series in 1975 and 1976 with the Big Red Machine.

In a change of scenery he helmed the Tigers in 1979 and kept the team until he retired in 1995. He took the Tigers all the way to a World Series crown in 1984. He won his Manager of the Year Awards in 1984 and 1987. George 'Sparky' Anderson was inducted into the Hall in 2000, then died in 2010 at the age of 76.

Answer: David Cone

The others never threw a perfect game and all were career National League pitchers. The Hall of Fame great Young threw his perfecto with the Boston Americans in 1903 against the Philadelphia Athletics. Cone had a mediocre season in 1999 while going 12-9. He threw his perfect game in a Yankee uniform on July 18 against the Expos.

Answer: Crosley Field

The Reds began their franchise in 1876 at Lincoln Park Grounds for their inaugural season. In 1877 they moved into Avenue Grounds for a few seasons, then played at the Bank Grounds from 1880-1889. From there it was on to League Park from 1890-1901. It was Palace of the Fans from 1902-1911. Crosley Field became the Reds' home in 1912 and they stayed there until the end of the 1970 season.

After the famous Crosley Field it was on to Riverfront Stadium from 1971-1996.

Answer: Ted Williams

The others never batted for the Triple Crown. Hornsby was the first player to bat for a Triple Crown twice while the St. Louis Cardinals were the beneficiaries. He batted for the Triple Crowns in 1922 and 1925. Rogers won seven batting titles and was awarded the NL MVP in 1925 and 1929.

His second NL MVP came with the Chicago Cubs. Williams batted for the Triple Crown Awards in 1942 and 1947. Ted was a 19-season career Boston Red Sox outfielder. He won six AL batting titles and was an American League MVP twice.

Answer: Florida Marlins

The other teams by name never lost 100 games in a season. The Marlins went 54-108 in 1998 for a rather poor season. Ironically, this was after winning the World Series against the Indians in the season prior. After winning the World Series the Marlins dumped most of their good players to increase the profit margin of the organization.

In 1998 they didn't have a starter bat over .300 or have a starting pitcher win more than 11 games. No starting pitcher even had a winning season. The Marlins finished a pathetic 52 games behind the East Division Champion Atlanta Braves.