Was Almost in the Bag! Quiz | Baseball

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The 2008 American League MVP Award saw the top four finishers receive first place votes on the balloting. Who would be the victorious one and take home the award?

Answer: Dustin Pedroia

None of the others were in the top four. Pedroia of the Red Sox won the award with 16 first place ballots. He had 213 hits and batted .326. Justin Morneau of the Twins was the runner-up. Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox was third, and Joe Mauer of the Twins was fourth.

2. What a waste to win 20 games in a season and not take home a Cy Young Award. That's what happened to me in Toronto in 2008. I was 20-11 and struck out over 200 batters. I took only four first place ballots for the award. My name is Roy Halladay. Who took my American League Cy Young Award?

Answer: Cliff Lee

The others listed were all National League pitchers. 20-game winners in a season were scarce during the 2000s decade, but Lee and Halladay both topped the mark. Lee was a Cleveland Indian with his amazing 22-3 record. Lee was lower in most of the categories to Halladay. Cliff allowed less hits, had less walks, less earned runs, gave up less home runs, and hit fewer batters.

He took 24 first place ballots to take the award.

3. Braves manager Bobby Cox won his fourth Manager of the Year Award in 2005. The runner-up manager took his team to a 100-win season, 10 more wins that Bobby, but still couldn't bag the award. Who was this National League manager?

Answer: Tony LaRussa

The other choices were all American League managers in 2005. Cox took the Braves to a 90-72 record, good enough to win the NL East crown. The Braves lost in the NLDS to the Astros. LaRussa, who was seeking his fifth Manager of the Year Award with his 100-62 Cardinal record, took only two first place votes compared to Cox's 28.

The Cardinals took the NL Central Division title, but then lost to the Astros in the NLCS.

4. I was a Houston pitcher in 2001 and went 14-3 in the season. If it weren't for some guy named Pujols, I would have won the Rookie of the Year Award. Who am I?

Answer: Roy Oswalt

The others began their careers more than 15 seasons earlier. Oswalt was one of those rookie pitchers who doesn't come around very often. With his 14-3 record, his ERA was 2.73 and threw 144 strikeouts in 141.2 innings. Roy received no first place votes while Albert Pujols of the Cardinals reeled in 32. Pujols batted .329 with 37 home runs along with 194 hits. Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies finished third in the balloting while Adam Dunn of the Reds was fourth.

5. The 2010 Hall of Fame induction ceremony saw one player, one umpire, and one manager inducted. They were Andre Dawson, Doug Harvey, and Whitey Herzog, respectively. Which pitcher, who set a record by giving up 50 home runs in a season, just barely missed out on a Hall of Fame induction by .2% of the balloting?

Answer: Bert Blyleven

There others had all previously been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Blyleven pitched for the Twins in 11 of his 22 seasons in the big leagues. In 1986 with Minnesota, he gave up 50 big ones, then another 46 in 1987. Bert retired in 1992 with a 287-250 career record. Needing your name on 75% of the ballots, Blyleven ended up 74.8.

It was his 13th year of eligibility to get into the Hall of Fame.

6. Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers took the bragging rights for winning the first-ever Cy Young Award in 1956. Who was his teammate Dodger pitcher that also received first place ballot voting, but finished as the runner-up to the award?

Answer: Sal Maglie

The other pitchers listed were all retired. Maglie went 13-5 in the season, while Newcombe blew the doors off opponents with his 27-7 record. Don helped the Dodgers win the NL pennant, but lost in the World Series to the Yankees. Whitey Ford of the Yankees and Warren Spahn of the Braves also received first place ballots. They finished third and fourth in the voting, respectively.

7. Some baseball fanatics might know that Ty Cobb won the first-ever American League MVP Award in 1911. He was the only player to get first place votes on the ballots. Which Chicago White Sox pitcher, and later Hall of Famer finished as the runner-up to the first AL MVP Award?

Answer: Ed Walsh

The others listed were all MVP winners, but also career National League players. Cobb batted .420 with the Tigers in 1911 to more than secure the first AL MVP Award. Walsh won 27 games for the White Sox, and also led the league with 255 strikeouts. With both players' efforts, the Philadelphia Athletics still won the American League by 13.5 games over the Tigers, with the White Sox finishing fifth. Chicago Cub Frank Schulte was the first recipient of the MVP Award for the National League in 1911.

8. Tom Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the very first National League Manager of the Year Award in 1983. He took 10 first place ballots compared to the runner-up who came so close with nine first place ballots. Who was this Houston manager?

Answer: Bob Lillis

The other managers listed had already died. Lillis lasted only four seasons managing from 1982-1985, all with the Astros. In 1983, he took the Astros to a third place NL West finish, while Lasorda took the Dodgers to the NL West crown. Pirate manager Chuck Tanner who took the Pirates to a second place NL East finish and came in third in the voting.

9. My name is Chet Nichols. My career almost took off as a rookie in 1951, but some Giant centerfielder beat me out for the Rookie of the Year Award. Nobody remembers me, but everyone remembers the other guy. Who was it that took the 1951 Rookie of the Year Award?

Answer: Willie Mays

Nichols went only 34-36 in his nine seasons before retiring with the Reds in 1964. On the other hand, after Mays' 127-hit and .274 rookie season, he would go on to lead the league in home runs and stolen bases four times, hit 660 home runs, and played for 22 seasons. The others listed never played for the Giants.

10. I watched the 2009 Cy Young Award voting. It didn't make much sense to me as I took more first place ballot voting that any other pitcher, but still finished third for the award. I threw a 19-8 season with my Cardinals, but it apparently wasn't good enough. I watched Tim Lincecum of the Giants win the award, and Cardinal teammate Chris Carpenter finish second. Who am I?

Answer: Adam Wainwright

The others listed were all retired. Lincecum took 11 first place votes, Carpenter nine, while Wainwright obtained 12. Lincecum took a 68% share of the total ballots, Carpenter 59%, and Wainwright 56%. The Giants finished third in their division, while the Cardinals won the NL Central. This all might make some fans wonder.

Source: Author Nightmare

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Was Almost in the Bag! Trivia Quiz

A quiz about some baseballers who either won or was runner-up for an award. I hope that you enjoy it. :)

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