You Saw Them Play Where? Quiz | MLB Historical

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the final season of the Cleveland Spider franchise, they set a baseball record by going 20-134 in 1899. This was not indicative of their 10 previous seasons in the league. Which league was this?

Answer: National League

The Spider franchise began as a second remake to the Cleveland Blues team in 1887. After two seasons, the team moved to a different league and changed its name to the Spiders in 1889. Contracting future Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young in 1890, the team thrived until in 1898, when the owner of the Spiders turned out to be the same owner of the St. Louis club.

This was against baseball rules to own two teams. So, the owner loaded up his St. Louis team for the 1899 season from his all-stars from both teams, leaving the Spiders with virtually nothing for the season and sold the Cleveland team.

While the Spiders finished last in 1899, the St. Louis Perfectos still finished fifth.

2. Which later defunct team won the first-ever Federal League pennant in 1914?

Answer: Indianapolis Hoosiers

The Hoosiers went 88-65 and won the pennant by 1.5 games over the Chicago Chi-Feds. Indianapolis was led by the bat of Bill McKechnie and the arm of Cy Falkenberg who went 25-16. The league folded after the 1915 season, with the St. Louis Terriers winning the final pennant.

3. The New York Mutuals were in all five seasons of the National Association from 1871-1875. When the league folded in 1875, which league did the team join, but lasted only one season before they closed their doors also?

Answer: National League

Many teams moved over from the defunct National Association to join the new National League in 1876. The Mutuals went 21-35 for a sixth place finish of eight teams. That was it for them. The Chicago White Stockings (later Cubs) won the inaugural NL pennant in 1876 with an amazing 52-14 season record.

4. The Cleveland Indians franchise began it all as the Cleveland Blues in 1901 with the new American League. There was another franchise that was unrelated to this American League franchise named the Cleveland Blues that appeared from 1879-1884. In which league was that franchise?

Answer: National League

That team existed for only six seasons in the NL. They were managed mostly by Jim McCormick and never finished better than third of eight teams. They rostered only one future Hall of Fame inductee in the name of outfielder Ned Hanlon from 1880.

5. In which league was the Cincinnati's Kelly's Killers found?

Answer: American Association

The American Association lasted from 1882-1891 before it closed its door. The Kelly's Killers' franchise lasted only one season in 1891, led by player-manager Michael Joseph "King" Kelly. They finished sixth of nine teams, with the Boston Reds winning the final American Association pennant in 1891.

6. The Union Association lasted for only one season in 1884. The league had 12 teams, and every team closed its doors after the season. Which team won the only Union Association League pennant?

Answer: St. Louis Maroons

The league standings in its only season was not close. The Maroons went 94-19, and won the league pennant over the second place Cincinnati Outlaw Reds by 21.0 games. The league consisted of the Maroons, Outlaw Reds, Baltimore Monumentals, Boston Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Paul White Caps, Chicago/Pittsburgh (no team name), Altoona Mountain City, Wilmington Quicksteps, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Keystones, and the Kansas City Cowboys.

The Union Association just could not compete with the already established National League in 1884.

7. In which baseball league did the city of Philadelphia have three different teams play in the same season?

Answer: National Association

The National Association existed from 1871-1875. In 1875, the league had 13 teams in the season. Some folded before the season ended. The city of Philadelphia had the Philadelphia Athletics, Philadelphia White Stockings, and Philadelphia Centennials.

The Athletics finished second, the White Stockings fifth, and the Centennials eighth in the final season of the league. The Boston Red Stockings won four pennants in the NA from 1872-1875. The inaugural pennant winner was the Philadelphia Athletics in 1871.

8. In which league did the Pittsburgh Burghers play?

Answer: Players League

The Players League and the Pittsburgh Burghers team would last only one season in 1890. This was an attempt to merge with the National League and create a new Major League Baseball, but the league was too unorganized. A new league and merger did come 11 years later with the new American League in 1901.

9. This team began its endeavors in the American Association in the 1880s as the Eclipse, then in the 1890s jumped to the National League as the Colonels. The team went defunct in 1899. Where was this team from?

Answer: Louisville

When the Louisville Colonels closed its doors in 1899, many of its great players, including Honus Wagner, jumped over to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The addition of these star Colonel players to the Pirates team made an immediate impact on the Pirate team, finishing second in the NL in 1900.

They then won three consecutive NL pennants from 1901-1903, and appeared in the first-ever World Series in 1903.

10. The Richmond Virginians existed for only one season in 1884. Which league were they found in?

Answer: American Association

The Virginians went 12-30 in their only season of existence, and finished ninth of 13 teams. The New York Metropolitans won the 1884 pennant. The American Association played ball from 1882-1891.

Source: Author Nightmare

This quiz was reviewed by our editing team before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

You Saw Them Play Where? Trivia Quiz

Let's see if you can identify some of baseball's defunct teams. This is going to be a real challenge. :)

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>