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About This Quiz
Major League Baseball is the oldest professional sports league in the world. More specifically, the National League, which was founded in 1876, is the oldest. The American League came into creation 25 years later in 1901.ÂÂ
Throughout the past 140 years, there have been some incredible moments. Nobody has hit over .400 since Ted Williams in 1953, but before that, somebody ended a season hitting .440 (we won't give away the answer).
Players have hit balls off the speakers on the roof of the Astrodome, pitchers have opened the season with multi-home run games, and shortstops have played through entire games without touching the ball.ÂÂ
One of the most famous baseball players of all time made a huge baserunning blunder in 1926 to cost the New York Yankees the World Series.ÂÂ
Baseball is a funny sport because even if you strike out two-thirds of the time, your batting average will rank you amongst the greatest players of all-time if you could maintain it for your career. Unfortunately, unlike in baseball, getting 33% on this quiz isn't a passing grade.ÂÂ
If you think your baseball knowledge is top-notch, put yourself to the test and start this quiz now!
This pitcher played 10 years in the majors with only one hand. He also threw a no-hitter in 1993.
Jim Abbot
Despite not being born with a right hand, Jim Abbot carved himself a successful career. When it came to fielding balls, he would switch his glove to his pitching hand after releasing the pitch.
Pete Gray
Chad Bentz
Cy Young
Which of these numbers is retired across baseball?
42
The No. 42 was retired across baseball to commemorate the first African-American player in the modern era, Jackie Robinson. April 15 of each season is also known as Jackie Robinson Day.
12
37
73
This player's record for career innings pitched might never be broken. Who is he?
Cy Young
Cy Young's record of 7,356 innings pitched might never be broken. He is more than 1,000 innings ahead of the next nearest pitcher (Pud Galvin, 6,003.1) and nobody has even come close in over 100 years.
Nolan Ryan
Pud Galvin
Smokey Joe Wood
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Major League Baseball (the National League) is the oldest professional sports league in the world. In what year was it founded?
1876
The National League was formed in 1876. In the original league, the St. Louis Cardinals were the most Western team. Most of the teams in the league were clustered on the east coast.
1900
1796
1912
He's known for getting hits, but he also holds the record for getting out the most times. Who is it?
Pete Rose
Pete Rose was permanently banned from major league baseball after his career. He was accused of placing bets while playing and then managing the Reds. Even though the ban prevented him from entering the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was still inducted into the Reds Hall of fame.
Derek Jeter
Ted Williams
Ichiro Suzuki
This shortstop has the record for turning the most double plays. Who is he?
Ozzie Smith
Ozzie "The Wizard of Oz" Smith turned 1,590 double plays over his 18-year career, mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals. He also became famous for doing backflips on the field during games when taking his position.
Derek Jeter
Barry Larkin
Honus Wagner
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Which of these pitchers is known for his blistering fastballs and also holds the record for most walks?
Nolan Ryan
If you throw as fast as Nolan Ryan, you're bound to lose control now and then. The way that pitch speeds were measured during his playing career is different than the way they're currently measured, but it's thought that he might have thrown pitches as fast as 108 MPH.
Randy Johnson
Sandy Koufax
Dizzy Dean
This player has been hit by more pitches than anybody else in the modern era. What's his name?
Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio was hit by a total of 285 pitches in his career. He trails only Hughie Jennings, who played in the late 1800s and was hit by 287 pitches, on the all-time HBP list. Even though Biggio was struck by a pitch nearly 300 times, he never had a severe injury from it. He donated his elbow guard to the Baseball Hall of Fame after being inducted in 2015.
Alex Rodriguez
Derek Jeter
Bryce Harper
In 1963, Sandy Koufax won the NL MVP, and Elston Howard won the AL MVP award. They shared the same playing number. What number was it?
32
No. 32 had a lucky year in 1963. Sandy Koufax would go on to become one of the greatest pitchers ever to play the game. Howard was selected to nine straight All-Star teams, including in his MVP season.
19
97
73
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How many stitches are in a major league baseball (counting is cheating)?
108
There are 108 in every major league baseball. If you don't believe us, you can go to a baseball game, catch a foul ball, and count the number of stitches for yourself. Each ball also weighs between 5- and 5.25 ounces.
74
300
52
Which one of these pitchers won MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same season?
Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the league for the past decade. In 2014, he took home both the Cy Young and MVP awards. He also won the Cy Young Award in 2011 and 2013.
Chris Carpenter
TIm Lincecum
Zach Greinke
How many baseballs are used in a typical major league game?
70
In a typical game, about 70 baseballs are used. Why so many? Any balls that become scuffed are removed from the game. Also, any balls that are hit out of play belong to fans in the crowd.
10
300
20
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Who broke the MLB record for most home runs by a rookie in 2017?
Aaron Judge
The previous record for most home runs in a season by a rookie was 49 by Mark McGwire. McGwire accomplished that feat in 1987 with the Oakland Athletic before going on to break the MLB record in 1998 with 70.
Giancarlo Stanton
Bryce Harper
Mike Trout
Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter in 1970. What was particularly special about it?
He was under the influence of LSD.
Dock Ellis claims that he was under the influence on LSD before pitching a no-hitter in 1970. It probably didn't enhance his pitching, but maybe it helped calm him down. Or perhaps it was just one of those lucky games.
He had been drinking before the game.
It was his first MLB game.
He played the game without wearing a glove.
The first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, were Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and ___________.
Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb put up some monstrous seasons in the first half of the 1900s. In 1911, he hit.419 en route to winning the MVP award. He played the majority of his career with the Tigers. In 1936, he became the fifth player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Cy Young
Lou Gehrig
Stan Musial
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In this year, the World Series ended after a famous ball player got caught stealing. What year was it?
1926
In 1926, Babe Ruth was caught trying to steal second base, ending that year's World Series between the Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite his home run hitting prowess, Ruth was never known for his base stealing abilities. Throughout his career, he only had 110 stolen bases and was caught stealing 117 times.
1990
2017
2000
Over the years, some players have come up with a unique strategy to toughen their hands. What do they do?
Urinate on them
You may not want to shake a baseball player's hand, at least if they undergo this ritual regularly. There doesn't seem to be much evidence to support that peeing on your hands is an effective strategy for toughening the skin, but hey, the placebo effect is strong.
Moisturize them with aloe
Rub them in the dirt at the ballpark before every game
Not hold soap with their throwing hand
This stadium opened in 1912 and is the oldest in the majors. Which stadium is it?
Fenway Park
Fenway Park may be the most famous stadium in North American sports. It's most famous for the high and short left field wall known as the Green Monster, which is the shortest left field in the majors.
Wrigley Field
Yankee Stadium
Camden Yards
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Ian Steward missed time in spring training in 2014 when one of the following happened.
His daughter accidentally head-butted him while he tucked her into bed.
Steward said he said he felt a crunch when his daughter accidentally head-butted him. At least your sense of smell is probably the least important if you are a professional baseball player (well, maybe taste too).
He was running away from a spider.
He tripped over first base.
He cut his hand with a hunting knife.
What did Babe Ruth do during his first at bat?
He struck out.
As great as Babe Ruth's career was, during his first at bat, he swung and missed and struck out. Baseball is a funny game. If you get an out two out of every three times at bat in every game during your career, you're considered one of the all-time bests.
He hit a home run.
He hit a single.
He hit a fly ball to center.
In June 1976, Toby Harrah played shortstop in a double-header for the Rangers. He set a record for the number of times he fielded the ball. How many times did he touch it?
None
In a doubleheader he played for the Rangers on June 25, 1976, Toby Harrah didn't field the ball a single time. It's the only time a shortstop has ever played back-to-back games without touching the ball (that we know of).
Once
52
197
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Which two teams played in baseball's last triple header?
Reds and Pirates
Doubleheaders are relatively rare in modern baseball. Usually, they're scheduled after a rain delay postpones a previously scheduled game. Triple headers are even rarer. Only three have been played in the majors. In 1920, the Reds and Pirates played the last triple header in MLB history.
Yankees and Braves
Red Sox and Cardinals
Kansas City and Milwaukee
How long is Joe DiMaggio's record hitting streak?
56 games
Joe DiMaggio's record 56 straight games with a hit is going to be one of the toughest records in baseball to break. Pete Rose, with a 44-game streak, is the only player to come close since then.
102 games
47 games
73 games
In 2017, a pitcher began the season by hitting two homers in one game. Who is he?
Madison Bumgarner
The first time a pitcher hit two home runs on the opening day of the season was in 2017. The Giants' Madison Bumgarner hit his two dingers off the Diamondbacks, although his team still ended up the losing the game.
Adam Wainwright
Clayton Kershaw
Max Scherzer
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Almost 70 years before Jackie Robinson played in the majors, another African-American player made his debut in the league. What was his name?
William Edward White
William Edward White played one game with the Providence Grays in 1879. Even though he was technically the first African-American to play in the league, it would take generations of players to pass through the league before the next African-American player stepped up to the plate.
Cy Young
Willie Keeler
Candy Cummings
Robby Johnson holds what obscure record?
Getting caught stealing the most times in a single game
Randy Johnson got caught stealing a base four times in one game. The good news is at least he managed to get on base four times. The bad news is he might as well have stuck out each time.
Striking out the most times in a single game
Hitting the most home runs most times in a single game
Walking the most times in a single game
He got a walk-off hit to win the 1997 World Series and grounded out to lose the 2004 World Series. Who is he?
Edgar Renteria
Renteria got to be the hero in the 1997 World Series. However, in the 2004 World Series, his team came up short as the Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals in four straight games.
Alex Rodriguez
Chipper Jones
Mark McGwire
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Barry Bonds played his last game on September 26, 2007, against the Padres. How did he do?
0/3
Barry Bonds went hitless during the last game of his career. That's not to say his entire season was a wash. He still managed to finish the year hitting .276 with 28 home runs.
1/4 with a double
2/3 with a home run and single
4/4 with a home run, two singles and a double
Who's the only player to hit more than 50 home runs with fewer than 50 strikeouts in the same season?
Johnny Mize
Johnny Mize hit 51 home runs in 1947 while striking out only 42 times. In today's game, some of the top sluggers often have more than 200 strikeouts. When Aaron Judge hit 52 home runs in 2017, he struck out 208 times.
Roger Maris
Aaron Judge
Albert Pujols
This player hit a whopping .440 in 1894. Who was he?
Hugh Duffy
Hugh Duffy's record for the highest single-season batting average has held for more than 100 years. Will it ever be broken? Unless the game of baseball shifts radically in the future, it looks like it could hold indefinitely.
Nap Lajoie
Joe Jackson
Tommy Tucker
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Why did Herman Schaefer steal first base in a game in 1911?
He was trying to let a player on third base steal home.
With a player on third base, Herman ran to first base to draw a throw that would allow his teammate to score. When the White Sox held onto the ball, he went back to second and got caught in a rundown. His teammate got tagged out at home. Note: At the time, there was no rule against stealing first base.
He was trying to entertain the crowd.
He wanted to steal second base again.
It was an accident.
In 2017, this Rangers pitcher broke his arm after being startled by a bull on his ranch. He later claimed to have killed and eaten the bull after the incident. Who is he?
Martin Perez
Perez said the incident happened during the offseason when he was in Venezuela. That's one punishment for being a bull who misbehaves ... turn him into beef jerky!
Cole Hamels
Yu Darvish
Nick Martinez
Kevin Kouzmanoff accomplished what during his first big league at-bat?
Hit a grand slam
Kevin Kouzmanoff ended up playing in the majors for seven years. In 2007, he hit a career high of 23 home runs. However, there's no questioning that hitting a grand slam in his first at-bat has to be one of the highlights of his career.
Hit into a triple play
Bunted safely
Hit an inside the park home run
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This pitcher injured his arm from playing too much Guitar Hero. Who seems like the culprit?
Joel Zumaya
In the 2006 American League Championship Series, Joel Zumaya missed time with inflammation in his arm that was attributed to playing too much Guitar Hero. Imagine the number of injuries he would have gotten if he had been playing Dance Dance Revolution!
Adam Wainwright
Felix Hernandez
Brian Wilson
Who hit the first indoor home run in MLB history?
Barry Bonds
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle hit the first indoor home run in MLB history. He hit it on April 9, 1965, at the Houston Astrodome. In 1973, Mike Schmidt hit a ball off one of the speakers on the roof of the Astrodome for another MLB first.
David Ortiz
Mark McGwire
You Got:
/35
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