Image: Wiki Commons
About This Quiz
CRACK! The sound a bat shattering against a hurled ball, then catapulted through the air with incredible velocity and scoreboard-pulverizing power. But baseball is so much more than these ephemeral moments. Baseball is a way of living, of building hit on top of hit, pitch on top of pitch, until the truly greats tower over the flashes in the pan. For every game that ends in a blowout, there are dozens that are decided by a single run, a single pitch, a single amazing play.
And THAT's where STATS come in! Argue over a beer till you're blue in the face over who's the greatest hitter or the fastest runner, root root root for the Home Team all you like, but Stats don't lie. And you KNOW that. So you hoovered them all up, every name and every award, every triumph and every record. Every player from every age, from baseball's very dawn to the Modern Age, you know them all.
Or, so you think. Dare you face this challenge? Can you name these ballpark heroes and match them to the records they earned so dearly? We'll give hints to help you along, but at the end of the day, you're alone up there on the mound, and the count's 3-2. All eyes are on you, champ!
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He landed his 3000th hit at Three Rivers Stadium!
Barry Bonds
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker was a right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was both the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Will Sommers
Ozzie Smith
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This legend was a "rookie" at age 42!
Roger Clemens
Babe Ruth
Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was a pitcher who played for both the Negro League and MLB. At times he would have all of his infielders patiently sit down behind him while he proceeded to strike out the other team!
Fred Winkles
YouTube
In '33, he had an astonishing .467 batting average.
Ralph Kiner
Yogi Berra
Early Winn
Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson was a catcher for the American Negro League. Some people called Babe Ruth "The White Josh Gibson." He hit 55 home runs in 1933!
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Wiki Commons
He hit 536 career MLB home runs!
Micky Mantle
Mickey Mantle was a center fielder for the New York Yankees. An incalculable offensive threat, he is thought by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time. He's the last Triple Crown winner to have led all of MLB in all three categories. That's "the Mick"!
Dizzy Dean
Don McClaine
Yogi Berra
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He had 389 career home runs and 1376 RBI.
Greg Maddux
Ernie Banks
Johnny Bench
Johnny Lee Bench, catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, is thought by many to be the greatest catcher of all time. He helped make the hinged catcher's mitt standard equipment for catchers league-wide.
Nolan Ryan
Wiki Commons
The second player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs
Jimmie Foxx
James Emory Foxx was a first baseman for numerous teams in Major League Baseball. He would have tied Babe Ruth's home run record, but two of the games he hit homers in were rained out. Rats!
Ty Cobb
Carl Hubbell
Frankie Frisch
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Wiki Commons
This pitcher scored 511 MLB wins. Incredible!
Bob Gibson
Alejandro Cabille
Tom Seaver
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young was a pitcher for five different teams in MLB. He pitched the first perfect game in American League history, and will forever be immortalized by the award bearing his name.
Wiki Commons
This player had 1732 RBIs!
Joe Dimaggio
Honus Wagner
Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner was a shortstop, playing mostly for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman", and was considered one of the great all-around shortstops of all time.
Anatoly Karpov
Joe Medwick
Wiki Commons
Had a .985 fielding percentage over his career.
Gary Carter
Roy Campanella
Grover Alexander
Grover Alexander was a pitcher for numerous teams in Major League Baseball. An extremely skilled pitcher, he was never the same after the hearing loss and subsequent early onset of epilepsy he suffered due to trauma sustained in the Great War.
Bob Fella
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YouTube
He had a famous 56-game hitting streak!
Mookie Wilson
Bob Gibson
Nat LaJoie
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul DiMaggio was a center fielder for the New York Yankees. His hitting streak is considered by many to be almost statistically impossible! He is also known for his marriage to famous movie star Marilyn Monroe.
Wiki Commons
He ran a .331 over his 22-season career.
Al Simmons
Tom Seaver
Stan Musial
Stan Musial was an outfielder and first baseman, and spent his career playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. An incredible all around player, he was also known for his kindness and generosity, hence his nickname "Baseball's Perfect Knight."
Tris Speaker
n/a
He had an incredible career .358 batting average!
Dizzy Dean
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. was an infielder. His batting average is second for greatest average of all time, making him second only to Ty Cobb as an offensive force.
Al Kaline
Rob Tournbucket
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Wiki Commons
He had a .482 on-base percentage.
Wallie Fingers
Ted Williams
Ted Williams was a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox. He won the triple crown, shipped off to WW2, then won another when he came back!
Sandy Koufax
Lefty Grove
Wiki commons
This pitcher made 2,507 career strikeouts!
Christy Mathewson
Christy Mathewson was a pitcher for the New York Giants. He never pitched on Sunday, due to his devout Christian beliefs. He pitched three shutouts in the 1905 World Series.
Hank Greenberg
Gregg Schneider
Rod Carew
Wiki Commons
He played 2130 consecutive games, a record many thought unbreakable!
Kirby Puckett
George Sisler
Eddie Collins
Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig was a first baseman who played 17 astonishing seasons for the New York Yankees. His namesake illness drove him into retirement at the age of 36, but he will always be remembered by his adoring fans.
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Wiki Commons
He hit 30 home runs in a season 15+ times!
All Simmons
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron is a right fielder who played for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. He's still with us, and is a senior Vice President for the Atlanta Braves!
Mel Ott
Goose Goslin
Wiki Commons
He had an astonishing 110 shutouts!
Warren Spahn
Kyle Trowridge
Pete Rose
Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson played for 21 seasons for the Washington Senators. A pitcher, he held the incredible record above and was one of the first five inductees into the Hall of Fame.
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He set no less than *90* MLB Records.
Reggie Jackson
Paul Molitor
Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb spent 22 years with the Detroit Tigers. He has a combined total of 4,065 runs scored and runs batted in, the greatest of all time. He is frequently ranked at the very apex of baseball's greats.
Harmon Killibrew
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Wiki Commons
He hit 660 career home runs! They called him the "Say Hey" kid.
Ozzie Smith
Hank Aaron
Willie Mays
Willie Mays is a center fielder who played for the San Francisco Giants and finished playing for the Mets. He ended his career with 12 Golden Gloves.
Eddie Murray
YouTube
60 home runs in a season!
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth started as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but rose to true prominence as an outfielder for the Yankees. His status as a sports hero transcends time, and he was one of the first five inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Lou Gehrig
Dizzy Dean
Marv Albert
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
341 saves for this extraordinary reliever.
Paul Molitor
Gaylord Perry
Ernie Banks
Rollie Fingers
Roland Glen Fingers is a retired pitcher who played for multiple teams. He is one of the few players to have had his number retired from multiple teams, a particular rarity given his status as a reliever.
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Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions
He had 12 straight All-Star appearances!
Babe Ruth
Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs is a retired third baseman who played for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. He still holds the record for batting average at Fenray, at .369.
Tom Seaver
Lou Gehrig
n/a
He had 1833 RBIs over 22 years.
Bell O'Brian
Sam Crawford
Duke Snider
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield is a retired right fielder who played for six different teams over a storied 22-year career. The David M. Winfield Foundation was the first such philanthropic foundation created by an active ballplayer.
Wiki Commons
An incredible 630 career home runs!
Mike Piazza
Barry Bonds
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Ken Griffey, Jr. is a retired outfielder who played for 22 years across three different teams in MLB. He received a record 99.32% of the vote that inducted him into the Hall of Fame, clear evidence that he is one of the all-time greats!
Roger Clemens
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Wiki Commons
He scored 445 total bases in a season!
Chuck Klein
Chuck Klein was an outfielder for three different teams in MLB. Known as the Hoosier Hammer, he was the first player to be sent to the All-Star Game from two different teams.
Tris Speaker
Joe Medwick
Alfonse D'angelo
YouTube
1 home run per 10.61 at bats. Whew.
Jose Canseco
Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire is a retired first baseman for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. A major figure in the baseball steroids scandal, his admission to using performance enhancers is responsible for him not currently being in the Hall of Fame.
Pete Rose
Ricky Henderson
Chris Evans via Wiki Commons
Led the league in home runs seven seasons in a row!
Nap Lajoie
Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner was an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. He was also known as a beloved announcer for the New York Mets.
Ed Walsh
Willie Stargell
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Wiki Commons
2735 lifetime hits!
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin was a left fielder known for his dependability and skillful switch hitting. His greatest triumph was in '28, when he had a batting average of .379.
Rollie Fingers
Tony Gwynn
Mark Antony
Wiki Commons
3640 strikeouts means you'd hate to face this guy on the mound!
Mike Sarconne
Paul Molitor
Tom Seaver
George Thomas Seaver is a retired MLB pitcher, most famous for his time playing for the New York Mets. He helped win the Mets' first World Series Championship in '69!
Roy Campanella
Wiki Commons
He played no less than 2,632 consecutive games.
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. is a retired shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. His limitless stamina gave him the record he holds above and gave him the well-earned sobriquet, "The Iron Man."
Carl Yastrzemski
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MLB
He has a career batting average of .318!
Warren Spahn
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a center fielder for the Minnesota Twins. His batting average was the highest for any right-handed batter since Joe Dimaggio!
Whitey Ford
Reggie Jackson
St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame
The last National League pitcher to win 30 games in a season.
Dizzy Dean
Jay Hanna Dean was a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Browns. Besides his incredible record above, he also became a beloved commentator after his retirement from active play.
Yogi Berra
Lefty Grove
Carl Hubbell
Wiki Commons
An astonishing 309 triples over his career!
Micky Cochrane
Jim Palmer
Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford was an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers. He was the first to ever lead both the American and National leagues in home runs!
Reggie Jackson
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2116 lifetime hits, and a career that ranged from one side of the nation to the other.
Duke Snider
Edwin "Duke" Snider spent most of his career playing center field for the Brooklyn and later Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers retired his number, #4 in his honor.
Mike Schmidt
Joe Morgan
Lou Brock
Wiki Commons
Pitched a no-hitter on August 27, 1911
Warren Spahn
Roberto Clemente
Ed Walsh
Edward Augustine Walsh was a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves. His career ERA of 1.82 is the lowest major league ERA ever posted.
Ted Striker
NBC
2,232 hits, 6 division titles, 2 pennants and 2 World Series
Rod Carew
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell Stargell was a left fielder and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. To show their love for him, the Pirates retired his number, number 8.
Joe Morgan
Knight Riley
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National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
16 - count them - 16 consecutive Golden Gloves.
Juan Marichal
Lefty Gomez
Carl Yastrzemski
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. was a third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. His defensive play was so dominant, he earned the nickname "The Human Vacuum Cleaner."
Wiki Commons
A phenomenal batting average of .324!
Robin Roberts
Lefty Grove
Joe Medwick
Joseph Michael Medwick was a left fielder for multiple MLB teams. His finest moment was when he won a Triple Crown in 1937!
Honus Wagner
Wiki Commons
Seven National League MVP Awards for this amazing player!
Ozzie Smith
Joe Jackson
Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds is a former left fielder who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants. He hit an incredible 762 home runs, and won 8 Golden Gloves.
Juan Marichal
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You Got:
/40
Wiki Commons