Baseball Has Gone to the Dogs Quiz | MLB Players

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Nicknamed "Mad Dog", he really was a mad dog as he won four consecutive Cy Young Awards.

Answer: Greg Maddux

From 1986-2008, Greg pitched mainly for the Braves and Cubs. In 1992 he won the Cy Young Award and then was signed as a free-agent in December 1992 with the Braves. The Cubs should have paid him because Maddux went on to win three more consecutive Cy Young Awards in Chicago, take a runner-up spot for the Cy Young Award in 1997, then finish third for the Cy Young in 2000, all for the Cubs.

He retired in 2008 after 23 seasons with a 355-227 career record. The Hall of Fame took him in 2014 with 97.2% of the balloting in his first year of eligibility.

2. This Hall of Fame great was nicknamed 'Killer' because he hit over 500 home runs.

Answer: Harmon Killebrew

Killebrew initially began as a Washington Senator in 1954. When the franchise moved to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961, Harmon was still there. Eight times in his career he hit 40+ home runs in a season while topping out at 49 in 1964 and 1969.

The 1969 season earned him the American League MVP Award. After playing with the same franchise for 21 seasons, the Twins released him in January 1975 when the Kansas City Royals signed him just eight days later. Killebrew retired after the 1975 season with 573 career home runs.

He was inducted into the Hall in 1984.

3. "Buck" is a Hall of Famer and batted over .300 11 times in his 18 seasons. He also played every position on the field.

Answer: William Ewing

Buck began his career with the Troy Trojans of the National League in 1880. He also played with the New York Gothams/Giants, the Giants of the Players League, then the Cleveland Spiders and Cincinnati Reds of the National League retiring in 1897. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.

4. "Sparky" played in only one season but it was his managing ability of 26 seasons that got him inducted in the Hall.

Answer: George Anderson

George Lee 'Sparky' Anderson swung the bat in only one season in 1959 with the Phillies. He was originally signed by the Dodgers but was traded. The second baseman batted .218 in his only season. In 1970 Anderson took control of the Reds and won the NL pennant.

Another NL pennant came in 1972, then two consecutive World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. In 1979 Sparky was at the helm of the Detroit Tigers. He and the Tigers won the World Series in 1984. Anderson received two Manager of the Year Awards with the Tigers.

He stepped down from managing in 1995 and was then inducted into the Hall in 2000. He died in 2010.

5. "King" has done it all. He owned a team, managed teams, played every position, and sits in the Hall of Fame.

Answer: Michael Kelly

Michael Joseph 'King' Kelly was associated with three leagues. From 1878-1893 he played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Stockings, and Boston Beaneaters of the National League. Then he was with the Boston Reds of the Players League in 1890 where he won his only pennant as a manager. From there it was being an owner/manager/player with the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers in the American Association in 1891. That didn't work out so Kelly went back to the Reds, Beaneaters, and retired in 1893 with the New York Giants.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.

6. Living in Philadelphia for 14 of his 16 seasons, "Chief" was a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Answer: Charles Bender

Charles Albert 'Chief' Bender spent 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics and two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He went to five World Series with the Athletics and won three. In the 1911 series against the Giants, Bender tied a World Series record by throwing three complete games in a single series.

His nickname came from his family being a member of the Ojibwe tribe in Minnesota. He was inducted into the Hall in 1953.

7. "Red" was a 20-game winner four times and won a strikeout crown. The Hall of Famer also had seven World Series game victories to his credit.

Answer: Charles Ruffing

Ruffing also lost 20 games in a season twice. He pitched from 1924-1947 with the Red Sox, Yankees, and White Sox. He won two games in the 1938 series against the Cubs. His World Series game record was 7-2 and his team won six of the seven series that he went to. Red was inducted into the Hall in 1967 and died 20 years later.

8. "Smokey" had a short playing career of one inning. He was immortalized in the Hall because of his seven NL pennant titles.

Answer: Walter Alston

Alston lasted less than one game in 1936 with the Cardinals. One strikeout in one at-bat then one error on the field and he was history on the roster. Alston came to the Dodgers in 1954 as manager and would take them to their first World Series crown in 1955. 1956 would give him another NL pennant.

More World Series titles would come in 1959, 1963, and 1965 in addition to two more NL pennants in 1966 and 1974. Alston's career managing record was 2040-1613 over 23 seasons. He also managed eight National League All-Star teams.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983 and died the following year.

9. "Whitey" was a real dog and sniffed out 11 World Series in his career. The Hall of Fame great won 10 games and lost eight.

Answer: Edward Ford

Edward Charles 'Whitey' Ford was a career New York Yankee from 1950-1967. He won a Cy Young Award in 1961 with his 25-4 record. The Cy Young was given out to only one pitcher Major League wide prior to 1967. He won the World Series MVP in 1961 also. Going to 11 different World Series, Whitey helped the Yankees to six crowns.

After retiring he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.

10. Only two seasons saw "Jocko" in the outfield in his career. Later becoming an umpire he was inducted into the Hall.

Answer: John Conlan

Jocko Conlan played for the Chicago White Sox in 1934 and 1935 with a .263 career average. The outfielder exchanged his bat after 91 career games and became a National League umpire from 1941-1965. In a famous incident with manager Leo Durocher, Leo attempted to kick Conlan during an argument, slipped, and actually kicked him.

Instead of ejecting Durocher, Conlan kicked Durocher right back. After the scuffle calmed down, the game resumed. Conlan umpired five World Series and six All-Star games in his career.

He was inducted into the Hall as an umpire in 1974, the third umpire ever inducted.

Source: Author dg_dave

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Baseball Has Gone to the Dogs Trivia Quiz

A look back at some Major League players who have obtained dog names for a nickname whether they liked it or not. Have fun!

Questions		Choices
1. Nicknamed "Mad Dog", he really was a mad dog as he won four consecutive Cy Young Awards.		William Ewing
2. This Hall of Fame great was nicknamed 'Killer' because he hit over 500 home runs.		Michael Kelly
3. "Buck" is a Hall of Famer and batted over .300 11 times in his 18 seasons. He also played every position on the field.		Harmon Killebrew
4. "Sparky" played in only one season but it was his managing ability of 26 seasons that got him inducted in the Hall.		John Conlan
5. "King" has done it all. He owned a team, managed teams, played every position, and sits in the Hall of Fame.		Greg Maddux
6. Living in Philadelphia for 14 of his 16 seasons, "Chief" was a Hall of Fame pitcher.		Charles Ruffing
7. "Red" was a 20-game winner four times and won a strikeout crown. The Hall of Famer also had seven World Series game victories to his credit.		George Anderson
8. "Smokey" had a short playing career of one inning. He was immortalized in the Hall because of his seven NL pennant titles.		Edward Ford
9. "Whitey" was a real dog and sniffed out 11 World Series in his career. The Hall of Fame great won 10 games and lost eight.		Charles Bender
10. Only two seasons saw "Jocko" in the outfield in his career. Later becoming an umpire he was inducted into the Hall.		Walter Alston