Baseball Nicknames With a Twist Quiz

Answer: Wilmer

"Vinegar Bend" Mizell was born in Vinegar Bend, Mississippi, in the summer of 1930. He enjoyed modest success as a left-handed pitcher going 90-88 in a career that spanned nine years, playing mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1960, he had the good fortune of being dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates just in time to win his only World Series championship ring, when the Pirates beat the Yankees 4 games to 3 with the last game being decided by Bill Mazeroski's 9th inning home run off Ralph Terry.

When his playing days ended, he served three terms as a U.S. Republican Congressman from North Carolina. He passed away in 1999.

Answer: Joe

"Iron Man" McGinnity who was born in Rock Island, Maine, truly earned his nickname. He threw over 300 innings for nine consecutive seasons (1899-1907) including an astounding 434 innings in 1903, and 408 more the following year as a member of the NY Giants. 'Iron Man' believed in finishing what he started, hurling 314 complete games including a league leading 44 in 1903.
His lifetime W-L record of 247-144 with an ERA of 2.64 was more than enough to gain him a spot in the Hall of Fame in 1946. He passed away November 14, 1929.

Answer: William

"Gates" Brown enjoyed a 13-year career as a Detroit Tiger from 1963-1975, while compiling a lifetime average of .257 with 84 home runs and 322 runs batted in. He led the AL in pinch hits in 1968 and 1974, and was a member of the World Championship Tiger team in 1968 when they defeated St. Louis 4 games to 3.

His colorful nickname which was good-natured bestowed upon him by his teammates is a reference to the fact that he spent some time in jail for youthful indescretitions.

Answer: Carsten

Carsten Charles "C.C." Sabathia was born July 21, 1980 in Vallejo, Ca., and played his first seven years with the Cleveland Indians. He won the AL Cy Young award in 2007 when he went 19-7 with an ERA of 3.21. He then signed as a free agent with the NY Yankees in 2009 and was a member of that team which got to the Fall Classic and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in a six game series. After twice winning 19 games, once with the Indians and once with the Yankees, C.C. finally joined the 20-game winners club going 21-7 in 2010.

Answer: Eldon

"Rip" Repulski was born October 4, 1927, in Minnesota. He was a nine-year Major League outfielder (1953-1961) who played four years with St. Louis, two years with the Phils, and a year and a half with the LA Dodgers before finishing his career as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

As fate would have it, despite playing only a brief time with the Dodgers, he happened to earn a World Series ring as a member of the 1959 squad that took the crown by beating the Chicago White Sox 4 games to 2. His career batting average was .269 with 106 home runs and 416 runs batted in.

He passed away February 10, 1993.

Answer: Carroll

"Whitey" Lockman was a mainstay of the NY and San Francisco Giants from 1945-1958, splitting his time between first base and the outfield. He played the final year of his 15-season career as a member of the 1960 Cincinnati Reds after a one year stint with the Baltimore Orioles.

He compiled a career average of .279 with 114 home runs and 563 runs batted in. The highlight of his career was earning a World Series ring in 1954 when the N.Y. Giants swept the heavily-favored Cleveland Indians who had a regular season record of 111-43.

Answer: Dwight

"Doc" Gooden burst upon the baseball scene when he joined the N.Y. Mets in 1984 at the tender age of 19, and proceeded to electrify the baseball world by going 19-9 with an ERA of 2.00, leading the league in K's with 276 punch-outs and winning NL Rookie of the Year honors.

He follwed that up in 1985 by winning the NL Cy Young Award after going 24-4 with an ERA of 1.53, and striking out 268 batters which gave him the pitchers equivilent of the Triple Crown. On May 14, 1996, he pitched a no-hitter against Seattle as a member of the NY Yankees, as his father lay in a Tampa hospital awaiting double-bypass surgery the following day.

He was a member of the Mets' World Series winning squad of 1986, and also earned rings with the Yankees in 1996 and 2000.

Answer: John

"Boog" Powell was a much feared left-handed slugger for the great Baltimore Oriole teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He played for them from 1961 until 1974 before finishing his career with the LA Dodgers in 1977. He posted a career average of .266, belted 339 home runs and drove in 1187.

He was a two-time World Series winner, first with the Orioles when they beat the Dodgers in 1966, and again when they beat the Reds in 1970. After he retired, he opened a restaurant called "Boog's Barbecue", selling barbecue sandwiches and ribs right in Oriole Park at Camden Yards where he was always a crowd favorite.

Answer: George

"Snuffy" Stirnweiss was a slick fielding infielder who enjoyed a ten-season career from 1945-1952, playing the first seven and a half years with the N.Y. Yankees before being sold to Cleveland where he ended his playing days. He had a lifetime average of .268 with 28 HRs and 281 RBIs.

He led the AL in batting in 1944 when he hit .309, and was a two-time all-star. He led the league twice in stolen bases in 1944 and 1945 and won World Series rings in 1943, 1947, and 1949. He was tragically killed in a train derailment while on his way to work in 1958 at the age of 39.

Answer: Morris

"Moe" Berg played 15 years as a backup catcher from 1923-1939, spending time with five teams (Brooklyn, Cleveland, Washington,the White Sox and the Red Sox). His lifetime stats were not spectacular, hitting for a .243 average with six HRs and 206 RBIs.

Despite never achieving anything approaching super stardom on the diamond, Moe will be remembered for his post career exploits when at the outbreak of World War 11, he went to work for "Wild Bill" Donovan and the OSS as a spy. He is reputed to have been able to speak 18 languages, and his vital clandestine exploits earned him "The Medal of Freedom" (which he refused).

He passed away May 29, 1972.