Baseball as Hard as Concrete Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hack Wilson

Although these others all smacked 50 in a season, Wilson of the Chicago Cubs was after the Babe in 1930 with 56. Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics became the third player to do this in 1932, when he hit 58 big ones.

Answer: Kansas City Royals

Becoming an expansion team in 1969, the Royals won the AL West in 1976, 2.5 games ahead of second place Oakland. Whitey Herzog helmed the team led by George Brett, John Mayberry, and pitcher Dennis Leonard. The Royals lost the AL Championship Series to the Yankees, three games to two. Kansas City was also the first AL expansion team to win the American League, when they did this in 1980.

Answer: Ty Cobb

Cobb played 22 of his 24 seasons with the Detroit Tigers. He won the 1909 Triple Crown, 1911 American League MVP, and 11 batting titles, including hitting over .400 twice. He was voted into the Hall with 222 votes. The other four who were inducted into the Hall in 1936, Ruth and Wagner received 215 votes, Christy Mathewson had 205, and Washington Senator Walter Johnson received 189.

Answer: Arch McDonald

All the teams from New York, the Giants, Dodgers, and Yankees, began to all radio broadcast their home games. The 1938 Yankees, managed by Joe McCarthy, were led by Lou Gehrig, Frankie Crosetti, Joe DiMaggio, and Bill Dickey. The Yankees won the World Series against the Chicago Cubs in 1938, four games to none.

Answer: Carl Yastrzemski

Yastrzemski of the Red Sox leads this group with 23 seasons from 1961-1983. His Red Sox service included 18 all-star appearances and a MVP and Triple Crown Award in 1967. The others listed were 22 season players. Ott played from 1926-1947 with the NY Giants, Kaline with the Tigers, and Musial the Cardinal, from 1941-1963.

Answer: Ed Walsh

There were only two pitchers in the 20th century to reach this plateau. Chesbro of the New York Highlanders went 41-12 in 1904. Walsh of the Chicago White Sox went 40-15 in 1908. Had the Cy Young Award been in existence in 1908 (it began in 1956), Walsh would have been a sure fit.

Answer: Fleet Walker

The American Association existed with 13 teams in 1884. The New York Metropolitans won the pennant. Walker who played catcher for the Toledo Blue Stockings, finished in eighth place. 1884 was Walker's only season in professional baseball.

Answer: Connie Mack

Cornelius Alexander "Connie Mack" McGillicuddy, managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 of his 53 managerial seasons. His son, Earle Mack, played on the Philadelphia Athletics in 1910, 1911, and 1913. Earle also tried his hand at managing, but in limited roles for two seasons.

Answer: Cleveland Indians

Playing in only five games in 1908 and 1909 with the Athletics, Jackson was traded to the Cleveland Indians for his third season of baseball. In his sixth season in Cleveland, he then went to the White Sox, where he became a part of history in 1919, by joining up with other White Sox players to fix the World Series against the Reds.

In his great 1911 season, Jackson was fourth in the MVP voting behind Cobb-Detroit, Ed Walsh-White Sox, and Eddie Collins-Athletics.

Answer: Steve Carlton

Carlton did more than his part in 1972 with the Philadelphia Phillies. 27 of the team's 59 wins came from Carlton. Steve lost only 10 games in the season, while striking out 310 batters. When he retired in 1988, he was number two all-time on the strikeout list behind Nolan Ryan with 4136 K's. His 4136 had since been surpassed.