Baseball by the Decade Trivia Quiz

Answer: Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente of the Pirates had 1,877 of his 3,000 career hits during the 1960s. Hank Aaron of the Braves was a close second with 1,819 hits.

Answer: Jimmie Foxx

Jimmie Foxx split time between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox during the 1930s amassing 415 home runs during the decade. Babe Ruth had his big decade in the 1920s when he smashed 467 homers, the largest amount ever hit in one decade by a single player. He only hit 198 during the 1930s.

Answer: Eddie Murray

Eddie Murray knocked in 996 runners during the 1980s while playing for the Baltimore Orioles and the LA Dodgers. Dale Murphy was second on this list with 929 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Answer: Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth scored 1,365 runs during the 1920s, helped tremendously by his 467 home runs. Rogers Hornsby was second on this list with 1,195 runs scored as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals (1920-1926), the New York Giants (1927), the Boston Braves (1928), and the Chicago Cubs (1929).

Answer: Willie Mays

The "Say Hey Kid", Willie Mays stole a minuscule 179 bases during the 1950s, the decade that saw the least amount of bases stolen during the 1900's For comparison, Maury Wills stole 535 during the 1960s, Lou Brock stole 551 during the 1970s and Rickey Henderson stole 838 during the 1980s.

Answer: Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson tossed 264 of his 417 wins from 1910 to 1919 as a member of the Washington Senators. Grover Alexander was second on this list with 208 wins as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.

Answer: Hoyt Wilhelm

Hoyt Wilhelm has a sensational decade with an ERA of 2.16 over those ten years. Although used primarily as a relief pitcher, he managed to win 75 during the 1960s. If the question had asked which starting pitcher had the best ERA, then the correct answer would have been Sandy Koufax. His ERA was 2.36 for the decade.

Answer: Nolan Ryan

If the question had asked about the 1980s, the answer would have been the same. Nolan Ryan led all of Major League baseball in strike outs for both decades with 2,678 in the 1970s and 2,167 in the 1980s. Ryan played for the Mets, Angels, Astros, and Rangers during the 20 year period.

Answer: Jim Palmer

Jim Palmer's long and successful career enabled him to play in the World Series in three different decades, all with the same team. In 1966, the Baltimore Orioles swept the LA Dodgers in four games. Palmer won game two of that series. In 1969, the Orioles lost to the "Miracle Mets", four games to one. Palmer got the loss in game three of that series. Baltimore again made the World Series in 1970, beating the Cincinnati Reds four games to one. Palmer was the game one winner in that series. 1971 saw the Orioles back in the World Series, this time losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates, four games to three. Palmer won game two and had a no decision in game six.

The Orioles made the World Series for the third time during the 1970s in 1979 when they lost another seven game series to the Pirates. Palmer had a no decision in game two and a game six loss. Palmer's last trip to the World Series was in 1983.

The Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one. Palmer won game three with a two inning relief appearance. All in all, Palmer appeared in nine World Series games, starting eight of those.

His World Series record was 3-3 and he struck out 44 batters. His ERA in those nine games was a 3.20.

Answer: Cap Anson

Cap Anson played 27 years, from 1871 to 1897. While a player, seven Presidents were in office during eight administrations: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland (on two separate occasions), Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley.