Baseball for Dummies Like Me! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona was an expansion team in 1998. The only other team that was close, were the Brewers who joined the Major Leagues almost 30 years earlier. The Rangers joined the big leagues in 1961. The Diamondbacks won their first World Series in only four years of existence in 2001, defeating the Yankees four games to three, under the helm of manager Bob Brenly.

Answer: Steve Carlton

The others listed were all right-handers, and did not even reach the 3,000 strikeout mark. Carlton reached the 4,000 milestone in 1986, pitching with three different teams in the season. He was a four-time Cy Young winner. After playing most of his career with the Phillies, he retired as the number two strikeout king in 1988 as a Minnesota Twin, behind the all-time great, Nolan Ryan.

Answer: Tony Gwynn

The others never led the league even one time. Gwynn, a 20 season San Diego Padre, led the National League in 1984, 87-88-89, and 1994-95-96-97. Tony's highest average was .394 in 1994. He came very close to the .400 milestone, which had not been touched in over 50 years, when the great Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Gwynn retired in 2001.

Answer: New York Yankees

The other teams listed had not seen a World Series in over 10 years. The Florida Marlins upset the Yankees, who won 10 more regular season games in 2003, behind 26 strikeouts from Marlins' Josh Beckett and Brad Penny. When the Marlins won each game, it was not by more than two runs. The two Yankees' wins came by five runs in each game. Beckett was the Series MVP.

Answer: Don Larsen

Of those listed, Koufax was the only other to throw a perfect game, but it was in the 1965 regular season. Larsen's perfecto came in 1956 as a Yankee, vs the crosstown rival Brooklyn Dodgers. It came in game five on October 8th, which the Yankees defeated the Dodgers 2-0. Mickey Mantle homered in the game also. Larsen was voted the Series MVP.

Answer: Walter Alston

The others listed never managed the Dodgers. Alston, a Dodger landmark, managed the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles from 1954 until illness prevented him from continuing with the Dodger organization. Alston took the Dodgers to seven National League crowns and to four World Series rings.

He was replaced by Lasorda after 158 games of the 162 game 1976 season. In that season, the Dodgers finished 10 games back of the Cincinnati Reds, who went on to defeat the Yankees four games to none in the World Series.

Answer: Jimmie Foxx

All are members of the 500 home run club. Ruth surpassed the barrier in 1929 with the Yankees. Foxx was the second to accomplish this huge milestone, by hitting his 500th home run at the end of the 1940 season in a Red Sox uniform. Ruth was the first left-hander to do it, and Foxx was the first right-hander. Mays and Aaron did this more than 25 years later.

Answer: Maury Wills

The others listed were all Pirate pitchers in the early 1960s. Wills had the theft of 104 bases in 1962 with the Dodgers. In the 1962 season, the Dodgers and Giants tied at the end of the season, thus forcing a playoff between the two west coast teams.

In a playoff game in San Francisco, the Dodgers filed an official protest with Major League baseball, claiming that the Giant's ground crew, watered-down the infield excessively to slow Wills down. The protest was denied, and the Giants went on to defeat the Dodgers.

The Giants went on to lose to the Yankees in the World Series, four games to three.

Answer: Phil

Joe was a 22 season veteran, who pitched on the same team with his brother Phil. They both pitched on the Atlanta Braves in the 1973 and 1974 season. Phil was a 1997 Hall of Fame inductee, with a pitching record of 318-274 in 24 seasons, while brother Joe went 221-204.

Answer: Nolan Ryan

The others were not pitchers. Nolan of the California Angels, broke the Dodger ace's record during the last game of the 1973 season. Ryan, nicknamed the 'Ryan Express', also struck out 367 the following season. In 2001, Arizona Diamondback Randy Johnson, came close to challenging these marks, by striking out 372 victims.