Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first player to over 55 home runs in a season was the great Babe Ruth. The second player was the great Jimmie Foxx, who in 1932 hit 58 for the Philadelphia Athletics. Hank Greenberg hit 58 also with Detroit in 1938. The world would wait for 23 years to see another player do this, and it would be in the name of Roger Maris who hit 61 in 1961.
2. An infamous controversial home run in the American League saw George Brett hit one for his Blue Jays in 1983, only to have the home run taken away because of what was deemed excessive pine tar on the bat. Brett was ejected shortly afterwards. Although the Yankees were defeated 5-4, the season went downhill for both clubs after the incident.
3. The first team in history to have two players hit 50+ home runs in a season was the New York Yankees. In the 1960s, the Yankees had Roger Maris hit 61, while fellow outfielder Mickey Mantle hit 54. 115 home run total was more than the Red Sox or Senators hit for their entire team in that season. Although Mantle was out-gunned in the season, he hit three World Series home runs to Maris' one.
4. Juan Marichal was in baseball at the wrong time. This tremendous pitcher was a San Francisco Giant in 14 of 16 seasons of his career. Juan won 25 or more games in a season three times, but could not land the Cy Young Award due to other pitchers in the league. In 1963, Marichial won 25 games and watched the award go to Dodger Sandy Koufax. The exact same results in 1966, 25 wins, award to Koufax. In 1968, Juan won 26, then watched Bob Gibson of the Phillies take the Cy Young. Marichal would win 20+ in 1969 for the final time. He retired in 1975 as a Dodger, then was inducted into the Hall in 1983.
5. Reggie Jackson had a great baseball career. He began with the Kansas City Athletics in 1967, then made the move with the team to Oakland the following season. For the next 13 seasons he would hit 20+ home runs for 13 consecutive seasons, including an American League MVP in 1973. However, 1977 would be his Yankee season as he hit 32 home runs in the regular season, but more importantly, he hit an amazing five home runs in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. All his five home runs came in game six of the series. He was awarded the series MVP also. Mr. October retired in 1987 after 21 seasons with 563 home runs, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame all by himself in 1993.
6. The 1971 Baltimore Orioles had a tremendous pitching staff with four 20-game winners in the names of Cuellar, Hunter, Palmer, and McNally. They also had six batters hit double-figure home runs led by Boog Powell. Although they defeated the Athletics in the AL Championship series three games to none, the Pittsburgh Pirates put them away in the World Series, four games to three.
7. It is amazing that a team with a record of 82-79 would go to the World Series, but it happened in 1973 with the New York Mets. After winning their NL East Division, they went to the NL Championship against the Cincinnati Reds who won theirs with 99 wins. The Mets defeated the Reds, then went on to the World Series against the Oakland Athletics. The Mets made a series out of it by going seven games. With all games being decided by three runs or less except for one game, the Mets hung in there and had a three games to two lead, then lost it all. Tom Seaver of the Mets was the series MVP, although in a losing cause. The Mets posted 62 strikeouts compared to the Reds' pitching staff posting 36 in the series.
8. Pitcher Jim Maloney got off to a shaky start in his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960. Going 2-6, then 6-7 the following season, he saw his only World Series appearance against the Yankees in 1961. In game five, Jim came in relief and faced seven batters. One strikeout, one walk, four hits, two earned runs, and that was it for his glory. He did go on to throw a 23-7 record with 265 strikeouts in 1963, but 1963 was the year of Sandy Koufax, so Maloney virtually had no chance of smelling a Cy Young. With the Pirates, Jim threw a career 134-81 record. He retired in 1971 as an Angel. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him for the 1972 season in January, but released him before the season started.
9. After playing for the Phillies in limited duty in his rookie season, all-star studded Roberto Clemente would play the rest of his 18-season career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made the all-star team with the Pirates 12 times. He won the National League MVP in 1966 over Cy Young Award winner Sandy Koufax. He was also the 1971 World Series MVP when the Pirates defeated the Orioles, four games to three. Tragedy hit on December 31, 1972, when he chartered a plane to send relief items into Nicaragua and his plane crashed, killing everyone aboard. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame the following year in 1973.
10. The 2004 World Series was a great one, but it was still overshadowed by the ALCS, Boston vs New York. The St. Louis Cardinals stood in the way of Boston, and tried to keep that Bambino thing alive and well. Game one was a slugfest with Boston winning 11-9. 11 pitchers were used in the game. The Red Sox topped off the series by throwing a 3-0 shutout in 12 innings to close the door on the curse, four games to none. Manny Ramirez was the series MVP for batting .412.
Source: Author
Nightmare
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