Baseball Brothers Who Were Teammates Trivia Quiz | Sports

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On August 22, 1886, brothers Dick and Bill Conway, played just one game together for the Baltimore Orioles. What rather rare occurrence happened, that usually is taken for granted as being very common in the sport? Because they were brothers who did it, it was really quite special.

Answer: Dick pitched and Bill was his catcher

Bill did, in fact, play catcher that day while his brother, Dick, pitched to him. Although being a pitcher and catcher is a common every day appearance in the sport, the thought that both were of the same battery (pitcher and catcher) since they were brothers was actually quite rare. Dick Conway was 21 years old when he entered the majors in 1886 with the Baltimore Orioles.

He was there for one year before joining the Boston Beaneaters. Bill Conway was 22 years old when he began in the majors in 1884 with the Philadelphia Quakers.

He appeared in only one game for them before playing seven games with the Baltimore Orioles in 1886.

2. During the 1958 season the Detroit Tigers had two brothers, one named Milt and the other Frank, who became one of only of a handful of brother combinations in major league history to play the keystone combination (second base and shortstop) for the same club. What was their last name?

Answer: Bolling

The Bolling brothers had ties with Mobile, Alabama, an area which has serious ties to Hall of Fame players. Neither brother was voted into the HOF. Frank won a Golden Glove award in 1958 for his fielding. Milt was more of a defensive shortstop (not known for his hitting.)

Cal and Billy Ripken also were brothers who played the middle infield together, but the Ripkens both played for the Baltimore Orioles. Garvin and Granny Hamner both played middle infield for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945, while twins Eddie and Johnny O'Brien played for quite a few years with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the mid-1950s in the same positions.

3. Joe and Luke Sewell were brothers and MLB professional baseball players, with Joe being a shortstop and Luke a catcher and manager. They played together for the Cleveland Indians for 10 seasons (1920-1930). Joe Sewell is known for what interesting trait, that he had earned throughout his entire career?

Answer: has one of the lowest strikeout rates in MLB history

It should be noted that Joe Sewell almost rarely struck out. In his 7,132 career at-bats, he only struck out 114 times, which is an average of one strikeout for every 63 at-bats. He famously had seasons where he struck out fewer than 10 times and once went 115 games without a strikeout. Joe was a Hall of Fame player, and was a better than average fielder. Luke was one of the best defensive catchers in baseball during the time he played.

4. These brothers, one known as "Big Poison" and the other as "Little Poison", are both members of the MLB Hall of Fame. They played for 13 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates as teammates. What were their names?

Answer: Paul and Lloyd Waner

Paul and Lloyd were known as "Big Poison" and "Little Poison", and were the first brothers in the MLB Hall of Fame (Paul in 1952 and Lloyd in 1967). Big Poison, was 5-feet-8, named Paul, and played outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1926-1940). He had amassed 3,152 hits and a .333 batting average in a 20-year career (1926-1945 across four clubs).

His younger brother was named Little Poison, at 5-9 and 150 pounds, whose name was Lloyd. Lloyd played most of his 18-year (1927-1945) career in Pittsburgh (1927-1942) and had 2,459 hits and a .316 career hitter.

The played together on the Pittsburgh Pirates for 13 years.

5. Tony and Billy Conigliaro both played parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons together for the Boston Red Sox. Before that, during the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season of 1967, what happened to Tony that seriously derailed his career and eventually ending his career?

Answer: He was hit in the face by a fastball

California Angels pitcher Jack Hamilton hit Tony Conigliaro just below the left eye, causing a linear fracture of his cheekbone, a dislocated jaw, and severe damage to his left retina. He missed the remainder of the 1967 season and all of 1968 due to his injuries. The incident dramatically altered the course of his promising career.

Billy Conigliaro was part of a ten-player trade that sent him, George Scott, Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Joe Lahoud, and Don Pavletich from the Red Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers for Tommy Harper, Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse, and minor-league outfielder Pat Skrable on October 10, 1971.

6. This duo of brothers looks like it belongs on the first page of the dictionary. Tommie and Henry both played for the Atlanta Braves, with Henry leading the MLB for career home runs with 755 for 33 years. Can you tell me their last name?

Answer: Aaron

In 2007 Barry Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron's record. Tommie Aaron was Hank's younger brother. They were the first siblings who played in a league championship series as teammates. They both were born in Mobile Alabama. Tommie hit one home run in his entire career in the big leagues. Hank Aaron would tell stories how he played stick-ball with bottle caps.

7. These two Kansas City Royals brothers, Ken and George, played bits of the 1980 and 1981 seasons together. George was a future Hall of Fame third baseman, most noted for the "Pine Tar Incident" in 1983 against the New York Yankees. What were their last name?

Answer: Brett

Ken Brett was a pitcher in major league baseball. He played for ten teams during his 14 year career (1967-1981). Ken and George played for the Kansas City Royals - Ken was primarily a pitcher and George a Hall of Fame third baseman. Ken, the older brother, joined the Royals in August 1980 and played with George until he was released after the 1981 season.

In July 1983, George was called out for having pine tar too far up the bat after he'd just hit a two run homer.

8. Their father, Sandy, was was a second baseman from Puerto Rico who played in the MLB for 14 seasons (1964-1978). His sons, Sandy Jr. and Roberto, played together for three separate stints for three different clubs. Some people remember Roberto being the perpetrator for "the spitting incident" with umpire John Hirshbeck in the summer of 1996. What's their last name?

Answer: Alomar

Roberto and Sandy Jr. played together for the 1988 and 1989 San Diego Padres, the 1999 and 2000 Cleveland Indians, and the 2003 and 2004 Chicago White Sox. Roberto was playing for the Baltimore Orioles when the spitting situation occurred. Roberto is a member of the MLB HOF. His brother, Sandy Jr. is not in the MLB HOF but is on the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
The other players mentioned never had a brother play in the big leagues together.

9. Jose Canseco and his twin brother, Ozzie, played together for the Oakland Athletics in 1990. They were known as "The Bash Brothers" during their careers with the A's.

Answer: False

The Bash Brothers are a duo of former baseball players consisting of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Both prolific home run hitters, the two were teammates in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics where they won a world series in 1989.
The Cansecos are identical twins. Interesting enough, Ozzie never hit a home run in MLB.

10. In 1963 it was the Alou brothers, Felipe, Jesus, and Matty, who all played on the same MLB team together. Which team, from the city known for its Ghirardelli chocolates and crooked roads, did they play for?

Answer: San Francisco Giants

Interesting enough, they were the first trio of brothers to all play in the same outfield together. This happened in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 15, 1963, when they were all put in the outfield during the later innings. Before that, on September 10, 1963, they had batted consecutively in the same game for the first time.

It was Moises Alou (Felipe's son) who was the left fielder for the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 NLCS vs. Florida Marlins, in the "Steve Bartman incident." It was Game 6 with the Cubs leading 3-0, in the top of the 8th inning, and ahead 3-2 in the series 3-2. They were five outs away from playing in the World Series, for the first time since 1945 (their last WS win was 1908). Moises Alou attempted to take a catch in left-filed foul territory. A fan in the front row deflected the ball away from Moises Alou's glove and he missed the catch. It was judged "no interference". The Cubs protested but the ruling stood. The Cubs lost the game and then went on to lose Game 7.

Source: Author BullsGold

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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Baseball Brothers Who Were Teammates Quiz

There is not just a few brother combinations in MLB, but close to 100 of them. Here is a small sample of brothers who have made the difficult journey together by being teammates in the sport.

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