Major League Baseball: 1990s Challenge Quiz

Answer: Mark McGwire

McGwire hit a total of 405 home runs in the decade. He came from the Athletics in mid-1997 to the Cardinals. His seasons included hitting 52 in 1996, 58 in 1997, 70 in 1998, and 65 in 1999. He retired with 583 career home runs.

Answer: Juan Gonzalez

Bonds won two of his three MVPs with the Pirates. Gonzalez bagged his first MVP in 1996 with the Rangers, getting the award over Alex Rodriguez and Albert Belle. He won it again in 1998 on top of Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter.

Answer: Sparky Anderson

Anderson was the only manager listed to have won over 2000 games. In the 1970s, Sparky took the Cincinnati Reds to four NL pennants while winning two World Series. He also took the Detroit Tigers to a 1984 World Series crown. Anderson was Manager of the Year twice, in 1984 and 1987, both with the Tigers. Sparky retired in 1995 at the helm of the Tigers.

Answer: Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles drew 32,192,618 fans in the decade, averaging 39,744 per home game, and every home game in the decade. The highest attendance for one season in the decade was the Colorado Rockies in 1993, when 4,483,350 fans went through their turnstiles.

Answer: Tony Gwynn

Tony was a 20-season career San Diego Padre. He won four batting titles in the 1990s, and pulled a season high of .394 in 1991. That was the closest anyone had come close to the .400-mark since Ted Williams of the Red Sox batted .406 in 1941. Gwynn averaged a consistent .344 average throughout the decade. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Answer: Ryan Minor

The streak ended on September 20, 1998. It was the final home game of the season for his Orioles against the Yankees. Cal voluntarily stopped his streak, not wanting any controversy in the offseason. He broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak by 502 games.

Answer: Atlanta Braves

Even with their being no postseason in 1994, the Braves still went to an amazing five World Series in the 1990s. They hit a total of 16 home runs in the big games. They lost to the Twins and Blue Jays in 1991 and 1992, then defeated the Indians in 1995. They would close out the decade by losing to the Yankees in 1996 and 1999.

Answer: Otis Nixon

In addition to being probably the best bunter in the decade, Nixon stole 478 bases in the 1990s. Ironically, Otis never won a stolen base title in his career. He played for eight different teams in the 1990s. The highest season stolen base total in the decade went to Marquis Grissom of the Expos, who stole 78 in 1992.

Answer: Jack Morris

It was game seven in 1991 when the Minnesota Twins took on the Atlanta Braves. Morris won his second game of the series when Gene Larkin pinch-hit in the bottom of the tenth, and singled home Dan Gladden to secure the series win for the Twins.

Answer: 0

The only time that McGwire was close, was for his 1998 season when he hit 70 home runs for the Cardinals. Sammy Sosa of the Cubs took the award in that season with his 66 home runs and a .308 batting average.