The 1965 Dodgers Trivia Quiz

A quiz about the 1965 Dodgers, who used speed, pitching, defense, and almost no power to win the World Series.

A multiple-choice quiz by angels2002. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
angels2002

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
268,386

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
529

Last 3 plays: colbymanram (7/15), Guest 67 (11/15), Guest 12 (1/15).

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. The 1965 Dodgers were known for their strong pitching and weak offense. Their chances of winning the N.L. pennant appeared almost hopeless after their best offensive player suffered a season ending injury just 17 games into the season. Who broke his ankle and was lost for the season? Hint

Frank Howard

Tommy Davis

Maury Wills

Willie Davis

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2. The Dodgers lost their best hitter for the season due to a broken ankle just two weeks into the season. Who was the journeyman player they called up from the minors to take his place? Hint

Lou Johnson

Wally Moon

Dick Tracewski

Darrell Griffith

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3. The pitching staff was anchored by Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. How many games did they combine to win in 1965? Hint

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4. Who was the Dodgers' third starter behind Koufax and Drysdale who chipped in 15 wins in 1965? Hint

Johnny Podres

Bill Singer

Don Sutton

Claude Osteen

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5. Who was the rookie second baseman that tied for the team lead in home runs and won the N.L. Rookie of the Year award? Hint

Paul Popovich

Ted Sizemore

Jim Lefebvre

Ron Hunt

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6. Which of the following feats were the 1965 Dodgers, the first team in Major League baseball history to accomplish? Hint

They had 3 different pitchers throw no-hitters

They had an all switch-hitting infield

They won a World Series after trailing 3 games to 1

They drew 3 million in attendance

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7. On September 9, Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game in beating the Cubs 1-0. The Dodgers themselves got only one hit. Who was the Cubs' pitcher who threw a one-hitter and lost? Hint

Cal Koonce

Bob Hendley

Dick Ellsworth

Ferguson Jenkins

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8. The 1965 National League pennant race was a thriller, with 6 teams within 5 1/2 games of first place on September 1. In September, the Dodgers went on a winning streak to ultimately win the N.L. pennant by 2 games. How long was this game-winning streak? Hint

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9. Among players with at least 75 at-bats, who led the 1965 Dodgers in both batting average and slugging percentage? Hint

Don Drysdale

Willie Davis

Ron Fairly

Jim Lefebvre

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10. Willie Mays hit more home runs that the entire Dodger team in 1965?

True

False

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11. The Dodgers' brilliant starting pitchers had a league-leading 58 complete games, but occasionally needed help from the bullpen. Who led the Dodgers in saves in 1965? Hint

Larry Sherry

Phil Regan

Ron Perranoski

Jim Brewer

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12. Why didn't Sandy Koufax pitch game one of the 1965 World Series? Hint

Game 1 fell on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day

He had the flu

He pitched the last game of the regular season

Manager Walt Alston wanted Don Drysdale to face the Twins' right handed dominated lineup

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13. The Twins stunned the Dodgers by winning games one and two of the World Series, beating ace pitchers Drysdale and Koufax in the process. Who helped the Dodgers get back in the series by pitching a five-hit shutout in game three? Hint

Don Sutton

Pete Richert

Johnny Podres

Claude Osteen

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14. Who hit a home run off the left field foul pole in the 4th inning of game 7, breaking a scoreless tie as the Dodgers won, 2-0. Hint

Ron Fairly

Lou Johnson

Wes Parker

John Roseboro

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15. Sandy Koufax was 26-8 with a 2.04 ERA, and he set the single season strikeout record with 382. However, he finished 2nd in N.L. MVP voting. Who was the 1965 N.L. MVP? Hint

Hank Aaron

Roberto Clemente

Frank Robinson

Willie Mays

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Tommy Davis

Davis led the N.L. in batting in 1962 and 1963 and was considered the Dodgers only real dangerous hitter. When he broke his ankle sliding into second base, most experts said the Dodgers had no chance. Davis' injury put more pressure on Maury Wills to make things happen and he responded by stealing 94 bases. Frank Howard was traded before the season to the Washington Senators for Claude Osteen.

2. The Dodgers lost their best hitter for the season due to a broken ankle just two weeks into the season. Who was the journeyman player they called up from the minors to take his place?

Answer: Lou Johnson

"Sweet Lou" Johnson gave the club a huge lift with his timely hitting, clutch defense, and happy-go-lucky attitude. He ended up batting .259 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs.

3. The pitching staff was anchored by Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. How many games did they combine to win in 1965?

Answer: 49

Koufax went 26-8 and Drysdale was 23-12.

4. Who was the Dodgers' third starter behind Koufax and Drysdale who chipped in 15 wins in 1965?

Answer: Claude Osteen

Osteen went 15-15 with a 2.79 ERA. Podres was nearing the end of his career, and injuries limited him to 22 starts as he went 7-6 with a 3.42 ERA. Sutton became a regular starter in 1966, and Singer joined the rotation in 1967.

5. Who was the rookie second baseman that tied for the team lead in home runs and won the N.L. Rookie of the Year award?

Answer: Jim Lefebvre

Lefebvre batted .250, shared the team lead in home runs with 12, and was second in RBIs with 69. Sizemore was the 1969 N.L. Rookie of the Year. Hunt and Popovich, while they played for the Dodgers at various points in their careers, never won the Rookie of the Year Award.

6. Which of the following feats were the 1965 Dodgers, the first team in Major League baseball history to accomplish?

Answer: They had an all switch-hitting infield

The starting infield consisted of switch-hitters Jim Gilliam (3B), Maury Wills (SS), Jim Lefebvre (2B), and Wes Parker (1B). Only Koufax threw a no-hitter (it was a perfect game), and they won the series after trailing 2-0 but not 3-1 (The 1925 Pirates were the first to win a World Series after trailing 3 games to 1). The 1978 Dodgers were the first to draw 3 million in attendance.

7. On September 9, Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game in beating the Cubs 1-0. The Dodgers themselves got only one hit. Who was the Cubs' pitcher who threw a one-hitter and lost?

Answer: Bob Hendley

The Dodgers scored an unearned run in the 5th inning when Lou Johnson walked, was sacrificed to 2nd, stole third, and then went home on an overthrow. Johnson then broke up Hendley's no-hit bid with a bloop double in the 7th. Five days later in Chicago, Hendley beat Koufax in the rematch, 2-1.

Answer: 13

The Giants won 14 in a row to take a 4 1/2 game lead with two weeks to go. Then the Dodgers won 13 in a row, and 16 of their last 17 to beat out the Giants. In those final 17 games, they pitched 8 shutouts and gave up just 1 run four times.

9. Among players with at least 75 at-bats, who led the 1965 Dodgers in both batting average and slugging percentage?

Answer: Don Drysdale

The fact a pitcher was their best hitter spoke volumes about the 1965 Dodger offense. Drysdale, always known as a good hitting pitcher, had one of his best years at the plate in 1965. He batted .300 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 7 home runs. His .508 slugging percentage was well ahead of Lou Johnson, who was 2nd on the team at .391. Maury Wills had the highest batting average among the every day players at .286.

10. Willie Mays hit more home runs that the entire Dodger team in 1965?

Answer: False

Mays had a great year leading the league with 52 but the Dodgers as a team hit 78. Note that Mays and Willie McCovey combined, out-homered the Dodgers 91-78. In the 10-team National League, the 1965 Dodgers ranked 10th in home runs, 9th in slugging percentage, 8th in runs scored, and 7th in team batting average.

However, they ranked 1st in stolen bases, 1st in fewest runs allowed, 1st in team ERA, 1st in complete games, and 2nd in fielding percentage.

11. The Dodgers' brilliant starting pitchers had a league-leading 58 complete games, but occasionally needed help from the bullpen. Who led the Dodgers in saves in 1965?

Answer: Ron Perranoski

Perranoski had 17 saves to go along with his 6-6 record and 2.24 ERA.

12. Why didn't Sandy Koufax pitch game one of the 1965 World Series?

Answer: Game 1 fell on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day

Game one fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. He then lost game two, but came back to pitch shutouts in games 5 and 7.

Answer: Claude Osteen

Osteen, who was obtained from the Washington Senators before the 1965 season, was familiar with the Twins.

14. Who hit a home run off the left field foul pole in the 4th inning of game 7, breaking a scoreless tie as the Dodgers won, 2-0.

Answer: Lou Johnson

Johnson told Koufax, "I'm gonna get you the only run you'll need", and proceeded to do just that. Fairly followed Johnson's home run with a double, and Parker singled him home for the only runs of the game. Koufax struck out 10 and allowed only 3 hits while pitching on two days rest.

15. Sandy Koufax was 26-8 with a 2.04 ERA, and he set the single season strikeout record with 382. However, he finished 2nd in N.L. MVP voting. Who was the 1965 N.L. MVP?

Answer: Willie Mays

Mays was 3rd in the league in average at .317, first in home runs with 52, 3rd in RBIs with 112, and first in slugging percentage at .645.

Source: Author angels2002

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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