Baseball and World Series Quiz

The 2012 baseball season is drawing to a close and post-season play is about to begin.  As we head toward the World Series, Number 16 presents a challenging baseball quiz.  How well do you know trivia about the Grand Old Game?  Find out by completing the quiz below.


BASEBALL AND WORLD SERIES QUIZ


1.  How many Cy Young Awards has Roger Clemens won?

A.  Five

B.  Seven

C.  Four

D.  Six

E.  Eight



2. Clemens is one of five pitchers  to have won the Cy Young Award in both the American League and the National League to date.  Who are the others?

A.  Greg Maddux, Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson

B.  David Cone, Steve Carlton,.Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez

C.  Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay

D.  Steve Carlton, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay

E.  Ferguson Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay



3.  The Texas Rangers have been based in Arlington Texas since 1972.  Where was the team located before moving to the Lone Star State.?

A.  Kansas City, Missouri

B.  Minneapolis, Minnesota

C.  St. Paul, Minnesota

D.  Washington, D.C.

E.  San Jose, California



4.  The first World Series was played in 1903.  What team won the first World Series?

A.  The Boston Americans

B.  The New York Americans

C.  The Boston Braves

D.  The New York Giants

E.  The Chicago White Sox



5.  The World Series was cancelled in 1994 due to a Major League Baseball strike.  The only other time the Series was cancelled was 1904.  Why was it cancelled in 1904?

A.  It was cancelled due to a serious virus that had spread among the players.

B.  There was a railway strike and the trains were not running to New York.

C.  No agreement could be reached on the format of the Series.

D.  The American League champion New York Highlanders refused to play the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

E.  The National League champion New York Giants refused to play the American League champion Boston Americans.



6.  This pitcher started his Major League career as a 17-year-old in 1936.  He spent his entire career with the Cleveland Indians. In 1946, he struck out 348 batters.  In 1948, he won his first World Series. Name him.

A.  Stan Koveleski

B.  Mel Harder

C.  Bob Feller

D.  Addie Joss

E.  Bob Lemon



7.  Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers is about to win Major League Baseball's Triple Crown in batting.  Who was the last player to earn the Triple Crown (highest batting average, the most home runs and the most runs batted in (RBI)) in the American League or the National League?

A,  Carl Yastrzemski in 1967

B.  Mickey Mantle in 1962

C.  Frank Robinson in 1966

D.  Ted Williams in 1947

E.  Willie Mays in 1954



8.  Did the Brooklyn Dodgers, known as "dem bums," ever win a World Series?

A.  No, they never won a World Series.

B.  They won the World Series in 1954.

C.  They won in 1955.

D.  They won in 1953.

E.  They won in 1952.



9.  Nolan Ryan is currently the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven no-hitters in his illustrious career.  Against which team did he throw his seventh no-hitter?

A.  The Oakland Athletics

B.  The Toronto Blue Jays

C.  The New York Yankees

D.  The Boston Red Sox

E.  The Detroit Tigers



10.  In which baseball stadium did The Beatles perform their last commercial concert?

A.  Shea Stadium, New York

B.  Candlestick Park, San Francisco

C.  Yankee Stadium, New York

D.  Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

E.  Wrigley Field, Chicago



11.  Name the last major league team for which Babe Ruth played.

A.  The New York Yankees

B.  The Boston Red Sox

C.  The New York Giants

D.  The Brooklyn Dodgers

E.  Tbe Boston Braves



12.  Who is sometimes referred to as the "father of modern baseball?"  Hint: He is thought to be the first person to draw a diagram of a diamond-shaped baseball field.

A. Abner Doubleday

B. Joseph Strutt

C. Albert Spalding

D.  Alexander Cartwright

E.  John Montgomery Ward



13.  What is the official name of the trophy awarded to the winners of the World Series championship?

A.  The Commissioner's Trophy

B.  The World Series Trophy

C.  The Kenesaw Landis Trrophy

D.  The A. Bartlett Giamatti Memorial Award

E.  The Bowie Kuhn Trophy



ANSWERS

1. B.

Roger Clemens has won seven Cy Young Awards.  He won the Cy in 1986, 1988 and 1990 with the Boston Red Sox; 1997 and 1998 with the Toronto Blue Jays ; 2001 with the New York Yankees and 2004 with the Houston Astros.


2. C

Along with Roger Clemens, Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez Randy Johnson and Roy Halliday have all won Cy Young Awards in both the American and National Leagues.  After 6 American League Cys, Roger won a National League Cy in 2004 with the Houston Astros.  Gaylord Perry won the American League Cy Young Award in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians and the National League Cy in 1978 with the San Diego Padres.  Pedro Martinez won the National League Cy in 1997 with the Montreal Expos and the American League Cy in 1999 and 2000 with the Boston Red Sox.  Roy Halliday won the American League Cy in 2003 with the Toronto Blue Jays and the National League Cy with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010.


3.  D

The Texas Rangers were originally based in Washington, D.C. from 1961 until 1971.  In 1961, the franchise was established as the Washington Senators, an expansion club, after the previous Washington Senators (1901-1960) had become the Minnesota Twins.  At the end of the 1971 season, the new Washington Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas.


4.  A

 Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans - First World Series (October 1903)

The Boston Americans of the American League won the first World Series in 1903.  They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League in eight games.  Note:  The best-of-seven format has been used in all World Series except 1903, 1919, 1920 and 1921.  In those years, the winner was decided by a best-of-nine playoff.


5.  E.

The 1904 World Series was cancelled because the National League champion New York Giants declined to play the American League champion Boston Americans. At the time, there was no governing body for the World Series and no requirement that a Series had to take place.  The owner of the New York Giants, John T. Brush, refused to allow his team to participate because of the "inferiority" of the American League.  John McGraw, the manager of the Giants, concurred with Brush.  According to McGraw, the Giants were the champions of "the only real major league."


6.  C.

Pitching great Bob Feller, known as Rapid Robert, started his career in the majors at 17.  He played 18 seasons, from 1936 to 1956 (did not play due to military service n 1942, 1943 and 1944) with the Cleveland Indians. Feller won a World Series with Cleveland in 1948.  He died on December 15, 2010 at the age of 92.


7.  A

Carl Yastrzemski

Carl Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown in 1967 with the Boston Red Sox.  Yaz hit 44 home runs, 121 RBI and his batting average was .326.  (EDITOR'S NOTE: On October 3, 2012, Mguel Cabrera became the first player to win the Triple Crown in 45 years with 44 home runs, 139 RBI and a batting average of 330.


8.  C.

Yes, the Brooklyn Dodgers finally won a World Series in 1955.  They defeated the New York Yankees in seven games.  Sadly, for Brooklyn fans, it would be their first and only championship.  The team relocated to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.


9.  B

Nolan Ryan threw his seventh no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 1, 1991 as a member of the Texas Rangers.  The game took place at Arlington Stadium in Texas before a crowd of 33, 439.  The Rangers defeated the Blue Jays by a score of 3-0.  Bobby Valentine was the manager of the Texas Rangers and Cito Gaston was Toronto's manager.  Lefty Jimmy Key was the losing pitcher for the Jays against the right-hander Ryan.

Nolan Ryan's first four no-hitters occurred on May 15, 1973, July 15, 1973, September 28, 1974 and June 1, 1975 when he was a member of the California Angels and on.  His fifth  no-hitter occurred on September 26, 1981 when he was a member of the Houston Astros.  He threw his sixth no-hitter on June 11, 1990 as a Texas Ranger.


10.  B

The Beatles performed their last public concert in San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.


11.  E

Babe Ruth's last Major :League team was the Boston Braves of the National League.  He signed as a free agent with the Braves on February 26, 1935 in the hope of eventually becoming manager of the team.  Ruth played for the Braves during a miserable 1935 season.and he was only a shadow of his former self.  The Babe's final game was May 30, 1935 in Philadelphia at the Baker Bowl.  He injured his knee in the first inning and left the game.  His Braves lost 11-6 to the Phillies.  Two days later, he called reporters to his locker and announced his retirement.  Babe Ruth never realized his dream of becoming a manager.


12.  D

Alexander Cartwright

Alexander Cartwright is referred to as the "father of modern baseball."  Cartwright was the founding member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York City, baseball's first organized team.  The rules of the modern game are founded on the Knickerbocker Rules set out by Cartwright and a committee from the Knickerbocker club.  Alexander Cartwright  was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1938.  On June 3, 1953, the United States Congress officially declared him to be the inventor of the modern game of baseball.


13.  A

Commissioner's Trophy 2004

A trophy was first presented to the World Series champions in 1967 and it was named the Commissioner's Trophy in 1985.  A new Commissioner's Trophy is created each year.  The trophy was redesigned in 1999 for the 2000 World Series by Tiffany & Co.  It stands 61 cm (24 inches), excluding the base,.and weighs about 14 kg. (30 pounds),  It is made of sterling silver and features a gold-plated flag for each team in Major League Baseball.


- Joanne