I made this one a little tougher than Part IV. The answers are still names most baseball fans should know, but now we are digging deeper into specific season and game performances.
I will probably get back to 21st Century Trivia soon!
Question 1:
Which Pirates shortstop put together a ridiculous 1908 season, hitting .354 with 201 hits, 39 doubles, 19 triples, 109 RBI, and 53 stolen bases, while also leading the National League in slugging percentage?
Question 2:
Which Philadelphia Athletics left-hander went 31-4 with a 2.06 ERA in 1931, completed 27 of his 30 starts, won the pitching Triple Crown, and captured the American League MVP Award?
Question 3:
Which Tigers Hall of Famer hit .337 with 200 hits, 40 home runs and 183 RBI in 1937, yet did not win the American League MVP Award that season?
Question 4:
Which Orioles third baseman hit .429 with two home runs and six RBI in the 1970 World Series, but may have been even more memorable for the defensive clinic he put on against Cincinnati?
Question 5:
Which Twins superstar produced 9.7 bWAR in 1977, batting .388 with 239 hits, 16 triples, 128 runs and 100 RBI while winning the American League MVP despite Minnesota missing the postseason?
Question 6:
Which 39-year-old Pirates slugger became the first player in MLB history to win a regular-season MVP, LCS MVP and World Series MVP in the same season in 1979?
Question 7:
Which Red Sox third baseman hit .368 with 240 hits and 42 doubles in 1985, produced 9.1 bWAR, led the majors in batting average and hits — and somehow finished only fourth in AL MVP voting?
Question 8:
Which Twins Hall of Famer hit .429 with two home runs in the 1991 ALCS to win series MVP, then made a leaping catch and hit an 11th-inning walk-off homer in Game 6 of the World Series?
Question 9:
Which White Sox slugger hit .353 with 38 home runs, 101 RBI, 106 runs and 109 walks in only 113 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season, earning his second consecutive AL MVP Award?
Question 10:
Which Dodgers catcher became the first player ever to record at least 200 hits while catching 100 or more games in a season in 1997, batting .362 with 40 home runs and 124 RBI — but finished second in NL MVP voting?
STOP
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ANSWER KEY
1: Honus Wagner — Wagner’s 1908 season was remarkable even by Deadball Era standards. He hit .354/.415/.542, collected 201 hits, drove in 109 runs and stole 53 bases. He led the NL in batting average, RBI, stolen bases and slugging percentage. MLB.com
2: Lefty Grove — Grove went 31-4 with a 2.06 ERA and 175 strikeouts, completing 27 of 30 starts. He led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts for the pitching Triple Crown and won the only MVP Award of his career. MLB.com
3: Hank Greenberg — Greenberg hit .337 with 40 home runs, 200 hits and 183 RBI for Detroit in 1937. The RBI total led baseball and remains one of the largest single-season totals in MLB history. Charlie Gehringer won the MVP that year. MLB.com
4: Brooks Robinson — Robinson hit .429 with two homers and six RBI as Baltimore defeated Cincinnati in five games. His defense at third became the defining image of the Series, and Robinson was named World Series MVP. Baseball Hall of Fame
5: Rod Carew — Carew hit .388, led the AL with 239 hits, 128 runs and 16 triples, and produced 9.7 bWAR, the highest mark in baseball that season. Minnesota did not reach the postseason, but Carew still won the AL MVP. Baseball Hall of Fame
6: Willie Stargell — Stargell shared the 1979 NL MVP with Keith Hernandez, then won both NLCS MVP and World Series MVP as Pittsburgh won the championship. At age 39, he became the first player to win all three honors in one season. Baseball Hall of Fame
7: Wade Boggs — Boggs hit a career-best .368 with 240 hits, the most by any major leaguer in 55 years at the time. Baseball-Reference credits him with 9.1 bWAR, yet he finished fourth in the AL MVP voting behind Don Mattingly, George Brett and Rickey Henderson. Baseball Hall of Fame
8: Kirby Puckett — Puckett hit .429 with two homers and five RBI in the 1991 ALCS, earning MVP honors. He followed it with one of the most famous individual World Series performances ever, robbing Ron Gant with a leaping catch and later homering in the 11th inning of Game 6 to force Game 7. MLB.com
9: Frank Thomas — The Big Hurt was hitting .353 with 38 homers, 101 RBI, 106 runs and 109 walks when the 1994 strike ended the season after 113 games. He won his second straight AL MVP Award after also taking the honor in 1993. MLB.com
10: Mike Piazza — Piazza hit .362 with 201 hits, 40 homers and 124 RBI in 1997 and became the first player to collect 200 hits in a season while catching at least 100 games. Despite that, he finished runner-up for NL MVP to Larry Walker. Baseball Hall of Fame
Thank you all for reading! Let us know how many you got correct in the comments below.
This is probably the difficulty level we were looking for. Wagner, Grove, Greenberg, Brooks Robinson, Carew, Stargell, Boggs, Puckett, Frank Thomas and Piazza are all legitimate baseball-history names, but there are fewer giveaway clues than in Part IV.
If you went 10-for-10 on Part V, that’s a legitimately impressive score.
Stay tuned for 20th Century MLB Trivia Part VI.
I got all 10. Took a correct guess on #1. Even though my Mom was a Dodgers fan (we’re from Brooklyn) she loved answer #3.