Thank you to everyone who has taken these quizzes and reached out about them (shout-out to Larry). I will be switching soon to 21st-century questions now that the regular season is over.
We try and make these progressively harder. However, we also want new fans to get a few questions correct?
I am in talks with Dean about making these into videos, more on that soon.
Question 1
In 1916, which 21-year-old Boston Red Sox pitcher went 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA, 170 strikeouts, and nine shutouts?
His nine shutouts established an American League record for left-handed pitchers that stood for more than 60 years.
Question 2
Which 20-year-old New York Giants outfielder hit .328 with 42 home runs, 151 RBI, and 113 walks in 1929, producing approximately 7.2 bWAR?
Despite those numbers, he finished only 11th in National League MVP voting.
Question 3
Which Cardinals Hall of Famer hit .376 with 230 hits, 39 home runs, 131 RBI, and 429 total bases in 1948, narrowly missing the National League Triple Crown?
He also led the league with 46 doubles and 18 triples.
Question 4
Which Detroit Tigers outfielder became the youngest American League batting champion in history in 1955, hitting .340 with 200 hits, 27 home runs, and 102 RBI at age 20?
He produced 8.3 bWAR but finished second in MVP voting.
Question 5
Which 42-year-old Milwaukee Braves pitcher worked 15⅓ innings in a single game on July 2, 1963, only to lose 1-0 when Willie Mays hit a walk-off home run in the 16th inning?
He finished that season with a 23-7 record and 2.60 ERA.
Question 6
Which Cincinnati Reds star led the majors with 40 home runs and 125 RBI in 1972, then hit a game-tying ninth-inning homer off Dave Giusti in the deciding Game 5 of the NLCS?
The Reds eventually won the game on a wild pitch, and the player captured his second National League MVP Award.
Question 7
Which Chicago Cubs second baseman hit .314 with 200 hits, 19 triples, 19 home runs, and 32 stolen bases in 1984, producing 8.5 bWAR?
During that same season, he hit two game-tying home runs off Bruce Sutter in one game, helping the Cubs win 12-11 in 11 innings.
Question 8
Which Dodgers pitcher went 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA in 1988, finishing the regular season with 59 consecutive scoreless innings?
He followed that performance by winning the NL Cy Young Award, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP.
Question 9
Which Seattle Mariners superstar hit five home runs in the 1995 ALDS against the Yankees, then scored the series-winning run from first base on Edgar Martinez’s double in the 11th inning of Game 5?
He accomplished this after missing 73 regular-season games with a fractured wrist.
Question 10
Which Atlanta Braves pitcher went 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA in 1995, striking out 181 batters while walking only 23 in 209⅔ innings?
His performance earned him a fourth consecutive National League Cy Young Award, an achievement no pitcher had previously accomplished.
STOP.
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ANSWER KEY
1. Babe Ruth
Long before becoming baseball’s most famous home run hitter, Ruth was an outstanding left-handed pitcher.
In 1916, he went 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 324 innings.
His nine shutouts established an American League record for left-handers that stood until Ron Guidry matched it in 1978.
Ruth’s pitching ability is sometimes overlooked because of everything he accomplished as a hitter, but his early Boston years were remarkable in their own right.
2. Mel Ott
Ott’s 1929 season was incredible considering his age.
At just 20 years old, he hit .328/.449/.635, with 42 home runs, 151 RBI, and 113 walks.
Baseball-Reference credits him with 7.2 bWAR.
Those numbers helped establish Ott as one of the National League’s premier young power hitters.
He eventually finished his career with 511 home runs and earned induction into Cooperstown.
3. Stan Musial
Musial’s 1948 season is among the greatest offensive performances in Cardinals history.
He hit .376/.450/.702, collecting 230 hits, 46 doubles, 18 triples, 39 home runs, and 131 RBI.
He also accumulated an incredible 429 total bases.
Musial finished just one home run behind Ralph Kiner and Johnny Mize, who tied for the National League lead with 40 apiece.
That single home run separated Musial from the Triple Crown.
He still won the National League MVP Award, the third of his career.
4. Al Kaline
Kaline was only 20 years old when he won the 1955 American League batting championship.
He hit .340 with 200 hits, 27 home runs, 102 RBI, and 121 runs scored.
He also led the American League with 321 total bases.
Baseball-Reference credits him with 8.3 bWAR, yet he finished second in the MVP voting behind Yankees catcher Yogi Berra.
Kaline eventually spent his entire 22-year major league career with Detroit, collecting 3,007 hits.
5. Warren Spahn
The pitching duel between Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal on July 2, 1963, remains one of the most extraordinary games in baseball history.
At age 42, Spahn held the Giants scoreless for 15⅓ innings.
Marichal, meanwhile, threw 16 scoreless innings for San Francisco.
The game finally ended when Willie Mays homered off Spahn in the bottom of the 16th.
Despite the loss, Spahn finished 1963 with a 23-7 record and 2.60 ERA, winning 20 games for the 13th and final time in his career.
6. Johnny Bench
Bench was already one of baseball’s best catchers when he entered the 1972 postseason.
He finished the regular season with 40 home runs, 125 RBI, and 100 walks, leading the majors in homers and RBI.
In the deciding game of the NLCS against Pittsburgh, Bench came to the plate in the ninth inning with Cincinnati trailing 3-2.
He homered off Dave Giusti to tie the game.
Later that inning, George Foster scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Bob Moose, sending Cincinnati to the World Series.
Bench won his second National League MVP Award that November.
7. Ryne Sandberg
Sandberg’s 1984 season was one of the greatest ever produced by a Cubs second baseman.
He hit .314 with 200 hits, 19 triples, 19 home runs, 84 RBI, and 32 stolen bases.
Baseball-Reference credits him with 8.5 bWAR, and he won the National League MVP Award.
But his most memorable performance came on June 23 against St. Louis.
Sandberg hit a game-tying home run off Bruce Sutter in the ninth inning, then did it again in the 10th.
Chicago eventually won 12-11 in 11 innings.
The performance became known simply as The Sandberg Game.
8. Orel Hershiser
Hershiser’s 1988 season was extraordinary from beginning to end.
He finished 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA, throwing 15 complete games and eight shutouts.
He also broke Don Drysdale’s record for consecutive scoreless innings, finishing the regular season with 59 straight.
His dominance continued into October.
Hershiser helped Los Angeles defeat the Mets in the NLCS and Oakland in the World Series, capturing MVP honors in both series.
He also unanimously won the National League Cy Young Award.
9. Ken Griffey Jr.
Griffey’s performance in the 1995 ALDS is one of the defining moments in Seattle Mariners history.
After missing 73 games with a fractured wrist, Griffey returned to help Seattle win its first division championship.
Against the Yankees, he hit five home runs in five games, matching the then-record for home runs in a postseason series.
But his most memorable contribution came in Game 5.
With the Mariners trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the 11th, Griffey singled and eventually scored from first on Edgar Martinez’s two-run double.
Seattle won the series 3-2, advancing to its first ALCS.
10. Greg Maddux
Maddux’s 1995 season demonstrated just how dominant a pitcher could be without relying on overwhelming strikeout totals.
He went 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA, recording 181 strikeouts and issuing only 23 walks over 209⅔ innings.
He also threw 10 complete games and three shutouts.
Maddux unanimously won the National League Cy Young Award, becoming the first pitcher to capture the honor in four consecutive seasons.
He also helped Atlanta defeat Cleveland in six games to win the 1995 World Series