Baseball Trivia
Q: How many pitchers have topped Walter Johnson's once-thought unbreakable record for strikeouts?
A: Eight pitchers have topped Johnson's career total of 3509 strikeouts. They are:
Nolan Ryan - 5714
Roger Clemens - 4666 (active)
Randy Johnson - 4616 (active)
Steve Carlton - 4136
Bert Blyleven - 3701
Tom Seaver - 3640
Don Sutton - 3574
Gaylord Perry - 3534Greg Maddux has an oustide chance of passing him eventually. At age 41, he has 3258 career Ks.
Q: Who was the first athlete to "high five"A: No one knows for sure, but the man who is often credited is Los Angeles Dodger outfielder Glenn Burke, who played from 1976 to 1979.
Q: Before Barry Bonds broke the record, who previously held the National League's highest slugging percentage for a season?
A: Rogers Hornsby. In 1925, Hornsby slugged .756. That year was the second in which he won the batting triple crown, leading the league in homers (39), RBI (143) and batting average (.403). It also marked the 6th straight year in which he led the league in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage, a record that no one has ever matched.
Q: Who are the only 2 pitchers to lead their league in saves 4 consecutive seasons since divisional play began in 1969?
A: Bruce Sutter and Dan Quisenberry. Sutter led the NL from 1979-1982 with the Cubs and Cardinals and the Quiz led the AL from 1982-1985 with the Royals
Q: Who is the only man in history to save at least 30 games in 7 straight seasons?
A: Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman reached 30 saves for the 7th consecutive time in 2002. He is also the only man to have eight 40-save seasons.
Q: Who is the only player to get his first 300 saves with the same team?
A: Jeff Montgomery. Montgomery finished his career with 304 saves, all of them coming with Kansas City.
Q: Which is the only team to have never had a player hit for the cycle or pitch a no-hitter, but has had both done against them?
A: The San Diego Padres. The Pads have never had a player hit for the cycle or pitch a no-hitter. Dave Winfield, who began his career as a Padre, did hit for the cycle once in his career, but it was as a California Angel. Several Padre pitchers have gone to the ninth with no-hitters, most notably Clay Kirby, who was pulled by manager Preston Gomez for a pinch hitter, but none has ever thrown a complete game no-hitter. Meanwhile, several players have either hit for the cycle or pitched a no-hitter against the Pads. In 2001, both occured: John Olerud hit for the cycle on June 16, and AJ Burnett no-hit them on May 12.
Q: Who is the San Diego Padres' career leader in home runs?
A: Nate Colbert. Colbert slugged 163 homers in his 6 years with the Padres. He also holds the team record for slugging percentage with a career .469. Tony Gwynn holds every other major career hitting record for the team, including most hits, singles, doubles, triples, runs, RBI, total bases, steals, games, at bats, sacrifices and walks.
Q: Who holds the record for worst stolen base percentage for a career (minimum 300 attempts)?
A: Pete Rose. While Rose is credited with many great things that helped the Big Red Machine (the Cincinnati Reds of the 70's) and the Wheeze Kids (the Philadelphia Phillies of the early 80's) win championships, his career 57% success rate at stealing bases isn't one of them.
Q: Who was the first player ever drafted in the June Amateur Draft?
A: Rick Monday. In 1965, Monday was drafted out of Arizona State University by the Kansas City Athletics (who later moved to Oakland) and signed for the unheard of sum of... $104,000. During his 19-year major league career, he played outfield for the A's, Cubs and Dodgers.
Q: Who holds the record for most total bases in a season?
A: Babe Ruth. In 1921, Ruth totalled 457 bases, setting the American and major league record. One year later, Rogers Hornsby set the mark for the National League with 450 total bases.
Q: Who is the only player with 300 or more career home runs to have at least 30 inside-the-park homers?
A: Rogers Hornsby. Hornsby finished his career with 301 homers, of which 30 were of the inside-the-park variety. He is also the first National League player to have topped 40 home runs in a season.
Q: Who is the only player to drive in more than 500 runs in a three-year span?
A: Lou Gehrig. From 1930-1932, Gehrig drove in 509 runs, with 174 RBI in 1930, 184 in 1931 and 151 in 1932.
Q: Who holds the record for most home runs by the end of May?
A: Barry Bonds. Bonds eclipsed Mark McGwire's 1998 record of 27 home runs by the end of May by hitting his 27th and 28th of the season in 2001. He went on to finish with 73.
Q: Who is the only pitcher to have struck out more than 3000 batters, but walk fewer than 1000?
A: Ferguson Jenkins. Over the course of his 19-year career, Jenkins played for Philadelphia, Chicago (NL), Texas and Boston. He won 20 games 7 times, including 6 consecutive years from 1967 to 1972. In 4500 career innings, he struck out 3192 batters while walking just 997. Greg Maddux equalled the feat after the 2005 season but is still active and might top 1000 walks for a career depending on how much longer he pitches.
Q: Who are the only 2 players to hit 20 doubles, triples and homers and steal at least 20 bases in the same season?
A: Willie Mays and Frank "Wildfire" Schulte. Mays, who many consider the best all-around player ever - fielding, running, hitting - hit 26 doubles, 20 triples, 35 homers and stole 38 bases in 1957. Schulte, who played in the deadball era, hit 30 doubles, 21 triples and led the league with 21 homers while stealing 23 bases in 1911. His home run total is remarkable considering that he led the league in that category the previous year with just 10.
Q: Who is the only player to have hit 50 home runs in season and finish his career with more than 3,000 hits?
A: Willie Mays. In both 1955 and 1965, Mays hit more than 50 homers in a season on his way to a career total of 660. Mays also finished with 3,283 hits when he retired after the 1973 season. Barry Bonds is likely to match that record if he plays in 2008. Ken Griffey Jr (2545 hits at age 37) and Alex Rodriguez (2219 hits at age 31) are also likely to achieve this distinction before their careers are finished.
Q: Which team holds the record for striking out the most batters in a season?
A: The 1996 Atlanta Braves. The Braves pitching staff, led by John Smoltz' 276 Ks, struck out a major league record 1245 batters that year. This year, there are 4 teams that are on pace to either match or break that record, led by the Chicago Cubs, who are currently on pace to strike out 1515 batters
Q: Who holds the record for the highest ERA in a season?
A: Les Sweetland. Sweetland was not a particularly good pitcher; his career ERA was 6.10. It didn't help that he played for some pretty bad teams, including the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he posted an ERA of 7.71. The highest ERA of any active pitcher is 7.20 by Jeff Fassero in 1999, starting the season with the Mariners and finishing with the Rangers.
Q: Who has the worst stolen base percentage in a season (minimum 40 attempts)?
A: Pat Duncan. In 1922, this Cincinnati Red outfielder made 40 base stealing attempts. He was successful on only 12 occasions, for a 30% success rate. The previous year, Duncan was caught on 18 of 25 attempts (28% success rate).
Q: Who holds the record for being intentionally walked the most times in a single game?
A: Andre Dawson. On May 22, 1990, Dawson, then with the Cubs, was intentionally walked by the Reds 5 times in a 16-inning game. The Cubs won anyway, 2-1.
Q: Which pitcher had the greatest margin of strikeouts to walks in a single season?
A: Sandy Koufax. In 1965, he set a major league record by striking out 382 batters. That record was later broken by Nolan Ryan (383 in 1973). However, he also set a record by striking out 311 more batters than he walked, a record that remains unchallenged. Randy Johnson came closest in 1999 when he struck out 294 more batters than walked.
Q: In what year did two batters, one in each league, win the triple crown?
A: 1933. Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia A's won the AL titles in home runs, RBI and batting average with 48 homers, 163 RBI and a .356 average. Chuck Klein of the Philadelphia Phillies won the NL triple crown with 28 homers, 120 RBI and a .368 average.
Q: Which pitcher had his number retired by the Houston Astros after only 2 seasons with the team?
A: Jim Umbricht. Umbricht (#33) was a very good reliever with the team in it's first two years of existence, winning 8 of his 11 decisions and posting an ERA of 2.32. Tragically, cancer cut his career and his life short. He passed away just prior to the opening of the 1964 season. The Astros retired his number later that year.
Q: Who was the first major leaguer in the modern era (1901- ) to wear glasses?
A: Lee Meadows. Meadows pitched from 1915-1929 for the Cardinals, Phillies and Pirates. He finished with 188 wins, 180 losses and a career ERA of 3.37. In 1926, he won 20 games for the Pirates, the only time he reached that mark.
Q: Who was the very first player to be honored by having his uniform retired?
A: Lou Gehrig. Gehrig's number 4 was retired by the Yankees in 1939.
Q: Which ballpark never played host to a no-hitter in it's 60 years of existence?
A: Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Pirates pitchers threw 4 no-hitters from 1909 to 1969, including Harvey Haddix' 12 innings of perfection against the Braves, but all were on the road. The Pirates themselves were no-hit 4 times during that period, also all on the road.
Q: Who are the only 3 players to have hit 30 home runs with 4 different teams?
A: Jose Canseco, Fred McGriff and Gary Sheffield. Canseco did it with the A's, Rangers, Blue Jays and Devil Rays. McGriff did it with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves and Devil Rays. Sheffield has done it with five different teams - Padres (33 in 1992), Marlins (42 in 1996), Dodgers (1999-2001), Braves (39 in 2003) and Yankees (2004-2005).
Q: How many pitchers faced both Roger Maris and Mark McGwire in their careers?
A: Five. Tommy John, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton and both Niekro brothers, Phil and Joe, faced both Roger Maris and Mark McGwire during their careers.
Q: Who had the most hits in the 90's
A: Mark Grace. The ex-Cub first baseman, now Diamondbacks broadcaster, led all major leaguers with 1,734 hits.
Q: Who are the only players to lead the league in home runs 6 or more times?
A: Six players have done it. Babe Ruth led the AL a record 12 times. Mike Schmidt holds the overall record for the NL with 8 titles. Ralph Kiner led the NL a major league record 7 consecutive years. Harmon Killibrew, Mel Ott and Gavvy Cravath each led their respective leagues 6 times.
Q: Who was the first African-American coach in the majors?
A: John "Buck" O'Neil. After a Hall of Fame career in the Negro Leagues, primarily with the Kansas City Monarchs, O'Neil became a coach for the Chicago Cubs in 1962. He had been a scout for the Cubs since 1956, signing such players as Ernie Banks and Lou Brock. He later gained greater fame as a narrator/commentator in Ken Burns documentary, "Baseball".
Q: Which team had the best record without having any pitcher win more than 15 games?
A: The 1975 Cincinnati Reds. The Reds, who went 108-54 that year, had three pitchers - Gary Nolan, Don Gullett and Jack Billingham - win 15 games and 3 others - Fred Norman, Pat Darcy and Clay Kirby - win at least 10.
Q: Which ballpark was the first to use steel as its primary building component?
A: Forbes Field. Fittingly enough, it was in Pittsburgh, the city that is home to US Steel, where the first mostly steel ballpark was built. Forbes served as home for the Pirates from 1907 until 1970.
Q: Who's the ony pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day?
A: Bob Feller. Feller opened the 1940 season with a 1-0 no-hitter over the White Sox.
Q: Who is the Oakland A's all-time leader in home runs?
A: Mark McGwire. McGwire hit 363 home runs before being traded to the Cardinals.
Q: Who is the active leader in slugging percentage?
A: Albert Pujols. Pujols leads Barry Bonds - .6198 to .6073. Manny Ramirez and Todd Helton rank third and fourth on the active list.
Q: Which player outhomered his former team the year after leaving?
A: Babe Ruth. After the Red Sox sold him to the Yankees in 1919, Ruth outhomered the entire Boston team in 10 of the next 12 years.
Q: Who is the only pitcher to throw 2 complete game 1-0 victories in World Series play?
A: Art Nehf. Nehf pitched from 1915 to 1929 for the Boston Braves, New York Giants and Chicago Cubs. He won 20 games twice with the Giants and it was with them, in 1921 and again in 1923, that he beat the Yankees 1-0 in the World Series.
Q: Who is the only player with more than 1,900 career RBI but never led the league in the category?
A: Willie Mays. Mays finished his career with 1,903 RBI but never led the league in his 22 seasons.
Q: Which pitcher was struck by lightning while on the mound?
A: Ray 'Slim' Caldwell. Caldwell was a good pitcher in the early part of the 20th century, winning 20 games in 1920 and pitching a no-hitter in 1919. However, it was for another event in 1919 for which he is probably most remembered. Caldwell had pitched into the ninth inning in a game in Philadelphia as an electrical storm blew in. Wanting to get the game finished, the umpires signaled to continue play. With 2 out, Caldwell was struck by lightning, knocking him unconscious for 5 minutes. When he was revived, Caldwell insisted on finishing the game. He struck out the next batter to end the game.
Q:Who is all-time assist leader in San Diego State basketball history?
A: San Diego Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn. On the same day that he was drafted by the Padres (June 16, 1981), Gwynn was drafted by the Clippers of the NBA.
Q: Which is the only team to ever field four 20-game losing pitchers?
A: The Boston Beaneaters, who were later renamed the Braves. In both 1905 and 1906, Boston's NL team fielded 4 pitchers who lost 20 or more games. In 1905, Irv Young (21), Vic Willis (29), Chick Fraser (21) and Kaiser Wilhelm (23) turned the trick. Oddly enough, they weren't the last place team; they finished 2 games ahead of the Brooklyn Dodgers that year. In 1906, it was Irv Young (25), Vive Lindaman (23), Big Jeff Pfeffer (22) and Gus Dorner (25) who topped the 20-loss mark. This team did finish last in the NL, 66.5 games out of first, the largest margin ever.
Q: Which team is the only to have had four 20-game winning pitchers?
A: The 1971 Baltimore Orioles. Dave McNally won 21 games and Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer and Pat Dobson each won 20 on a team that won 101 regular season games. They eventually lost to the Pirates in the World Series.
Q: Who are the only players to hit 30 or more homers in a season with men on base?
A: Babe Ruth (37 in 1921), Mark McGwire (37 in 1998), Hack Wilson (33 in 1930)
Q: Who was the first player ever to play 162 games in a season?
A: Jimmy Barrett. The Detroit Tigers' outfielder played 162 games in 1904. What is unusual about this is that 1904 was 57 years before the major league schedule expanded from 154 games to today's standard 162. Back then, before stadiums had lights, there were occasional games where teams played to a tie due to darkness. Barrett's Tigers played in 10 such games that season.
Q: Who is the only hitter to have 500 hits with 4 different teams?
A: Rusty Staub. "Le Grande Orange", so named for his orangish-red hair, played for 5 different teams over the course of his career, accumulating 2951 hits. Of those, 792 came in Houston, 531 came in Montreal, 582 came in Detroit and and 709 came in New York with the Mets. This trivia question came courtesy of Joseph Yenouskas
Q: Who is the only pitcher to post a winning record in every season he pitched? (10 seasons minimum)?
A: Babe Ruth. This is sort of a trick question as Ruth was a full-time starter for only 3 seasons of his 22-year career. However, even after he was switched to the outfield in 1918, he made 20 starts, going 13-7. The following year he went 9-5 in 17 starts. He made brief appearances on the mound in 1920, 1921, 1930 and in 1933, winning all 5 decisions. Not that his record was luck. Ruth led the league in ERA in 1916 and was second only to Walter Johnson in ERA as a starter from 1915-1919.
Q: Who holds the record for playing with the most major league teams?
A: Pitcher Mike Morgan. Morgan has played with 12 different major league teams and 10 different minor league teams over his 20 year career. His major league stops include Oakland, New York (AL), Toronto, Seattle, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Chicago (NL), St. Louis, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Texas and Arizona. Before the advent of free agency, Bobo Newsom held the record by playing with 9 different teams.
Q: Who is the only player to win a league MVP award, but never be selected to an All Star team?
A: Kirk Gibson. Gibson led the Tigers in 1984 and the Dodgers in 1988 to World Championships. After the latter, he was awarded the National League MVP. However, Gibson never appeared in an All Star game in his 17 year career.
Q: Who's the only Hall of Fame pitcher who walked more batters than he struck out?
A: Ted Lyons. Over his 21 year career with the White Sox, for whom he won 260 games, Lyons walked 1121 batters and struck out 1073.
Q: Before Tony Gwynn did it in 1999, who was the last player to have 3,000 hits as a position player?
A: Carl Yastremski. Yastremski finished his career in 1983 with 3,419 hits, of which only 393 came as a DH. Lou Brock finished his career in 1979 with 3,023 hits, all coming in the no-DH NL. Cal Ripken later joined Gwynn in the non-DH 3,000 hit club. He finished his career with 3184 hits in 3001 games played, of which on 24 were as a DH.
Q: Who was the last owner to manage a team?
A: Ted Turner. Turner managed the Atlanta Braves for 1 game on May 11, 1977, before NL President Chub Feeney forbid him from managing again.
Q: Who has the best stolen base percentage in history (minimum 200 attempts)?
A: Carlos Beltran, who's 89.3% success rate entering this season topped previous leader Tim Raines. Raines retired as the reigning stolen base percentage champion, with a rate of 84.6% success. Eric Davis is now third all-time with an 84.4% rate.
Q: Who holds the record for most walks allowed in a season?
A: Bob Feller. "Rapid Robert" threw 3-no hitters, struck out over 2500 hitters and won 266 games in his career. But in 1938, he set a record by walking 208 batters.
Q: Who are the only 3 hitters to collect 400 total bases in consecutive seasons?
A: Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein and Jimmie Foxx. Gehrig did it in 1930 & 1931 for the Yankees. Klein accomplished the feat in 1929 & 1930 in Philadelphia for the Phillies. Foxx racked up 400+ in 1932 and 1933 in Philadelphia for the Athletics.
Q: Who was the first modern pitcher to strikeout 300 batters?
A: Rube Waddell. He struck out 302 batters in 1903. He followed up with 349 K's in 1904.
Q: Who are the only 3 players to lead their league in slugging for at least 6 consecutive seasons?
A: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth & Rogers Hornsby. Cobb led the AL in slugging from 1907-1912. Ruth led the Junior Circuit from 1919-1924. Hornsby is the only NL player to do it and the only player to ever lead his league in batting average, on base and slugging for 6 consectuive years when he accomplished the feat from 1920-1925. Barry Bonds currently has a 4-season streak beginning in 2001.
Q: Which All Star pitcher was nicknamed "Losing Pitcher"?
A: Hugh Mulcahy. Mulcahy pitched from 1935 to 1947, mostly with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was selected to the All-Star game in 1940. He lost 5 years of his career to the war effort but finished with a record of 45-89. It should be noted that the Phillies finished in last place or second to last every year he pitched, so his won/loss record might not have been entirely his fault.
Q: Who are the only 2 catchers to have hitting streaks of 30 or more games? (hint: both were once San Diego Padres)
A: Benito Santiago and Sandy Alomar Jr. Santiago hit in 34 straight games in 1987 with the Padres on his way to the Rookie of the Year Award. Alomar Jr hit in 30 straight with the Indians in 1997. Santiago was with San Diego from 1987-1992. Alomar was there in 1988-89.
Q: Who played in 105 games and stole 31 bases in his career, but never had an offical at bat?
A: World-class sprinter Herb Washington served as the Oakland A's primary pinch runner in 1974 and 1975. At the time, he was the world indoor record holder in both the 50 yard dash (5.0 seconds) and the 60 yeard dash (5.8 seconds). When the A's won the World Series in 1974, he became the first player to win a championship without having a career at bat.
Q: Who are the only players to have 40 or more homers but 40 or fewer strikeouts in the same season?
A: Mel Ott - 1929 (42 HR, 38 K)
Lou Gehrig - 1934 (49 HR, 31 K)
Joe DiMaggio - 1937 (46 HR, 37 K)
Johnny Mize - 1948 (40 HR, 37 K)
Ted Kluszewski - 1953 (40 HR, 34 K), 1954 (49 HR, 35 K), 1955 (47 HR, 40 K)
Q: Who's the only man to lead the majors in batting average but not win a batting title in either league?
A: Eddie Murray, 1990. That year, Murray finished with a .330 batting average while playing for the Dodgers. Willie McGee won the NL batting title with a .335 batting average, but was traded to the A's late in the season. He hit .274 in the AL, lowering his overall average to .324. George Brett won the AL title by batting .329
Q: Who produced the most total bases in a single World Series?
A: Barry Bonds set a new record in 2002 with 26 total bases. Before that Reggie Jackson and Willie Stargell were tied at the top with 25 total bases. Jackson produced his in the 1977 Series that went 6 games. Stargell did his two years later in the 7 game Series vs. Baltimore. Babe Ruth holds the record for a 4-game Series with 22 total bases in 1928. Brooks Robinson has the 5-game record with 17. And the record for an 8 game Series, back in the old days when they played best of 9? 19, held by two men: Buck Herzog in 1912 and Joe Jackson in 1919, the Series in which he was supposedly paid to lose by crime boss Arnold Rothstein.
Q: Before Ichiro Suzuki set the new hits record with 262, who was the last hitter to have as many as 240 hits in a season?
A: Ichiro, who had 242 in his 2001 rookie season. Before he did it, Darin Erstad accomplished the feat in 2000. Wade Boggs had 240 hits in 1985. Before then the last hitters to have as many were Bill Terry (254) and Chuck Klein (250) back in 1930. Only 13 hitters in history have had as many as 240 in a season.
Q: Who holds the record for most consecutive at bats without hitting a home run?
A: Tommy Thevenow. Thevenow, a shortstop by trade, went from September 24, 1926 until the end of his career on October 2, 1938 without hitting a home run. His homerless drought lasted a total of 3,347 at bats with 5 different teams - St. Louis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Boston.
Q: Who was the last pitcher to lead the league in ERA and strikeouts and not win the Cy Young award?
A: Nolan Ryan. Ryan led the National League in ERA (2.76) and strikeouts (270) in 1987 but finished 6th in the Cy Young voting that year. Part of his problem was terrible run support, as Ryan went 8-16 on the year. Since 1967, when the award was first given in each league, only Ryan, J.R. Richard (1979) and Tom Seaver (1970, 1971) have accomplished the feat and not won the award. This year, both Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson lead their respective leagues in ERA and strikeouts.
Q: Which pitcher allowed the most home runs in a season?
A: Bert Blyleven. In 1986, Blyleven allowed 50 home runs in 270 innings pitched for the Twins. He also won 17 games and struck out 215 batters that year. The NL record was set in 1956 when Robin Roberts allowed 46 home runs in 297 innings for the Phillies. Houston's Jose Lima has allowed 42 this season in just 172.1 innings.
Q: Who's the only player to average .400 over 5 years?
A: Rogers Hornsby: From 1921-1925, Hornsby hit .397, .401, .384, .424 and .403, giving him a five year average of .402.
Q: Who holds the record for being struck out the most times in a season?
A: Adam Dunn, who broke Bobby Bonds' record in 2004 with 195. Bonds had set the previous record in 1970 when he struck out 189 times. Barry's dad is 6th all-time in the statistic. But don't be fooled into thinking he was a bad player - he wasn't. The elder Bonds finished his career with 332 home runs, 461 stolen bases, 3 gold gloves and over a thousand RBIs and runs scored. He also holds the National League record for leading off the most games with a homer with 30. Both Jose Hernandez (188 in 2002) and Preston Wilson (187 in 2000) approached his record before Dunn broke it.
Q: Who holds the record for pitching the most shutouts in a season?
A: Grover "Pete" Alexander. Alexander threw 16 shutouts and was on the losing end of 4 others in 1916. Famed for his fondness for drinking and his portrayal in "The Winning Team" by Ronald Reagan, Alexander was more than the cariacature he is often portrayed. He took time off from baseball to serve in the military during World War 1 and came back deaf in one ear and suffering from epilepsy for his troubles. Despite that, he finished his career in 1930 with 373 victories (3rd most ever) and 90 shutouts (2nd most).
Q: Who holds the record for hitting the most sacrifice flies in a career?
A: Eddie Murray. Over the course of his 21-year career with Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, Cleveland and Anaheim, Murray hit 128 sacrifice flies.
Q: Who introduced the exploding scoreboard?
A: Bill Veeck. Veeck, one of baseball's greatest showman and entrepreneurs, introduced the exploding scoreboard in 1960 when he was the owner of the White Sox. Always trying to raise fan interest, he was the author of some of the most inspired and loony promotions in the history or sports and entertainment. Among his greatest promotins were Disco Demolition Night (fans got discounted tickets for bringing in disco records, which would be blown up before the game; unfortunately, a riot ensued and the White Sox had to forfeit the game) and Grandstand Managers Night (where fans in the bleachers voted on each managerial decision using YES and NO placards). He also once hired a midget to pinch hit in a game, installed showers in the Comiskey Park bleachers, and convinced Harry Caray to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with the fans during the seventh inning stretch.
Q: Who was the last player to hit 20 doubles, 20 triples and 20 homers in a season?
A: George Brett. Brett accomplished the feat in 1979 when he hit 42 doubles, 23 homers and led the American League in triples with 20.
Q: Who holds the major league record for hitting home runs in a week?
A: Frank Howard. "The Capital Punisher" set the American League and Major League records for most home runs in a week while playing for the Washington Senators. From May 12 through May 18, 1968, he hit 10 home runs in six games. The National League record is 8, shared by Pittsburgh's Ralph Kiner (Sept 7-13, 1947), Cincinnati's Ted Kluszewski (July 1-7, 1956) and San Diego's Nate Colbert (July 30-Aug 5, 1972).
Q: Which catcher holds the modern record (after 1901) for allowing the most stolen bases in a single game?
A: Branch Rickey. Rickey allowed 13 stolen bases in a game in 1907 when he was catching for the New York Highlanders (later renamed Yankees). While he didn't exactly revolutionize the game with his play on the field, he would later become the most influential man in baseball, and also sports history. He invented the farm system as a GM for the St. Louis Cardinals. His work with statistics is the foundation for modern sabermetrics. His most important accomplishment, though, was breaking the color barrier when he signed Kansas City Monarch second baseman Jackie Robinson to a major league contract.
Q: Who holds the record for most grand slams allowed?
A: Nolan Ryan set the major league record by surrendering 10 grand slams in his Hall of Fame career.
Q: Who holds the record for hitting the most grand slams in a single season?
A: Don Mattingly. "Donnie Baseball" hit 6 grand slams in 1987. Oddly enough, he only hit one more in his career.
Q: Before Ichiro broke the record in 2004, who held the single season record for getting the most hits?
A: George Sisler. "Gorgeous George" was one of the best 1st baseman ever. In 1920 he had his finest season, tallying 257 hits with the lowly St. Louis Browns. That year, in addition to leading the league in total bases (399) and batting average (.407), he was second to Babe Ruth in homers (19), RBI (122), and slugging (.632). He also stole 42 bases. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.
Q: Who was the last pitcher to lead his league in wins and losses in the same year?
A: Phil Niekro. Niekro paced the National League in losses with 20 in 1979 while pitching for the Atlanta Braves. The knuckleballer also won 21 games that year, which was good enough to tie for the league lead in wins with his brother, Joe, who was pitching for the Houston Astros.
Q: What pitcher has the highest winning percentage for a season (mininum 15 decisions)?
A: Elroy Face. Face finished the 1959 season with a 18-1 record (.947 winning percentage) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Face appeared in 57 games that year, saving 10. All of Face's wins came in relief
Q: Which was the last team to integrate?
A: The Boston Red Sox. It wasn't until 1959, 12 years after Jackie Robinson debuted with the Dodgers, that the BoSox had an African American player, second baseman Pumpsie Green, on their major league roster.
Q: In what year did a horse, a hitter and a pitcher each win the Triple Crown?
A: 1937. That year, War Admiral, son of the great Man O' War, won the Triple Crown in horse racing. Cardinals outfielder Joe "Ducky" Medwick batted .374 with 31 homers and 154 RBI to lead the National League that same year. Yankee hurler Lefty Gomez won the pitching equivalent with 21 wins, 194 strikeouts and a 2.33 ERA to pace the American League.
Q: Who is the only person from Poland to become a major league regular?
A: Moe Drabowsky. Drabowsky, born in Ozanna, Poland, spent 17 years in the majors, playing with the Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Athletics, Orioles and Cardinals. He is probably the most famous practical joker in the history of baseball. He put snakes in guy's lockers, their gym bags, even once in a basket of dinner rolls. He put sneezing powder in the air-conditioning and goldfish in the water cooler. He once gave then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn a hotfoot. He used the bullpen phone to call for fast food delivery, and to make long distance calls. His best practical joke, which came in Kansas City when he was with the O's, also involved the bullpen phone. He called over to the A's bullpen and, imitating A's manager Alvin Dark, got someone to start warming up in the bullpen. Lest one think Moe was all fun and games, he struck out 11 batters in relief in Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, helping the O's to a championship sweep.
Q: Who holds the major league record for striking out the most batters in a season?
A: Matthew "Matches" Kilroy. While Nolan Ryan holds the modern record (after the formation of the American League in 1901), with 383 strikeouts in 1973 while he was with the California Angels, the all-time record is 513 Ks set by Kilroy in 1886. The Baltimore Oriole rookie, who was actually under .500 that year with a 29-34 record, also walked 182 batters and gave up 476 hits in 583 innings that season. Yes, 583 innings. The next season, he won 46 games over 589 innings, but struck out only 217. Understandably, he was never the same after that, compiling a 66-80 record over the last eight years of his career and striking out over 100 just twice more.
Q: Who owns the record for the most consecutive complete games pitched?
A: "Brakeman" Jack Taylor. From June 20, 1901 until August 9, 1906, Taylor threw 188 consecutive complete games. This stretch included occasions where he pitched both ends of a double header, an 18 inning game and 2 14 inning games.
Q: Besides being very good hitting first baseman, what else do Jeff Bagwell and Frank Thomas have in common?
A: They were both born on the same date: May 27, 1968