HOME LATEST  NEWS July 28, 2009 FIELDS GALLERY CONTACT  US PLAY ESCAPA! TAKE THE FROG TEST WEATHER REPORT BASEBALL TRIVIA Baseball Trivia: What is a  walk-off  home run?                                       Scroll down for the correct answer                                                                                                                                   Answer: A  walk-off  home run  is a home run that ends the game. It occurs in the bottom of the ninth inning, or any extra inning, giving the home team the lead and consequently the win. It is called a "walk-off" home run because both teams walk off the field immediately afterward.               Bonus Question: Who was the only player to hit a  walk-off  home run to win a World Series?                                       Scroll down for the correct answer                                                                                                                                   Answer:      It was the 1960 World Series.      It was the seventh and final game.      It was the bottom of the ninth inning.      The score was tied 9-9.      Nobody out.      The first batter Yankee pitcher Ralph Terry faced was Bill Mazeroski. With a count of one ball and no strikes, the Pirate second baseman smashed a historic long drive over the wall in left ending the contest crowning the Pirates World Champions. Years later, Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying losing the 1960 series was the biggest disappointment of his career. For 'Maz', it was the highlight.                           Baseball Trivia: On August 19, 1969, what did Cub pitcher, Kenny Holtzman, accomplish?       A.  He kept Hank Aaron off the bases       B.  He pitched a no-hitter       C.  He had no strikeouts       D.  He defeated the Atlanta Braves (western division champions that year)             in a complete game                                       Scroll down for the correct answer                                                                                                                                   Answer:       All of the above Holtzman out-dueled Phil Niekro and the Braves 3-0 with the first of his two career no-hitters on Ron Santo's three-run home run. Aaron went hitless and grounded into the final out to end the game. (Holtzman's second no-hitter as a Cub was in 1971, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 1-0.) Holtzman never was a big strikeout pitcher -- his best pitch was a looping, roundhouse curveball -- but oddly, he didn't strike out a single Brave in the game. He couldn't get his curveball over the plate that day, so he threw nothing but fastballs in the late innings. Another oddity, Holtzman was not caught by Randy Hundley, but by backup catcher Bill Heath..                       Who Am I? I was a lefthander who pitched for the New York Giants from 1928-1943. I was nicknamed "The Meal Ticket" and had a devastating screwball. I was a nine-time All-Star and two-time MVP. I retired with 253 wins and 1,678 strikeouts. I was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947. Who Am I?       A.  Carl Hubbell       B.  Ted Lyons       C.  Satchel Paige       D.  Jesse Haines                                       Scroll down for the correct answer                                                                                                                                   Answer:  (A)  Carl Hubbell "King Carl" compiled a streak of 46 1/3 scoreless innings in 1933. He won 16 straight games in 1936.                           Who Am I? I am a right-hander who pitched for nine teams from 1952-1972. I pitched for the Orioles from 1958-1962 and for the White Sox from 1963-1968. I was often un-hittable because of my knuckleball. I retired with 143 wins, 227 saves, and 1,610 strikeouts. I was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985. Who Am I?       A.  Bob Lemon       B.  Gaylord Perry       C.  Hoyt Wilhelm       D.  Jim Bunning                                       Scroll down for the correct answer                                                                                                                                   Answer:  (C.)  Hoyt Wilhelm Wilhelm served in the Army during World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart. He didn't make his Major League debut until the age of 28. He amassed 227 saves in 21 seasons.                           Who Am I? I am the only pitcher with over 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks? I won 20 or more games for six straight years with the Cubs. Who Am I?                                       Scroll down for the correct answer                                                                                                                                   Answer:   Fergie Jenkins Fergie used his pinpoint accuracy and timely change-ups to win 284 games. Cast in the same mold as finesse artists like Catfish Hunter and Robin Roberts, Jenkins forged an impressive 3.34 ERA despite playing 12 of his 19 seasons in hitters' ballparks -- Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. A diligent workhorse, Jenkins used an easy, uncomplicated motion to reach the 20-win mark seven times.                           Batter Up!        A Brief History Of the  Louisville Slugger     ⇒      Click Here         Baseball Trivia:      MEN FOR ALL SEASONS      Which NFL Hall-of-Fame players also played Major League Baseball?             Scroll down for the answer.                                                 Answer:        There were seven. Player       Football Team      Baseball Team Red Bagro N.Y. Football Yankees (1927) N.Y. Football Giants (1930-35) Brooklyn Football Dodgers (1936) St. Louis Browns (1928-29) Paddy Driscoll Decatur Staleys (1920) Chicago Cardinals (1920-25) Chicago Bears (1926-29) Chicago Cubs (1917) Ernie Evers Chicago Cardinals (1929-31) St. Louis Browns (1927) *George Halas Decatur Staleys (1920) Chicago Staleys (1921) Chicago Bears (1922-28) N.Y. Yankees (1919) Greasy Neal Eagles, Head Coach (1941-50) Cincinnati Reds (1916-24) Ace Parker Brooklyn Football Dodgers (1937-41) Boston Football Yanks (1945) N.Y. Football Yankees (1946) Philadelphia A's (1937-38) Jim Thorpe Canton Bulldogs (1915-17), (1919-20), (1926) Cleveland Football Indians (1921) Oorang Indians (1922-23) Rock Island Independents (1924) N.Y. Giants (1925) Chicago Cardinals (1928) N.Y. Giants (1913-1919) Cincinnati Reds (1917) Boston Braves (1919)   *George Halas  played minor league and semi-pro baseball. He was a fine player and eventually earned a promotion to the Yankees, where he played 12 games as an outfielder in 1919. A hip injury effectively ended his baseball career. The next season, a new player took his place...it was Babe Ruth. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sources Cited:      wikipedia.org;      profootballhof.com;      The Official Jim Thorpe Website       Baseball Trivia: In 1908,  the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, defeating Detroit in five games. Four players from that 1908 team, are enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame, Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance were inducted in 1946. Who was the fourth Cub to receive this honor?                                             Answer: Pitcher,   Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown  (inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1949)           Read On                 MORDECAI  "THREE FINGER"   BROWN Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown  (1876 - 1948) Biography:    He was named for :                 his uncle:     Mordecai    (an ancient biblical name)                 his father:    Peter                 the U. S. Centennial       (the year of his birth, 1876) At age 7, while playing on his uncle's Indiana farm, Brown suffered two serious injuries to his right hand.  His hand was permanently damaged. This led to his distinctive nickname, "Three Finger" Brown. Brown learned to pitch as many children did, by aiming rocks at knotholes on the barn wall and other wooden surfaces. With constant practice, he developed great control. His unusual grip gave his pitches an unexpected curve difficult for even the best hitters to pick up. Brown's most productive years were with the Cubs 1904 - 1916:                  W / L :      239-130                  Pct :             .648                  Games :        481                  I P :               3,172.1                  Strikeouts :     1,375                  Lifetime ERA :   2.06,  third best in the majors                  Saves :        49                  won 20 or more games six times                  A switch hitter (unusual for a pitcher), he consistently maintained                     a .200 batting average throughout his career.                  played a key role in two Cub World Series Championships Did You Know:   Brown was one of baseball's first "swing men", alternating between the starting rotation and the bullpen.     Baseball Trivia:       Who was Franklin P. Adams?                                             Answer: Franklin P. Adams (1881-1960) was a columnist for the New York Evening Mail newspaper. On July 10, 1908, a phone call came in to Adams' office.  It was from the composing room at the newspaper. It seemed Adams' column for the late edition was eight lines short. Adams was just leaving his office to go watch the New York Giants play the Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds. He quickly sat down and hurriedly revised his column scrawling eight additional lines which he entitled "Baseball's Sad Lexicon". Adams' classic lines have survived 100 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .and here they are! Baseball's Sad Lexicon by Franklin P. Adams These are the saddest of possible words: Tinker to Evers to Chance. Trio of Bear-cubs, fleeter than birds, Tinker to Evers to Chance. Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble, Making a Giant hit into a double -- Words that are weighty with nothing but trouble: Tinker to Evers to Chance Read On:   JOE TINKER                                         Joseph Bert Tinker Biography: The standout shortstop with exceptional speed in the Chicago Cubs' famed double-play trio, Joe Tinker was an agressive and spirited performer who excelled in clutch situations. He became a regular in 1902 as a 21 year old rookie, and five times, led all National League shortstops in fielding, contributing greatly to four Chicago Cub pennants. Did You Know:  on June 28, 1910, Joe Tinker stole home twice in the same game, a feat that has been accomplished less that a dozen times in major league history! JOHNNY EVERS                                         John Joseph Evers Biography: Johnny Evers was a smart, scrappy and determined second baseman, as the pivot man in the famed Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance infield. His knowledge of the rules enabled him to turn the 1908 National League pennant race around, as a result of the infamous   Fred Merkle Play He helped lead the Chicago Cubs to four National League pennants and two World Championships. Did You Know:  Johnny Evers was presented with a brand new Chalmers automobile as winner of the 1914 Chalmers Award, a predecessor of today's Most Valuable Player award! FRANK CHANCE                                         Frank Leroy Chance Biography: Best known as the first baseman in the Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance double-play combination depicted in the famous poem by Franklin P. Adams, Frank Chance was a skillful fielder and hitter; yet he earned special recognition as the Chicago Cubs' inspirational player-manager. He guided the 'Cub Dynasty', winning four pennants in five years (1906 - 1910) to gain the nickname, "The Peerless Leader". The Club's 116 victories in 1906 remain unmatched in major league history. Did You Know:  Frank Chance became the first player ejected from a World Series game following his argument with future Hall of Fame umpire Tom Connolly in Game Three of the 1910 Fall Classic.   Baseball Trivia: ON THIS DATE IN BASEBALL HISTORY: May 5,1904------Denton '' Cy '' Young   of the Red Sox pitched a perfect game against the Philadephia Athletics, beating Rube Wadell 3--0. Having pitched nine hitless innings in his previous effort, he ran his string of hitless innings to 18.   Baseball Trivia:                   A Brief History Of Baseball          ⇒           Click Here     Baseball Trivia: How many Chicago Cub rookies have won Rookie of the Year in the National League ?       A. 2       B. 3       C. 4       D. 5                                             Answer:  C Billy Williams won in 1961, Kenny Hubbs in 1962, Jerome Walton in 1989, and Kerry Wood in 1998     Baseball Trivia: What is the diameter, in feet, of the pitcher's mound on a major league baseball field ?                                         Answer:      18 feet     Baseball Trivia: Fastest Pitch The fastest, reliably recorded speed at which a baseball has been pitched in a major league game, is 100.9 mph by Nolan Ryan (California Angels) at Anaheim Stadium, August 20, 1974 Longest Home Run The record for the longest measured home run in a major league game is 634 ft, by Micky Mantle of the Yankees against the Tigers at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, September 1960. Most Spectators The record attendance for a single major league baseball game is 92,706. (It was game 5 of the '59 World Series between the White Sox and the recently-moved Dodgers, at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles,  10/6/59. The Sox won 1-0;      WP:  Bob Shaw,      LP:  Sandy Koufax) Youngest Rookie Pitcher Fred Chapman of the Philadelphia Athletics, made his debut on July 22, 1887, at the tender age of 14 years, 7 months, 29 days. Oldest Rookie When Hall-of-Famer Harry Wright played his first major league baseball game, on May 5, 1871, playing center field for Boston, he became the oldest rookie...at age 36. Kerry Wood was 20 years, 10 months, 8 days when he debuted with the Cubs.     Baseball Trivia: What is the highest number of games a Cubs team has won in a regular season ?       A. 100       B. 102       C. 107       D. 116                                       Answer:  D In the 1906 season, the Cubs went 116 - 36.     Baseball Trivia: Who is the all-time career leader in strikeouts per nine innings pitched for the Cubs ?       A. Lee Smith       B. Kerry Wood       C. Mark Prior       D. Fergie Jenkins                                             Answer:  B For his career, Kerry Wood averages 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.     Baseball Trivia: Which manager has the most wins in Cub history ?       A. Frank Chance       B. Charlie Grimm       C. Leo Durocher       D. Bill Killefer                                           Answer:  B Charlie Grimm managed the Cubs for 14 seasons and accumulated a record of 946 - 782.     Baseball Trivia: Who played the most games in a Cubs uniform ?       A. Ernie Banks       B. Billy Williams       C. Sammy Sosa       D. Ryne Sandberg                                         Answer:  A Ernie Banks   Ernie played 2,528 games as a Cub !     Baseball Trivia: Who was the first major league relief pticher to be used solely in "save" situations ?                                         Answer: Bruce Sutter of the Chicago Cubs, in 1979.     Baseball Trivia: Who was the first relief pitcher to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?                                         Answer: Knuckleballer  Hoyt Wilhelm, who was inducted in 1985. Wilhelm played in the majors from 1952 to 1972, primarily for the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and the Chicago White Sox.     Baseball Trivia: Legendary gridiron star  George Gipp......'The Gipper'    (portrayed by Ronald Reagan in the 1940 Warner Brothers movie "Knute Rockne - All American") What sport did 'The Gipper' actually try out for, when he entered Notre Dame University? (1917)                                         Answer:     Baseball 'The Gipper' played center field for the Fighting Irish and was scheduled to begin playing for the Chicago Cubs after graduation. He became ill from a throat infection and died in his Senior year at Notre Dame at the age of 25. (1920)     Baseball Trivia: Who was the first former Little Leaguer to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame                                         Answer: Pitching great  Jim "Catfish" Hunter, who was inducted into the Hall in 1987.     Baseball Trivia: Which two Hall-Of-Fame catchers, grew up across the street from each other?                                         Answer: Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola (who made it to the Hall-of-Fame as a broadcaster). The two lived on Elizabeth Avenue in a neighborhood known as 'The Hill' in south St. Louis, Missouri     Sports Trivia: What was the highest number of points scored in a single college football game?                                         Answer: Georgia Tech  beat  Cumberland College    222-0    in 1916. The "Ramblin' Wrecks" were coached by John Heisman...yes...that  Heisman, for whom the Heisman Trophy is named. The trophy is awarded annually by the Downtown Athletic Club to the most outstanding college football player.     THE  REAL  IRON MAN Cal Ripken didn't miss a game in the Orioles' starting lineup between May 29, 1982 and September 19, 1998.................2,632 games     Baseball Trivia: How many Chicago Cub players' numbers are retired?                                         Answer:      Six 14  Ernie Banks 26  Billy Williams 10  Ron Santo 23  Ryne Sandburg 31  Greg Maddux and Fergie Jenkins (both wore Number 31) An Additional Note: In 1997, Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired throughout all of baseball.     Baseball Trivia: How many Chicago White Sox players' numbers are retired?                                 Answer:      Eight  2  Nellie Fox           2B  3  Harold Baines   OF  4  Luke Appling     SS  9  Minnie Minoso   OF 11  Luis Aparicio    SS 16  Ted Lyons         P & Mgr 19  Billy Pierce        P 72  Carlton Fisk      C   Baseball Trivia: Which U. S. president played minor league baseball?                                     Answer:      Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1911. 'Ike' played in 14 games as a outfielder for the Junction City, Kansas team in the Central Kansas League, using the assumed name of Wilson, in order to protect his amateur status so he could play football at West Point. He abruptly quit when local news accounts of his impressive play attracted several major league scouts.   "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."....Yogi Berra   Back To Top COOPERSTOWN MAJOR   LEAGUE BASEBALL HALL   OF   FAME CHICAGO   CUBS HOMER   GLEN MEGAPLEX BALLPARK SPORTS   ACADEMY