Express Baseball

BASEBALL TRIVIA

How to snag a Major League baseball

Catching a baseball at a major league game is magical.
And it takes a lot of luck....or does it?

Zack Hample has made a career of it.
He's caught more than 3,000.
He'll teach you the tricks of this fascinating trade.

See It All . . . . Click Here

Turn Up The Sound and Enjoy!!

Fun With Nicknames!
Can You Name the Player???

(Click to reveal the each name)

The "Sultan of Swat"

George Herman "Babe" Ruth, "The Bambino", 1914-1935 Red Sox, Yankees

"Charlie Hustle"

Pete Rose, 1963-1986 Reds, Phillies

The "Yankee Clipper"

Joe DiMaggio, 1936-1951 Yankees

The "Little Professor"

Dominic (Dom) DiMaggio, the younger brother of Joe DiMaggio went by the nickname "The Little Professor" because of his small stature and eyeglasses.

Dom, a centerfielder, played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox (1940-1942, 1946-1953).

Vince DiMaggio, the older brother of Joe DiMaggio, broke into the majors in, 1937, with the Boston Bees.

Vince, an outfielder, played with the Cincinnati Reds, 1939-40; Pittsburgh Pirates, 1940-46; New York Giants, 1946.

The "Old Professor"

Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel, player 1912-1925 mgr. 1934-1965

The "Say-Hey Kid"

Willie Mays, 1951-73 Giants, Mets

"Stan the Man"

Stan Musial, 1941-1963 Cardinals

The "Georgia Peach"

Ty Cobb, 1905-1928 Tigers, Philadelphia A's

"Mr. Cub"

Ernie Banks, 1953-71 Cubs

"Double X"

Jimmy Foxx, 1925-45 Philadelphia A's, Phillies

"Splendid Splinter"

Ted Williams, Red Sox

The "Flying Dutchman"

Honus Wagner, Louisville Colonels, Pirates

The "Iron Horse"

Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig, Yankees

The "Iron Man"

Cal Ripken, Jr, 1981-2001 Orioles

"Commerce Comet"

Micky Mantle, Yankees

"Big Six"

Christy Mathewson, P, Giants

Nicknamed by his teammates, Mathewson was over six feet tall, which was unusually tall for that era (1902).

"Connie Mack"

Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr., player: 1886-1896 mgr: 1894-1950

Owner/manager of the Philadelphia Athletics for the club's first
50 years, retired at age 87 following the 1950 season. Photos

Billy Sunday

It's his real name! White Stockings (1883-1887), Allegheneys, Phillies

Sunday was an outstanding and popular ball player noted for his spectacular, 'circus catches' in the outfield.

While still with Chicago, he experienced a religious conversion at the Pacific Garden Mission, which led to the career for which he is best known, a fire and brimstone preaching evangelist.

Years later, another evangelist condemned singer, Frank Sinatra, for his recording of the hit song Chicago, because it contains the lyrics: "Chicago, the town that Billy Sunday couldn't shut down".

"Yaz"

Carl Yastrzemski, 1961-83 Red Sox

"Popeye"

Don Zimmer, player 1954-66 mgr 1972-91

"Catfish"

Jim "Catfish" Hunter, P, A's, Yankees

"The Bird"

Mark Fidrych, 1976 - 1980 P, Tigers

"Satchel"

Leroy "Satchel" Paige, P, Indians, St Louis Browns, A's

"Scooter"

Fiero Francis "Phil" Rizzuto, SS, Yankees

"Moose"

William Joseph "Bill" Skowron, 1B, Yankees, White Sox

"Crime Dog"

Fred McGriff, 1986-2004 1B, Blue jays, Devil rays

The "Red Baron"

Rick Sutcliffe, 1976-94 P, Dodgers, Cubs

"The Chairman of the Board"

No, No, No...not Frank Sinatra; it was pitching great "Whitey" Ford

Whitey Ford

Edward Charles Ford
   Bats:  Left
   Throws:  Left
   First Game:  07-01-1950 (Age 21), Yankees
   Last Game:  05-21-1967, Yankees
   AL-Cy Young, 1961
   World Series MVP, 1961
   Hall of Fame:  1974

"Dizzy"

No, no, no, no, not "Dizzy" Gillespie the trumpet player.............

It was pitching great Jerome Hanna "Dizzy" Dean ...along with
his brother, pitcher Paul "Daffy" Dean, played in the famous
"Gashouse Gang", one of the great Cardinal teams of all time (1934)

Speaking of Nicknames.....

The Gashouse Gang

The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals: baseball's most colorful team

The Cardinals, by most accounts, earned their nickname from their generally shabby appearance and their colorful, rough-and-tumble antics.

An opponent once stated the Cardinal players usually went onto the field in unwashed, dirty and smelly uniforms, which usually spread horror among their rivals.

The scrappy shortstop, Leo Durocher, according to one account, coined the term "gashouse".

Having played for the New York Yankees, he observed, "Back east, they all think we're just a bunch of gashousers out here."

The expression "gas house" referred to plants that manufactured town gas from coal for local use in cooking and lighting.

Dizzy Dean

A common fixture in U.S. cities before the advent of natural gas pipelines, the gas works were noted for their foul smell and were typically located near rail yards in the poorer sections of town.

Led by the irrepressible "Dizzy" Dean, and a supporting cast of hard-nosed, slightly off-beat, Damon Runyon-like characters, "The Gas House Gang" captured the imagination of depression-era Americans, and made good on their antics by winning the pennant and the World Series in 1934.

The Gashouse Gang won pennants in 1930, 31 and 34.

The team featured five regulars who hit at least .300

    A 30-game winner:  "Dizzy" Dean (the last pitcher in the Majors to win 30 games, until
         Denny McLain achieved the feat in 1968 for the Detroit Tigers).

Dean also had 199 strikeouts in 1934, mostly gained by his speedy fastball; he liked to call his
Dizzy and Daffy Dean

"fogger."

    Brother, Paul "Daffy" Dean, who had 19 wins himself in 1934, pitched a no-
         hitter on September 21, in a 3-0 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers

    Joe Medwick won the Batting Triple Crown in 1937 (31 HR's, .374 Avg.,
         154 RBI's)

    The Gashouse Gang had four players on the 1934 All-Star Team
               "Dizzy" Dean,  P
                Frankie Frisch,  2B
               "Pepper" Martin,  3B
               "Ducky" Medwick,  OF

Leo, "The Lip" went on to gain further notoriety as a manager (Brooklyn Dodgers,
1939-1948; New York Giants, 1948-1955; Cubs, 1966-1972; Astros, 1972-1973).

More Nicknames!

The 1934 St.Louis Cardinals Lineup
(The Gas House Gang)

      Virgil "Spud" Davis,     C

      James "Ripper" Collins,     1B

      Frankie "The Fordham Flash" Frisch,    2B / Mgr.

      John "Pepper" Martin,     3B

      Leo "The Lip" Durocher,    SS

      Charles "Chick" Fullis,    OF

      Clifford "Pat" Crawford,    IF

      Joe "Ducky" Medwick,    OF

      Ernest "Ernie" Orsatti,    OF

      Burgess "Whitey" Whitehead,    IF

      James "Tex" Carleton,    P

      Jerome "Dizzy" Dean,    P

      Paul "Daffy" Dean,    P

      Jesse "Pop" Haines,    P

      Bill "Wild Bill" Hallahan,    P

      Clarence "Dazzy" Vance,    P

Baseball Trivia:

What Hall of Fame pitcher threw the first and only opening day no hitter?

Scroll down for the correct answer

Answer:
Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller threw a no hitter blanking the Chicago White Sox 1-0 on opening day, April 16, 1940.

To date (through 2009) this is the first and only opening day no hitter.

Baseball Trivia:

What is the major league record for the fewest pitches thrown by a single pitcher in a complete nine-inning game?

Scroll down for the correct answer

Answer: 58 Pitches

Boston Braves pitcher Charley "Red" Barrett did it in a 2-0 shutout at Crosley
Field, Cincinnati against Reds on August 10, 1944.

The game lasted 1 hour, 15 minutes; the shortest night game on record.

Baseball Trivia:

What Hall of Fame pitcher struck out the opposing side, using only nine pitches......
......twice......once in the American League and once in the National League!

Answer: Nolan Ryan

He did it as a New York Met in 1968 against the L.A. Dodgers,
and he did it as a California Angel in 1972 against the Boston Red Sox.

Baseball Trivia:

How many pairs of brothers have ever pitched on the same major league team together?

Brothers in "Arms"
Jesse and Virgil Barnes	N. Y. Giants	1922, 23
Dizzy and Daffy Dean	Cardinals	1934-37
Dave and Dennis Bennett	Phillies	1964
Phil and Joe Niekro	Braves	1973, 74
Gaylord and Jim Perry	Indians	1974, 75
Rick and Paul Reuschel	Cubs	1975-78
Rick and Mickey Mahler	Braves	1979
Andy and Alan Benes	Cardinals	2000, 01
Jeff and Jared Weaver	Angels	2006

Twin brothers Eddie and Johnny O'Brien pitched for the Pirates - 1957, 58
(although they were primarily infielders for the Pirates - 1953-58)

Baseball Trivia:

In which play does the runner on third base not break for home with the pitch?

Answer: The Safety Squeeze

The "safety Squeeze" is performed by the batter bunting the ball, but the runner on third
does not break with the pitch.

Rather, the runner waits to see where the ball is bunted and makes sure it is either past the pitcher or not fielded before breaking for home.

In the "suicide Squeeze", the runner on third breaks for home as the pitch is thrown.

Baseball Trivia:

A Brief History Of Baseball ⇒ Click Here

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, April 12, 1998 vs. Expos.

Five Strikeouts....In One Inning???

Baseball Trivia:

The MLB record for strikeouts by a pitcher in one inning is four. Several pitchers have done it. However, one pitcher once struck out five batters in one inning.

Who did it and in what year?

Answer:

In a 1976 spring training game, Astros knuckleballer, Joe Niekro, struck out the side (Minnesota Twins). All five outs in the inning were strikeouts.

What Happened!
Astros catcher, Cliff Johnson, had such difficulty catching Niekro's knuckleball; he committed five passed balls including two on third strikes, allowing the two additional batters to reach first base safely.

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 baseball
team, 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.

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:

Four

14 Ernie Banks
26 Billy Williams
10 Ron Santo
23 Ryne Sandburg

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:

What player pulled off the first unassisted triple play in a World Series game?

Answer:

In the top of the fifth inning of game five of the 1920 World Series between Cleveland and the Brooklyn Dodgers, with runners on first and second, and nobody out, Cleveland second baseman William Wambsganss (don't ask me to pronounce it) performed the feat.

Wambsganss (2B) caught a line drive hit by Clarence Mitchell, stepped on second base to force Pete Kilduff, and tagged Otto Miller coming in from first base, completing the first unassisted triple play in World Series history.

Cleveland went on to win the Series 5 games to 2.

Batter Up!

A Brief History Of the Louisville Slugger ⇒ Click Here

Baseball Trivia:

Which U. S. president played minor league baseball?

Answer:

Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1911.
He 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