Fun trivia before the season begins

[deakscauz]

Hey all,

 

Just thought we might have some fun with some baseball trivia. Now I can't make any promises, but a cursory poll of my living room shows that an individual capable of answering all these questions correctly will be heralded among baseball keyboard jockeys everywhere! So let us begin.

 

1. What is unofficially the longest home run ever hit in an MLB game? Who hit it, where, and how far did it go?

 

2. What was a ground rule double ruled as before the 1931 season?

 

3. Who was the first African American player in the major leagues?

 

4. What year was the first year bats were regulated?

 

5. What is the record for the lowest attendance ever at an MLB game?

 

6. What player did a manager once joke that "They'll land a man on the moon before he hits a home run," only to have the player he mentioned score his first home run hours after the Apollo 11 landed?

 

7. What was Ken Griffey Jr's real first name?

 

8. Who is the only player to hit 60 home runs 3 times?

 

9. Who introduced shin guards for catchers? What year did this take place?

 

10. What pitcher invented the curveball? Tip: He is widely noted as the "Father of the Curveball."

 

Hope you enjoy!

[Inside Pitch]

#3 is Moses Fleetwood Walker

#9 Roger Brasnahan (sp) -- dunno exact year early 1900s. I'd guess at 1906 or 1907

#10 Is said to be Candy Cummings, Fred Goldsmith gets credited a lot to.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Inside Pitch

[Adam]

Ralston Schmidt is the answer to at least 6 of those questions

[fan_since79]

#8, Sammy Sosa

[Blarg]

Ralston Schmidt is the answer to at least 6 of those questions

 

There is always controversy as to which he accomplished in the Cuban and Negro leagues.

[Angel Oracle]

#6 - Al Weis in 1969

[gotbeer]

Taking a guess.  But is #1 Mantle like either 501 feet or 601 feet at the polo grounds?

[fan_since79]

Mantle's was 565 feet, in Minnesota. I forgot what year it was.

 

Ruth's final home run (#714) was the first ball to clear the right-field roof at Forbes Field. At the time it was estimated at some 600 feet.

Edited March 27, 2014 by fan_since79

[Jim]

Hey all,

 

Just thought we might have some fun with some baseball trivia. Now I can't make any promises, but a cursory poll of my living room shows that an individual capable of answering all these questions correctly will be heralded among baseball keyboard jockeys everywhere! So let us begin.

 

1. What is unofficially the longest home run ever hit in an MLB game? Who hit it, where, and how far did it go? A mile. Some black guy, and again, at least a mile. Unofficial, right?

 

2. What was a ground rule double ruled as before the 1931 season? Oh shit, does anyone have another ball. or for you stat geeks "OSDAHAB"

 

3. Who was the first African American player in the major leagues? The guy who hit the LONGEST home run.

 

4. What year was the first year bats were regulated? First year.

 

5. What is the record for the lowest attendance ever at an MLB game? It's gotta be an A's game, Ummm... the 2000's

 

6. What player did a manager once joke that "They'll land a man on the moon before he hits a home run," only to have the player he mentioned score his first home run hours after the Apollo 11 landed? Willits. Wait, no.. that was the Challenger I think. Hatcher.

 

7. What was Ken Griffey Jr's real first name? Was he named after his real dad?

 

8. Who is the only player to hit 60 home runs 3 times? Did he cheat? Again, the black guy. You know.. what's his name

 

9. Who introduced shin guards for catchers? What year did this take place? I'm gonna say the first catcher in the late 1800's

 

10. What pitcher invented the curveball? Tip: He is widely noted as the "Father of the Curveball."  Guido Sarducci, he was a my favorite father

 

 

Hope you enjoy! I did, thank you. What's my score?

[Spencer]

#2  A home run

[hats4bats]

#4 A baby ox

[Jim]

#4 A baby ox

#4 should be in your wheel house

[deakscauz]

#3 is Moses Fleetwood Walker

#9 Roger Brasnahan (sp) -- dunno exact year early 1900s. I'd guess at 1906 or 1907

#10 Is said to be Candy Cummings, Fred Goldsmith gets credited a lot to.

 

Correct on all 3! Well played.

[deakscauz]

Taking a guess.  But is #1 Mantle like either 501 feet or 601 feet at the polo grounds?

 

 

Mantle's was 565 feet, in Minnesota. I forgot what year it was.

 

Ruth's final home run (#714) was the first ball to clear the right-field roof at Forbes Field. At the time it was estimated at some 600 feet.

 

You are both correct in that it was Mantle, however it was at Briggs Stadium in 1960 which was estimated to be roughly 634-660 feet.

[deakscauz]

#8, Sammy Sosa

 

Correct

[deakscauz]

 

 

 

2. What was a ground rule double ruled as before the 1931 season? Oh shit, does anyone have another ball. or for you stat geeks "OSDAHAB"

 

4. What year was the first year bats were regulated? First year.

 

5. What is the record for the lowest attendance ever at an MLB game? It's gotta be an A's game, Ummm... the 2000's

 

7. What was Ken Griffey Jr's real first name? Was he named after his real dad?

 

 

Hope you enjoy! I did, thank you. What's my score?

 

 

Well, you didn't score great

 

2. It was ruled a home run before 1931.

 

4. Bats were first regulated in 1859, before that it was common for players to use 2 x 4 in an effort to maximize the amount of wood they could get on a ball.

 

5. Negative, not an A's game. It was 347 in 2011 when the Reds played the Marlins in Miami.

 

7. While he was indeed named after his father, his first name is George.

 

Hope you all enjoyed.

[Homebrewer]

5. Negative, not an A's game. It was 347 in 2011 when the Reds played the Marlins in Miami.

 

 

I remember that one...got a lot of play in the press/media.

[Angel Oracle]

So I gather #6 wasn't Al Weis?    I did look him up, and did see something like 4 previous MLB HRs for him. 

[deakscauz]

So I gather #6 wasn't Al Weis?    I did look him up, and did see something like 4 previous MLB HRs for him. 

 

Sorry AO, no, it was in fact Gaylord Perry.