George Will's Annual Baseball Quiz

This column does not grade on the curve but believes that those—you know who you were—who flunked last spring's baseball quiz deserve a do-over. So:

1. Who pitched three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters?

2. Which pitcher had 107 wins by age 23?

3. Which pitcher won the most games in the 1950s?

4. Who was the youngest pitcher to win the American League ERA title?

5. Who is the only pitcher to win a 14-inning complete World Series game?

6. Which Hall of Famer hit his only home run in the first at-bat of his 21-season career?

7. In 1942 Ted Williams won the Triple Crown (batting average, home runs, RBIs) but lost the MVP vote. To whom?

8. In 1949 Williams would have won the Triple Crown had he not lost the batting title by .00016 to which Hall of Famer?

9. Who is the only player to appear in the World Series with four different franchises?

10. Which contemporary of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron exceeded them in career batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage?

11. Who is the only player to steal at least 70 bases in six consecutive seasons?

12. Who is the only player to lead his league, or tie for the lead, in home runs for seven consecutive seasons?

13. Who played on five World Series–winning teams in his first five seasons?

14. Who managed three different teams in the World Series?

15. Who struck out a record 10 consecutive batters?

16. Who pitched 33? consecutive scoreless World Series innings?

17. Who was the youngest pitcher to toss a World Series shutout?

18. Who got the most hits in the 1950s? Who hit the most home runs in the 1950s? Who drove in the most runs in the 1950s? Who played for a World Series winner and an NBA winner in the 1950s? Which pitcher had six consecutive 20-win seasons in the 1950s?

19. Name the pitcher who, commenting on giving up a record 505 home runs, said: "I served up home run balls to Negroes, Italians, Jews, Catholics alike. Race, creeds, nationality made no difference to me."

20. Who is the only person to be named Rookie of the Year, MVP, World Series MVP, and All-Star Game MVP? Which contemporary of Mays, Aaron, Ernie Banks, Orlando Cepeda, Eddie Mathews, Roberto Clemente, and Stan Musial nevertheless led the National League in slugging percentage three consecutive years?

21. Who is the only player to be MVP of both leagues?

22. Which pitcher won the highest percentage of his team's wins in a season?

23. Which pitcher retired the most batters consecutively?

24. Who had at least one extra-base hit in 14 consecutive games?

25. Who was the only player in the big leagues when Babe Ruth hit his last home run and Aaron hit his first?

26. What has been the most rare—pitching a perfect game, hitting four home runs in a game, or making an unasisted triple play?

27. Which three players had at least 100 career home runs with three different teams?

28. What was the last year when an entire World Series was played in one ballpark?

29. Don Mattingly shares the record for the most grand slams in a season, with six. How many more did he hit in his 14-season career?

30. Who is the youngest player to reach the 100-home-run milestone? Which Hall of Famer was the youngest in his major league debut?

31. Name the Hall of Famer who, when asked if he had ever felt more pressure than when he pitched in the World Series, said, "Well, there was the Battle of the Bulge."

32. Which two teammates played together the longest?

33. Which three players hit major league home runs as teenagers and when over 40?

34. Which franchise has hosted the World Series in four different stadiums?

35. Which franchise has won the World Series five times, each time in seven games? Which franchise has lost the World Series four times, each time in seven games? Which franchise has lost the most World Series?

36. Who had 12 RBIs in a World Series? Who had hits in 17 consecutive World Series games?

37. Who are the 12 players who won back-to-back MVP awards?

38. Which pitcher won 20 or more games for 12 consecutive seasons?

39. Name the top five players in games played and the top five career batting averages, according to MLB, since 1900?

BONUS QUESTION: Explain the putout that was scored 8–8.

FOR ANSWERS, SEE NEXT PAGE

ANSWERS:

1. THE INDIANS' BOB FELLER
2. BOB FELLER
3. THE BRAVES' WARREN SPAHN
4. BABE RUTH, AGE 21, 1916
5. BABE RUTH, 1916
6. PITCHER HOYT WILHELM
7. YANKEES SECOND BASEMAN JOE GORDON
8. TIGERS THIRD BASEMAN GEORGE KELL
9. LONNIE SMITH, WITH THE PHILLIES, CARDINALS, ROYALS, AND BRAVES
10. STAN MUSIAL
11. THE EXPOS' TIM RAINES
12. THE PIRATES' RALPH KINER
13. YANKEES SECOND BASEMAN JERRY COLEMAN
14. BILL MCKECHNIE WITH THE 1925 PIRATES, 1928 CARDINALS, AND 1939 AND 1940 REDS
15. THE METS' TOM SEAVER
16. THE YANKEES' WHITEY FORD
17. THE ORIOLES' JIM PALMER AT 20
18. THE PHILLIES' RICHIE ASHBURN; THE DODGERS' DUKE SNIDER; DUKE SNIDER; GENE CONLEY, FOR THE 1957 MILWAUKEE BRAVES AND THE 1958–59 BOSTON CELTICS; THE PHILLIES' ROBIN ROBERTS
19. ROBIN ROBERTS
20. FRANK ROBINSON; FRANK ROBINSON
21. FRANK ROBINSON WITH THE 1961 REDS AND 1966 ORIOLES
22. STEVE CARLTON, WHO WAS 27-10 FOR THE 1972 PHILLIES, WINNERS OF ONLY 59 GAMES 23. THE WHITE SOX'S MARK BUEHRLE, 45
24. THE PIRATES' PAUL WANER
25. THE CUBS' PHIL CAVARRETTA
26. 15 PLAYERS HAVE HIT FOUR HOME RUNS IN A GAME; 15 HAVE TURNED UNASSISTED TRIPLE PLAYS; AND 18 HAVE PITCHED PERFECT GAMES
27. DARRELL EVANS (BRAVES, GIANTS, TIGERS), REGGIE JACKSON (A'S, YANKEES, ANGELS), AND ALEX RODRIGUEZ (MARINERS, RANGERS, YANKEES)
28. 1944, CARDINALS VS. BROWNS
29. ZERO
30. THE GIANTS' MEL OTT; MEL OTT
31. THE BRAVES' WARREN SPAHN
32. TIGERS SHORTSTOP ALAN TRAMMELL AND SECOND BASEMAN LOU WHITAKER
33. TY COBB, GARY SHEFFIELD, AND RUSTY STAUB
34. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
35. THE PIRATES, RED SOX, AND YANKEES
36. THE YANKEES' BOBBY RICHARDSON; THE YANKEES' HANK BAUER
37. THE A'S JIMMY FOXX, 1932–33; THE TIGERS' HAL NEWHOUSER, 1944–45; THE YANKEES' YOGI BERRA, 1954–55; THE YANKEES' MICKEY MANTLE, 1956–57; THE CUBS' ERNIE BANKS, 1958–59; THE YANKEES' ROGER MARIS, 1960–61; THE REDS' JOE MORGAN, 1975–76; THE PHILLIES' MIKE SCHMIDT, 1980–81; THE BRAVES' DALE MURPHY, 1982–83; THE WHITE SOX'S FRANK THOMAS, 1993–94; THE GIANTS' BARRY BONDS, 2001–04; THE CARDINALS' ALBERT PUJOLS, 2008–09
38. THE GIANTS' CHRISTY MATHEWSON
39. PETE ROSE (3,562), CARL YASTRZEMSKI (3,308), HANK AARON (3,298), RICKEY HENDERSON (3,081), TY COBB (3,035); TY COBB (.367), ROGERS HORNSBY (.358), TRIS SPEAKER (.345), TED WILLIAMS (.344), HARRY HEILMANN (.342)
BONUS QUESTION: PLAYING IN THE NEGRO LEAGUES, HALL OF FAME CENTER FIELDER "COOL PAPA" BELL FIELDED A GROUNDER, OVERTHREW THIRD BASE, RACED IN TO FIELD THE CAROM OF HIS THROW OFF THE THIRD-BASE DUGOUT ROOF, AND TAGGED THE RUNNER AT THIRD.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqCcqKqXmnq4tculqmaZnqPCoriMm5isnZKWua150K6gs2VmboN0hQ%3D%3D