Baseball Triva
Do the National and American Leagues use a different ball?
— Both Leagues use the same stamped ball.
How many balls are usually made available for use at the beginning of each major league game?
— 72.
Before a game an umpire removes the sheen from each new ball by rubbing it with river mud obtained from what location?
— New Jersey. The same mud has been used by all Major League teams and most minor league teams since the 1950’s.
— Read about this mysterious substance, Lena Blackburne’s Baseball Rubbing Mud, here.
How many baseballs do the Major Leagues use annually?
— Approximately 60,000 dozen! That’s 720,000 baseballs!
How many stitches are there in an Official Major League Baseball?
— 108 stitches.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is located in Cooperstown, New York.
It was created in what year?*
— 1935.
Who teams played in the 1st World Series?
— Pittsburgh and Boston- Boston won the nine-game series 5-3.
What year was the first world Series played?
— 1903.
Baltimore Orioleís shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. played in how many strait games?
— Cal played in 2,632 games from 1982 to 1998 that 16 years!
Approximately how much does an official baseball weigh?
— 5 Ounces.
Approximately how big around is an official baseball?
— 9 Inches.
What is the maximum allowed length of a bat?
— 42 Inches.
What is the maximum allowed diameter?
— 2.75 Inches.
The average life of a MLB is how many pitches?
— 6 to 7 Pitches.
Baseball stars from the National League and the American League played the first All-Star Game in what year?
— 1933.
What leage has won the most All-Star games?
— The National League has won 40 of the 73 games.
Which MLB Manager has the most wins?
— Connie Mack, 3,755 Wins!
What year did inter-league play begin for the first time?
— 1997. The first inter-league game was played on June 12, 1997.
Who is the only person to play on four World Championship teams in his first four years in the big leagues?
— Joe DiMaggio, the 1936-39 Yankees.
Who was the first reliever to win the Cy Young Award?
— Mike Marshall, 1974.
Who was the youngest player to win the Cy Young Award?
— Dwight Gooden, 1984.
Was the first catcher to win the Rookie of the Year award?
— Johnny Bench , 1968.
Who holds these lifetime achievements & is NOT in the Hall of Fame?
1st in number of games played, 1st in at bats, 1st in hits, 2nd in doubles, 6th in total bases, 4th in runs scored!
— Pete Rose.
Who holds the current MLB record for most Walks, Stolen Bases & Runs Scored?
— Rickey Henderson. 2,179 Walks, 1,406 Stolen Bases, 2,288 Runs Scored!
Who holds the MLB lifetime Batting Average record?
— Ty Cobb with a .367 AVG.
What were the only two brothers to win the Cy Young Award?
— Jim Perry (1970)& Gaylord Perry (1972 & 1978).
Who is the only pitcher to save three consecutive All Star games?
— Dennis Eckersley.
Who is the only pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP?
— Don Newcombe.
Who had his number retired on three different teams?
— Nolan Ryan (Angles, Astros & Rangers).
Who has allowed the most walks in their career?
— Nolan Ryan (2,795 Career Walks).
What four players won pitching’s “triple crown” (leading the league in ERA, wins and strikeouts) in two consecutive years?
— Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Grove & Grover Alexander.
What pitcher has the most career losses?
— Cy Young (316 Looses. Cy Young also holds the record with the most wins!).
Who is the shortest home run champion?
— Hack Wilson (5 Feet 6 Inches). He led MLB in 1926, 1927, 1928 & 1930. His 57 HR’s in 1930 stood as the National League record until 1998.
How many times did Babe Ruth win the batting average title?
— One! Really.
Who hit over .300 in the most consecutive seasons?
— Ty Cobb (23 Strait Seasons).
What two players have won two Triple Crowns?
— Ted Williams & Rodger Hornsby.
What hitter ranks 1st in On-base percentage, 2nd in slugging, 3rd in walks, 6th in batting and is tied for 11th in home runs?
— Ted Williams.
What did Rod Carew do in 1972 that no AL player has ever done?
— Rod won the batting title with out hitting a home run!
Who was the first hitter to reach 1,000 strikeouts?
— Babe Ruth.
Who was the first hitter to reach 1,500 strikeouts?
— Mickey Mantle.
Who hit into the most double plays in their career?
— Hank Aaron (328).
Who is the only player to steal five bases in one game?
— Tony Gwynn, REALLY. (Modern Era).
Who was the first player to steal 500 bases and hit 200 home runs?
— Joe Morgan.
Who is the only player to win the Stolen Base Title in both leagues?
— Ron LaFlore (Tigers & Expos).
Who is the only player to steal at least 100 bases in his first three years in the big leagues?
— Vince Coleman (1985 – 1987).
What player went the longest without a stolen base?
— Cecil Fielder (3,794 at bats).
Who played the most games for just one team?
— Carl Yastrzemski (3,308 Boston Red Sox).
What father-son combo have been All-Star game MVPs?
— Ken Griffy Sr.(1980) & Ken Griffy Jr.(1992).
Who said:
“Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.”
“You can observe a lot by watching.”
“If the people don’t want to come out to the park, nobody’s going to stop them.”
“Think! How the heck are you gonna think and hit at the same time?”
— Yogi Berra. (15 Time All-Star & 3 Time MVP).
What former Negro League player is the only pitcher in the Hall of Fame with a losing major league record?
— Satchel Page.
What clan consisting of Ray, Bob and Bret became the first three-generation family to play major league baseball?
— The Boone Family.
Who set a major league record for the fewest errors by a shortstop, with three in 1990?
— Cal Ripkin Jr.
Who was the only major leaguer to play at least 500 games with each of four teams – Houston, Montréal, New York and Detroit?
— Rusty Staub.
Who was the only MLB player to play over 500 games at each of five different positions?
— Pete Rose.
Who has the most wins as a pitcher in Dodgers history?
— Don Sutton.
What Nicaraguan-born MLB player was known as “Arriba!” to adoring Latin fans?
— Roberto Clemente.
How many home run titles did Roger Maris win?
— One.
What two players are tied for second behind Ty Cobb in total career runs?
— Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.
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