Baseball trivia quiz goes deep
So you're the world's biggest Derek Jeter fan. You've memorized all his stats and you know the names of all the glamourous women he's dated. You know he had more hits than any other big-leaguer from 1996 to 2001.
But did you know his real name is Derek Sanderson Jeter? Yes, the Yankees' star shortstop was named after a hockey player. Jeter's father, Charles, was a big fan of Derek Sanderson - the flamboyant former Boston Bruins bad boy.
Oh, and did you know that Jeter has the same birthday as Abner Doubleday? So when Red Sox fans sneer and say Jeter acts as if he invented the game, you can say he was born on the same date as the man who supposedly did.
By now, you've guessed that it's that twisted time of year: my annual baseball trivia quiz. As always, it will torture, entertain and illuminate. There are 56 possible answers, in honor of Joe DiMaggio's hit streak.
1. Last year, Carl Crawford became the fifth player since World War II with 30 doubles, 15 triples and 15 home runs in a season. Name the other four. Two of them did it in 1984.
2. Until his injury, Albert Pujols was gunning to become the first player to lead his league in runs scored four years in a row. Who was the last NL player to do it three straight years? How about the AL?
3. Name the only two pitchers who have struck out more than 2,000 batters and lost fewer than 100 games.
4. Not counting pitchers, five MVPs in the last 50 years hit fewer than 10 home runs. Three came in a four-year period, only one in the last 25 years.
5. Only one righthanded hitter born in the last 100 years has a career batting average over .330. All right, he's still alive.
6. Ah, memories: Who was the winning pitcher in Boston's comeback win over the Yanks in Game Four of the 2004 ALCS? He didn't appear in the World Series, and he's no longer active.
7. Since 1900, a player has stolen 80 bases in a season 23 times. Name the six who did it a combined 14 times in the '80s.
8. Name the six players with 300 home runs and 300 steals. Three are related (sort of). Two reached the standard in the last month.
9. This is my favorite question. Four pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in both leagues. They're also the only four pitchers to lead both leagues in strikeouts.
10. Two years ago, Cincinnati's Adam Dunn hit 46 homers and struck out 195 times, a big-league record. Name the former Reds slugger who hit 171 homers and struck out only 140 times from 1953-56.
11. Name the three left-handed batters who won the American League home run title between 1985 and 2005.
12. Name the three players who have hit 50 home runs in a season and fewer than 300 for a career.
13. He stole 558 career bases and was among the top 10 in steals 13 times between 1981-97. But he never led the league (though he did lead in triples four times).
14. Bobby Bonds held the single-season strikeout record for 35 years until Dunn broke it. Who held the record until Bonds broke it in 1969?
15. Hard to believe, but he's the only player in history with 35 homers and 200 hits in three consecutive seasons. He's the only player ever to lead the AL in homers and triples in the same season.
16. Who was the last Indian to win 20 games? How about the last Indians lefty?
17. Three pitchers have won their 200th career game this season. Who are they? One of them did it just last Sunday.
18. Ichiro Suzuki has led the AL in singles five years in a row. Who is the active leader in singles? Two big clues: Pete Rose was in the lineup the day he got his first hit, and he actually stole a base Thursday.
19. Two pitchers have recorded a 20-win season, a 40-save season, and pitched a no-hitter. One is active.
20. Silly alphabet time: seven players whose last name begins with "O" have 200 homers. O, one is active.
