Knock This Baseball History Quiz Out of the Park

A former federal judge, Kenesaw Mountain Landis was appointed MLB commissioner in 1920 in the wake of the Black Sox scandal, in which the Chicago White Sox were believed to have been bribed to throw the 1919 World Series. Landis ruled the league with an iron fist, and none of his decisions were ever overturned. In 1944, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

On January 11, 1973, the American League adopted the designated hitter rule, which permitted a completely different hitter to bat in place of the pitcher. On April 6 of that year, the New York Yankees' Ron Blomberg stepped up to the plate and became the league's first DH, earning a walk against Red Sox hurler Luis Tiant. The DH rule was finally adopted league-wide in the 2022 season.

On February 2, 1936, the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class was announced and featured stellar hitter Ty Cobb, hard-throwing righty Walter Johnson, lefty ace Christy Mathewson, skilled shortstop Honus Wagner, and the powerful Babe Ruth. Lou Gehrig was elected three years later.

In 1939, Candy Cummings was elected to the Hall of Fame not for his statistical resume — which only featured 145 wins, as he retired at the age of 28 — but for his invention of the curveball. He conceived of the idea in 1863 while throwing seashells into the ocean and making them curve in the air. Cummings found it troubling to dominate opposing batters with speed, and decided instead to spend years perfecting the curveball in order to gain an edge.

In 1974, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John's career appeared to be over when the athlete tore his UCL to the point of disrepair. His surgeon, Dr. Frank Jobe, pioneered a new ligament-replacement procedure that saved not only John's career but the careers of countless pitchers since. The surgery continues to bear John’s name today.

For seven straight seasons, first baseman Frank Thomas maintained record-breaking numbers of home runs, walks, and RBI. His incredible stats and ability to take out opposing pitchers earned him the nickname "the Big Hurt."

On August 18, 1910, Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, opened its doors as the Birmingham Barons took on the Montgomery Climbers. At the time of its construction, the stadium became the first concrete and steel ballpark in the minor leagues, and was named after local industrialist A.H. "Rick" Woodward. Though the Barons left Rickwood Field in 1987, they return once every year to play a game dubbed the "Rickwood Classic" in honor of the city's rich baseball history.

For decades, pitchers had been using spit to alter the trajectory of a baseball, but in 1920, team owners decided to ban the pitch in an effort to increase offense. At the time of its banning, 17 spitballers were permitted to continue using the pitch until their retirement, including Red Faber, Burleigh Grimes, and Urban Shocker. Despite its ban, some pitchers continued to sneakily throw spitballs, including Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry, who was finally caught and ejected for throwing the pitch during his 21st MLB season.

1938 marked the sophomore season for the Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer, who accomplished something no other baseball player has ever done. On June 1 against the Boston Braves and on June 15 versus the Brooklyn Cyclones, Vander Meer threw back-to-back no-hitters. He also went on to set the record for consecutive hitless innings, with 21.2.

It wasn't until 1903 that the long-established National League granted equal status to the newer American League, and thus the World Series featuring the champions of both leagues was born. The inaugural event saw the Boston Americans (later known as the Red Sox) defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three in a best-of-nine series. The World Series was canceled the following year as the NL champion New York Giants refused to participate, though it resumed in 1905.

Between 1982 and 1998, Cal Ripken Jr. shattered all previous records by playing an incredible 2,632 consecutive games. Ripken primarily played shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, a demanding position that made his streak all the more impressive. During this time, he also earned two MVP awards, along with the moniker “Iron Man.” He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Though many Hall of Fame players defended their country in the line of duty, only Ted Williams left baseball behind on two separate occasions to serve in the U.S. Marines and Navy. Williams missed three seasons during the 1940s during WWII, and in 1952, left for Korea after playing only six games that season. He returned to the sport on August 6, 1953, to finish out his career.

In 1905, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner signed an endorsement deal with J.F. Hillerich & Son, allowing them to use his facsimile signature on their Louisville Slugger baseball bats. Wagner was the first baseball player to sign an endorsement deal of this kind, and one of the first athletes in any sport to endorse a specific product. One of Wagner's game-used bats from his playing career sold for a whopping $900,000 at auction in 2021.

The 1960 World Series between the Pirates and Yankees was capped off with Bill Mazeroski's Game 7 series-clinching homer. Despite Mazeroski's heroics, the Yankees' Bobby Richardson took home MVP honors, having driven in a World Series record of 12 runs. He also received a Corvette for winning MVP but traded it in for a Jeep that could better accommodate his family. Richardson remains the only losing player to win World Series MVP to this day.

The Cleveland Spiders weren't always the worst team in the league, as Hall of Famer Cy Young pitched for the squad between 1890 and 1898. Upon Young's departure, however, the Spiders went a measly 20-134 in 1899, earning the most losses in a single season and finishing 84 games out of first place. The team was in such bad shape that they ceased to exist upon the season's completion.

The first televised baseball game was organized more to showcase the new technology than to cater to baseball fans. Television was being featured at the 1939 World’s Fair, and the fair organizers thought a baseball game would be the perfect way to show it off. On August 26, 1939, viewers witnessed the first-ever baseball broadcast: a doubleheader between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

In one of the most thrilling moments in baseball history, New York Giants slugger Bobby Thomson hit a game-ending, pennant-clinching home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ralph Branca that sent his team to the 1951 World Series. The home run was dubbed the "shot heard 'round the world," and was accompanied by broadcaster Russ Hodges' legendary call, in which he repeatedly exclaimed, "The Giants win the pennant!"

Nolan Ryan played a record 27 seasons, from 1966 to 1993, tying him with the legendary Cap Anson, who accomplished the same feat between 1871 and 1897. Throughout his career, Ryan played for the Mets, Angels, Astros, and Rangers, compiling a record 5,714 strikeouts. While those strikeout numbers are impressive, he also set the more notorious record for most walks allowed, with 2,795.

While Jackie Robinson broke ground as the first African American player in the National League as well as all of MLB, Larry Doby debuted just months later to become the first Black player in the American League. Doby signed with Cleveland after a career in the Negro Leagues, playing for the Newark Eagles. In 1948, Doby became the first African American player to hit a home run in the World Series.

Baseball's oldest stadium, Fenway Park — home of the Boston Red Sox — opened in 1912 and features a towering 37-foot-tall wall in the left field. Known as the Green Monster, the wall was painted its iconic green color in 1947, and was later renovated in the 2000s to add seating above it.

The baseball club that formed in Brooklyn in 1883 was first known as the Trolley Dodgers, after the network of streetcar lines that weaved across the city. The team went through a variety of other monikers, and when Wilbert Robinson became manager in 1914, it was named the Brooklyn Robins after him. Robinson’s tenure lasted until 1931, at which point the team went back to being called the Dodgers.

With all of his incredible batting achievements, it’s easy to forget that Babe Ruth was a monster on the mound. He’s one of only five pitchers ever to pitch more than 300 innings in a single season without giving up a home run, a record set when he went 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA for the 1916 Boston Red Sox.

Jim Morris was drafted to the major leagues in 1984 at the age of 35 — a shockingly late start for a professional athlete. His story inspired Disney to create a film about him, “The Rookie,” with Dennis Quaid in the lead role.

In 1849, the New York Knickerbockers adopted the first baseball team uniforms, including hats made of straw — the dapper summer style you might wear while picnicking in the park. A few years later, they switched to hats made from merino wool, which had the crown and curved bill that define baseball caps today. The caps retained the shape, and over time adapted to today’s modern style.

At the end of 1919, on the heels of a 1918 World Series win, the Boston Red Sox traded beloved player Babe Ruth — also known as "the Bambino" — to the New York Yankees. Boston then didn't win a single World Series for another 85 years, prompting widespread tales of the “Curse of the Bambino." The losing streak — and the “curse” — was finally broken when the Red Sox won the championship in 2004.

This duo was the first-ever father-son pair to play on the same Major League Baseball team: the Seattle Mariners. In 1990, they made an even bigger name for themselves by hitting back-to-back home runs in a remarkable game against the California Angels.

The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first fully professional baseball team in 1869 (though other amateur teams had secretly paid some of their members prior to that). Named for the red knee-high socks the players wore, the Red Stockings played their first game on May 4, 1869. The 10-person team went on to play — and win — 65 games that year.

President William Howard Taft didn’t intend to throw the first pitch at a baseball game; in fact, he hadn’t planned to even attend the Washington Senators opening game on April 14, 1910. But after a rough morning in the White House, Taft decided to treat himself. When the Senators’ manager suggested Taft throw the first pitch, the President was happy to oblige — and a national tradition was born.

During the first game of the 1954 World Series, the New York Giants were up against the Cleveland Indians. The game was tied in the eighth inning when Willie “the Say Hey Kid” Mays made a miraculous over-the-shoulder catch while running 420 feet deep into center field. The Giants won the game in the 10th inning and eventually took home the championship title.

New York City has a storied baseball history, and is currently home to both the New York Yankees and Mets franchises (the Yankees since 1913 and the Mets since 1962). Those aren't the only MLB teams to once call New York home, however. The Los Angeles Dodgers joined the National League as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1890 and played there until 1957, while the San Francisco Giants played as the New York Giants from 1885 to 1957.