About This Quiz
Do you know your Bambinos from your Ripkens, or Mays from Mantle? Sure, you can spout off the stats of these baseball heroes, but could you pick them out of a lineup? If you think you have what it takes to hit a home run, step up to the plate and take a swing at this baseball greats quiz!
There's no question that baseball is the great American pastime, but many people strike out when it comes to knowing the history of this popular sport. Rumor has it that Abner Doubleday invented baseball back in Cooperstown, NY in 1839, then went on to become a Civil War hero to boot. Problem is, that's totally off base. Doubleday was at West Point in 1839 and never claimed to have anything to do with the development of baseball.
The sport actually developed from two traditional British games -- rounders and cricket -- and the rules you're familiar with today were recorded by a New York banker and recreational player named Alexander Cartwright in 1845.
Despite the myths about the origins of the sport, one thing that most people agree on is the prowess of certain players, who to this day are considered legends of the dugout. There's Cap Ripken of the Orioles, who set a record for playing 2,632 games in a row; Babe Ruth, aka the Sultan of Swat, who blew everyone away during his 22 seasons with the Yankees, Red Sox and Braves; and Lou Gehrig, who many still consider the best player ever to cover first base.
Despite their fame, not everyone can actually identify these and other iconic players from just an image. Think you've got what it takes? Take our quiz to find out!
Pete Rose may have been the best baseball hitter to ever wield a bat. He was known for his aggressive play, both with a bat and on the field. However, a gambling scandal barred Rose from baseball and most of his records have been removed from the books.
Jackie Robinson is known as the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. But he was doing more than just breaking barriers when he played. He had an amazing career, and in 1997, Major League Baseball retired his number 42 across all major league teams. He was the first player in any sport to receive the honor.
Roberto Clemente played 18 seasons, had over 3,000 hits and a career batting average over .300. His defense was just as good as his offense. He won 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards. He was the first Caribbean or Latino player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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Babe Ruth had nearly as many nicknames as home runs. This big league slugger was known for establishing the mark on many of baseball's most recognizable hitting records. Two of those records still stand today - slugging and on-base percentage.
While his numbers are above average, they may not stand out on a list of greats. However, Yogi Berra's overall accomplishments stand out. Aside from winning the American League MVP three times, he was also an 18-time All-Star and 10-time World Series Champion (also a record).
Cal Ripken Jr. was one of the most offensively prolific left-side infielders during his 21-year career. He had over 3,100 hits, 431 home runs and 1,695 runs. Yet, it is his record of consecutive games played that highlights his long career as he surpassed another legend - Lou Gehrig.
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DiMaggio will always be known for two things in life - his 56-game hitting streak and his marriage to Marilyn Monroe. While he only played 13 years, he put the most into them and was immortalized in nearly every artistic medium since his playing days.
At 36 years old, Sandy Koufax was the youngest player inducted into the Hall of Fame. Arthritis of the elbow ended his career when he was 30, but that wasn't until he had won three Cy Young awards, three NL pitching Triple Crowns, and was part of six All-Star Games.
Known as "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived," Ted Williams was as much a ball player as he was an American. He served in both World War II and the Korean War. This 17-year all-star was both an exceptional hitter and fielder.
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Nolan Ryan played professional baseball for 27 years (a record). During that time he amassed a likely unbreakable record of 5,714 strikeouts. Despite being considered a strikeout pitcher, he also holds the record for most walks thrown at 2,795.
Considered the best switch-hitter of all-time, Mantle is often dubbed as the best all-around ball player. He played 17 years for the Yankees, 15 of which he was an all-star. He was an above-average outfielder, but it was his offensive abilities that terrified opponents.
Greg Maddox compiled an amazing career, winning 15 or more games in 17-straight seasons. He was also a Cy Young Award winner in four consecutive seasons.
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Considered one of the greatest home run hitters in baseball, Hank Aaron's 755 home runs stood as the record for 33 years. Plus he is only one of two players to have more than 30 homers for 15 seasons.
Pedro Martinez played for five teams during his 17-year career. Pedro's 219-100 win/loss record is among the 4th best in baseball history. He also reached 3,000 strikeouts, in less time than any pitcher, except Randy Johnson.
Ernie Banks played 18 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, and was a 13-time All-star. He was the Cubs' first Gold Glove winner and the face of the team. It's reported that Leo Durocher, the Cubs manager, was annoyed Banks' performance during the mid-60's. But more so at the fact that Banks was so popular with fans, he had to have him benched.
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Pujols is likely headed to the Hall of Fame. Considered one of the most natural hitters in the game, he is a hitter with the rare trifecta of contact ability, patience, and power. Through 2016, he had 591 home runs, 2,825 hits, 602 doubles, and a career .309 batting average - all Hall of Fame numbers if he retired today.
Willie Mays shares the all-time record for all-star appearances with 24. With a career batting average of .302, 3,283 hits, 1,903 RBIs and 338 stolen bases, he was a massive offensive threat. Oh yeah, he wasn't bad in the field either, where he won 12 Gold Glove Awards.
Bob Gibson is among the best Cardinals pitchers in the storied franchise. He has career marks of 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts and a 2.91 ERA. Gibson was also a Harlem Globetrotter -- before having to make a choice between baseball and basketball. He made the right choice.
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Steve Carlton had a 23-year career and won four Cy Young Awards. Throughout his career, he battled with career records with Nolan Ryan. However, a clear mark on his abilities came in 1972 when he won 27 games for the last-place Phillies. The other pitchers on that team cumulatively won 32 games.
Frank Robinson played for five teams in his 20-year career and is the only player to win league MVP in both the American and National leagues. He won the World Series twice, and was a baseball Triple Crown winner.
George Brett played 21 years in major league baseball. Among his many stats, he is one of only four players to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average.
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Rod Carew was an All-Star for 17 of his 18 seasons. While not a power player, Rod was one of the best batters, with 3,053 hits and 1,015 RBIs.
Stan "The Man" Musial is considered one of the most consistent hitters in baseball. During his 22 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, he set six hitting records, which were broken decades later, but still remain among the best ever. He was a career .331 hitter and amassed 3,630 hits.
Tris was dominant both as a center fielder and a hitter. As a hitter, he had a .345 career batting average, with a record 792 doubles. As a fielder, he still holds records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays from the outfield.
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While his nickname was Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn could have just as well been named "Mr. Consistency." During his 20 seasons, he won eight batting titles and had a .338 career batting average. He never hit less than .309.
So everyone has seen Randy Johnson drive a high-speed slider into a bird while in the minor leagues. But, Randy is also one of the best strikeout pitchers baseball has ever seen with 4,875. At 6' 10", and a fastball that regularly surpassed 100 mph throughout his career, dominance isn't surprising.
"The Iron Horse," Lou Gehrig, played 17 years -- all for the New York Yankees -- bringing home seven all-star appearances and six World Series rings. Even 75 years after his death, he holds 13 MLB records. He succumbed to ALS in 1941, the disease posthumously referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
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Perhaps the purest swing to have ever played the game. Ken Griffey Jr. followed in his father's footsteps as a professional ball player. In his 22 seasons, Griffey had 2,781 hits with 630 home runs and 1,836 RBIs.
Satchel Paige was known for his showmanship, as much as his ability to strikeout batters. Joe DiMaggio once said Paige was the best pitcher he'd ever faced.
Christy Mathewson is perhaps the greatest hurler of all time. He is the only pitcher to rank in the all-time top ten in both career wins and ERA. He still rests at the top ten of several key pitching stats. He died in 1925 due to years' long complications from World War I chemical gas training.
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Lefty Grove won 300 games in his 17-year career and was one of the most dominant left-handers of all time. From 1929 to 1931, he was a baseball Triple Crown winner and had an unprecedented 79-15 record for the Athletics.
Rickey Henderson was known as the "man of steal" due to speed only Superman could achieve. He still holds major league records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks, and lead-off home runs. No one was better on the bases, or as a lead-off hitter.
Ty Cobb was as mean a guy as he was good at baseball. He played 22 years, and an additional six as a player/manager. Cobb set at least 90 baseball records during his career, many of which still stand
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You know you are good when a year after your death, an award is named after you. The Cy Young Award celebrates the best pitcher in a season. During his 22-season career, Young had 511 wins -- which is nearly 100 more that the next closest pitcher.
Al Kaline played 22 years for the Detroit Tigers, accumulating 10 Gold Gloves and being part of 18 All-star teams. He has over 3,000 hits in his career and continues to work with the Tigers.
Warren Spahn was perhaps the best left-handed pitcher in the live-ball era (after 1920). His 363 wins leads the lefty live-ball era. During his 21-year career he won the Cy Young award once and was runner-up three times when the award was given to one pitcher in all of baseball. After his retirement, the Warren Spahn Award was created for the best left-handed pitcher in a season.
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Among his many accolades, Old Pete was played by former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, in "The Winning Team." He still holds the National League shutout record with 90, and is tied with Christy Mathewson with 373 National League wins.
Jimmie was one of the most feared sluggers of his era - an era that included the likes of Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Joe DiMaggio. The Yankee pitcher, Lefty Gomez, is known to have said, "Jimmie has muscles in his hair."
When Honus Wagner died in 1955, he wouldn't have believed his anti-tobacco campaign, which prevented printing of his baseball card, would one day bring in over $3-million for the rare tobacco card. Wagner played 21 seasons, won eight batting titles and led the league in slugging and stolen bases multiple times. But it was his speed which gave him the nickname "The Flying Dutchman."
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Johnny Bench was a 14-time All-star during his 16-year career with the Cincinnati Reds. Arguably the best catcher in baseball, Bench was part of The Big Red Machine that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979.
Eddie Collins is considered one of the greatest second basemen in baseball. During his 24-year career, Eddie was one of the go-for-broke hitters who put everything into his game. John McGraw once commented, "Eddie Collins is the best ballplayer I have seen during my career on the diamond."
Hornsby played 23 seasons, had 2,930 hits and 301 home runs. His career .358 batting average is second-best in baseball, behind only Ty Cobb. While relatively unknown in the minor leagues, and with little baseball experience, the St. Louis Cardinals took a chance on him. One that turned out pretty well.
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In 20 seasons, Tom Seaver had 311 wins and 3.640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts and had a 2.86 ERA. The respect for this dominant pitcher is further shown with his 98.84% of votes to get into the Hall of Fame - the highest all-time percentage.
Nap's biggest record was setting the American League single-season batting average of .426. Nap was so good that for the duration of their time together, he and Ty Cobb swapped batting titles year after year,
Hank was one of many professional baseball players who served in World War II during their baseball career. Hank served 47 months. He not only hit for average, but was also considered one of the elite power hitters of his era.
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Shoeless Joe was an exceptional base hitter, with a career .356 average and a phenomenal .408 in 1911. However, his name will be forever marred with the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 -- despite Joe setting a series record with 12 base hits, a .375 average and no errors.
Ed Delahanty was one of the first power hitters in baseball. But it was his death that ultimately attracted the most attention to him. Ed was thrown from a train for drunkenness, and died falling into the Niagara river and Niagara Falls.
Walter Johnson played 21 years for the Washington Senators. It's been 90 years since his retirement, and he still holds several major league pitching records, but is most celebrated for his 110 career shut outs. His 3,000 strikeout record held for 51 years, and his career strikeout mark was a record from 1927 to the 1983 season. But perhaps his greatest tribute to baseball was his example of good sportsmanship.
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