About This Quiz
Major League Baseball is one of America's greatest pastimes with arguably one of the largest fan bases in the world. These players take turns batting and fielding in hopes of scoring more runs than their opposing teammates.
Some of the world's greatest left-handed pitchers include Lefty Grove, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax, Warren Spahn, Carl Hubbell, Whitey Ford, Warren Johnson, Babe Ruth and Hal Newhouser. They have been inducted into various halls of fame, broken and set new records, and there was even a player who was known for his 100+ MPH fastballs.
How well do you know some of the most famous left-handed pitchers in the history of the MLB? Well, if you believe that you are an expert in the field, then this is the quiz to test that knowledge. Let's see how well you can identify some of these star pitchers!
Robert “Lefty” Grove (1900–1975) was a professional baseball pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox. Often called one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in major league history, he won more than 300 games in his 17-year career.
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Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz, also called the “Cuban Missile,” is a Cuban-born professional baseball player who currently plays for the New York Yankees. He shares the record for the fastest pitch speed in MLB history.
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Blake Ashton Snell is an American professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Rays. The left-handed pitcher won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018, making him the second from the team to do so.
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Warren Edward Spahn (1921–2003) was a professional pitcher who spent 21 years in the National League. Throughout his career, he won more than 360 games, which is more than any other left-handed pitcher in history.
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Johan Santana Araque is a retired Venezuelan professional baseball player who played for the Minnesota Twins and the New York Mets. The left-handed pitcher is a two-time Cy Young Award winner, a four-time All-Star, and the only player to throw a no-hitter in Mets' history.
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Steven Norman Carlton, who is also known as “Lefty”, is a retired American baseball player who played for six different teams during his MLB career. The left-handed pitcher has four Cy Young Awards, and he has the second-most lifetime strikeouts of any left-handed pitcher.
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Christopher Sale is an American professional baseball player who currently plays for the Boston Red Sox in the MLB. The left-handed pitcher who has won 7 All-Star Awards, is known for his high number of strikeouts, setting several records.
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Sandy Koufax (1935 - ) is a retired American left-handed pitcher who played for 12 seasons for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. At the age of 36, he became the youngest player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and has been called one of the greatest pitchers in history.
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Madison Kyle Bumgarner, sometimes called “MadBum,” is an American professional baseball player who is currently with the San Francisco Giants. The left-handed pitcher has won three World Series championships, four All-Star Awards, and two Silver Slugger Awards.
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Randall David Johnson, who was given the nickname “The Big Unit,” is a retired American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in the MLB. His more than 300 career wins rank him among the top 10 in all-time wins by a left-hander.
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CC Sabathia Jr., is an American professional baseball player who currently plays for the New York Yankees in the MLB. The left-handed pitcher is an AL Cy Young Award winner, World Series Champion, and a six-time All-Star.
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Edward “Whitney” Ford, who was also known as “The Chairman of the Board,” is a former professional baseball player who spent his entire career playing for the New York Yankees. The left-handed pitcher was a 10-time MLB All-Star and a six-time World Series Champion.
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Carl Hubbell (1903 – 1988), who was sometimes called “The Meal Ticket” and “King Carl,” was an American baseball player who spent 14 years playing for the New York Giants. The left-handed pitcher won the World Series in 1933 and he was also a nine-time All-Star.
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Thomas Glavine is a retired professional baseball player who played for the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. The left-handed pitcher was also the Most Valuable Player of the 1995 World Series when the Braves beat the Cleveland Indians.
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James Alston Paxton is a professional baseball player who currently plays for the New York Yankees. In 2018, he pitched a no-hitter while playing against the Toronto Blue Jays, making him the first Canadian in the major leagues to do so.
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George “Babe” Ruth Jr. (1895 – 1948), also called “The Bambino,” was an American professional baseball player who spent 22 seasons playing in the MLB. He was a left-handed pitcher for the Red Sox. He was traded to the New York Yankees, became one of the all-time greatest sluggers and held the record for most career home runs for 40 years. He was one of the first five players to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Patrick Corbin is an American professional baseball player who currently plays for the Washington Nationals after playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB. The left-handed pitcher is also a two-time All-Star.
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Michael Stephen Lolich is a retired professional baseball player who is best remembered for his performance in the 1968 World Series, during which he pitched three complete game victories. The left-handed pitcher is one of 21 pitchers to have struck out at least 2,800 batters during his career.
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Hal Newhouser, also called “Prince Hal,” was a professional baseball player who spent 17 seasons pitching for the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. More than 30 years after his retirement, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Fernando Valenzuela is a retired Major League Baseball player who spent 17 seasons playing for six different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. The left-handed pitcher is the only person to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
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Clayton Kershaw is a professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a left-handed starter. Since beginning his career in 2008, he has won a Golden Glove Award, three NL Cy Young Awards, and seven All-Star titles.
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Ronald Guidry, who was also called “Louisiana Lightning” and “Gator,” is a retired MLB player who spent his entire career playing for the New York Yankees. The left-handed pitcher is a two-time World Series Champion, a four-time All-Star, and a five-time Golden Glove Award winner.
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Edward Plank (1875 – 1926), sometimes called “Gettysburg Eddie,” was an American professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, the St. Louise Terriers and the St. Louis Browns. He was the first left-handed pitcher to reach both the 200 and 300 wins milestones.
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George Edward Waddell (1876 – 1914) was an American professional baseball player who spent 13 years playing for teams like the Louisville Colonels, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Orphans. He was regarded as one of the greatest strikeout pitchers of his time, leading the major leagues in strikeouts for six years in a row.
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Thomas John Jr. is a retired professional baseball pitcher who played for at least six teams during his career which lasted from 1963 – 1989. He has a total of 288 career victories, one of the highest among left-handed pitchers in MLB history.
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William Edward Wagner, also known as “Billy the Kid,” is a former MLB pitcher who played for the New York Mets, the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves. The left-handed pitcher is one of six pitchers to accumulate a total of 400 or more saves.
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James Lee Kaat, who was given the nickname “Kitty,” is a retired MLB player who played for the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox, among others, during his 25-year career. The left-handed pitcher was a Golden Glove winner for 16 seasons.
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Frank “Tug” McGraw Jr. (1944 – 2004) was an American professional baseball player best known for coining the phrase, “Ya Gotta Believe,” as the New York Mets made their way to the 1973 World Series. He was also a two-time World Series Champion, two-time All-Star and father of singer Tim McGraw.
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Vernon “Lefty” Gomez (1908 – 1989) was an American professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators. The left-handed pitcher was a fi e-time World Series champion and a seven-time All-Star.
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David Allan Righetti is a baseball coach and retired MLB player. On July 4, 1983, he became the first New York Yankee player to pitch a no-hitter since 1956.
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Vida Rochelle Blue Jr is a retired pitcher who played in the MLB for 17 years. The lefty was a three-time World Series Champion, six-time All-Star and AL Cy Young Award winner.
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Jesse Niles Tannenhill (1874 – 1956) was an American left-handed pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Highlanders, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds. Often called one of the best pitchers of his time, he was the NL ERA leader in 1901.
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Samuel McDowell, nicknamed “Sudden Sam,” is a retired professional baseball player who spent 15 seasons in the MLB, the first 11 with the Cleveland Indians. Known for his left-handed fastball, McDowell was a six-time All-Star.
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David Taylor Price is an American professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Boston Red Sox. Selected first overall in the 2007 MLB draft, the left-hander is a five-time All-Star, an AL Cy Young Award winner and World Series champion.
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Andrew Pettitte is a retired professional baseball player who spent 18 seasons in the MLB. During that time, the left-handed pitcher won five World Series Championships and was named an All-Star three times.
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Frank John Viola Jr., nicknamed “Sweet Music,” is a retired professional baseball player who pitched for the Minnesota Twins, the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox. In 1987, he won the World Series, and in the following years, was named an All-Star three times.
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Elwin Charles Roe (1915 - 2008), also known as "Preacher," was an MLB pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. During his time in the league, he was the NL strikeout leader in 1945 and a five-time All-Star.
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Albert Walter “Sparky” Lyle is a retired left-handed relief pitcher who played in the MLB for 16 seasons for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers. He is also a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion.
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Fran Daryl Tanana is a retired MLB player who, during his 20 seasons as a player, pitched for six different teams. Known for his 100+ MPH fastball, the lefty is one of 23 pitchers to have struck out at least 2,700 batters in his career.
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David Arthur McNally (1942 – 2002) was a professional baseball player who spent every season, except his last, playing for the Baltimore Orioles. The left-handed starting pitcher is a three-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion. He ended his career with the Montreal Expos.
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