Trivia Medium 35 questions · about 50 minutes · free PDF

Baseball and MLB Trivia Questions

Thirty-five questions on baseball and Major League Baseball: rules and slang, Fenway and Wrigley, the World Series, Jackie Robinson and the legends of the game.

Four rounds finish with six hard questions for the fans who know their history. Each answer comes with a one-line fun fact for the host.

Play online → Download the host sheet

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Three PDFs, A4, black and white on purpose — the right answer is marked with a filled box and bold text, not with colour, so it survives an office printer.

Host sheet

Every question with the answer under it, plus a line of context to say out loud once the answer is in. Keep it face down.

PDF, 60 KB

Question sheet

The same quiz without the key — for anyone who would rather read along than listen.

PDF, 50 KB

Team answer sheet

Numbered lines and a tick box. Print one per team, and one more for the swap at the end of each round.

PDF, 27 KB

What This Quiz Covers

Rules, terminology and positions
Famous ballparks
World Series history
Jackie Robinson and baseball history
Legendary players and records

All 35 questions and answers

Each answer is hidden until you open it, so you can read the questions out or test yourself first. The line under each answer is the fun fact to share once it is in.

Round 1 · Rules, Terminology & Positions

1
How many players from the defensive team are on the field at one time?
- A9
- B8
- C11
- D7
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A — 9
The nine defensive spots are pitcher, catcher, first, second and third basemen, shortstop, and left, center and right fielders — which is why each position also has a number from 1 to 9 on a scorecard.
2
How many strikes does it take to strike out a batter?
- ATwo
- BThree
- CFive
- DFour
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B — Three
Three strikes retire the batter, though a foul ball can be strike three only on a bunt or as a foul tip caught by the catcher.
3
What is a home run hit with the bases loaded called?
- AA squeeze play
- BA triple play
- CA cycle
- DA grand slam
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D — A grand slam
It is the single most productive swing in baseball because all three runners plus the batter score, producing four runs at once.
4
How far apart are the bases on a standard MLB infield?
- A60 feet
- B100 feet
- C90 feet
- D75 feet
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C — 90 feet
The 90-foot distance was fixed in the 1850s and has barely changed since, because it creates an almost perfect balance between a fast runner and a well-thrown ball.
5
How many innings make up a regulation MLB game?
- ASeven
- BNine
- CTen
- DEight
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B — Nine
Nine innings became the standard in 1857; if the score is tied after nine, the game simply continues into extra innings since baseball has no clock.
6
What is a batter awarded after taking four pitches outside the strike zone?
- AA hit by pitch
- BA balk
- CA sacrifice
- DA walk (base on balls)
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D — A walk (base on balls)
It is officially scored a 'base on balls' and does not count as an at-bat, which is why walks lift on-base percentage but not batting average.
7
On a standard scorecard, which position is numbered 6?
- AShortstop
- BCenter fielder
- CThird baseman
- DSecond baseman
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A — Shortstop
Shortstop is 6, which is why a classic double play is written as 6-4-3: shortstop to second baseman to first baseman.
8
To throw a perfect game over nine innings, how many batters must a pitcher retire in a row?
- A30
- B33
- C27
- D24
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C — 27
Three outs per inning times nine innings equals 27, and in a perfect game not a single batter may reach base by hit, walk or error.
9
Which three categories must a hitter lead his league in to win the Triple Crown?
- ARuns scored, triples and on-base percentage
- BHits, doubles and stolen bases
- CBatting average, home runs and runs batted in
- DHome runs, walks and slugging percentage
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C — Batting average, home runs and runs batted in
Leading in average, homers and RBI at once is extremely rare because the skills of contact hitting and raw power usually belong to different types of hitters.
10
In baseball slang, what is a 'can of corn'?
- AA runner caught stealing
- BA pitch that hits the batter
- CA bunt down the third-base line
- DA high, easy fly ball to an outfielder
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D — A high, easy fly ball to an outfielder
The phrase is usually traced to old grocers who tipped cans off a high shelf and caught them in an apron — an easy, routine catch.
11
What is the illegal deceptive motion by a pitcher with runners on base called?
- AA pickle
- BA balk
- CA backdoor slider
- DA bunt
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B — A balk
A balk penalizes the pitcher for faking a pitch or pickoff, and every runner on base advances one base as a result.
12
Which trophy is presented to the winner of the World Series?
- AThe Commissioner's Trophy
- BThe Stanley Cup
- CThe Larry O'Brien Trophy
- DThe Lombardi Trophy
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A — The Commissioner's Trophy
First awarded in 1967, the Commissioner's Trophy is ringed by 30 gold-plated pennants, one for each MLB club, and unlike the Stanley Cup a brand-new one is made every year.

Round 2 · Ballparks, History & Famous Firsts

13
The 37-foot-high left field wall known as the 'Green Monster' stands in which ballpark?
- ADodger Stadium
- BWrigley Field
- CFenway Park
- DYankee Stadium
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C — Fenway Park
Fenway Park opened in 1912 and the towering wall exists because the short left field had to be protected from cheap home runs on a cramped city block.
14
Which ballpark is famous for its ivy-covered outfield brick walls?
- AOracle Park
- BWrigley Field
- CFenway Park
- DCiti Field
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B — Wrigley Field
The ivy was planted at the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field in 1937, and a ball lost in the vines is ruled a ground-rule double.
15
Which stadium is nicknamed 'The House That Ruth Built'?
- AYankee Stadium
- BComiskey Park
- CShibe Park
- DEbbets Field
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A — Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium opened in 1923 and got the nickname because the crowds Babe Ruth drew paid for it — and Ruth homered in its very first game.
16
Where is the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum located?
- AChicago, Illinois
- BLouisville, Kentucky
- CBoston, Massachusetts
- DCooperstown, New York
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D — Cooperstown, New York
The Hall opened in Cooperstown in 1939 because of the long-disproven legend that Abner Doubleday invented baseball there in 1839.
17
In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier playing for which team?
- ANew York Giants
- BBrooklyn Dodgers
- CCleveland Indians
- DBoston Braves
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B — Brooklyn Dodgers
Dodgers executive Branch Rickey signed Robinson, who debuted at first base on April 15, 1947 and went on to win the first Rookie of the Year Award.
18
Which uniform number has been retired by every MLB team in honor of Jackie Robinson?
- A7
- B3
- C42
- D24
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C — 42
Number 42 was retired league-wide in 1997, and every player wears it once a year on Jackie Robinson Day, April 15.
19
Which award is officially named after Jackie Robinson?
- AThe Rookie of the Year Award
- BThe Gold Glove Award
- CThe Most Valuable Player Award
- DThe Cy Young Award
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A — The Rookie of the Year Award
The Rookie of the Year Award was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in 1987, fitting because Robinson himself won the inaugural version in 1947.
20
In what year was the first modern World Series played?
- A1927
- B1919
- C1876
- D1903
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D — 1903
In the 1903 best-of-nine series the Boston Americans beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, and no World Series was held at all in 1904 because the Giants refused to play.
21
In what year did the Dodgers play their first season in Los Angeles after leaving Brooklyn?
- A1948
- B1962
- C1953
- D1958
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D — 1958
The Dodgers moved west for the 1958 season alongside the Giants, who relocated to San Francisco, making MLB a truly coast-to-coast league.
22
In which year did the American League adopt the designated hitter rule?
- A1969
- B1973
- C1961
- D1980
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B — 1973
The AL introduced the DH in 1973 to boost offense, and the National League played without it for decades before the DH became universal.
23
Whose consecutive-games-played streak did Cal Ripken Jr. break in 1995?
- ALou Gehrig
- BHonus Wagner
- CTy Cobb
- DStan Musial
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A — Lou Gehrig
Gehrig's 2,130 straight games had stood since 1939, and Ripken passed it with game number 2,131 on September 6, 1995.

Round 3 · Legends of the Game

24
Which legendary slugger was nicknamed 'The Bambino' and 'The Sultan of Swat'?
- ALou Gehrig
- BJimmie Foxx
- CBabe Ruth
- DTy Cobb
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C — Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth earned the nicknames for his unprecedented power, and he began his career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Red Sox before becoming a full-time slugger.
25
Which player broke Babe Ruth's career home run record in 1974?
- AFrank Robinson
- BWillie Mays
- CHank Aaron
- DMickey Mantle
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C — Hank Aaron
Aaron hit his 715th home run on April 8, 1974 for the Atlanta Braves, passing Ruth's mark of 714 despite receiving hate mail and death threats.
26
Which Hall of Fame outfielder was known as 'The Say Hey Kid'?
- AWillie Mays
- BDuke Snider
- CRoberto Clemente
- DErnie Banks
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A — Willie Mays
Willie Mays got the nickname from his habit of greeting people with 'Say hey!', and his over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series is simply called 'The Catch'.
27
Which first baseman, nicknamed 'The Iron Horse', delivered the famous 1939 'luckiest man on the face of the earth' farewell speech?
- AHank Greenberg
- BLou Gehrig
- CJimmie Foxx
- DGeorge Sisler
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B — Lou Gehrig
Gehrig retired after being diagnosed with ALS, a disease now widely known in the United States as Lou Gehrig's disease.
28
Who set the MLB record with a 56-game hitting streak in 1941?
- ATed Williams
- BRogers Hornsby
- CPete Rose
- DJoe DiMaggio
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D — Joe DiMaggio
DiMaggio's 56-game streak ran from May to July 1941 and is considered nearly unbreakable; the same summer Ted Williams batted .406.
29
Which pitcher, after whom MLB's top pitching award is named, holds the all-time record of 511 career wins?
- AGrover Cleveland Alexander
- BChristy Mathewson
- CCy Young
- DWalter Johnson
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C — Cy Young
Cy Young also lost 316 games — both records are untouchable today because modern starters pitch roughly every fifth day instead of nearly every other day.

Round 4 · The Hard Six

30
Who became the first Black player in the American League when he debuted in July 1947?
- ALarry Doby
- BMonte Irvin
- CSatchel Paige
- DRoy Campanella
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A — Larry Doby
Larry Doby joined the Cleveland Indians just 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson's NL debut, and in 1948 he helped Cleveland win the World Series.
31
Who threw the only perfect game in World Series history, in 1956?
- AWhitey Ford
- BDon Larsen
- CSandy Koufax
- DBob Gibson
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B — Don Larsen
Yankees right-hander Don Larsen retired all 27 Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 on October 8, 1956 — the only no-hitter of any kind in World Series history.
32
Which pitcher holds the record with seven career no-hitters?
- ASandy Koufax
- BRandy Johnson
- CBob Feller
- DNolan Ryan
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D — Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan threw his seven no-hitters between 1973 and 1991 — three more than runner-up Sandy Koufax — and also holds the career strikeout record with 5,714.
33
The first night game in MLB history was played in 1935 at which ballpark?
- ACrosley Field, Cincinnati
- BSportsman's Park, St. Louis
- CBraves Field, Boston
- DForbes Field, Pittsburgh
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A — Crosley Field, Cincinnati
On May 24, 1935 the Cincinnati Reds hosted the Phillies under the lights at Crosley Field, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressing a button in Washington to switch them on.
34
Who in 2019 became the first player ever elected to the Hall of Fame by unanimous vote of the writers?
- AGreg Maddux
- BMariano Rivera
- CDerek Jeter
- DKen Griffey Jr.
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B — Mariano Rivera
Closer Mariano Rivera appeared on all 425 ballots in 2019; even Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were left off some ballots in the inaugural 1936 vote.
35
Under the infield fly rule, which base-runner situation must exist (with fewer than two outs) for the rule to apply?
- AA runner on first base only
- BA runner on third base only
- CRunners on first and second, or bases loaded
- DAny runner anywhere on base
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C — Runners on first and second, or bases loaded
The rule exists to stop fielders from intentionally dropping an easy pop-up to turn a cheap double or triple play, so it applies only when a force play at third is in order.

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