Welcome back to another edition of the Sun-Times Chicago Baseball Quiz, I am your quizmaster, Bill Chuck. These quizzes are designed to be fun and can be played on your own or you can test your family, friends, neighbors or colleagues. The questions are easy if you know the answers. Other than stats, there will be no math. There will be a nice mix of Cubs and White Sox and a blend of history and current events. Baseball is filled with great facts and stories, so there is no need for the questions to be obscure (“What did William Sianis feed his billy goat?”).
Are you ready for the Chicago Nine?
Play ball!
1. When Anthony Rizzo made his major-league debut, which team’s uniform was he wearing?
a. Cubs
b. Red Sox
c. Padres
d. Nationals
2. Who holds the Sox record for saves in a season?
a. Keith Foulke
b. Addison Reed
c. Bobby Jenks
d. Bobby Thigpen
3. True or False – Since 2000, the season-high for any Cubs pitcher is three shutouts?
4. Who is the last White Sox player to have a 200-hit season?
a. Tim Anderson
b. Albert Belle
c. Frank Thomas
d. Nellie Fox
5. Three Cubs pitchers won five games (a team-high) in the first month of the season (March/April). Which one of these four didn’t?
a. Kerry Wood
b. Greg Maddux
c. Larry Cheney
d. Jake Arrieta
6. Who was the first player in White Sox history to homer in his first postseason at-bat?
a. Adam Eaton
b. Adam Engel
c. Alexei Ramirez
d. Aaron Rowand
7. Since 2000, who has stolen the most bases for the Cubs in a single season?
a. Ryan Theriot
b. Eric Young Sr.
c. Juan Pierre
d. Corey Patterson
8. Tony La Russa was born on October 4, 1944. On that day:
a. Joe DiMaggio had four hits in the World Series
b. The Cardinals and Browns met for the first (and only) all-St. Louis World Series
c. Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs won the NL batting title
d. The White Sox’ Eddie Lopat closed the season pitching a one-hitter
9. Entering the 2021 season, Jose Abreu had 233 career doubles. Is this more, less, or the same number as Mookie Betts, who entered the majors in 2014 like Abreu?
QUIZ ANSWERS
1. Rizzo debuted on June 9, 2011, playing for the Padres. 2. Bobby Thigpen saved 57 games in 1990. 3. True. Let’s give a shutout shoutout to Jake Arrieta who had three shutouts in 2015. 4. Albert Belle had exactly 200 hits in 1998. 5. Kerry Wood’s high was four wins in 2003. 6. Adam Engel homered in his first at-bat in Game 1 of the 2020 AL Wild-Card Series. 7. Juan Pierre stole 58 in 2006. 8. The Browns beat the Cardinals in Game 1 of the Series, 2-1. 9. Betts entered the season with 238 doubles, five more than Abreu.
