Baseball quiz: Much ado about nothing

1. Three players in White Sox history have worn uniform number 0. Name the one who didn’t.

a. Billy Hamilton

b. Omar Vizquel

c. Oscar Gamble

d. Mark Ryal

2. Which current member of a Chicago team started his career going 0-for-0 in his first 14 games?

a. David Ross

b. Tony La Russa

c. Tim Anderson

d. Mike Napoli

3. ‘‘Seinfeld,’’ arguably the greatest sitcom of all time, is self-described as ‘‘a show about nothing.’’ You didn’t think I could leave it out of this quiz, did you? Who are the two actors who didn’t win Prime-Time Emmys for their acting in the show?

a. Jerry Seinfeld

b. Jason Alexander

c. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

d. Michael Richards

4. In the 10 seasons from 2012 to 2021, which team threw more shutouts?

a. Cubs b. White Sox c. The same

5. In the 10 seasons from 2012 to 2021, which team was shut out more frequently?

a. Cubs b. White Sox c. The same

6. Speaking of shutouts, which team went the longest without being blanked last season?

a. Cubs b. White Sox c. The same

7. Since 1950, which team has tossed more no-hitters?

a. Cubs b. White Sox c. The same

8. While we are speaking about no-nos, which movie featured the line, ‘‘There’s no crying in baseball’’?

a. ‘‘Bull Durham’’

b. ‘‘Major League’’

c. ‘‘A League of Their Own’’

d. ‘‘The Rookie’’

9. Which Chicago pitcher appeared in the most games in a season without a decision (no wins or losses) and without a save?

a. Jesus Pena

b. Kelly Wunsch

c. Michael Bowden

d. Dan Winkler

Thank you for playing. Thank you for reading and thank you for writing emails and tweets about the quiz.

ANSWERS

1. Billy Hamilton wore the number in 2021. Oscar Gamble wore it in 1985, as did Mark Ryal the same season. Omar Vizquel wore No. 11.

2. Tony La Russa’s first 14 games in the majors were as a pinch runner. He did score two runs.

3. Jerry (as Jerry) and Jason (as George Costanza) never earned Emmys.

4. The Cubs threw 114 shutouts; the Sox threw 78.

5. The Cubs were blanked 117 times; the Sox didn’t score in 100 games.

6. The Sox went 54 games between blankings (May 27 to July 28); the Cubs scored at least one run in 48 consecutive games starting April 29. The Cubs currently have a 46-game scoring streak that started Aug. 12.

7. Each team has 11 no-nos. The Sox had nine no-hit, no-run games; the Cubs had 11.

8. ‘‘There’s no crying in baseball’’ was said by Tom Hanks in his role as manager Jimmy Dugan in the 1992 movie ‘‘A League of Their Own.’’

9. In 2003, Kelly Wunsch appeared in 43 Sox games, pitched 36 innings with a 2.75 ERA and didn’t have much more to show for it.