On this date in 1929, the Yankees announced they would put numbers on the backs of their uniforms, becoming the first baseball team to start continuous use of numbers. The first numbers were based on positions in the batting order: Babe Ruth wore number 3 and Lou Gehrig number 4. Soon after, Cleveland announced that they, too, would put numbers on the uniforms and when New York’s home opener was rained out, Cleveland became the first team to show off the new look. In 1931, the White Sox started to use them. On June 30, 1932, the Cubs started to wear numbers as well.
So, get your uniform on and start this week’s quiz. Good luck!
1. Which was the first team in sports to have players’ last names on uniforms?
a. White Sox c. Bills
b. Cubs d. Blackhawks
2. Jon Lester won 200 games in his big-league career. He won 110 with the Red Sox and 77 with the Cubs. With which of those two teams did he have a higher winning percentage?
a. Red Sox b. Cubs c. The same
3. Here’s another Jon Lester question, because I loved watching him pitch. Jon Lester had a 3.66 career ERA, pitching primarily for the Red Sox and the Cubs. With which of those two teams did he have a better ERA?
a. Red Sox b. Cubs c. The same
4. You may have missed this item, but the legal definition of French dressing, which has been on the books since 1950, is being revoked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This leads me to ask, who is the ballplayer who was born in France?
a. Jacque Jones c. French Stewart
b. Frenchy Bordagaray d. Bruce Bochy
5. On May 26, 2012, the White Sox defeated Cleveland, 14-7. Which of the following are true or false?
a. Paul Konerko went 4-4
b. Dayan Viciedo had five RBI
c. Bob Saget sang the national anthem
d. Jake Peavy earned the win despite allowing all seven runs
6. I’m very excited about Rachel Balkovec being named the manager of the Low-Class A Tampa Tarpons in the Yankees’ organization, making her affiliated baseball’s first full-time female skipper. It’s about damn time. What you may not know is that in 2013, she was an intern with the Arizona League White Sox. What was her role?
a. Hitting intern
b. Fielding intern
c. Strength and conditioning intern
d. Mental skills intern
7. “Baby Shark” became the first YouTube video to hit 10 billion views. Before I apologize to you for getting that song caught in your head, let me pose this question: “Baby Shark” became the unofficial anthem for which championship team?
a. The 2020 Dodgers c. The 2018 Red Sox b. The 2019 Nationals d. The 2017 Astros
8. In the 2021 season, the Bears went 6-11. Who is the most recent Chicago pitcher to finish 6-11?
a. Terry Forster c. Burleigh Grimes b. Steve Stone d. Dennis Eckersley
9. Here’s one regarding the 2021 season: Who hit the most homers against the two Chicago teams combined?
a. Joey Votto c. Max Kepler
b. Salvador Perez d. Jose Ramirez
ANSWERS
1. In 1960, the White Sox were the first team to have players’ last names on uniforms.
2. Lester had a .636 winning percentage with the Red Sox and a .636 winning percentage with the Cubs.
3. Lester had a 3.64 ERA with the Red Sox and a 3.64 ERA with the Cubs.
4. Jones who played for the Cubs in 2006-07 and Bordagaray, who played for the Sox in 1934, were both born in California. New Mexico’s French Stewart was an actor on ‘‘3rd Rock from the Sun.’’ Bruce Bochy was born in Landes de Bussac, France.
5. They are all true.
6. She worked for the Cardinals in 2012 and the Sox in 2013 as a strength and conditioning intern.
7. You can blame Gerardo Parra of the Nationals for this, and I do apologize.
8. Forster and Stone went 6-11 for the 1973 Sox and Grimes went 6-11 for the 1932 Cubs. But the correct answer is Eckersley who was 6-11 in 1986 for the Cubs.
9. Salvador Perez hit 10 homers against Chicago, eight against the Sox and two against the Cubs.
