MLB Trivia: Starting with a Bang

I might have asked this one before, but it's still a good one. Three MLB players in history are tied for the most career homers on Opening Day with 8 homers. Two of them are Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr. The third player is still active. Who is he?

MLB Trivia: Catching On Elsewhere

After having played more than 900 MLB games at catcher, Joe Mauer announced during this offseason that he would be permanently moving from catcher to first base. The only player in MLB history who went on to play at least 300 games at any other field position(s) after having caught 900 MLB games is Joe Torre.  In fact, as of right now, only one other player joins Torre in having played at least 300 games at another position after having played 700 games at catcher. Can you name him? (Hint: This player's career ended last decade -- the 2000s.)

MLB Trivia: That Would Be Grand

Nine players in MLB history have hit two grand slams in one game. Among those players: Nomar Garciaparra is the only player to have hit his from each side of the plate, Jim Northup hit his on consecutive pitches received, and Fernando Tatis hit his in the same inning. But what about grand slam droughts? Can you name the player who hit the most home runs before hitting his first grand slam?

MLB Trivia: April Homers

As of this writing, we're almost halfway through April and Justin Upton leads the majors with 7 homers. The MLB record for most homers hit in the month of April is 14. It's held by two players. Can you name them?

MLB Trivia: Lefties with Lofty Averages

Among active MLB players, two of the top five career batting averages are by right-handed hitters: Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera. Can you name the three left-handed hitters who are also on that top five list?

MLB Trivia: Ending the No-No Drought

This baseball season we've already seen a few no-hitters. But no-hitters aren't always that easy to come by. In the modern era, the longest amount of time between two MLB no-hitters is 3 years and 44 days (between Bobby Burke's on August 8, 1931, and Paul "Daffy" Dean's on September 21, 1934). However, the greatest number of games between no-hitters is 6,364--this drought began right after Randy Johnson's perfect game on May 18, 2004. Can you name the pitcher who threw the no-hitter to end this drought?

After 9/11: Trying to Find Normal

Today I came across this CNN article by Steve Politi, titled "One swing of the bat showed the healing power of sports after 9/11." It was a good reminder of just how much the world had changed in the days that followed 9/11. Even for something as simple as sports, our society wasn't sure what should come next. Here's an excerpt:

Todd Zeile still can remember the smell. It was an awful, metallic stench, the odor of burning steel, that filled the Mets team bus as it pulled across the George Washington Bridge on September 12, 2001.

The players, returning from a trip to Pittsburgh in the only way they could after a nationwide air traffic shutdown, crowded to the right side of the bus. They saw that black cloud over lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center had stood, and in an instant understood the pain and fear that had gripped their city.

"I remember wondering, 'What do we do with the group?'" said Bobby Valentine, their manager at the time. "If we were going to just be a Band-Aid over this gaping wound or were we going to actually make a difference?"

The answer, in so many ways, was the latter. The immediate reaction after the 9/11 attacks was to dismiss sports as unimportant, to postpone the games as the nation came to grips with what happened.

Everyone agreed that was the right decision. But soon after, the games people love became an integral part of the healing process for the New York region. The athletes, some with absolutely no ties to the city but a uniform, became a source of inspiration.

The entire article is here.

MLB Trivia: Hittin' and Runnin'

Recently Juan Pierre got his 2,000th career hit. This means he's currently the only active MLB player with at least 2,000 hits and 500+ steals. In fact, only two other active MLB players have 2,000+ hits and 400+ steals. Can you name them? (Hint: Both of these guys currently play for AL teams.)