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BLACK HISTORY MONTH TRIVIA

Part I

Welcome to February!

Many thanks to Vince Jankoski for reminding us that February is notable for two reasons – and no, the month’s terrible weather is not one of them!

February is the month that we finally hear the magic words: “Pitchers and catchers report;” and it’s also notable for being Black History Month.

And so to honor these two important events, Vince has prepared 29 Black History/Baseball trivia questions, one for every day of the month. Starting today, I’ll post the first seven along with the answers. Then on each subsequent Thursday this month, I’ll post seven more. This way you’ll have a trivia question for each day of the week, all month long. In addition, Vince has supplied detailed explanations for each answer, so we can use this as an opportunity to enhance our knowledge of the contributions to the game made by African American ball players.

As a way of introduction, Vince sent me the following:

“The trivia questions are dedicated to Moses Fleetwood Walker who caught 41 games, plus one game in the outfield, for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the then major league American Association in 1884.  He was the last African-American to play in the major leagues until Jackie Robinson in 1947.”

In the featured photo above, we see the varsity baseball team of Oberlin College in Ohio posing for a group portrait in 1881. Moses Fleetwood Walker is no. 6 in the middle row, and his brother Weldy is no. 10 in the top row.

So today we start with the first seven of Vince’s Black History/Baseball trivia questions. Test your knowledge before checking out the answers below…and feel free to make copies and challenge your friends and relatives. You can even test them out over a brew at your local ginmill!

I’ll also be featuring profiles of prominent black athletes throughout the month. 

Black History Trivial Questions for February 1 to February 7:

February 1:  Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in a World Series.  Who was the second?

February 2:  Who was the first African-American to pitch in a World Series game?

February 3:  What was the first World Series featuring African-American players on both teams?

February 4:  What was the last World Series where there were no African-American players?

February 5:  Who was the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game?

February 6:  Who was the first African-American pitcher to start a World Series game for an American League team?

February 7:  Who was the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game for an American League team?

Answers:

February 1: Dan Bankhead.  Bankhead, a pitcher, pinch ran for Bobby Bragan in the sixth inning of Game Six in the 1947 Series.  He scored the last run in the Dodgers’ 8-5 win.  He did not appear again in a major league game until 1950.    He finished his major league career with a record of 9-5.

February 2: Satchel Paige.  Paige appeared in the seventh inning of Game Five of the 1948 Series for Cleveland against the Boston Braves.  He faced two batters, retiring both.  The Indians lost the game 11-5, but won the Series in six games.  It was Paige’s only appearance in the Series.

February 3: 1954, New York Giants (Willie Mays, Monte Irvin, Hank Thompson) vs. Cleveland Indians (Larry Doby, Dave Pope, Al Smith).  The Giants won in four games.

February 4: 1950, New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies.  The Yankees won in four games.

February 5: No, it was not Don Newcombe.  Newcombe started two games in the 1949 Series, losing both.  Plainfield, NJ, born Joe Black became the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game when he started and won the opening game in 1952 for Brooklyn against the Yankees.  Although a great hurler in his own right during the regular season, Newcombe was the Justin Verlander of the twentieth century when it came to the World Series.  In five World Series starts he was 0-4 with an ERA of 8.59.

February 6: Al Downing.  Downing started Game Two of the 1963 Fall Classic for the Yankees.  He lost to Johnny Podres.  The Dodgers swept the series.      

February 7:  Minnesota’s Jim “Mudcat” Grant won the opening game of the 1965 Series.  He went the distance, giving up two runs, ten hits, and one walk.  The losing pitcher was Don Drysdale.  Grant also won Game Six, but his two wins were not enough to prevent the Dodgers from capturing the Series in seven games.

Gary Livacari 

Information: Trivia questions submitted by Vince Jankoski

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