The Guardians start the 2022 MLB season this week: What do you know about our home team?

u0efrf8smc7boswfscae_1.jpgCourtesy of The Cleveland Guardians

Baseball’s bosses have finally ended their lockout, and the Cleveland Guardians will start their first regular season under their new name this Wednesday, April 7 (the home opener at Progressive Field next Friday, April 15).

Let’s celebrate with a trivia quiz about the team’s long, mostly frustrating history.

1: What other nicknames have the Guardians had?
A: Indians.
B: Naps.
C: Blues and Bluebirds.
D: All of the above, plus Bronchos, Broncos, and Lake Shores.

2: Which ballfield hasn’t been the Guardians’ home?
A: League Park.
B: First Energy Stadium.
C: Municipal Stadium.
D: Progressive Field.

3: After 102 years, Cleveland’s Ray Chapman is still the only player fatally injured in a major league game. How did it happen?
A: He was beaned by a notorious Yankees headhunter.
B: He collided with Babe Ruth.
C: He was struck by Ty Cobb’s thrown bat.
D: He was hit by Tris Speaker’s line drive.

4: Which didn’t Bob Feller do?
A: Debut for Cleveland at age 17.
B: Be nicknamed “Rapid Robert” and “The Heater from Van Meter.”
C: Win a World Series game.
D: Become the nation’s first pro athlete known to enlist in World War II.

5: Which didn’t Larry Doby do?
A: Break the color barrier in the American League.
B: Become the first Black player to homer in the World Series, and the first—along with teammate Satchel Paige—to win the Series.
C: Become the Major Leagues’ second Black manager, leading the White Sox for former Cleveland owner Bill Veeck.
D: Be named the American League’s most valuable player.

6: What didn’t pitcher and broadcaster Jim “Mudcat” Grant do?
A: Punch a Cleveland coach for a racial taunt.
B: Lead “Mudcat and the Kittens” in performances on Johnny Carson’s and Mike Douglas’ television shows.
C: Become the first Black pitcher to earn a win in the World Series (for the Twins, unfortunately).
D: Homer in the World Series (for the Twins).

7: In Frank Robinson’s 1975 debut as Major League Baseball’s first Black manager, what did he do?
A: Homer in the first.
B: Steal home in the ninth.
C: Pull starter Gaylord Perry.
D: Get ejected by an umpire.

8: How many fans attended Len Barker’s perfect game on the damp, chilly night of May 15, 1971?
A: 7,290.
B: 13,517.
C: 33,157.
D: 78,186.

9: What Cleveland player was known as Mr. Freeze for smashing a clubhouse thermostat? Hint: Teammate Jason Grimsley crawled above a drop ceiling to retrieve this player’s corked, confiscated bat.
A: Buddy Bell.
B: Jay Bell.
C: David Bell.
D: Albert Belle.

10: Cleveland is the only major league team to do what?
A: Forfeit a game (the infamous 10-cent beer night).
B: Lose the seventh game of two different World Series in extra innings.
C: Sell out 455 games in a row.
D: Lose its last eight postseason games.

11: Cleveland beat the hated Yankees in a 2007 playoff game with help from:
A: Fans.
B: Ushers.
C: Midges.
D: Hail.

12: What Clevelander didn’t win a Cy Young Award as the American League’s best pitcher?
A: Cy Young.
B: Gaylord Perry.
C: CC Sabathia.
D: Shane Bieber.

How do you think you did? Find out by clicking here for the quiz answers. 

Grant Segall
Grant Segall

About the Author: Grant Segall

Grant Segall is a national-prizewinning journalist who spent 44 years at daily papers, mostly The Plain Dealer. He has freelanced for The Washington Post, Oxford University Press, Time, The Daily Beast, and many other outlets.