124 Fun Facts About Mlb Baseball

On a Major League Baseball diamond, what is the distance from one base to the next?

90 feet has barely changed since the 1840s, while the pitching distance was moved back to 60 feet 6 inches in 1893.

Which National League club has the most World Series titles?

The St. Louis Cardinals' 11 titles trail only the Yankees' 27; the Dodgers share the record for most Series lost, 14, with the Yankees.

Who set the MLB single-season record for hits, with 262 in 2004?

Ichiro Suzuki collected 262 hits for Seattle in 2004, breaking George Sisler's 84-year-old single-season record of 257 set in 1920.

Per The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, baseball's term for a bases-loaded home run was borrowed from which card game?

In bridge the same term means taking every possible trick; in baseball it means the most runs possible on one swing.

Until 1967 one Cy Young Award covered all of MLB. Who was its first recipient, in 1956?

Commissioner Ford Frick created the award in 1956 in honour of Cy Young, who had died the year before; the Dodgers have since won more of them than any franchise.

Which city fielded baseball's first all-professional team, the Red Stockings of 1869?

The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 were the first openly all-salaried club; they went unbeaten that season and lost 8-7 to the Brooklyn Atlantics in June 1870.

Who holds the Major League Baseball career record for most home runs?

Barry Bonds holds the MLB record for most career home runs with 762, achieved over his 22-year career.

Which pitcher has won the most Cy Young Awards, with seven?

Roger Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards between 1986 and 2004 with Boston, Toronto, the Yankees and Houston, the last of them at age 42.

Which Major League Baseball team has won the most World Series championships?

The Yankees have appeared in 41 World Series and won 27; no other club has reached 12.

Jackie Robinson made his historic Major League Baseball debut with which team?

Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, starting at first base; MLB retired his number 42 for every club in 1997.

Which stadium is famously known as 'The Friendly Confines'?

Wrigley Field's nickname was popularised by Ernie Banks; it is the oldest park in the National League and famous for its ivy-covered outfield wall.

What does the abbreviation 'ERA' stand for in baseball statistics?

Earned Run Average is earned runs allowed divided by innings pitched, multiplied by nine; runs that score because of errors or passed balls are excluded.

What is a 'balk' in baseball?

When a balk is called the ball is dead and every runner advances one base; the batter stays put.

The 'Curse of the Bambino' is a famous superstition associated with which MLB team?

The 'curse' was blamed on the 1919–20 sale of Babe Ruth to a New York rival; Boston finally ended the 86-year wait in 2004.

Who holds the MLB career record for most hits?

Rose finished with 4,256 hits and also leads in games played, at-bats, singles and outs; his last at-bat was a strikeout against Goose Gossage in 1986.

How many innings are in a standard Major League Baseball game?

A full inning is six outs, three per side; softball games are scheduled for seven innings instead.

What must a last-inning home run do to count as a 'walk-off'?

Put the batting side ahead so the game ends, leaving the visitors no turn at bat: the fielders simply walk off, which is where the term comes from.

Which number did Roberto Clemente famously wear throughout his Hall of Fame career?

He chose 21 because 'Roberto Clemente Walker' has 21 letters; for his first few weeks he wore 13 because a teammate already had 21. The Pirates retired the number after his death.

How many stitches hold a regulation Major League Baseball together?

A regulation baseball carries 108 hand-sewn red stitches, and each ball is rubbed with Lena Blackburne mud before games to remove the factory shine.

Which pitcher, drafted as a first baseman, built a 19-year knuckleball career mostly in Boston?

Tim Wakefield, drafted by Pittsburgh as a first baseman in 1988, switched to the knuckleball after a scout dismissed his hitting and won the 2004 and 2007 World Series with Boston.

What is a pitch deliberately thrown high and wide so a base stealer can be thrown out called?

A pitchout is thrown high and wide on purpose so the catcher can take it standing and throw quickly to second; it also foils a hit-and-run or squeeze play.

Which Baltimore Orioles shortstop set the record for consecutive games played, at 2,632?

Cal Ripken Jr. passed Lou Gehrig's 2,130 on September 6, 1995 and ended his streak at 2,632 by sitting out the Orioles' final home game of 1998.

What is the term for an out made by catching a batted ball before it hits the ground?

A flyout is recorded when a fielder catches a batted ball before it touches the ground; after the catch runners may advance only after tagging up at their base.

Which player is known as 'The Iron Horse'?

Sportswriters coined the name in 1931 during his run of 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for 56 years.

Who stole more bases than anyone in MLB history?

Henderson's 1,406 steals are almost 50 percent more than Lou Brock's previous record of 938; he also holds the record for runs scored.

What is the term for a batter hitting a home run with a runner on first, second, and third base?

A grand slam is a home run hit when the bases are loaded (runners on first, second, and third base), resulting in four runs scoring.

What does a pitcher have to do in a single season to win the pitching 'Triple Crown'?

Lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA; the hitters' version is batting average, home runs and RBIs.

Who was the last major leaguer to hit .400 in a season, finishing 1941 at .406?

Ted Williams, offered the chance to sit out the final day of 1941 and protect a rounded .400, played both games of a doubleheader, went 6-for-8 and finished at .406.

Who first won MVP in both the American League and the National League?

Frank Robinson won the NL MVP with Cincinnati in 1961 and the AL MVP with Baltimore in 1966, a Triple Crown season; in 1975 he became MLB's first Black manager.

Besides the pitcher, which position player may initiate a pickoff throw?

A catcher's version is often a snap throw right after the pitch; the pitcher's version comes from the rubber before delivering.

Which pitcher holds the record for career strikeouts with 5,714, and also the record for career walks?

Nolan Ryan also threw seven no-hitters, another record; his 5,714 strikeouts are 839 more than runner-up Randy Johnson.

What is the 'bullpen' in baseball?

'The bullpen' is also used for a team's whole roster of relievers, who usually wait there rather than in the dugout until they are called on.

Which of these events is considered an 'unearned run'?

Earned and unearned runs count the same on the scoreboard; the split only matters for the pitcher's statistics, since unearned runs are left out of ERA.

Who is the all-time leader in career saves?

Mariano Rivera did it with essentially one pitch, the cut fastball, and he also leads in games finished with 952.

Which player is famously known as 'Mr. October' for his postseason heroics?

Jackson won three straight World Series with Oakland from 1972 to 1974 and two more with the Yankees, entering the Hall of Fame in 1993 in his first year of eligibility.

What is a 'sacrifice fly' in baseball?

A caught fly ball on which a runner tags up and scores; it leaves batting average untouched but counts as a plate appearance, so it lowers on-base percentage.

Which team ended a 108-year championship drought by winning the 2016 World Series in seven games?

The Chicago Cubs beat Cleveland in Game 7 after a rain delay, their first title since 1908, ending the longest drought in North American pro sports.

Who is the all-time leader in career Runs Batted In (RBIs)?

Hank Aaron's 2,297 RBIs come with career records for extra-base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,856); he drove in 100 runs in 11 different seasons.

Which stadium is known for its iconic 'Green Monster' in left field?

Fenway Park's Green Monster is 37 feet 2 inches tall; the present wall went up in 1934 and was covered in advertisements until it was painted green in 1947.

What is a 'no-hitter' in baseball?

A no-hitter thrown by two or more pitchers is a combined no-hitter; one in which nobody reaches base at all is a perfect game.

Which player holds the record for the most career Gold Glove Awards?

Greg Maddux, a Hall of Fame pitcher, holds the record for the most Gold Glove Awards by any player, with 18.

How many full innings must be played for a rain-shortened Major League game to count as official?

5, or four and a half if the home team leads, since it would not need to bat in the bottom of the fifth.

What is a 'full count' in baseball?

The next pitch is the 'payoff pitch'; the term may come from old scoreboards whose spaces for three balls and two strikes were all lit.

Who was the first MLB commissioner?

Kenesaw Mountain Landis, a sitting federal judge when appointed in 1920, banned the Black Sox conspirators for life over the fixed 1919 World Series and never relented.

Dodger Stadium sits in which Los Angeles neighborhood?

Dodger Stadium opened in 1962 in Chavez Ravine, part of the Elysian Park neighborhood north of downtown; it is the oldest major-league park west of the Mississippi.

What is a hit on which the batter safely reaches second base called?

A double, also called a two-bagger or two-base hit, puts the batter on second; Tris Speaker holds the career record with 792.

Who set the American League single-season home run record with 62 in 2022?

Judge passed Roger Maris's 61 from 1961; the overall record of 73 belongs to the National League.

Which team won the 2022 World Series in six games over a wild-card opponent, five years after a title tainted by sign-stealing?

The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games in 2022; their 2017 title had been overshadowed by the electronic sign-stealing scheme exposed in 2019.

Which shortstop became the first position player to win World Series MVP as a rookie, in 2022?

Jeremy Peña, who replaced Carlos Correa at shortstop that spring, hit .400 in the Series with a home run in Game 5, and was also ALCS MVP and a Gold Glove winner as a rookie.

Which manager won his first World Series in 2022 after more than 3,800 games in charge?

Dusty Baker won his first title at 73 in his 25th season as a manager, having lost the World Series with the 2002 Giants and the 2021 Astros.

Which starter began the combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series?

Cristian Javier threw six no-hit innings in Game 4 before Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly finished it, the first World Series no-hitter since 1956.

The Phillies tied a World Series record in Game 3 of 2022 by hitting how many home runs in a single game?

Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins all went deep in a 7-0 rout at Citizens Bank Park.

Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run on September 23, 2022, against which team?

Albert Pujols hit numbers 699 and 700 at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers, joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth in the 700 home run club.

Miguel Cabrera's 3,000th hit in April 2022 was an opposite-field single against which team?

Miguel Cabrera singled to right off Colorado Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela on April 23, 2022, becoming the seventh player with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits.

Who won the 2022 Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium, becoming the second-youngest winner ever?

Juan Soto won at 23, one day older than Juan González had been in 1993, and was traded from Washington to San Diego two weeks later.

In 2022 Shohei Ohtani joined Babe Ruth as the only players ever to do what in a single season?

He went 15-9 on the mound with 34 homers at the plate and finished second in AL MVP voting.

Which two teams played the 2022 MLB at Field of Dreams game beside the Iowa cornfields?

Cubs and Reds finished 4-2 to the Cubs; the 2021 original had ended with Tim Anderson's walk-off homer into the corn for the White Sox.

Which pitcher won his third Cy Young unanimously in 2022, at 39, after Tommy John surgery?

Justin Verlander returned from Tommy John surgery to go 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA for Houston in 2022, adding to his 2011 and 2019 awards and earning his first World Series win in Game 5.

Which Miami Marlins right-hander won the 2022 National League Cy Young Award unanimously?

Sandy Alcántara led the majors with 228 2/3 innings and posted a 2.28 ERA in 2022, taking all 30 first-place votes ahead of Max Fried.

Under the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, the MLB postseason expanded to how many teams?

The 2022 agreement expanded the postseason to 12 teams, six per league, adding a third wild card and replacing the one-game wild-card playoff with best-of-three series.

Willie Mays's famous over-the-shoulder catch came in Game 1 of which World Series?

Willie Mays ran down Vic Wertz's drive at the Polo Grounds in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series; the Giants swept Cleveland for their last title before moving west.

Which player, nicknamed 'the Georgia Peach', held the highest career batting average at .366?

He also held the career hits record until 1985.

Cy Young holds the MLB record for career wins with how many?

Cy Young won 511 games between 1890 and 1911, 94 more than runner-up Walter Johnson's 417, and also lost a record 315.

Which shortstop, nicknamed 'the Flying Dutchman', spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates?

Honus Wagner played 18 of his 21 seasons for Pittsburgh and won eight NL batting titles; his T206 card sold for $7.25 million in 2022.

Walter Johnson holds the all-time record for career shutouts with how many?

Walter Johnson threw 110 shutouts for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927, 20 more than runner-up Pete Alexander; his 417 wins trail only Cy Young.

Sandy Koufax retired at 30 and entered the Hall of Fame in 1972 at what record-young age?

Sandy Koufax was 36 when elected in 1972, the youngest ever; he had retired after 1966 with an arthritic elbow, having thrown four no-hitters including a 1965 perfect game.

Mickey Mantle, 'the Commerce Comet', was born in which state?

Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in 1931 and raised in nearby Commerce, where his father drilled him as a switch hitter; he hit 536 home runs for the Yankees.

How many games did Joe DiMaggio's 1941 hitting streak run?

Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 straight games from May 15 to July 16, 1941; the closest challenge since was Pete Rose's 44 in 1978.

Which catcher won 10 World Series championships as a player, more than anyone in MLB history?

Yogi Berra won 10 World Series with the Yankees between 1947 and 1962, a record for any player; he was an 18-time All-Star and entered the Hall of Fame in 1972.

Roberto Clemente died in 1972 flying relief supplies to earthquake survivors in which country?

Roberto Clemente's overloaded plane crashed off Puerto Rico on December 31, 1972, bound for Managua, Nicaragua, after its earthquake; he entered the Hall of Fame in 1973, the first Latin American player inducted.

Before choosing baseball, Bob Gibson briefly played for which basketball team?

Bob Gibson toured with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1957 before committing to the Cardinals, for whom he won Cy Youngs in 1968 and 1970 and the 1968 NL MVP.

Tom Seaver, 'the Franchise', won the NL Cy Young Award in 1969, 1973 and which other year?

Tom Seaver won his third Cy Young in 1975 with 22 wins for the Mets, after 1969 and 1973; he had been NL Rookie of the Year in 1967.

Derek Jeter is the Yankees' all-time leader in hits with how many?

Derek Jeter finished with 3,465 hits, sixth in MLB history and the most by a shortstop; Lou Gehrig is next on the Yankees' list with 2,721.

Which Japanese team posted Shohei Ohtani to MLB after the 2017 season?

The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, who had drafted Ohtani in 2012, posted him in December 2017; he signed with the Angels and won the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year award.

Randy Johnson won the Cy Young Award how many times?

He and Greg Maddux are the only pitchers to win it four years running.

Pedro Martínez won three Cy Young Awards in 1997, 1999 and which year?

Pedro Martínez won his third Cy Young in 2000 with an 18-6 record and 1.74 ERA for the Red Sox, after taking the award in 1997 with Montreal and 1999 with Boston.

The modern World Series was first played in which year?

The first modern World Series was played in 1903, two years after the American League declared itself a major league; Boston beat Pittsburgh five games to three.

In which year did the National League finally adopt the designated hitter?

The National League adopted the designated hitter permanently under the 2022 labor agreement, 49 years after the American League introduced it in 1973.

The myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball helped place the Hall of Fame in which town?

The Mills Commission's 1907 report credited Abner Doubleday with inventing the game at Cooperstown, New York in 1839, and the Hall of Fame opened there in 1939.

The Yankee Stadium that replaced the original 1923 ballpark opened in which year?

The new Yankee Stadium opened in April 2009 across 161st Street from the 1923 original, and the Yankees won the World Series there in its first season.

Wrigley Field was the last MLB park to install lights for night games, in which year?

Wrigley Field's first night game came on August 8, 1988, 74 years after it opened as Weeghman Park for the Federal League's Chicago Whales.

Bobby Thomson's 1951 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' came off which Dodgers pitcher?

Ralph Branca, in relief of Don Newcombe, gave up the three-run homer at the Polo Grounds that won the Giants the 1951 pennant in the deciding playoff game.

Who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history, in Game 5 of 1956?

Don Larsen needed 97 pitches to retire all 27 Dodgers in Game 5 of 1956, ending with a called third strike on pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell before Yogi Berra leapt into his arms.

Bill Buckner's infamous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series came against which team?

Mookie Wilson's grounder went through Buckner's legs to give the New York Mets Game 6 at Shea Stadium; the Mets won Game 7 two nights later.

Which Dodgers pitcher set a record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988?

Orel Hershiser threw 59 consecutive scoreless innings to close the 1988 regular season, breaking Don Drysdale's 58 2/3 from 1968, then won the Cy Young and World Series MVP.

Before Joe Carter in 1993, who was the only player to end a World Series with a home run?

Bill Mazeroski's Game 7 homer beat the Yankees for the Pirates in 1960; Joe Carter's 1993 shot came in Game 6 off Mitch Williams.

The 1994–95 MLB strike lasted how many days, the longest stoppage in the sport's history?

The strike ran 232 days, from August 12, 1994 to April 2, 1995, wiping out 948 games including the 1994 World Series.

Which team was the first MLB franchise located outside the United States?

The Montreal Expos joined the National League in 1969, eight years before Toronto, and played through 2004 before becoming the Washington Nationals.

As of the end of the 2025 season, which MLB franchise had never appeared in a World Series?

The Seattle Mariners, founded in 1977, won 116 games in 2001 to tie the 1906 Cubs' record yet lost that year's ALCS to the Yankees; through 2025 they remained the only franchise never to reach a World Series.

Which team is the only club based outside the US to win a World Series?

The Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back in 1992 and 1993, their 16th and 17th seasons, beating Atlanta and then Philadelphia on Joe Carter's walk-off homer.

Who formed the first Negro National League in 1920?

Rube Foster, owner-manager of the Chicago American Giants, organized the Negro National League at a Kansas City YMCA in February 1920, the first of seven Negro leagues later recognized as major.

Satchel Paige became MLB's oldest rookie when he debuted in 1948 at what age?

Satchel Paige was 42 when Cleveland signed him in July 1948 after decades in the Negro leagues; he pitched three innings for Kansas City in 1965 at 59, the oldest ever to play.

Who was the first Black player in the American League, debuting with Cleveland in 1947?

Larry Doby debuted for Cleveland on July 5, 1947, eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson, and in 1948 became the first Black player to homer in a World Series.

Besides signing Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey created the framework for what?

Branch Rickey built the first full minor league farm system for the Cardinals in the 1920s, stocking dozens of affiliated clubs; he also pushed batting helmets and the 20-80 scouting scale.

The Knickerbocker Rules of 1845 are associated with which 'father of baseball'?

Alexander Cartwright's Hall of Fame plaque calls him the father of modern baseball for the 1845 Knickerbocker Rules, though historians credit teammates like Doc Adams with much of the work.

Which two men wrote 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' in 1908 without ever having attended a game?

Jack Norworth wrote the words after seeing a subway sign reading 'Baseball Today – Polo Grounds', and Albert Von Tilzer set them to music; Norworth did not see a game until 1940.

A popular story credits which president with starting the seventh-inning stretch in 1910?

The tale has William Howard Taft rising to stretch at a 1910 Washington Senators game and the crowd following; Taft also threw the first presidential first pitch that same day, April 14, 1910.

Field of Dreams is based on which 1982 novel by W. P. Kinsella?

Kinsella's 1982 novel Shoeless Joe gave its narrator Ray Kinsella the author's own surname; the 1989 film built the field on a farm in Dyersville, Iowa.

In Bull Durham, Kevin Costner's veteran catcher Crash Davis is brought in to mentor which pitcher?

Tim Robbins played Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh, the wild rookie Crash Davis is assigned to polish; writer-director Ron Shelton drew on his own minor-league years.

Robert Redford's character in The Natural (1984) is called what?

Roy Hobbs, the bat-wielding prodigy of Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel, is played by Robert Redford; the film swaps the book's bleak ending for a pennant-winning homer.

A League of Their Own follows which team of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League?

The Rockford Peaches, a real AAGPBL club from 1943 to 1954, are the team Geena Davis's Dottie Hinson plays for in Penny Marshall's 1992 film.

Major League (1989) follows a fictionalised season of which real team?

The Cleveland Indians were the lovable losers, though the film was mostly shot in Milwaukee's County Stadium.

Which actor played Jackie Robinson in the 2013 film 42?

Chadwick Boseman played Robinson opposite Harrison Ford's Branch Rickey in 42; Boseman went on to play James Brown and Thurgood Marshall in later biopics.

'Casey at the Bat' was first published in 1888 in which newspaper?

Ernest Thayer, writing as 'Phin', published the poem in William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888; the home team is Mudville.

Nolan Ryan pitched in the major leagues for a record how many seasons?

Nolan Ryan pitched 27 seasons, from 1966 to 1993, for the Mets, Angels, Astros and Rangers, throwing his seventh no-hitter at age 44 in 1991.

Vin Scully called Dodgers games for how many seasons before retiring in 2016?

Vin Scully's 67 seasons, from 1950 to 2016, are the longest run by any broadcaster with one team; he moved west with the Dodgers in 1958.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for how many seasons, from 1901?

Connie Mack ran the Athletics for 50 seasons, 1901 through 1950, retiring at 87 with records for wins (3,731), losses and games managed.

Bud Selig served as which numbered commissioner of baseball, from 1998 to 2015?

Bud Selig was the ninth commissioner, acting from 1992 and formally from 1998; Rob Manfred succeeded him as the tenth in January 2015.

The 2007 Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs named how many MLB players?

The report named 89 players, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte among them; former Senator George Mitchell had been appointed by Bud Selig in March 2006.

Who hit 66 home runs for the Cubs in 1998, second to Mark McGwire's 70?

Sammy Sosa hit 66 homers for the Cubs in 1998, including a record 20 in June, and won the NL MVP while McGwire finished with 70.

Fernando Valenzuela was the first player to win which two awards in the same season?

Fernando Valenzuela won both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in 1981, the first player to do so, opening that strike-shortened season 8-0 with five shutouts.

In the 1983 Pine Tar Incident, George Brett's disputed home run came off which Yankees closer?

George Brett's two-run homer off Goose Gossage was nullified when Billy Martin had umpires measure the pine tar; AL president Lee MacPhail reinstated it and the Royals won the resumed game 5-4.

Which outfielder refused a 1969 trade and took the reserve clause to the Supreme Court?

Curt Flood, a three-time All-Star for the Cardinals, refused a trade to Philadelphia and lost Flood v. Kuhn at the Supreme Court in 1972; free agency arrived in 1976.

Bo Jackson won the 1985 Heisman Trophy at which university before playing for the Royals?

Bo Jackson won the 1985 Heisman at Auburn, then played for the Royals from 1986 and the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987, an All-Star in one sport and a Pro Bowler in the other.

Michael Jordan signed a 1994 minor league deal with which MLB organisation?

The Chicago White Sox shared an owner with the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf; Jordan hit .202 for their Double-A Birmingham Barons.

Since 1959 the Little League World Series has been held in which Pennsylvania town?

South Williamsport's Howard J. Lamade Stadium has hosted the Little League World Series since 1959, after the first twelve editions were played across the river in Williamsport.

The College World Series has been held since 1950 in which city?

Omaha, Nebraska has hosted the College World Series every June since 1950, at Rosenblatt Stadium until 2010 and at a new downtown ballpark from 2011.

In baseball slang, a 'golden sombrero' means a batter did what in one game?

The term riffs on 'hat trick', since four needs a bigger hat.

The 'Mendoza Line' refers to what batting average?

Shortstop Mario Mendoza failed to reach .200 five times in nine seasons.

Which Cleveland shortstop died after being hit by a Carl Mays pitch in 1920?

Ray Chapman, Cleveland's shortstop, was struck in the head by a Carl Mays pitch at the Polo Grounds on August 16, 1920 and died the next day; umpires were soon told to replace scuffed balls.

Under the 2023 ban on extreme infield shifts, how many fielders must be on each side of second base?

Two infielders must be on each side of second base, all four with both feet on the infield dirt as the pitch is thrown; the rule arrived in 2023 alongside the pitch clock and bigger bases.

Which cryptocurrency exchange became MLB's first umpire uniform patch partner in 2021?

FTX's logo went on umpire uniforms in 2021 under a five-year deal; MLB stripped the patches in November 2022 when the exchange filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Which Chicago Tribune sports editor came up with the idea for the first All-Star Game in 1933?

Arch Ward of the Chicago Tribune pitched the game as a one-off attraction for Chicago's 1933 Century of Progress fair; the All-Star MVP award was named for him in 1962.

The 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee ended in a tie after how many innings?

The game was called a 7-7 tie after eleven innings when both managers ran out of pitchers; from 2003 to 2016 the winning league earned World Series home-field advantage as a result.