The Anaheim Stadium Trivia Quiz

1. The Angels retired four uniform numbers, two in honor of men who never played for the team. What were the numbers, and who were the men?

2. The Angels also retired No. 42 last year, joining major league baseball in tribute to Jackie Robinson. Who was the last Angel to wear No. 42 at Anaheim Stadium?

3. Jim Abbott jumped from the University of Michigan and the U.S. Olympic team directly to the majors, making his debut at Anaheim Stadium on April 8, 1989. Abbott and the Angels lost to the Seattle Mariners, 7-0. Who was the winning pitcher?

4. In the 1989 All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium, this player led off the first inning for the American League with a 448-foot home run. He also singled and stole a base, earning MVP honors and inspiring Tony Gwynn to say, “He changes the way people think about the game. He’s redefining the game as we speak.” He later played for the Angels. Who was he, and what robbed him of his promise before he joined the Angels?

5. In 1967, Anaheim Stadium hosted the longest All-Star Game in history. This player won the game with a home run in the 15th inning, and his son grew up to play for the Angels. Name the father and son.

6. In 1992, George Brett collected his 3,000th hit, a single at Anaheim Stadium off a pitcher once traded for $2,500 and a dozen baseballs. Name the pitcher.

7. On the final day of the 1992 season, the Angels’ franchise leader in home runs and RBIs singled to left field in the first inning. He retired on the spot, jogging into the dugout as players from both teams stood and applauded. Who was the player, and what team did he play for that day?

8. Nolan Ryan may wear a Texas Rangers cap when he enters the Hall of Fame, but he wore an Angels cap when he set the single-season strikeout record at Anaheim Stadium on Sept. 27, 1973. Ryan struck out 383 batters that year, one more than the previous record of the Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax. Who did Ryan strike out for No. 383?

9. The last two no-hitters at Anaheim Stadium each require your explanation. One, for the Angels, wasn’t a complete game. The other, against the Angels, wasn’t a shutout.

10. The normally placid Anaheim Stadium fans turned hostile during one 1995 game, throwing that evening’s giveaway item toward the pitcher’s mound to express their hostility toward ineffective reliever Mitch Williams. Said Williams: “It’s a good thing it wasn’t bow and arrow night.” What was the giveaway item that night?

11. After Disney took control of the Angels, the company dumped the team mascots, two bears that danced around Anaheim Stadium and played with children. Disney then introduced its mascots--two bears that danced around Anaheim Stadium and played with children. What were the names of the old bears, and what are the names of the new bears?

Answers

1. The Angels retired No. 26 in honor of owner Gene Autry, symbolic of his support as the “26th man” on the team, and No. 50 in honor of venerable coach Jimmie Reese, who joined the organization in 1972--at age 70--and worked until his death in 1994.

2. Pitcher Mark Holzemer, in 1996.

3. Mark Langston, who became one of Abbott’s best friends after joining the Angels in 1990.

4. Bo Jackson. The Angels signed him in 1994, three years after he suffered an injury that ended his football career and necessitated hip replacement surgery.

5. Tony and Eduardo Perez. Eduardo homered in his first major league game, at Anaheim Stadium, in 1993. The Angels traded him to his father’s team, the Cincinnati Reds, in 1996.

6. Tim Fortugno.

7. Brian Downing, the Angels’ franchise leader in nine offensive categories, played in Anaheim from 1978-90 before finishing his career with the Texas Rangers.

8. Minnesota’s Rich Reese

9. On April 11, 1990, in his first start following an abbreviated spring training, Mark Langston removed himself after pitching seven no-hit innings. Mike Witt pitched two hitless innings to complete the 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. On Sept. 19, 1986, Joe Cowley of the Chicago White Sox walked seven but still no-hit the Angels in a 7-1 victory. Cowley walked the bases loaded in the sixth inning, and Reggie Jackson’s sacrifice fly drove in the Angels’ run.

10. Seat cushions.

11. Southpaw and Ribbie; Clutch and Scoop.