Are you ready to check your work? Here are the answers to this week's trivia questions. We'll be back next week with another trio of quizzical queries for you, so bone up on your research and get ready to get them all next time around!
Question 1
There have been only three players who have played for all four of the franchises that at one time called New York City their home. Name any one of the three men who at one time saw action in an MLB game for the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees and Giants. (For the purposes of this quiz, a franchise covers the entire history of a team. As such, for example, Dodgers covers both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.)
ANSWER: DARRYL STRAWBERRY, JOSE VIZCAINO, RICKY LEDEE
Strawberry's tenure with these four teams is fairly well known, although his lone season in San Francisco (1994) was quite forgettable, lasting just 29 games and producing only four of his 335 career homers. I'm particularly fond of Vizcaino, whose stay with the Mets coincided with my tenure as Mr. Met before he was sent to Cleveland in 1996's Carlos Baerga deal. Still, by the time 2000 had rolled around, Vizcaino had managed to join this "exclusive" club. If Ledee is remembered fondly at all, it's likely by Phillies fans for his play for them from 2002-04. Still, his clubhouse-hopping ways over 10 big league seasons landed him spots with all four of our selected franchises.
Question 2
There have been only two players who have played for all four of the following franchises: Guardians, Reds, Rockies and Marlins. Name either of the two men who at one time saw action in an MLB game for these teams.
ANSWER: TODD HOLLANDSWORTH, RON VILLONE
Adding in the Rockies and Marlins pins potential answers to around the last 30 years or so, rather than the history of the sport. Hollandsworth was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1996 with the Dodgers but struggled to ever live up to the expectations that came along with that trophy. In 2000, he was sent packing to the Rockies. He bounced around from team to team for the following six seasons before retiring after the 2006 season and a brief tour of both Ohio clubs. Villone played for 12 teams across his 15 MLB campaigns, including two seasons as a regular part of the Reds rotation, going 19-17 in 1999-2000.
Question 3
And then there was one! Can you name the only hitter to have completed the following tour of cities in his career, playing for the Cardinals, Royals, Cubs and White Sox?
ANSWER: JON JAY
Jay hit .287 for the first six seasons of his career, all with the Cardinals, before being traded to San Diego for Jedd Gyorko in the 2015 offseason. After that, it was nothing but bouncing around for Jay, who saw stints with the Diamondbacks (twice) and the Angels, in addition to the trio of teams listed along with St. Louis in our question. He retired after the 2021 season and is currently a coach for the Marlins which is, apparently, a very dangerous job.
I asked for the lone hitter to play for these four teams, but there was one pitcher who also donned the uniforms of all of those franchises. Give yourself a gold star if you would have pulled the name Moe Drabowsky, winner of Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, who also played for the Kansas City Athletics during his 17-year career.
Oh, and in case you had been thinking about my original query, Andy Tomberlin was the mid-90s journeyman who played for Pittsburgh and Oakland -- as well as the Red Sox, Mets and Tigers -- for a total of 191 games across his six MLB seasons.