Sports History – Study Guide – Baseball
1. Most historians agree that baseball originated out of…?
2. In 1839, Abner Doubleday established what baseball ground rules?
3. Where was the first baseball field established, and thus is the home to the Baseball Hall of Fame?
4. In 1848, “plugging” was removed as a rule from the game of baseball. What was “plugging”?
5. Which team is considered the first professional baseball team, and established in 1869?
6. Why is the National League referred to as the “Senior Circuit”?
7. In 1903 the champion of the American League played the champion of the National League in the first
ever…?
8. What is the name of the award given to the best pitchers in the American League and National League
each year? Why is it called this?
9. What happened during the Black Sox scandal in 1919?
10. What was significant about the player’s strike in 1994?
11. Would you like to see a salary cap in baseball? Why or why not?
12. What was the Dead Ball Era?
13. List and describe the three main factors that contributed to the Dead Ball Era.
14. Which Dead Ball Era legend was best remembered as the “psychopath on spikes”, for his aggressive
and intimidating style of play?
15. Which popular baseball collector’s item has origins relating to cigarettes?
16. Before he was known nationally as a home run king, Babe Ruth first made his Major League
Baseball debut as a…?
17. Why was Yankee Stadium which housed the New York Yankees from 1923 to 2008 considered “The
House that Ruth Built”?
18. Jackie Robinson is best known for….?
19. When America entered World War II and many players went to fight, some women participated in an
all-girls baseball league called the…?
20. Which two rule changes were made in 1969 to take the advantage away from pitchers?
21. Since 1973, which league has used the designated hitter?
22. In your opinion, should steroids be legal in baseball? Explain.
23. Which former baseball player wrote a book in entitled, “Juiced”, in which he claimed that 85% of
current baseball players use steroids?
24. Make a suggestion for one new rule change in baseball. Back up your proposed rule change with
specific reasons as to why this rule change will improve the game in your opinion.
25. Choose one person we have discussed in this unit and write a paragraph explaining why he or she is
the most influential figure to game of baseball. Back up your opinion with fact and supporting evidence.