Trivia Answers Thursday

The first Bucs Dugout Trivia Tuesday is in the books. I had fun researching this, and in my trawls across the internet I found a veritable treasure trove of Pirates history that I plan to inflict upon share with you in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, here are the answers to the quiz.

In total, how many European players have the Pirates/Alleghenys had?

A. 45 B. 13 C. 21 D. 30

Answer: C

Twenty-one players of European origin have played for the Pirates since their inception as the Alleghenys.

Before Dovydas Neverauskas, who was the last European player on the Pirates?

A. Victor Cole B. Jason Bay C. Bert Blyleven D. Rick van den Hurk

Answer: D

Rick van den Hurk came to the Pirates in 2012, spending most of the season in the minors before being called up in September of that year to appear in four games. The Dutch right hander is currently pitching in Japan. Also, this was a trick question as we all know Jason Bay’s Canadian. We do all know that, right?

Speaking of Victor Cole, he remains the only MLB player born in the Soviet Union. His mother was Russian, but his father came from:

A. Sierra Leone B. New York C. France D. Curacao

Answer: A

Cole’s father traveled to Leningrad, USSR (now Saint Petersburg, Russia) to study medicine, where he met and married Cole’s mother, a Russian national.

This country provided the Pirates with nine players:

A. England B. Ireland C. Germany D. The Netherlands

Answer: B

Not only did Ireland give the Bucs the most players, it gave MLB the most—45 to be exact. Four players came from England, three from Germany, two each from the Netherlands and Scotland, then the aforementioned Cole and Neverauskas.

Two of the Pirates’ European players only played one game in their MLB careers, a day apart. What year did this take place?

A. 1897 B. 1948 C. 1933 D. 1902

Answer: D

On August 23, 1902, Bill Miller (Germany) played right field for the Pirates before calling it a career. The following day, Mike “Skinner” Hopkins (Scotland) caught for the Bucs against the Reds. He went two for two with a double and decided to leave it at that.

Next up: Ireland, possibly the rest of the world.