Philadelphia Phillies Trivia
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This Phillies trivia quiz has 70 free questions with answers and covers the whole franchise, from the 1883 expansion club and the Baker Bowl's tiny right field to Bryce Harper's October home run in 2022 and the 2023 season that ended in the club's first-ever Game 7. In between you'll hit the 1950 Whiz Kids, the collapse of 1964, Steve Carlton's silent seasons, the 1980 and 2008 champions, the mullets of Macho Row and the Phanatic's mysterious origins. It's built for the fan who wants more than "who won in 2008?" — the questions get into trades, records, ballparks, broadcasters and the strange episodes that make this the oldest continuous one-name, one-city franchise in American sports. A block of 70 questions covers Trea Turner's $300 million deal and standing ovation, Kyle Schwarber's 47 homers, Bryson Stott's wild-card grand slam and the NLCS against Arizona. Roughly a third are easy, a third medium and the rest will test even season-ticket holders. Every answer was checked against a primary source, such as Wikipedia's franchise, player and season pages, before it was published, and each explanation adds one detail you may not know.
30 of 70 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In what year did the Phillies begin play as a National League franchise?
1883
Sporting-goods maker Al Reach and attorney John Rogers won the expansion franchise, making the club the oldest continuous one-name, one-city team in American pro sports.
Q 02Which team did the Phillies beat for their first World Series championship in 1980?
Kansas City Royals
The Phillies were the last of the 16 original 1903-1960 franchises to win a World Series.
Q 03Who did the Phillies defeat in the 2008 World Series?
Tampa Bay Rays
The win gave Philadelphia its first major championship in 25 years, going back to the 1983 NBA Finals.
Q 04Which pitcher was named MVP of the 2008 World Series?
Cole Hamels
He had already been named MVP of the NLCS that October, going 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA against the Dodgers.
Q 05In what year did the Phillie Phanatic make his debut?
1978
He first appeared at the Vet against the Cubs on April 25 and has been riding an ATV around the field ever since.
Q 06According to his official biography, where was the Phillie Phanatic born?
Galápagos Islands
The green creature was inducted as a charter member of the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2005.
Q 07Phanatic designer Bonnie Erickson had previously created which Muppet?
Miss Piggy
Erickson also designed the balcony hecklers Statler and Waldorf before turning to a furry green Phillies fan.
Q 08The Phillies paid $3,900 for the Phanatic costume in 1978. What price would have included the copyright?
$5,200
Bill Giles chose the cheaper option, and the club later had to pay far more to secure rights to its own mascot.
Q 09In what year was Veterans Stadium imploded?
2004
The 32-year-old building came down in 62 seconds on March 21, less than a month before the Phillies opened their new park.
Q 10What did Philadelphia station inside Veterans Stadium on game days to deal with ejected fans?
A municipal court judge
Judge Seamus McCaffery presided over the stadium courtroom, an idea born of the notorious 700 Level crowd.
Q 11Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park honors a Hall of Famer who played which position?
Center field
The concourse also holds a bronze statue of broadcaster Harry Kalas.
Q 12Who managed the Phillies during the infamous collapse of 1964?
Gene Mauch
TV Guide had already gone to press with a World Series preview featuring a photo of Connie Mack Stadium.
Q 13When the 1964 collapse began, the Phillies led by 6.5 games with how many games left to play?
12
Ten straight losses followed, and the club finished 92-70, one game out and tied for second with the Reds.
The Phillies' 1964 September collapse began with a 1-0 loss when Cincinnati's Chico Ruiz did what?
Q 21Which relief pitcher won the 1950 NL MVP and started Game 1 of that World Series?
Jim Konstanty
Manager Eddie Sawyer turned to his bullpen ace because Robin Roberts had pitched three of the previous five games in the pennant chase.
Q 22Which Dodgers runner did Richie Ashburn throw out at home on the last day of 1950?
Cal Abrams
The throw preserved a 1-1 tie in the ninth and set up Sisler's extra-inning heroics.
Q 23What nickname did Richie Ashburn's minor-league teammates give him because of his light blond hair?
Whitey
The two-time batting champion later spent 34 years in the Phillies broadcast booth, from 1963 until his death in 1997.
Stole home plate
Ruiz took off with slugger Frank Robinson at bat, and the run he scored held up as the only one of the game.
Q 15Jim Bunning threw a perfect game on Father's Day 1964 against which team?
New York Mets
It was the first perfect game in the National League since 1880 and the first in Phillies history.
Q 16Which 1964 NL Rookie of the Year had his number 15 retired by the Phillies in 2020?
Dick Allen
He wore his batting helmet in the field after clashes with fans, earning the nickname 'Crash', and reached Cooperstown in 2025.
Q 17Which Phillies closer gave up Joe Carter's Series-ending home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series?
Mitch Williams
He received death threats from fans and was traded to Houston before the next season began.
Q 18What was the nickname of the Phillies' erratic 1993 closer, who saved a career-high 43 games that year?
Wild Thing
He racked up 192 saves over 11 seasons despite control that lived up to the name.
Q 19What nickname did the scruffy, mullet-wearing 1993 Phillies earn?
Macho Row
Lenny Dykstra led that lineup with 194 hits and 143 runs scored on the way to a 97-65 record.
Q 20The 1950 'Whiz Kids' were swept in the World Series by which team?
New York Yankees
Game 1 was a 1-0 affair, the third straight year a World Series had opened with that score.
Q 24In a 1957 game, how many times did Richie Ashburn hit spectator Alice Roth with a foul ball?
Twice
The first foul broke her nose; the second struck her as she was being carried out on a stretcher.
Q 25How many games did Robin Roberts win in 1952, the most by any NL pitcher since 1935?
28
It was the middle of a run of six straight 20-win seasons, and he later coached baseball at the University of South Florida.
Q 26Which pitcher did the Phillies send to St. Louis in the 1972 trade for Steve Carlton?
Rick Wise
The deal happened just before the season, on February 26, 1972, and became one of the most lopsided in Cardinals history.
Q 27How many Cy Young Awards did Steve Carlton win, a record at the time?
Four
He won them in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982, and his number 32 was retired in 1989.
Q 28What did Steve Carlton famously do from 1976 through the rest of his Phillies career?
Refused to speak to the press
'Lefty' also struck out 19 Mets in a 1969 game and still lost it 4-3.
Q 29How many career home runs did Mike Schmidt finish with?
548
He led the National League in homers eight times and drove in a franchise-record 1,595 runs.
Q 30Ryan Howard set the Phillies single-season record with how many home runs in 2006?
58
He was NL MVP that year, one season after winning Rookie of the Year, and won the Home Run Derby with 23 homers.