Easter is a joyous occasion for Major League Baseball. On this holiday, fans across the nation congregate in ballparks to celebrate America’s pastime and the promise of lovely spring weather.
See how well you know the history of Easter baseball by answering these trivia questions.
Who is the only player in MLB history with the last name “Easter”?
Over 19,000 people have appeared in Major League Baseball, and only one had “Easter” for a surname.
That player was a left-handed hitting slugger who started his professional career with the Homestead Grays of the Negro National League in 1947. He later played in the majors for the Cleveland Indians, with whom he would swat 93 home runs over parts of six seasons.
Known for his logic-defying home runs, this first baseman had an imposing six-foot-four, 240-pound frame. He was so large, in fact, that Bill James said his shoulders “crossed three lanes of traffic.”
The man in question is Luke Easter, whose home runs were popularly referred to as “Easter Eggs.” His roundtrippers in ballparks like the Polo Grounds and Municipal Stadium were legendary for how far they traveled.
Though this story has never been verified, it’s been said that a fan walked up to Easter and told him that he had seen Easter’s longest home run. In response, the ballplayer quipped, “If it came down, it wasn’t my longest.”
These kinds of tall tales are often associated with Easter, and his prodigious power often drew comparisons to Babe Ruth. Despite his occasional boastfulness and flamboyant personality, he was friendly toward fans and universally respected by his teammates.
Unfortunately, Easter’s story ended on a tragic note. Later in life, he became chief steward of the Aircraft Workers Alliance and was murdered while making a bank deposit for union employees.
Opening Day of the 2015 season took place on Easter weekend. Which pitcher earned a win over Max Scherzer and the Nationals in a season opener that year?
By the end of their 2015 National League championship season, the Mets pitching staff was loaded with young hurlers like Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz.
The man who started the year on the mound for the Amazin’s was far more experienced, however. At the age of 41 years, 317 days, the venerable Bartolo Colón surpassed Tom Glavine as the oldest Opening Day starter in Mets history.
The decision was not without its detractors. Some fans took to social media to criticize manager Terry Collins for choosing a soft-tossing veteran over one of the club’s young studs. Fortunately for the Mets, these fans turned out to be hilariously wrong.
Colón set the tone for the rest of the Mets season by outdueling former Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, who was making his Nationals debut. A solo shot by Bryce Harper was the only blemish on Colón’s final line; the righty finished the afternoon having allowed just one run on three hits over six innings.
This start continued a trend of brilliant Opening Day performances for “Big Sexy”: he allowed one run or fewer in five of his seven career Opening Day outings, including a shutout against the Angels in 2002.
Who hit a walk-off home run for the Brewers on Easter in 1987?
The Milwaukee Brewers got off to a magical start in 1987, winning each of their first 13 games to begin the season.
That streak nearly came to an end on Easter Sunday, when the Brew Crew rallied against the Texas Rangers to earn their 12th consecutive win.
It was a gorgeous day at County Stadium, and the game had to be delayed because there was such high demand for walk-up tickets. Fans were still reveling in the team’s undefeated start, with some bringing signs to the park that read “162-0.”
The Brewers’ bats were held quiet through the first eight innings, and the team trailed by three runs entering the bottom of the ninth. That deficit was no problem for the confident Brewers, who ensured that their fans would not have to witness their first loss.
After sending Texas reliever Mitch Williams to the showers, the Brewers tied the game on a three-run shot from Rob Deer, his second homer of the day. Three batters later, Dale Sveum ended the contest on a two-run homer to keep Milwaukee’s perfect record intact.
Here’s a fun fact about that game: current Brewers manager Craig Counsell, then just 16 years old, was one of the nearly 30,000 fans in attendance.
Which pitcher made his major league debut for the Cubs on Easter in 1998?
Less than a month before he authored a career-defining masterpiece, this right-hander from Texas made his major league debut on Easter of 1998.
His first appearance came against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium, and though he was ultimately saddled with a loss, he did fan seven batters in just under five innings.
As you may have already guessed, the pitcher in question was Kerry Wood.
Only 18,506 people were in attendance for that debut start in Montreal, but soon millions of baseball fans would become familiar with the highly touted 20-year-old. That’s because in his fifth major league start, Wood struck out 20 Astros batters in a one-hitter at Wrigley Field.
Wood’s auspicious debut season resulted in a narrow win in National League Rookie of the Year voting over Colorado’s Todd Helton.
For more Kerry Wood trivia, click here
Which player hit two home runs on Easter in both 2017 and 2018?
For whatever reason, this player performs far better in April than in any other month. He’s hit five career home runs on Opening Day, for example.
And in both 2017 and 2018, he tattooed two homers on Easter Sunday.
Any clue who this player might be?
I’ll give you a hint: he’s a former number one overall pick.
If you guessed $330-million man Bryce Harper, you’re correct. Harper gave D.C. fans a thrill in 2017 when he capped his afternoon with a game-winning shot that erased a one-run deficit. A year later, he completed another multi-homer performance, this time at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park.
Because he was on the road, Harper didn’t get a chance for a walk-off on Easter of 2018.
He did, however, manage to silence a heckler who yelled “overrated” during his ninth-inning at-bat. Moments after the fan derided his abilities, Harper launched a 425-foot dinger to center field.
Searle’s Final Say
I enjoy researching holiday-specific trivia because it often leads to surprising discoveries. Certain performances–like Dave Righetti’s July 4th no-hitter and Jim Bunning’s Father’s Day perfect game–will always be associated with the day on which they fell. Although Easter is rarely talked about as a great baseball holiday, it has seen several standout performances in recent years.
