Curtis Granderson recently said goodbye to baseball after 16 seasons in the big leagues. The Grandy Man was beloved in every MLB city he called home, from his early days in Detroit to his stints with both New York teams and his later stops in L.A., Toronto, Milwaukee, and Miami.

Fortunately, fans of Granderson can still catch him in action by playing the First Inning Program of MLB® The Show™ 20. This program puts gamers into specific moments from Granderson’s 2011 All-Star season with the Yankees.

If you think you know everything about the Grandy Man, see how you fare with these trivia questions regarding his big league tenure.

Which other player joined the 20-20-20-20 club in 2007?

Granderson joined an exclusive club in 2007 when he recorded more than 20 doubles, 20 home runs, 20 triples, and 20 stolen bases for the Tigers. Prior to that year, only Frank Schulte (1911 Cubs) and Willie Mays (1957 Giants) had compiled that kind of statistical season.

Despite the historical rarity of this achievement, Granderson was not the only player who put together a 20-20-20-20 campaign in 2007. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins also reached those marks en route to a surprising NL MVP selection.

The 20-20-20-20 club doubled in size in 2007, but no player has joined it since. This should come as no surprise, as stolen bases are on the decline and few modern players rack up such gaudy triples totals. In my estimation, the lethal combination of power and speed that Granderson and Rollins displayed that year may never be duplicated.

Who is the only other Met to hit three home runs in a World Series?

Granderson was the Mets’ primary leadoff hitter during their 2015 National League championship season. The veteran outfielder had the most postseason experience of anyone on that club, and it showed in his performance.

The Grandy Man hit three home runs in the 2015 World Series, all of which gave the Mets the lead. Before Granderson accomplished the feat, the only Met to go deep three times in the Fall Classic was Donn Clendenon in 1969. 

For those unfamiliar with Clendenon, he was one of the most impactful trade deadline acquisitions in Mets franchise history. Clendenon came over to the Mets in a deal with the Expos in 1969 and wound up earning World Series MVP honors after batting .357 (5-14 AB) against the Orioles.

How many players have had five hits and three home runs in a game for the Yankees?

The Yankees have always been associated with sluggers, from Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the 1920s to Alex Rodriguez in the early 2000s and Aaron Judge in recent years. But among the many power hitters who have worn the pinstripes, only one has ever had at least five hits and three home runs in a game. 

That man is Curtis Granderson, who did so on April 19, 2012 against the Twins. Granderson homered in the first, second, and fourth innings before singling in his last two at-bats. His final hit of the night didn’t even leave the infield: Granderson grounded a pitch weakly to the right side and was able to beat the flip to first base.

That serendipitous single gave Granderson the third five-hit game of his career, and first since 2008 with the Tigers. The five-hit performance also raised his season average from .208 to .283.

Granderson was traded to the Yankees in a three-team deal in 2009. Which future Cy Young winner changed teams in that trade?

Granderson arrived in New York prior to the 2010 season as part of a three-team trade between the Tigers, Yankees, and Diamondbacks. In that deal, the Yankees parted ways with reliever Phil Coke and outfield prospect Austin Jackson, as well as once-heralded hurler Ian Kennedy.

Though they lost a reliable contributor in Granderson, the Tigers walked away with a new piece to add to their rotation. Max Scherzer, who was coming off his first full big league season, arrived in Detroit as an intriguing arm with unconventional throwing mechanics and occasional bouts of wildness.

Scherzer would evolve into an ace with the Tigers, picking up the first of his three career Cy Young awards in 2013.

As it turns out, that deal benefited all clubs involved. The Yankees received an All-Star center fielder in Granderson, the Diamondbacks added high-upside pitchers in Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson, and the Tigers ended up with one of the best pitchers of his generation in Max Scherzer.

Which uniform number did Granderson wear as a Met?

To my surprise, Granderson wore several uniform numbers during his baseball career. In fact, the story behind his shifting jersey numbers is far more complicated than you might expect.

In high school, he wore #14 as a tribute to the number his father wore in softball. Then in college, he adopted #28 (a multiple of 14) for the University of Illinois at Chicago; his number would later be retired by the school.

He continued to wear #28 in his first full season with the Tigers, but had to switch to #14 with the Yankees because #28 was claimed by manager Joe Girardi (in reference to his pursuit of the franchise’s 28th World Series title). Granderson’s first choice with the Mets was to revert back to #28, which he decided against after learning that Daniel Murphy owned that number.

He also found that #14 was an impossibility because the Mets had retired it for former skipper Gil Hodges.

Ultimately, Granderson decided to go with #3 for the Mets. According to beat reporter Marty Noble, Granderson took the number in part because it wasn’t associated with any Mets legends. It also made sense because the Mets were his third team. 

Searle’s Final Say

Curtis Granderson’s on-field achievements pale in comparison to his philanthropic endeavors away from the diamond. Grandy has helped countless children through his Grand Kids Foundation, and there’s little doubt he’ll remain dedicated to bettering the community. As we wait to see exactly how he’ll spend his retirement, we should recreate his best moments in the MLB® The Show™ video game.