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Baseball Nicknames

Baseball players have some of the best nicknames in all of sports. Can you tell which of these monikers are fair (real) and which are foul (fake)?

1. The Slayer from Decatur
   • Fair
   • Foul
2. Captain Flash
   • Fair
   • Foul
3. Three-finger
   • Fair
   • Foul
   

   Mordecai Brown

   Pitcher, Chicago Cubs/St. Louis Cardinals, 1903-1916

   Due to a farm-machine accident when he was a kid, Brown lost most of his index finger and part of the pinky on his right hand. While his hand was healing he fell and broke several bones in that hand, none of which were set properly. Despite all of these injuries, Three-finger Brown became a great right-handed pitcher and was known for his amazing curveball, which would break radically before reaching the plate.

4. Captain Video
   • Fair
   • Foul
   

   Tony Gwynn

   Right Field, San Diego Padres, 1982-2001

   Gwynn is considered one of the most consistent batters in the history of the game, but the winter before the 1983 season, Gwynn suffered a wrist injury which made him struggle with his batting. He started using video recording to review his at-bats, which prompted his nickname, Captain Video.

5. Chicken Man
   • Fair
   • Foul
   

   Wade Boggs

   Third Base, Boston Red Sox, 1982-99

   A superstitious man, Boggs had a ritual of always eating chicken on game days. Teammate Jim Rice, upon seeing him do this, gave him the moniker, Chicken Man.

6. The Earl of Swing
   • Fair
   • Foul
7. Wild Thing
   • Fair
   • Foul
   

   Mitch Williams

   Pitcher, Chicago Cubs/Philadelphia Phillies, 1986-1997

   Mitch Williams had a blazing fastball, but often had issues getting it in the strike zone. Due to his elaborate wind-up and release, not to mention his frequent wild pitches, Wrigley Field organists took to playing the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” as he came out of the bullpen.

8. The Georgia Peach
   • Fair
   • Foul
   

   Ty Cobb

   Outfield, Detroit Tigers, 1905–28

   Widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, Ty Cobb got the nickname of The Georgia Peach because he was born and raised in—where else?—Georgia.

9. Stupefyin’ Jones
   • Fair
   • Foul

   Styupefyin’ Jones is actually the name of a buxom character from the Lil Abner comic strip.

10. The Say-Hey Kid
    • Fair
    • Four
    

    Willie Mays

    Center Field, New York and San Francisco Giants, 1951–73

    There are a few stories as to how Mays got his nickname. One is that a writer for the New York Journal gave it to him after hearing Mays blurt “Say who,” “Say what,” “Say where,” “Say hey.” Another story is that when Mays arrived in the minors, sports writer Jimmy Cannon did not know everyone’s name and greeted Mays with, “Say hey, man.” After Mays hit a few home runs, everyone started saying, “There goes the Say Hey Kid.”

11. The Horseman
    • Fair
    • Foul
12. The Cleaner
    • Fair
    • Foul
13. The Yankee Clipper
    • Fair
    • Foul
    

    Joe DiMaggio

    Center Field, New York Yankees, 1936–51

    DiMaggio’s nickname was given to him by Yankee’s stadium announcer Arch McDonald in 1939, when he compared DiMaggio’s speed and range in the outfield to the then-new Pan American airliner (called the Pan Am Clipper).

14. The Texas Tornado
    • Fair
    • Foul
15. The Iron Horse
    • Fair
    • Foul
    

    Lou Gehrig

    First Base, New York Yankees, 1923-39

    Gehrig earned the nickname “Iron Horse” for his unending durability as a player. Not only was he a great hitter, he had the record for consecutive games played (2,130), a stat that held for almost 60 years.

16. Pudge
    • Fair
    • Foul
    

    Carlton Fisk

    Catcher, Boston Red Sox/Chicago White Sox, 1969-1993

    A stellar catcher and hitter, Fisk is best known for one of the greatest moments in World Series history, when he “waved fair” his game-winning home run in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The origin of his nickname is less stellar, however—Fisk got it because of his 6’2”, 220 lb frame.

17. Terminal
    • Fair
    • Foul
18. The Left Hand of God
    • Fair
    • Foul
    

    Sandy Koufax

    Pitcher, Brooklyn/La Dodgers, 1955-1966

    Koufax, the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame (at 36), is considered to be one of the best left-hand pitchers ever to play the game. He won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Awards, all by unanimous votes, and was the first major league player to pitch four no-hitters (including the eighth perfect game in baseball history). His heavenly playing most likely brought about his nickname, The Left Hand of God, but some believe it may have had to do with his decision not to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.