Tag: Washington Senators

Sept 30: Not amicable

SEPTEMBER 30, 1971 | WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Senators can’t beat the “Damn” Yankees even when they outscore them. The last American League game played in the nation’s capitol ended in a forfeit on this date in 1971 when hundreds of fans stormed the field at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium with two outs in the 9th. Many had run onto the field in the 8th, but this time they wouldn’t leave so the umpires called the game.

It gave the Yankees a 9-0 win even though the Senators were one out from a 7-5 victory. Fans were upset that owner Bob Short was moving the club to the Dallas-Forth Worth area for the 1972 season to become the Texas Rangers.

The “Senators” had been in D.C. for 71 years as an American League team, but under two different franchises. One franchise, owned for most of that time by the Griffith family, called Washington home from 1901 to 1960. Calvin Griffith moved the team to Minneapolis in 1961, where they remain, and changed the name to the Minnesota Twins. D.C. got a new “Senators” franchise in ’61, but it only lasted until 1971 when they left for Texas.

In the 62 years the Senators were in Washington, D.C. they only had 15 winning seasons. They did win the World Series though in 1924. To pour salt into the wounds of the original Senators’ fans, a change of scenery helped. The Minnesota Twins made it to the World Series in 1965, won it in 1987 and 1991.

Contributing sources:
Washington Post
New York Times, October 1, 1971, Pg. 49
Associated Press, October 1, 1971, by James Polk

MAY 23 IN BASEBALL HISTORY: WASHINGTON SENATORS ESSENCE OF FUTILITY

MAY 23, 1901 | CLEVELAND, OHIO – The Washington Senators were one of eight charter members of the American League when it began play in 1901. The Senators were also the essence of futility during most of their 60 years in the nation’s capital (the franchise moved to Minneapolis in 1961 and became the Minnesota Twins). They spent 60 years in the Washington, D.C., winning one World Series**.

A game on this date in 1901 gave their fans a glimpse of how difficult it would be to love the Senators. Washington had a 13-5 lead over the Cleveland Blues (today’s Cleveland Indians) in the bottom of the 9th with two outs.

The Senators needed one more out. They couldn’t get it. With two outs and no one on base, Cleveland scored 9 runs to beat the Senators 14 to 13. One more example of the Washington Senators’ essence of futility.

Contributing Sources:
Baseball-Reference May 23, 1901 
retrosheet for May 23, 1901
Chicago Daily Tribune, May 22, 2017,

 

MAY 21-QUICKEST AL NIGHT GAME

MAY 21, 1943 | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – How about an hour and 29-minute major league baseball game? That’s all it took the Chicago White Sox to beat the Washington Senators (today’s Minnesota Twins) on this date in 1943. The 1-0 Chicago victory was the quickest night game in American League history. Sox starter Johnny Humphries beat Senator starter Dutch Leonard.

The National League has the American League beat in the quickest night game category, however. About a year after the above referenced Senators/Sox game, the Boston Braves (today’s Atlanta Braves) beat the Cincinnati Reds 2 to 0 in an hour and fifteen minutes in Cincinnati. And these are just night games.

The times for the quickest day games are startling: 51 minutes in the National League (NY Giants-Philadelphia Phillies September 26, 1919) and 55 minutes in the American (St. Louis Browns-NY Yankees, September 26, 1926).

It’s remarkable that a game could be played in less than an hour and a half. What’s even more amazing is that 13 of the first 26 games the St. Louis Browns (today’s Baltimore Orioles) played in 1943 took less than 2 hours. Only one took more than 3.

The same was pretty much true for the White Sox. By their 26th game, 13 had been under 2 hours. None took more than 3 hours.

There are probably several reasons games are longer now, one is relief pitchers – there are more of them, and complete games by starters – there are fewer of them. In 1943 Chicago White Sox starters completed 70 games. In 2005, the last time the Sox won a World Series, their starters completed a total of 9 games.

Television commercial breaks add to the length of games. But you cannot ignore the fact that pitchers and hitters do a whole lot of nothing between pitches. Unless there are rule changes, such as implementation of a pitch-clock, the record for the quickest night game in American League history will not be broken.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
May 21, 1943 
BASEBALL ALMANAC – Game length records
“Why Baseball Needs a Pitch Clock.”

A STORY FROM FEB 21 IN BASEBALL HISTORY – TED WILLIAMS RETURNS

TODAY IN BASEBALL TAKES US TO WASHINGTON, D.C. ON FEBRUARY 21, 1969. Ted Williams returns. The Hall-of-Fame slugger was lured back to baseball on this date in 1969 to manage the Washington Senators . This will be a challenge. The greatest hitter of all-time leading a struggling expansion franchise that had yet to finish a season with a winning record.

The Senators lost at least 100 games in four of its first eight seasons. Remember this was the new Washington Senators, a 1961 expansion team after the original Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins.

Williams knew it would be a difficult task, telling the Associated Press (AP), “This may be a long, hard grind for a while.” And what about when he has to deal with a young player wound as tight as he was in his younger days? Would he tolerate a player with a temper, “If he can hit like Ted Williams, yes.”

Williams’ presence brought immediate results. The franchise had its first winning season in 1969, Williams first year as manager. They finished the season 86-76, but it was back downhill after that.

The Senators lost 92 games in 1970 and lost 96 in 1971. Attendance got so bad the team moved to Arlington, Texas in 1972 and became the Rangers.

That first year in Texas the Rangers finished with a record 54-100, the worst year of their history. The headline again could be, “Ted Williams Returns,”  but this time he returned to fishing and hunting. His baseball managing days were over.

Contributing Sources:
Chicago Tribune, February 22, 1969, “Ted signs to manage Senators for 5 years”
Washington Senators 1961-1971
Year to year results
Ted Williams