Having read Mark’s article on the historic first night game ever played in Washington we thought it might be interesting 
to post the account of the first Sunday game to be played in Washington. The first professional baseball games to be played in the area took place in Alexandria in 1885.
On 14 May 1918, The Commissioners of the District at a meeting “raised the lid” on Sunday professional sports in the District. “The ban on Sunday sports was lifted after careful consideration on the increased civilian and military need of greater Sunday recreational population of Washington, and its advantages. The Commissioners in lifting the ban upon Sunday baseball have stated that they feel themselves to be but following the example of numerous other cities in the country, where the presence of a great number of soldiers and sailors has caused a revision in the laws governing Sunday sports. Practically all of the large cities of the west allow Sunday baseball, although it is still prohibited in most of the Eastern cities. The game Sunday will be the first legal professional Sunday baseball game in the District. Although there has never been a specific law on the District statute books prohibiting Sunday ball games, they have been forbidden by an amendment to the police regulations of the District, made in the summer of 1915, providing that no performance of any kind in which the participants appear in costume, and to which an admission is charged, shall be held on Sunday. There has been a great deal of agitation for the legalizing of Sunday baseball, particularly since the increased business of government, brought on by the war has compelled it, in its search for more office space, to take over theaters, dance halls, and similar places of amusement in Washington.”
The announcement catches the Nationals flatfooted, the first Sunday game is schedule for 20 May, and they have to scramble for what many believe will be an historic event. The favorite are the “Murderers’ Row” line-up of the New York Yankees but the honor falls to the Cleveland Indians. Of course it was quickly reported that Walter Johnson was certain to inaugurate the Sunday season here.
The nationals expected a record crowd and some estimates went up to 20,000. As a special feature, passes, 2,000 in all, were distributed among the various camps in the near vicinity of the Capital, from Camp Meade to Quantico. These free passes will be given out by army officers as rewards for good conduct. No war taxes will be charged on these admissions, suitable arrangements with the Internal Revenue Commissioner. Believing that the first Sunday game in Washington will be a historic occasion, al arrangements have been made to care for the fans. The gates will be opened at 1PM, and the battle will get under way at 3PM.
Reporting on the interest of the game, “It is expected that many fans from Virginia will be here on the opening Sunday game. Alexandria is already preparing to come up river in a body, headed by Mayor Fisher, an eighteen-caret rooter. Even as far away as Richmond fans will leave for the Capital to sit in the first legalized baseball game. Rockville, Hagerstown, Annapolis and even Baltimore are prepared to have fans at next Sunday’s game. “Let’em all come,” said Manager Griffith today. “We can seat the first 15,000 or 16,000 in the stands. As fast as we can have them completed, we’ll have the needed circus seats.”
The gates will open at 1PM. The game was originally set to start at 3PM but the team was “bombarded with requests to make the stating time Sunday at 3:30PM,” so Manager Griffith compiled.
Sunday 20 May Cleveland 0 Washington 1
Thrills with more thrills and errors followed by more errors, kept 17,000 local fans on edge at the Florida Avenue ball park when the first Sunday league game ever played in the District was staged. It took twelve innings to decide the issue, the Nationals winning from the Cleveland Indians by 1 to 0. During the course of this set of a dozen frames the spectators were given ample chance to root and cheer, as thrills and miscues came in nearly every inning. It was a thrilling exhibition for this Sunday inaugural and the climax, which came in the twelfth with two down, fitted nicely into this classic. Doc Ayers opposed Stanley Coveleski in this pitching duel. Doc gave a good account of himself, as only six hits were gathered off his delivery during the battle, while his opponent allowed seven. Eleven errors were recorded against the two clubs and only one of these came from a thrown ball, as Lieutenant Johnny Lavan and Shortstop Ray Chapman just could not seem to gather in the ball when it was hit directly at them. Even though the eleven errors tended to make the game strife slow, they really made the battle a great one, from the spectator’s point of view, as both pitchers, Ayers and Coveleski, were constantly in the hole. Both gave a remarkable exhibition when under fire, being saved time and again by spectacular fielding by their team-mates. Ayers felt the presence of the Indians for the first time in the fifth, when Lavan kicked away Terry Turner’s grounder to Steve O’Neill, then obtained the first blow off Doc’s delivery, which was a single to right, but Coveleski forced Steve out at second and Turner was left stranded at third when Smoky Joe Wood fouled out to Eddie Ainsmith. In the seventh Wamby hit to left, but was forced by Williams. Turner popped out but O’Neill rendered another dose of hitting into right field, and things looked bad for the Hillsville moundsman again; but Coveleski was not equal to the occasion and popped to Ray Morgan. Again in the eight, with one down, the Indians threw a scare into the fans when Chapman drew a free pass and Tris Speaker arrived safe on Eddie Foster’s error. Johnny Lavan killed off their chances with a fast double play, when Braggo Roth grounded in his direction. The twelfth was a real hummer for the local fans to stand, as, after Coveleski and Wood went out by the Morgan oe Judge route, Chapman arrived safe on an infield hit. Sopke Speaker then smashed one to right field, which placed Choppy on the far corner. Spoke stole the midway cushion, and it was up to Bobby Roth, but his slow offering to Morgan, which was neatly handled, halted the Indians for good. In the twelfth Schulte batted for Ainsmith, who hurt his finger when a foul tip hit his digit. Schulte beat out a hit to short, on a close decision. Ayers hit to Coveleski, who threw wild to second, trying to force a play, both runners being safe. Shotton forced Schulte at third, Coveleski to Turner. Lavan batted but was out, second to first, Ayers taking third and Shotton second. Milan followed with a clean single to left, scoring Ayers.
Notes, It was some game. Official attendance 15,353. Ayers scored the lone tally. Coveleski’s boot helped the Griffmen. Clyde Milan obtained three of the Nationals hits; his third one did the trick. Poorly paid player forced to work overtime again. The crowd was a typical Sunday baseball crowd, the fair sex being present in large numbers. Fumbles and miscues are all forgiven by Washington fandom, but Coveleski will not forget his error in the twelfth. Uncle Nick Altrock gave the boys a real treat before the battle as he performed all his stunts and was never better. He was called upon to pinch hit a few times during the game and Evans and Connolly allowed him free reign. The first ball pitched by Ayers was a strike. Ban Johnson was one of the seventeen off thousand who witnessed the battle. He occupied the box in the lower stand with President Minor of the local club. The game was slightly delayed in the first inning when Bert Shotton was rendered a temporary noncombatant from the result of being hit on the knee with a foul off his own bat. Bert walked to the bench for Trainer Martin’s first aid treatment, and gamely returned to the fray. Fielder Jones and most of the St. Louis Browns witnessed the game from the upper tier. Bill Dinneen and Brick Owens were, only spectators in the lower stands, but were not afforded many opportunities to ride their “brothers in crime.” Jimmy Shaw along with Joe Casey, mixed in with the khaki klan in right field early in the game, as the “bull pen” was used for the extra seats that were paced in front of the stand for the boys in colors who were the guests of both clubs. Rippy Williams tripped over the Sammies in right field while going after Foster’s foul in the sixth. Park officials had roped off the outfield as they had prepared to handle a crowd of 25,000. Shortly before the game was called, master ground keeper Jimmy O’Day received orders to clear the decks and no ground rules were needed. Uncle Sam’s fighting men just refused to listen to discipline when they entered the grounds through the center field gate before the game started. The noncoms in charge attempted to march them to the seats but there was nothing doing as they just broke for the stands and gave the early arrivals an imitation as how they will someday rush the Huns over there in No Man’s Land. Umpire McCarthy would not stand for the Indian’s protest in the eleventh as he threatened the bench for Rippy Williams and the showers for George McBride. The short excitement proved entertaining to the fans.
With perfect weather and the strong Cleveland Indians as the attraction, 15,352 fans paid to witness the first legalized major league contest to be played on Sunday in the Capital of the United States. In addition to those were 2,000 soldiers and sailors, the guests of the club, occupying special seats erected in front of the stand and pavilions. Allowing for 400 to 500 others who saw the game without charge, it is possible that close to 18,000 spectators saw Sunday baseball ushered into Washington. Least there be the slightest hitch in this inaugural game, President Ban Johnson detailed here his best umpire, Tommy Connolly, the oldest and wisest official in captivity, worked behind the bat with entire satisfaction, while in the field was the Beau Brummell, Billy Evans. The soldier guests of the club swarmed upon the field. Fully a quarter of them sprawled at full length on the cool grass and munched peanuts until the ground looked like that under a circus tent. And did they root? You bet they did. Each and every one of them was pulling for the Griffmen all the way. The right field pavilion was packed to capacity. Most of the left field pavilion was filled, just a hit far out on the end being vacant. The lower tier of the stand was filled, but a few seats could be found upstairs. The jury box could have seated many more colored brethren. The busiest man in the park was Ferduke Fowler, business manager of the Griffs. He had to strip off his coat early in the day and chase around for change. Making change for 15,000 folks is no idle dream. Ask Perduke. He slept late this morning. Fielder Jones, with the Browns, saw the game. Fielder grouched all day when he found that Cleveland had drawn the first Sunday plum. He thought his team should have been the attraction, not the Indians. Official Washington was out in force, the Capitol Hill contingent being large and enthusiastic, while foreign military uniforms could be seen everywhere. Uncle Sam’s soldiers, sailors, and marines could be picked out of every row all over the stand and pavilions. And Doc Ayers, with his teammates triumphed, 1 to 0, in twelve innings. What could have been better?
Walter Johnson had been expected to hurl, but the blonde Kansasan had not recovered from his eighteen-inning victory over the White Sox and showed no speed as he warmed up. So Doc Ayers was chosen by the Venerable Reynard. “Take him out!” roared the disappointed fans when Ayers was announced to work against Stanley Coveleski. Doc hadn’t even left the dugout then. But when the game ended, Ayers’ name was on every lip. He had filled Johnson’s shoes most acceptably.
Did Sunday baseball save baseball in the District? To many it did. This was written just after the announcement had been made, “With Sunday baseball permitted here, Washington’s future as a major league city is assured. No more will the cry, “Washington franchise will go to Baltimore where Sunday baseball is allowed,” be heard around the circuit.”
In early June this story was in the press, “The lifting of the ban against Sunday baseball proved a great boon to lovers of baseball. Last winter there were many rumors concerning the status of the Washington Club. Clark Griffith’s team failed at the box office during the season of 1917, for the great army of war workers at the capital had no time to patronize baseball during week days, and dyed-in-the-wool regulars who could get away to attend a game throughout the season were fewer than in other years, when this country was at peace with the rest of the world. There was talk of moving the Washington Club to some other city, and it is known from authoritive sources that such a move was discussed on several occasions. Finally, Ban Johnson came out with a flat denial that such a move had been seriously considered.”
