September 28
1949 Clinging to 1st place, the Red Sox head into the 9th in Washington nursing a 1-0 edge. Red Sox
manager Joe McCarthy, taking no chances, summons Nat killer Mel Parnell to close it. With nothing to play for, the Nats rally to hand the Red Sox a crushing loss, 2-1. Parnell’s wild pitch scores the winning run for Washington. Boston drops into a tie for 1st with the Yankees.1954 Going outside the organization for a manager, the Senators tap former Cincinnati and Brooklyn pilot, Charlie Dressen. Dressen, in three seasons in Brooklyn, had led the Dodgers to 2 pennants, but was fired by Walter O’Malley for asking for an extension and a hefty salary raise after the 1953 season. The last manager that was hired from outside the franchise was none other than the “Silver Fox” himself, Clark Griffith, in 1912.
1968 Scoring twice in the top of the 9th, the Senators deny Detroit’s Denny McLain of his 32nd win. Down 1-0 in the 9th and facing reliever Don McMahon‚ Del Unser sparks the rally with a leadoff single. After Unser is forced at second on a fielders choice, McMahon uncorks a wild pitch, moving Ed Stroud to second. With one out, Mike Epstein triples home Stroud to knot the game. Frank Howard is walked intentionally and the following batter, Ken McMullen, goes down on strikes for the second out. Whatever hope that the Tigers have of escaping the inning tied is squelched by pinch hitter Hank Allen‘s RBI single, which gives the Sens a 2-1 win.
1971 The Yankees bow to the Nats at RFK, 4-2. For the Nats, it is their final victory ever. As noted on other threads, Joe Grzenda is the last winning pitcher for Washington, going 3 innings of relief for Bill Gogolewski. Don Billings RBI double, followed by a Jeff Borroughs run scoring single, breaks a 2-2 tie in the 7th.
Senators Birthdays
James Benson Brillheart B Sep. 28, 1903 D Sep. 2, 1972
Pitcher Jim Brillheart would debut with the 1922 Washington Senators as an 18 year old rookie. Appearing in 31 games, he’d post a 4-6 record with a 3.61 ERA. Returning with the Senators in 1923, he’d go 0-1 and see his ERA almost double, to 7.00 in just 18 IP.
Brillheart would depart the major league scene after those 12 games in 1923 for a time, until he returned with the 1927 Chicago Cubs in 1927, going 4-2 in 32 games.
He’d take another leave of absence, only to return one last time for 11 games with the 1931 Boston Red Sox.
Alfred Hubert Evans B Sep. 28, 1916 D Apr. 6, 1979
Catcher Al Evans would spend 12 years in the major leagues, 11 of those seasons with the Washington Senators. Evans would play for the Senators from 1939 through 1950, although he wouldn’t appear on the roster in 1943.
Making his debut in September of 1939, Evans would go 7 for 21 in 7 games, working out to .333. Sparingly used, Evans most active season would be 1949 when he’d appear in 109 games, hitting .271.
Waived by the Senators prior to the start of the 1951 season, Evans would be signed by the Boston Red Sox but would only appear in 12 games, hitting just .125 and would see his last major league action in early August of 1951.
Wenceslao (Vince) Gonzales B Sep. 28, 1925 D Mar. 11, 1981
Vince Gonzales, another member of the Cuban Connection, also gets tagged with the label “One Game Wonder” for his performance on April 13th of 1955, when he pitched in 2 innings, giving up 6 hits and 6 runs while walking 3, departing with an ERA of 27.00.
Raymond Willis (Rip) Jordan B Sep. 28, 1889 D Jun. 5, 1960
Rip Jordan made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox in 1912, pitching in 12.1 innings over 4 games.
Jordan would return as a One Game Wonder with the 1919 Senators in late September, when he’d surrender 6 hits and 5 runs over 4 innings, earning a 11.25 ERA for that singular performance.
Dennis William Sullivan B Sep. 28, 1882 D Jun. 2, 1956
Outfielder Denny Sullivan began his major league career with the Senators in 1905, appearing in 3 games, going 0-11 at the plate.
He’d return to the majors in 1907 with the Boston franchise, then known as the “Americans”, where he’d play in 144 games and hit .245. After 101 games with the 1908 team, now known as the “Red Sox” he was purchased by the Cleveland franchise, then known as the Naps. 4 games with Cleveland in 1908 and another 3 in 1909 would mark the end of his career.
