November 22
Senators Birthdays
We have a quintet of Senators Short Timers to note this November 22nd:
William James Hollahan B Nov. 22, 1896 D Nov. 27, 1965
Short Timer Bill Hollahan spent 1 week with the 1920 Senators. Playing 3rd base, Hollohan would go 1 for 4 at the plate, walking once, stealing 1 base and getting credit for 1 RBI.
Alexander Pitko B Nov. 22, 1914 D Aug. 1, 2011
Outfielder Alex Pitko would appear in 7 games with the 1938 Philadelphia Phillies, hitting .316.
In 1939, he’d play in 4 games for the Senators, going 1 for 8 at the plate, making his last major league appearance in mid-September.
Harry Francis Rice B Nov. 22, 1901 D Jan. 1, 1971
Harry Rice would play 10 seasons in the majors, appearing in 1034 games. However only 47 of those games would be in a Senators uniform.
Debuting with the St. Louis Browns in 1923, Rice was primarily an outfielder, but would play all infield positions, including catcher, during his career.
He’d play with the Browns for 5 seasons, from 1923 through 1927, hitting .359 in 103 games in 1925.
Traded to the Detroit Tigers after the 1927 season, Rice would spend 1928, 1929 and part of 1930 with the Tigers. In late May of 1930 he was traded again, this time to the New York Yankees, where he’d play in an even 100 games, hitting .298.
Even with that performance, Rice was waived by the Yankees after the season. He’d be claimed by the Washington Senators, playing in 47 games, hitting .265 before being sold to the International League Baltimore Orioles in late July.
Rice would spend the remainder of 1931 and all of 1932 in the minors before being purchased by the Cincinnati Reds.
Rice’s last season would be 1933, when he’d play in 143 games for the Reds, hitting .261, playing in his last major league game in early October.
Dennis Michael Riddleberger B Nov. 22, 1945 Still Living
Pitcher Denny Riddleberger was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1967. Traded to the Washington Senators for George Brunet in late August of 1970, Riddleberger would appear in 8 games and finish the season with a 0.96 ERA.
Back with the Senators in 1971, their final season in Washington, Riddleberger would pitch in 57 games, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.23 ERA.
After the season, Riddleberger would be part of a multi-player trade that sent him to the Cleveland Indians.
Riddleberger would pitch in 38 games for the Indians in 1972, going 1-3. His last major league game would come in late September.
Denny Riddleberger career record
Walter Edward Tauscher B Nov. 22, 1901 D Nov. 27, 1992
Walt Tauscher first appear in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in mid-April of 1928 as a 26 year old rookie. Pitching in 17 games, Tauscher would leave with no W/L record and an ERA of 4.91.
Tauscher wouldn’t return to the majors until 1931 when he’d pitch in 6 games for the Senators. He’d leave the Senators, and the majors, in early May with a 1-0 record and an ERA of 7.50.
