July 23
1907 – The Nats AL record 31 game road trip finally reaches its end with a 3-1 loss to Cleveland. Washington 
goes 8-22, with one game tied, on the trip. Next season, the Nats will have a 30 game road swing.
1925 – Lou Gehrig holds the Major League for grand slams with 23. Name the team that surrendered the Iron Horse’s first slam? Of course, it is the Senators. Gehrig connects off Firpo Marberry in the bottom of the 7th, as the Yanks take home an 11-7 victory. The Sens fall back into 2nd place, a half game behind Philadelphia, who won their game today over Boston.
1947 – On his 30th birthday, Senators P Ray Scarborough whitewashes Detroit, 5-0, in Griffith. For icing on Scarborough’s birthday cake, Scarborough does not walk Tigers 1B Roy Cullenbine, who came into the contest 
holding the ML record of drawing a walk in 22 consecutive games.
1959 – The Tigers maul the Nats in Detroit, 11-2. With Ty Cobb in attendance, the AL’s leading hitter, Harvey Kuenn, is 4-for-4 with 4 runs scored, while Detroit bangs out 15 hits. Washington scoring consists of Roy Sievers‘ sacrifice fly and Bob Allison‘s solo HR.
1960 – Whitey Herzog of Kansas City lines into a game turning, 1-3-6, triple play in the top of the 3rd inning to preserve the Senators 3-1 lead. Washington will score 5 more for an 8-3 victory. Chuck Stobbs picks up the win in relief of Ramos.
Note: This was the famed “All-Cuban triple play” involving Pedro Ramos, Julio Becquer and Jose Valdivielso. Box 
score, courtesy of “Baseball Almanac”: July 23, 1960 box score Senators vs. Kansas City A’s
1969 One day after torrential rains forced the postponement of the All Star Game, the game goes on today in RFK. In the top of the 1st, AL starting LF Frank Howard misplays a Hank Aaron fly ball to allow the NL to take an early advantage. Hondo atones for his miscue by bringing the hometown fans to their feet with a straightaway CF home run of St. Louis’ Steve Carlton in the 2nd. The Senators other All Star, Darold Knowles, puts away the only two men he faces, Matty Alou and Don Kessinger in the 3rd. Despite Howard’s and Knowles’ efforts, the AL falls to the NL, 8-3.
Senators Birthdays
Harold Andrew (Hank) Allen B Jul. 23, 1940 Still Living
Hank Allen comes from a baseball family, with brothers Ron and Dick also having played in the major leagues. Dick AKA Richie is the most well known of the three, having played in the majors for 15 years. Ron had a 7 game stint with the 1972 St. Louis Cardinals.
Hank Allen was first signed by the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 1960 season. He was purchased by the Washington Senators prior to the 1965 season and made his first major league appearance in September of 1966.
Playing for the Senators through May of 1970, his best season would be 1969 when he hit .277 in 109 games. Originally an outfielder, he was also pressed into service at second and third base by the Senators.
In mid-May of 1970, he was traded by the Senators, along with Ron Theobald to the newly relocated Milwaukee Brewers for Wayne Comer. Allen would play in 44 games for the Senators and 68 games for the Brewers in 1970.
He was traded in the off-season to the Atlanta Braves but was released in April of 1971.
Allen would not play in the majors in 1971 but was signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox in September of 1972. He’d appear in 21 games for the White Sox in ’72 and return for another 40 games in 1973, his major league career ending at the end of the 1973 season.
Frank Donald Croucher B Jul. 23, 1914 D May 21, 1980
Frank Croucher began his major league playing days with the Detroit Tigers in 1939. A 2nd baseman/shortstop, Croucher would remain in a Tigers uniform from 1939-1941, appearing in 1 game of the 1940 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
In December of 1941 Croucher would be traded, along with Bruce Campbell to the Senators for Jimmy Bloodworth and Doc Cramer.
1942 would see Croucher appearing in only 26 games for the Senators but he would have his best year at the plate, hitting .277. His last major league game would come in late September of that season.
John Thomas Groth B Jul. 23, 1926 Still Living
Johnny Groth played in the American League from 1946 through 1960, appearing in 1248 games. However, he’d only spend a part of 1 season, 63 games, in a Senators uniform.
Getting his start with the 1946 Tigers, he’d only appear in a handfull of games from 1946 through 1948. 1949 would be the year when he truly “arrived”, playing in 103 games in a Tigers uniform, hitting .293 with 19 doubles, 5 triples, 11 homers and 73 RBIs.
Groth would stay with the Tigers through 1952, putting up some good numbers.
Traded to the St. Louis Browns, he’d spend 1953 in St. Louis as that struggling franchise played their last season in Missouri.
In February of 1954, the franchise now known as the Baltimore Orioles traded Groth to the Chicago White Sox. Groth would play for the White Sox in 1954 and be traded to the Washington Senators in June of 1955, along with Bob Chakales and Clint Courtney in exchange for Jim Busby.
As has already been mentioned, Groth would only play in 63 games for the Senators, hitting a disappointing .219, especially when he’d hit .338 for Chicago in the first part of the season.
Groth would be purchased by the Kansas City Athletics in April of 1956 and play for the relocated A’s in 1956 and a portion of 1957. In August of ’57, he was purchased again, this time by the team who first brought him to the majors, the Detroit Tigers. He’d remain a Tiger through 1960 when his major league journey would end.
Ray Wilson Scarborough (born “Rae” Wilson Scarborough) B Jul. 23, 1917 D Jul. 1, 1982
Pitcher Ray Scarborough began his 10 year major league career with the 1942 Senators, pitching in 17 games and posting a 2-1 record. He’d go 4-4 in 24 games in 1943, and wouldn’t return to the Senators roster until 1946. Scarborough would remain a Senator through June of 1950, his best season being 1948, when he’d earn a 15-8 record in 31 games.
In late May of 1950 Scarborough would be traded to the White Sox, along with Al Kozar and Eddie Robinson in exchange for Bob Kuzava, Cass Michaels and Johnny Ostrowski.
He’d only remain in Chicago through the end of the 1950 season when he’d be traded again, this time to the Boston Red Sox where he’d play in 1951 and part of 1952, when he’d be purchased by the New York Yankees. He’d remain with the Yankees until being released in August of 1953.
Scarborough would be picked up by the Detroit Tigers a week later and finish his career with the 1953 Tigers.
