April 1
Senators Birthdays
Three more birthday boys join the Senators ranks this April 1st. Once again, we find an example of a player who 
spent a short time with the Senators during a relatively long major league career and another who would add a footnote to his statistics by finishing out his major league service in a Senators uniform.
John Geoffrey Heath B Apr. 1, 1915 D Dec. 9, 1975
Outfielder Jeff Heath arrived in the majors in mid-September of 1936 as a 21 year old rookie with the Cleveland Indians. Appearing in 12 games, Heath would hit .341 in 41 AB.
Heath would appear in another 20 games in 1937.
He’d finally get the chance to play regularly in 1938, appearing in 126 games. Heath would respond by going 172 for 502 with 31 doubles, 18 triples and 21 home runs. His .343 BA was second best in the AL in 1938.
Heath would remain with the Tribe through 1945. He’d hit .340 in 1941 and .331 in 1944. Heath would lead the AL in triples in 1938 and 1941 and would be selected to the AL All Star teams of 1941 and 1943, serving as the starting right fielder in 1941.
Traded to the Washington Senators for George Case after the 1945 season, Heath would play in just 48 games for the Senators in 1946. He was hitting .283 for Washington when he was traded again, this time to the St. Louis Browns for Joe Grace and Al LaMacchia.
Heath would finish the 1946 season appearing in 86 games for the Browns, hitting .275.
Heath would remain in St. Louis for the 1947 season, appearing in 141 games.
Sold to the Boston Braves after the 1947 season, Heath would hit .315 in 115 games for the Braves in 1948. He’d play in 36 games for the Braves in 1949, hitting .306, but would be released at the end of the season, his last major league appearance coming in early September.
Theodore Sadowski B Apr. 1, 1936 D Jul. 18, 1993
Pitcher Ted Sadowski signed with the Washington Senators before the start of the 1955 season.
He’d finally make it to the majors in early September of 1960 as the original Senators were playing their last month in Washington. Appearing in 9 games, Sadowski would post a 1-0 record with a 5.19 ERA.
Moving to Minnesota with the Senators, Sadowski would pitch in 15 games for the Twins in their inaugural season, posting an 0-2 record with a 6.82 ERA.
Sadowski would pitch in another 19 games for the Twins in 1962, his record at 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA when he made his last major league appearance in early July.
Jacob Fields Wade B Apr. 1, 1912 D Feb. 1, 2006
Another pitcher, Jake Wade debuted with the Detroit Tigers in April of 1936. He’d pitch in 13 games, posting a 4-5 record with a 5.29 ERA.
Wade would remain on the Tigers roster in 1937 and 1938. After the 1938 season, Wade was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Starting the 1938 season in Boston, Wade would be 1-4 in 20 games with a 6.23 ERA when he was purchased by the St. Louis Browns. He’d finish the 1938 season appearing in 4 games for the Browns, posting an 0-2 record, his ERA ballooning to 11.02.
After the 1939 season, Wade was on the move again, this time purchased by the Cincinnati Reds. Wade would be out of the majors in 1940 and 1941.
Purchased by the Chicago White Sox in December of 1940, Wade would reappear in the majors with the White Sox in 1942 where he’d go 5-5 in 15 games. Wade would remain with Chicago through 1944.
After the 1944 season, Wade would be headed to the east coast again, this time traded to the New York Yankees.
Out of the majors again in 1945, Wade would make his way back to the Yankees in 1946, appearing in 13 games, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.29 ERA, the best ERA of his career.
Sold to the Washington Senators in early August of 1946, Wade would cap off his career by appearing in 6 games for the Senators, his last game coming in mid September. With Washington, Wade was 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA.
Wade’s younger brother Ben, also a pitcher, would spend 5 years in the majors with the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.
