July 16
1909 – The longest scoreless contest in AL history is played on this day at Detroit’s Bennett Field. The Nationals and Tigers exchange zeros for 18 innings in a 0-0 tie. Detroit’s Ed Summers fans 10, walks 2 and limits the Nats to 7 hits in 18 innings of work. The Nats Bill “Dolly” Gray pitches one hit ball over 8 innings before departing with an injury. Bob Groom relieves Gray and keeps the Tigers off the scoreboard for 10 innings.
1913 – The Nats extract a victory in St. Louis by scoring 2 in the 9th to edge the Browns, 3-2. Walter Johnson relieves in the bottom of the 9th and, instead of getting a save, is credited with the victory. As the Sporting Life reported, “Ban Johnson rules that when a pitcher leaves the box at the end of an inning he shall not receive benefit of any runs made in the following inning. He says all runs should aid the reliever‚ not the previous pitcher.”
1920 – With an ineffective Walter Johnson on the hill, Red Faber and the White Sox upend Washington, 4-1, in 
Griffith in the first of two. Suffering from a sore arm, this will be the Big Train’s final pitching appearance of the year. Sam Rice‘s 28 game hitting streak comes to an end, as Faber allows only 5 Washington hits. The bad news continues into game two, thanks to a Joe Jackson 9th inning grand slam. Jackson’s salami proves to be the difference in Chicago’s, 8-5 victory.
1932 – Nats P Tommy Thomas collects his 3rd win in 3 days with a 11-0 crushing of the Browns in D.C. For Thomas, all 3 wins have come against St. Louis, 2 in relief and today’s victory as a starter. In all, Thomas will defeat the Browns 7 times this season.
1958 – Roy Sievers 23rd home run of the year could not have come at a better time for the Senators. With 2 outs and a man on in the bottom of the 9th, Sievers takes Cleveland’s Ray Narleski deep for a dramatic, come from behind, 7-6 Sens victory. Sievers home run is the icing on the cake in the 4 run, 9th inning rally for Washington.
1962 – In a game played in a crisp 1 hour and 32 minutes, the Nats take down the Angels at Dodger Stadium, 4-1. A home run from Halos 1B Lee Thomas is the only damage as Nats P Don Rudolph hurls a complete game 4-hitter. Washington’s Bob Johnson drives in 3 of the 4 Senator runs.
1964 – Sievers is purchased from Philadelphia for a final go around in Washington. The aging slugger will pop only 4 home runs for the remainder of the season. Sievers career will come to an end when he is released less than a year later.
Senators Birthdays
Leonard Joseph Okrie B Jul. 16, 1923 D Apr 12, 2018
Catcher Len Okrie would play in the majors for 4 seasons, but only ever appear in 42 games.
The son of Frank Okrie, who pitched briefly with the 1920 Detroit Tigers, son Len would be drafted by the Senators from the Chicago Cubs organization in 1947. He’d first show up on the Senators roster in 1948. In his most active season, as well as his best at the plate, Okrie would play in 19 games and hit .238.
He would not play in the majors in 1949 but would return to the Senators roster in 1950 when he played in another 17 games. After 5 games in 1951 he’d be traded to the Boston Red Sox for Mike Guerra.
Okrie would make 1 appearance with the Red Sox in early April of 1952 and then would depart from the major leagues.
