August 27
1927 – The Senators are unable to muster up much offense against White Sox hurler Ted Lyons, dropping a 6-1 decision at Chicago. Lyons yields 4 hits and an unearned run and helps himself at the dish with 2 doubles, a walk and 3 runs scored. Washington SS Bobby Reeves records 13 assists, an AL record that will be tied by Alex Rodriguez in 1996, and one short of the ML record held by Tommy Corcoran of the 1903 Reds.
1933 – Joe Kuhel and Bob Boken team for 7 RBI’s in 14-1 Nats romp at Cleveland. The Tribe make 9 errors in the contest, led by SS Bill Cissell and 3B Johnny Burnett with 3 miscues each. In the afternoon game, the Indians, behind the pitching of Bob Brown, double up the Nats, 6-3, to send the 60,000 plus in attendance home happy.
1935 – In two at Sportsman Park, St. Louis dusts the Nats, 10-6 and 11-1. Bobo Newsom is unable to find the strike zone in the second game, walking 12, throwing a wild pitch and hitting one, while allowing 9 hits to the Browns.
1958 – Foreshadowing events to come, Senators owner Calvin Griffith states that he will move the club to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area if an acceptable offer is made. President Dwight D. Eisenhower suggests that Griffith should improve the team and stay in Washington.
1961 – With 1 home run in the opener and 3 in the nitecap, Detroit’s Rocky Colavito curses the Senators with an AL record 4 home runs in a doubleheader. The Bengals bag a pair, 7-4 and 10-1, in Washington. The Nats have now dropped 9 in a row.
Senators Birthdays
John Henne Berger B Aug. 27, 1901 D May 7, 1979
Philadelphia born Johnny Berger had 2 brief appearances in the major leagues. His big league debut came in April of 1920 when he’d appear in 2 games for the hometown Philadelphia Athletics. Berger would go 1 for 1 at the plate and steal a base during his brief stint with the A’s.
Berger would return to the majors in 1927, playing in 7 games for the Senators. A catcher, Berger would go 4 for 15 at bat and play in his last game in early September.
Joseph Robert Cunningham, Jr. B Aug. 27, 1931 D Mar. 25, 2021
Outfielder/1st baseman Joe Cunningham got his start with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954, playing in 85 games and hitting .284.
Cunningham wouldn’t play in the majors in 1955 but would return for 4 games with the Cardinals in 1956. He’d remain with the Cardinals through 1961, being named to the 1959 National League All Star team. 1959 was Cunningham’s best season in the majors, when he hit .345 in 144 games, with 28 doubles, 6 triples and 7 homers.
After the 1961 season, Cunningham would be traded to the Chicago White Sox for Minnie Minoso. Playing in Chicago in 1962, 1963 and the start of 1964, he’d be traded to the Washington Senators in mid-July for Bill Skowron and Carl Bouldin.
Cunningham would play in 49 games for the Senators in 1964, 95 games in 1965 and just 3 games in 1966. He was given his release by the Senators in late April, marking the end of his major league career.
Carlton William East B Aug. 27, 1894 D Jan. 15, 1953
Another player who had “broken service” in the major leagues was Carl East. East would begin as a “One Game Wonder”, pitching for the St. Louis Browns in 1915. In just over 3 innings of work, he would surrender 6 hits, 6 runs and 2 walks while striking out only 1 and would depart with an ERA of 16.20.
Perhaps East realized that pitching wasn’t his strong point, for he’d return to the majors in 1924 with the Senators as an outfielder. The One Game Wonder with the Browns also earned the title of “Senators Short Timer” as he’d play in just 2 games in a Washington uniform, going 2 for 6 at the plate with 2 walks. He’d leave the Senators in early May with a .333 BA and an On Base Percentage of .500.
Clarence Henry Fisher B Aug. 27, 1898 D Nov. 2, 1965
Pitcher Clarence Fisher pitched in just 4 games for the Senators-2 games in 1919, 2 games in 1920. He’d make his last appearance in a Washington uniform in October of 1920, leaving with a career record of 0-1 with a 11.74 ERA.
Harold Chandler Janvrin B Aug. 27, 1892 D Mar. 1, 1962
Hal Janvrin spent 10 seasons in the majors playing in a grand total of 759 games, however only 61 of those games would be in the uniform of the Washington Senators.
Starting in 1911, Janvrin made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox, where he’d play in 9 games. He’d not play in the majors in 1912 but would return with the Red Sox in 1913 and remain in a Boston uniform through 1917.
Traded by Boston to the Senators in exchange for Eddie Ainsmith and George Dumont, Janvrin would play at both 2nd base and shortstop and hit .178 in 61 games. In late August of 1919, Janvrin would be traded to Buffalo of the International League for Bucky Harris.
A little over 2 weeks later, Janvrin would be purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals where he’d finish the 1919 season. Janvrin would remain on the roster of the Cardinals in 1920. In 1921, he’d start the year in St. Louis but would be traded to the Brooklyn Robins in mid-June. Janvrin would appear in 44 games for the Robins in 1921 and be sparingly used in 1922, only playing in 30 games, his last season in the majors.
James Hubert King B Aug. 27, 1932 D Feb. 23, 2015
Outfielder Jim King started his major league career with the Chicago Cubs in 1955, playing in 113 games and hitting .256 in his rookie season. He’d return with the Cubs in 1956 and play in 118 games, batting .249.
Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for the 1957 season, he’d only play in 22 games for St. Louis. Prior to the 1958 season, he’d be traded again this time to the San Francisco Giants, where he’d play in 44 games, only hitting .214 before being sent to Toronto of the International League in mid-July.
King wouldn’t see the majors again until 1961 when he was drafted by the expansion Senators. King would remain in a Senators uniform through mid-June of 1967. He’d have some active seasons in Washington playing in 110 games or more each season from 1961 through 1966. King is 3rd on the expansion Senators home run list with 89, behind Frank Howard (237) and Don Lock (99). King is also the only expansion Senator to have hit for the cycle, a feat he accomplished on May 26, 1964 at Boston.
After 47 games in 1967, King was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Ed Stroud. After 23 games in a White Sox uniform, he’d be traded one last time to the Cleveland Indians in late July. He appear in 19 games in an Indians uniform and be released at the end of the season, ending his major league career.
Joseph Robert McCabe B Aug. 27, 1938 Still Living
Joe McCabe began his career in the organization of the original Senators franchise in 1960. He wouldn’t debut in the majors until 1964 with the Minnesota Twins, 4 years after the original franchise had packed up for the Land of 10,000 Lakes. A catcher, McCabe would appear in 14 games for the Twins where he’d hit .158.
After the 1964 season, McCabe was traded to the expansion Senators for Ken Retzer. In 1965 McCabe would play in another 14 games, batting .185, going 5 for 27 with 4 walks and hitting his only major league home run. His last major league game would come in late May of 1965 when he’d be optioned to Hawaii (Pacific Coast League) and would not return to the majors.
Herbert Ewald Pyle B Aug. 27, 1910 D Jan. 10, 2004
Ewald Pyle first made it to the majors as a 28 year old rookie in 1939 with the St. Louis Browns. Appearing in 6 games, posting an 0-2 record with a 12.96 ERA, Pyle wouldn’t return to the big leagues until 1942 when he’d pitch in 2 more games for the Browns.
In 1943, Pyle would be on the roster of the Washington Senators, where he’d post a 4-8 record in 13 games with a 4.09 ERA.
1944 would find Pyle further up the East Coast, in the employ of the New York Giants where he’d post a 7-10 record with a 4.34 ERA.
Pyle would start 1945 with the Giants but after just 6 games, where he’d compile no W/L record but see his ERA inflate to 17.05, Pyle would be traded to the Boston Braves where he’d pitch in just 4 more games before his major league journey ended.
