August 6
1917 – Eddie Plank, in the last game of his career, squares off against Walter Johnson in a fabulous, 11 inning pitching duel, won by Johnson, 1-0. The 41 year old Plank, no doubt tired of pitching for the sad Browns, will announce his retirement in a week, despite a 1.79 ERA.
1922 – It took 16 years, but the Big Train surrenders his first grand slam. Brownies 3B Jack Tobin has the honor of cracking the first slam off Johnson in the bottom of the 3rd, as Urban Shocker and the Browns sink Washington, 8-4.
1924 – The Senators hit the nadir of the season by getting swept in a 5 game series in St. Louis. Washington is edged by the Browns on this day, 6-5. The Sens are seemingly down and out in 3rd place, but will soon begin a 35-13 tear that will vault them to the top.
1929 – In the Bronx, the Nats win a wild opener, 13-9. Buddy Myer gathers 4 hits, 3 of which are doubles, and Joe Cronin and Sammy West go yard for the Nationals. The Yanks come back to take the second game, 8-0, on Ruth’s two home runs.
1933 – The front running Senators hit a speed bump on their way the the AL crown, dropping a 12-8 decision to guest Philadelphia. A’s 3B Pinky Higgins hits for the cycle. After dropping their next 2, the Senators will win 13 in a row to increase their lead to 8.5 games.
1940 – In D.C., rookie Sid Hudson records his second 1 hit shutout of this season in an
11-0 Nats bashing of the once proud Athletics. Hudson, 24-4 in 1939 with Sanford (Class D Florida), will win 17 for the Senators this season.
1970 – Single runs in the 3rd, 5th and 7th innings, and 2 in the 8th, allow the Sens to overcome an early 2-0 hole in defeating Boston, 5-2. Frank Howard‘s plates the go ahead run in the bottom of the 7th with an RBI single that scores Eddie Brinkman. Disappointing phenom Tom Grieve hits a homer with a man aboard in the 8th to put the finishing touches of this victory. Closer Darold Knowles, in the midst of a 2-14, 2.04 ERA season, saves his 23rd.
Senators Birthdays
Frank John Barron B Aug. 6, 1890 D Sep. 18, 1964
Frank Barron‘s cup of coffee in the majors was served on August 19th of 1914. Pitching just 1 inning in 1 game, Barron would give up 1 hit and record 1 strikeout and depart from the major league scene.
Delbert Leon Culberson B Aug. 6, 1919 D Sep. 17, 1989
Outfielder Leon Culberson first came to the majors with the Boston Red Sox in 1943. Remaining in Boston through 1947, his most active season would be 1945, when he’d hit .275 in 97 games. In 1946, he’d hit .313 and play in 5 games of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
After the 1947 season, Culberson would be traded, along with Al Kozar to the Washington Senators for Stan Spence.
Culberson would only appear in 12 games for Washington, going 5 for 29 at bat. Traded again in May of 1948 to the New York Yankees for Bud Stewart, Culberson would not play in another major league game.
Robert Theodore Loane B Aug. 6, 1914 D Dec. 11, 2002
Outfielder Bob Loane played in 3 games for the 1939 Senators going 0-9 at the plate. 1940 would find Loane briefly on the roster of the Boston Braves (then known as the “Bees”), when he appeared in 12 games, this time managing 5 hits in 22 at bats. Loane would play in his last major league game in mid-May of 1940.
