September 2
1928 – P Firpo Marberry gets the win and drives in both of Washington’s runs in a 2-0 home shutout of the Yankees. The loss shrinks New York’s lead over the A’s to 1.5 games.
1929 – The Senators divide a pair at Fenway. The two Joes do the BoSox in
during the opener. Joe Judge cracks a 3-run homer and Joe Cronin hits for the cycle for a Washington, 10-7, victory. The Red Sox, behind the pitching of Milt Gaston, thump the Sens, 7-2, in game two.
1952 – Just called up from Havana of the Florida International League, Washington’s Mike Fornieles pitches a 1-hitter in his ML debut, a 5-0 Sens win over visiting Philadelphia in the nightcap. Fornieles is nicked for a 2nd inning single by the A’s Joe Astroth. The Senators take the AM tilt, 3-2, in 10 innings.
1954 – Two team records are established in today’s 16-6 home demolishing of Detroit. Mickey Vernon poles his 19th home run, a new record for left handed batters in a season. Vernon also collects his 2,000th hit, on a 3-for-4, 3 RBI performance. Roy Sievers belts his 23rd homer, another new team record, and drives in 7 RBI. The Senators pelt 18 hits with every Senator starter, except for pitcher Bob Porterfield, collecting at least 1 hit and 1 RBI.
Box score
1955 – Mickey Mantle‘s home run with 2 aboard in the 6th breaks a 0-0 tie and sends New York on to a 4-2 win in the Bronx. Whitey Ford‘s no-hit bid is foiled by a Carlos Paula RBI single in the 7th, the only hit yielded by Ford. Billy Martin, in his first game back from the Army, scratches out 2 hits off losing pitcher Bob Porterfield.
1958 – Minneapolis city alderman Byron Nelson states that it’s a “dead cinch” that the Senators will move to Minneapolis after a $9 million bond issue is approved to expand the seating capacity of Metropolitan Stadium.
1960 – Like father, like son. P Don Lee of Washington surrenders a home run to Ted Williams, 20 years after Lee’s father, Thornton, had given up a long ball to “Teddy Ballgame”. Williams 8th inning homer is the only damage done by Boston, as the Nats take game one, 5-1, in Beantown. Former Nat Mike Fornieles celebrates his 8th anniversary of his ML debut by watching Jim Lemon go yard with a man on in the 8th for a, 3-2, Nats win.
1963 – In an otherwise insignificant, 8-7, win at Cleveland, a Senator player makes history. Nat P Ed Hobaugh joins Buster Narum, a future Senator, as the first pitchers to have more home runs than victories in a season. Hobaugh takes the Tribe’s Jerry Walker deep in the 4th. Dave Eiland will eventually become the third member of this exclusive club in 1992 with the Padres.
1967 – Even with bad knees and his career winding down, Mickey Mantle continues to wear out Washington pitchers. Mantle does his work this time as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th. With Bob Priddy and the Sens clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Mick powers a 2-run home run to hand the Senators a tough, 2-1, loss.
1970 – Was Tony LaRussa watching or listening to this game? At RFK, Cleveland manager Alvin Dark orders starter Sam McDowell (19-8) to intentionally walk Frank Howard, when Hondo leads off the 3rd and 5th innings. The strategy pays off in the 3rd, but backfires in the 5th after McDowell throws a wild pitch allowing Howard to score. Dark employs more unusual strategy in the 6th. With 2 Senators on and 1 out, the Tribe skipper moves McDowell to 1B and brings in Dean Chance to pitch to Howard. Howard greets Chance with a single to load the bases, as the Senators go on to score 2 in the inning. McDowell is reinstated to the mound in the 7th, but the Sens come away with the 4-1 decision after all of Dark’s maneuverings. Dick Bosman strikes out 8 for his 15th victory.
1971 – The Senators play their final game ever at Yankee Stadium. Fittingly, Washington is drubbed, 11-1, by the Yankees. Jeff Burroughs drives in the final Nats run at the Stadium, scoring Bernie Allen, on an RBI single. With the present day Nationals having never played there, this game represents the final time that a ballclub representing the nations capital has played in the “House that Ruth Built”.
Senators Birthdays
William Clyde Yohe B Sep. 2, 1878 D Dec. 24, 1938
Bill Yohe joined the ranks of Single Season Senators by appearing in 21 games during the 1909 season. Playing 3rd base, Yohe would go 15 for 72 at the plate with 2 doubles during his late-season stay with the Senators.
