September 18
1908 – Chicago musters only 3 hits off Walter Johnson, but the Pale Hose edge the Nationals, 1-0, on the South Side. “Big” Ed Walsh is the winner for Chicago.
1916 – One month wonder Claude Thomas makes his first ML start in St. Louis and grounds the Browns, 1-0. It is the portsider’s only major league win.
1929 – It’s two pitching efforts that manager Walter Johnson appreciates. In Detroit, Bump Hadley and Lloyd Brown team up to hold Detroit scoreless, 2-0 and 1-0, in a twinbill.
1945 – In the rubber match of their 5 game showdown with Detroit, the Senators erupt for 12 runs in a 12-5 victory over the Tigers. Dizzy Trout, worn down from pitching 6 games in 10 days, absorbs the loss. Both teams combine to use 35 players in the game, equaling a ML record. The 1st place Bengals, who came into this series with a half game lead, depart Washington with a 1.5 game margin.
1946 – Sherry Robertson of Washington becomes the first player since the Red Sox’s Harry Hopper in 1913 to leadoff consecutive games with a home run. After leading off yesterday’s game at Detroit with a homer, Robertson accomplishes the trick again at Cleveland in today’s, 8-1, victory for the Sens. Robertson ropes 3 hits and scores 3 runs.
1966 – When Ken Harrelson scores on a Fred Valentine triple in the bottom of the 9th, not only do the Sens win, but Washington denies the A’s a place in the record books. Coming into this game, Kansas City pitchers had a string of 36.2 shutout innings. “Blue Moon” Odom pitches 8.1 innings of 5 hit, shutout ball, extending the string to 45.1, before Valentine’s game winner. The AL record for shutout innings is held by the 1948 Indians with 47. While Odom pitched valiantly in a losing cause, his opposite, Phil Ortega, was masterful, limiting the A’s to 2 hits in a complete game.
Senators Birthdays
There are no Senators birthdays to report on this day.
