October 5
1924 World Series
NY Giants at Washington, Game 2
Senators 4 Giants 3
Series tied 1-1
Washington bolts out of the gate in the 1st off former Senator southpaw Jack Bentley. Sam Rice delivers a 2 out single to center and promptly steals second base. Goose Goslin, atoning for his poor performance yesterday, drills a Bentley offering for a 2- run home run to give the Nats an early 2-0 edge.
Senators starting pitcher Tom Zachary is superb through six innings, allowing just 3 hits. Bentley of the Giants is shaky after his rocky first inning. Bentley escapes a jam in the 3rd when, with Bucky Harris on third base, Joe Judge is nabbed attempting to steal second for the 3rd out. The score is unchanged in the bottom of the 5th, when Harris lifts a solo homer to left to increase the Washington advantage to 3-0.
The Giants get on the scoreboard in the 7th. Leadoff man George Kelly induces a walk from Zachary. Irish Meusel follows with a single through short to advance Kelly to third. With Giant runners at the corners, Hack Wilson bounces into a double play that plates Kelly for New York’s first run.
Zachary is three outs away from securing Washington’s first ever World Series win, but John McGraw‘s team will not be denied. Zachary issues a leadoff walk to Frank Frisch. Ross Youngs pops out to SS for the first out of the 9th inning. Kelly ropes a single to right that scores Frisch from first when Sam Rice‘s relay throw is bobbled. Kelly advances to second on the play. The next Giant batter, Irish Meusel, is thrown out on a fine fielding play from Nats manager/2B Harris. With two outs, Hack Wilson deflates the Griffith crowd with a game tying, RBI single. Zachary gets the hook and is replaced by Firpo Marberry. Marberry strikes out Travis Jackson to end the inning with the score tied at 3-3.
With new life, McGraw opts to keep Bentley in the contest for the bottom of the 9th. Bentley, like Zachary, runs into immediate trouble by walking the first Washington batter Joe Judge on four pitches. Ossie Bluege moves Judge along into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. SS Roger Peckinpaugh doubles to left to win it for the Nats.
1933 World Series
NY Giants at Washington, Game 3
Senators 4 Giants 0
Giants lead series 2-1
The Fall Classic moves to the nation’s capital for the critical game 3. Down 2 games to none, Nats manager Joe Cronin lights into his team before the game, telling his troops that they should be ashamed of their performance in the first two contests and that they are a superior team to the Giants. Only 26,000, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, are in the stands on a dreary, rainy day. Today’s pitching matchup is Earl Whitehill for Washington versus “Fat” Freddy Fitzsimmons of New York.
Cronin’s pre-game speech arouses his team as the Senators jump on the National Leaguers quickly. Cronin’s RBI ground out and Fred Schulte‘s run scoring double stakes Washington to a 2-0, 1st inning lead. In the home 2nd, Buddy Myer doubles to right to score Ossie Bluege for a 3-0 lead. Buddy Myer caps the scoring with a 7th inning RBI single for the 4-0 Washington victory.
The New Yorker’s stood no chance today against the lefthandEd Whitehill. The 22-game winner kept the potent Giant bats in check, surrendering 5 hits, with only one going for extra bases, in the complete game effort. After tagging 8 hits in the first two games, the Giant’s trio of Jo-Jo Moore, Bill Terry and Mel Ott are held to no hits and two strikeouts by Whitehill. Why, Nats fans second guess, was Whitehill bypassed for Lefty Stewart for the game one start?
More Senator news on October 5:
1912 On the strength of a “Prince” Hal Chase 3-run, 8th inning homer, the Yankees win their last game at Hilltop Park, 8-6. Nonetheless, the Nats complete their best season to date, finishing over .500 for the first time at 91-61, under first year manager Clark Griffith.
1956 In a prelude of things to come, Sens owner Clavin Griffith states that he is considering moving the franchise to the West Coast due to the delay in building a new stadium in Washington.
1961 In search of some punch to an anemic offense, Senators GM Ed Doherty trades P Dick Donovan, OF Gene Green and INF Jim Mahoney to Cleveland for CF Jimmy Piersall. Donovan, the AL leader in ERA in 1961 at 2.40, will win 20 for the Tribe in 1962.
Senators Birthdays
Daniel James Silva B Oct. 5, 1896 D Apr. 4, 1974
One Game Wonder Danny Silva made his visit to the Senators Coffee Shop on August 11th of 1919. Playing 3rd base, Silva would go 1 for 4 at bat.
Samuel Filmore West B Oct. 5, 1904 D Nov. 23, 1985
Texan Sam West would make his debut with the Washington Senators in mid-April of 1927 as a 22 year old rookie outfielder. Playing in just 38 games that first season, West would hit .239, but would make marked improvements in the following years.
Returning with the Senators in 1928, West would play in 125 games and hit .302 with 30 doubles, 7 triples and 3 home runs. West would remain with the Senators through 1932, hitting .328 in 1930 and .333 in 1931, his best year at the plate.
Traded to the St. Louis Browns before the 1932 season, along with Lloyd Brown, Carl Reynolds and $20,000 for Goose Goslin, Fred Schulte and Lefty Stewart, West would be a standout with the Browns from 1933 through mid-June of 1938, being named to the American League All Star Team in 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1937.
In mid-June of 1938, West was traded back to the Senators for Mel Almada. West would hit .302 the rest of the 1938 season with Washington and .282 in 1939, playing in 115 games.
West’s playing time would be reduced in 1940, when he’d play in just 57 games. His last year in Washington, 1941, would see him on the field for just 26 contests.
Released by the Senators after the 1941 season, West would have one last gasp with the 1942 Chicago White Sox where he’d play in just 49 games and see his batting average drop to .232. West would be released by the White Sox in late June of 1942, marking the end of his major league career.
