May 23
1963 – New Nats manager Gil Hodges is acquired in a trade from the Mets for OF Jimmy Piersall. Hodges arrives in Baltimore just in time to watch the Orioles’ Robin Roberts 2 hit the Sens 6-0. Senators starter Claude Osteen is battered for 6 runs and 7 hits in 2.1 innings of work. Light hitting SS Ed Brinkman gets the only 2 hits off of Roberts.
May 22
1953 – Sparked by OF Clyde Vollmer‘s 3 run double and 2 run homer, the Senators pound Yankee pitching for 18 hits in a 12-4 Senators rout. In the top of the 9th, Yanks OF Irv Noren lines into a game ending triple play. Former Yankee farmhand Bob Porterfield pitches the CG.
May 21
May 21 1913 – Trailing Cleveland 2-0 in the top of the 9th, Washington’s Alva “Rip” Williams ties the contest with a 2 run, pinch HR. After the Sens score 2 more in the top of the 10th, Walter Johnson is bought in to seal the 4-2 victory. 1925 – The Big Train goes 3 …
May 20
1962 – The Sens and Kansas City A’s split a doubleheader in D.C. Claude Osteen‘s solid start goes for naught as he surrenders a ninth inning homer to Manny Jimenez for a 1-0 A’s win in the opener. The Sens avoid the broom by pulling out a 7-5 victory in the second game.
May 19
1952 – Clark Griffith sells C Sherry Robertson, his nephew, to the Philadelphia A’s. Robertson will return to Washington in 1953 in a front office capacity.
May 18
1968 – Frank Howard concludes his record setting week by tying the AL record with homers in 6 straight games in the Senators 8-4 win at Detroit. His 10 homers in 6 games are a major league record, as is his 10 homers during a single week (Sunday through Saturday).
May 17
1968 – Sailing into the top of the 9th with a one hitter and a 2-1 lead, Tigers pitcher Joe Sparma gives up a leadoff single to Del Unser. One out later, Sparma faces the white hot Frank Howard. Hondo belts his 8th homer in 5 games to give the Sens a 3-2 lead.
May 15
May 15 1901 – The first ever shutout in American League history belongs to Washington. Watty Lee blanks the Boston Americans 4-0 in Boston. 1918 – Walter Johnson and Chicago’s Lefty Williams each go the distance for 18 scoreless innings. The Nats push a run across in the bottom of the 18th to win 1-0. …
May 14
1918 – Due to increased population caused by WWI and the need for recreation activities, Sunday baseball is legalized in the District of Columbia. Five days later, the Sens beat Cleveland in the first legal Sunday game 1-0.
May 13
1932 – Alvin “General” Crowder shuts out Detroit 7-0 at Briggs Stadium as the Senators improve to 18-5 on the
season. For Crowder, this victory is one of his career high 26 victories that he will record for the season.
