February 14, 1969 – It is reported that Ted Williams has agreed to manage the Washington Senators. From what I could gather Williams agreed to a 5-year contract that would pay him a sizable salary plus shares of the team stock. The exact compensation package could not be verified but it is believed that he …
Sep 21
This Day in D.C. Baseball History – Heinie’s game saving catch
September 21, 1933 Heinie Manush saves the victory with a diving catch in the 9th inning as the Senators beat the St. Louis Browns 2-1 and clinched the American League Pennant. In a season where the Yankees were picked to win the AL pennant, the surprising Senators clinched the pennant with over a week left …
Sep 12
This Day in D.C. Baseball History – Cheney’s strikeout record
September 12, 1962 With little fanfare pitcher Tom Cheney of the Washington Senators strikeouts a major league record 21 Baltimore Orioles on route to his 2-1 victory in the 16-inning contest. In front of only 4,098 fans at Memorial stadium in Baltimore the Senators and the Orioles were tied 1-1 until Bud Zipfiel hit a …
Aug 28
This Day in D.C. Baseball History – Gabby’s Monumental Catch
August 28, 1908 To settle a bet between two gentlemen, Washington Senators catcher Charles “Gabby” Street agreed to try to catch a baseball dropped from the Washington Monument, attempting to replicate the feat allegedly achieved by Chicago Colts catcher Pops Schriver on August 24, 1894. On the morning of August 21, 1908 Gabby set up …
Aug 07
This Day in D.C. Baseball History – August 7, 1915
Sam “Man O’ War” Rice makes his major league debut as a relief pitcher at the age of 25. Rice is put in the game after the Chicago White Sox took an early lead against the Senators. The Senators were not able to come back and give Rice the win in his debut as the …
Jul 11
Washington D.C. Baseball History – July 1907
Walter Johnson was pitching for the Weiser “semi-pro” team in the Idaho State League. The 19-year old hurler was so dominating that he caught the attention of many Major League scouts from the east. In late June the Washington Senators Manager Joe Cantillion sent injured catcher Cliff Blankenship to Idaho to scout the young phenom. …
Jul 07
This Day in D.C. Baseball History – July 7, 1937
President Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President to attend an All-Star game as he throws out the first pitch at Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C. The 31,391 fans in attendance at the 5th All-Star game saw Yankees’ first baseman Lou Gehrig drive in four runs with a home run and a double to lead …
Jun 23
This Day in D.C. Baseball History – June 23, 1933
Player and Manager Joe Cronin lead the Senators to their 3rd straight victory, 7 to 3, over the White Sox, with his 5th consecutive multi-hit game. The victory puts the Senators a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees. At the time Cronin set a Major League Record with 13 hits in three consecutive games …
Jun 16
This Day in D.C. Baseball History – June 16, 1945
During the week of June 16, 1945 the Homestead Grays played a double header against the Newark Eagles at Griffith Stadium. Griffith Stadium was the location for most of the Homestead Grays home games in 1945. A crowd of 8,367 fans watched Newark’s starter Lefty Hill retire the first 12 batters he faced in game …
