Mar 19
By Jeff Stuart “[The curveball is very difficult to throw, very difficult to control,” said Dick Bosman, former Senators’ pitcher and Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ minor league pitching coordinator. “On an average 12-man staff, you might have two guys who throw curveballs.”For a long time, physicists argued that a baseball couldn’t curve, that it was …
Mar 19
March 19 Senators Birthdays Elmari Wilhelm (Elmer) Bowman B Mar. 19, 1897 D Dec. 17, 1985. Senators Short Timer Elmer Bowman was on the Washington roster for 6 days in August of 1920. Making 2 plate appearances, Bowman would go 0-1 with a walk and a run scored, departing with a BA of .000 and …
Mar 18
March 18 Senators Birthdays Richard Charles Mulligan B Mar. 18, 1918 D Dec. 15, 1992 Pitcher Dick Mulligan would start his very brief major league career as a One Game Wonder with the 1941 Senators. Making his debut in late September, Mulligan’s 1 appearance would see him pitching 9 full innings, giving up 11 hits, …
Mar 17
March 17 1911 – Washington’s Griffith Stadium, currently under construction and being prepared for an April opener, catches fire when plumbers working on the piping start a fire that burned down the grandstand. Since the water has been shut off, firemen can do nothing at first. It took the firemen, some time before they could …
Mar 16
March 16 1953 American League owners turn down a bid made by Bill Veeck to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore. The “reason”-not enough time before the start of the season. Led by Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, the owners vote 6 – 2 against the move. (The move would be made 2 days …
Mar 15
March 15 1944 In accordance with wartime travel restrictions the Washington Senators train at the University of Maryland. The Senators enter camp with 6 knuckleball pitchers on their spring training roster: Alex Carrasquel, Mickey Haefner, Dutch Leonard, Bill Lefebvre, Johnny Niggleing and Roger Wolff. Haefner, Leonard, Niggeling and Wolff all are selected for the starting …
Mar 15
March 15, 1945 College Park, MD – Bert Shepard, a one legged veteran of World War II, tries out as a pitcher for the Washington Senators. The Senators owner Clark Griffith was so impressed with Shepard that he hired him as the team’s pitching coach. During the 1945 spring training Shepard with his artificial leg …
Mar 14
March 14 Senators Birthdays John Wyeth (Red) Marion B Mar. 14, 1914 D Mar. 13, 1975 Senators Short Timer Red Marion spent 2 distinct stints with Washington separated by 7 years. First arriving in the majors in mid-September of 1935, outfielder Marion would appear in 4 games, going 2 for 11 with a double and …
Mar 13
March 13 Senators Birthdays Bruno Block (Born James John Blochowicz) B Mar. 13, 1885 D Aug. 6, 1937 Catcher Bruno Block came to the major leagues in early August of 1907, playing in 24 games for the Washington Senators, hitting .140 in 57 AB. Out of the majors in 1908 and 1909, Block would return …
Mar 12
March 12 Senators Birthdays Joseph William Engel B Mar. 12, 1893 D Jun. 12, 1969 Washington, DC native Joe Engel arrived in the major leagues in late May of 1912. A pitcher, Engel began his career with the Washington Senators posting a 2-5 record in 17 games in his rookie season. Engel would go 8-9 …
