Hall of Fame outfielder Henry Emmett Manush, ungraciously known as “Heinie,” based on his German heritage, played for Washington for nearly six seasons in the 1930s, hitting .328 with a cumulative bWAR of 21.6. In 1933, Washington’s last pennant-winning season, his league-leading 221 hits and 17 triples produced 95 RBIs and a .336 average. He … Continue reading Hall of Famer Manush’s ejection from a World Series game
Category: The first Senators/Nationals
The original American League franchise, Griffith Stadium and the teams’ that played there, including the Homestead Grays
Mel Almada, one-time Nat and first Mexican in MLB
On Oct. 24, 2025, Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk became the first Mexican-born player to homer in the World Series. Despite our Southern neighbor’s proximity and that country’s clear love of the game, Mexico is the birthplace of surprisingly few MLB stars. Outfielder Mel Almada in September 1933 became the first Mexican-born player to reach … Continue reading Mel Almada, one-time Nat and first Mexican in MLB
Lou Gehrig’s lost homer at Griffith Stadium in 1931
On April 26, 1931, Lou Gehrig hit a ball into the centerfield bleachers at Washington’s Griffith Stadium for what should have been a long home run off the Nats' Fred "Firpo" Marberry. Hit so hard, the ball caromed back to Senators’ centerfielder Harry Rice (Sam was in right), who caught it on the fly. With … Continue reading Lou Gehrig’s lost homer at Griffith Stadium in 1931
Buddy Lewis of the Nats one of six players to reach 1,000 hits before age 25
John “Buddy” Lewis, the Senators’ All-Star third baseman in the late 1930s, was the fourth major leaguer to reach 1,000 hit before his 25th birthday. The first three who reached the same milestone before Lewis and the two since are all in the Hall of Fame.* Because he missed three and half seasons in his … Continue reading Buddy Lewis of the Nats one of six players to reach 1,000 hits before age 25
Charlie Dressen and the Senators
In October 1954, Charlie Dressen was the last man hired to manage the Senators while Clark Griffith was alive. However, the “Old Fox,” in his 80s, delegated the duty to his informally adopted son, nephew Calvin Griffith.* Every previous manage hired while the senior Griffith owned the team had played for the Senators. Yet Calvin’s … Continue reading Charlie Dressen and the Senators
Nats’ Valdivielso finished off the only all-Cuban triple play
José Valdivielso, the primary shortstop during the final season of the Griffith Senators, died March 4, 2025, at age 90. He debuted with Washington in 1955 and moved with the organization when Calvin Griffith left D.C. for Minnesota. Not much with the bat, Valdivielso hit .219 in 401 games over parts of five seasons in … Continue reading Nats’ Valdivielso finished off the only all-Cuban triple play
1921 Nat holds A.L. record for most times up in a season without striking out
Bobby LaMotte, a reserve infielder who played sparingly for the Washington Senators in 1921, holds an obscure American League record: He batted the most times in a season in the live ball era (1920 to date) without striking out. LaMotte made just 49 plate appearances (41 official at-bats) in 16 games for the fourth-place 1921 … Continue reading 1921 Nat holds A.L. record for most times up in a season without striking out
Tris Speaker’s season in Washington
Tris Speaker, the Grey Eagle, was among the second group of baseball immortals elected in January 1937 to the Hall of Fame in time for the first formal induction ceremony. He was voted in along with Cy Young and Nap Lajoie, joining the five original inductees —Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and … Continue reading Tris Speaker’s season in Washington
Ted Williams’ 84-game on-base streak in 1949 ends at Griffith Stadium
From July 1, 1949, and until September 27, Ted Williams reached base safely by a hit or a walk in 84 consecutive games, which stands as the all-time record. On September 14 in Detroit, Williams passed Joe DiMaggio’s 1941 mark of 74 games, a streak that overlapped Joe D’s 56 consecutive games with a hit. Those two … Continue reading Ted Williams’ 84-game on-base streak in 1949 ends at Griffith Stadium
Inside Joe DiMaggio’s Legendary 56-Game Hit Streak
As Joe DiMaggio was on his way to hitting in 56 consecutive games, he actually set the 20th century major league record at Griffith Stadium on June 29, 1941, before a capacity crowd of 31,000. The fans were there to follow DiMaggio's quest during a Senators’ double-header with the Yankees. The American League and post-1900 … Continue reading Inside Joe DiMaggio’s Legendary 56-Game Hit Streak
Sept. 21, 1946: A million fans and a tribute to a dying hero
The game between the Senators and Red Sox in Washington on Sept. 21, 1946, was memorable for two reasons unrelated to the outcome: It pushed Griffith Stadium’s attendance over one million for the first (and only) time and it turned into a melancholy tribute to the dying Walter Johnson. Knowing that a Saturday crowd coming … Continue reading Sept. 21, 1946: A million fans and a tribute to a dying hero
Home No-Hitters: The Nationals’ Unique Streaks Explained
When the Nationals were no-hit by Michael Lorenzen on August 9, 2023, in Philadelphia, it ended the longest active streak by a major league franchise of not having been victimized that way. The Nats’ predecessor, the Montreal Expos, were last no-hit on July 18, 1999, in New York when the Yankees' David Cone threw a … Continue reading Home No-Hitters: The Nationals’ Unique Streaks Explained
SABR biographies of players and scouts in Washington baseball history
In 2002, the Society for American Baseball Research launched a project that so far as produced more than 6,000 essay-length, well-researched and fact-checked, life stories of figures large and small who either played or influenced major league baseball. Two dozen of these biographies, several about significant figures in the history of both Senators’ franchises, are by … Continue reading SABR biographies of players and scouts in Washington baseball history
1924 World Series title belongs to D.C., not Minnesota
On August 11, 2024, the Minnesota Twins commemorated the 1924 World Series victory of the Washington Senators. Why? The casual fan may have forgotten that the Twins’ franchise began in D.C. in 1901 as the Washington Senators, an original member of the American League. Calvin Griffith, who inherited control of the team from his uncle, … Continue reading 1924 World Series title belongs to D.C., not Minnesota
HOFer Al Lopez got his start with Washington at 1925’s spring training
Al Lopez, the longtime catcher and Hall of Fame manager, got his first chance to handle major league pitchers with Clark Griffith’s Washington Senators in 1925. Lopez was just 16 when the defending World Series champs hired him as a batting-practice catcher during spring training in Tampa, where Lopez was born and raised. My 1963 … Continue reading HOFer Al Lopez got his start with Washington at 1925’s spring training
Who moved the Senators?
Two men, one an heir and the other an unscrupulous financier, were responsible for Washington losing its two American League baseball teams, 11 years apart. The first was Calvin Griffith. He did what his uncle, Clark Griffith, never considered: moving the original Washington A.L. team to Minnesota. The District then was stuck with an expansion … Continue reading Who moved the Senators?
Moe Berg: second-string catcher, first-rate spy
Moe Berg was the backup catcher on the 1933 pennant-winning Senators and played most of three seasons with Washington. He gained greater glory by helping the U.S. intelligence service when he took a movie camera with him as part of a group of American major leaguers touring Japan in the fall of 1934. Berg had … Continue reading Moe Berg: second-string catcher, first-rate spy
June 28, 1907: Nats steal 13 bases off catcher Branch Rickey
Before the New York Highlanders signed him in 1907, catcher Branch Rickey told manager Clark Griffith that a sore arm kept him from throwing well. Griffith, however, was desperate for a backup catcher. On June 28, Griffith started Rickey behind the plate against the last-place Washington Nationals in a game at Hilltop Field in New … Continue reading June 28, 1907: Nats steal 13 bases off catcher Branch Rickey
May 16, 1933: a record debut for Cecil Travis
Shortstop Cecil Travis had a good enough career with the Senators that many argue he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Were it not for his nearly four years in the Army and a foot injury during World War II's Battle of the Bulge, it’s quite possible he’d be a Hall of Famer. As it … Continue reading May 16, 1933: a record debut for Cecil Travis
In 1958 at Griffith Stadium, Ted Williams edged Pete Runnels for sixth batting title
After Washington infielder "Pete" Runnels slumped to .230 in 1957, Calvin Griffith foolishly traded him to the Boston Red Sox. By mid-July in 1958, Runnels was hovering around .330 and leading the league in hitting, thanks in part to the tutelage of Ted Williams. The Splendid Splinter was coming off a season in which he … Continue reading In 1958 at Griffith Stadium, Ted Williams edged Pete Runnels for sixth batting title
Washington baseball history 