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
Category: The first Senators/Nationals
The original American League franchise, Griffith Stadium and the teams’ that played there, including the Homestead Grays
Four pitchers in Nats’ games got a triple play from the first batter they faced
Lefty Sammy Solis faced a daunting task when he came in the eighth inning on July 29, 2016, in San Francisco against the Giants. Two other Nats relievers had loaded the bases without retiring a batter. Max Scherzer had left after seven solid innings with a 4-1 lead. Oliver Perez started the inning by giving … Continue reading Four pitchers in Nats’ games got a triple play from the first batter they faced
1949 Nats set record, winning nine in a row but finishing last
Until 1949, no Washington team since Clark Griffith’s arrival in 1912 had ever lost 100 games. Managed by Joe Kuhel, the '49 Senators[1] finished at 50-104, despite being in fourth place, a game over .500 on June 12. A May 1949 winning streak also would become, at season's end, the record for consecutive wins by … Continue reading 1949 Nats set record, winning nine in a row but finishing last
April 18, 1960: Pascual strikes out 15, an opening-day record that still stands
Even as work was about to begin on a new stadium, the fate of the Washington Senators in D.C. remained uncertain as the 1960 season began. Owner Calvin Griffith had tried and then abandoned an earlier effort to move the team, yet he had just made a major trade with the White Sox that would … Continue reading April 18, 1960: Pascual strikes out 15, an opening-day record that still stands
Is Walter Johnson the all-time greatest pitcher?
April 14 is the anniversary of two of the best games Washington’s Walter Johnson pitched in his magnificent career. On that date in 1926, at age 39, he went 15 innings to beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 1-0. He allowed six hits and let no runner advance beyond first base. Johnson himself considered this his masterpiece, … Continue reading Is Walter Johnson the all-time greatest pitcher?
Presidential openers and D.C.
During his long tenure in Washington, Clark Griffith cultivated relationships with every U.S. President from William Howard Taft to Dwight Eisenhower. The Nats’ owner helped keep baseball going during World War I and again in World War II. See my SABR team ownership history (or on this site) of the original Senators for more about … Continue reading Presidential openers and D.C.
Aug. 7, 1915: Sam Rice debuts on the mound as the Big Train starts in right
Washington Manager Clark Griffith acquired Edger Rice, known as “Sam,” as payment for a $300 debt owed by the owner of Rice’s Virginia State League team. It’s hard to imagine a better bargain for a future Hall of Famer. Rice joined Griffith’s squad in Washington on July 30, 1915, in the midst of a long … Continue reading Aug. 7, 1915: Sam Rice debuts on the mound as the Big Train starts in right
July 19, 1915: Nats credited with a record 8 steals in an inning
(updated April 20, 2025) The record for the most stolen bases in an inning was set by the Senators against Cleveland on July 19, 1915, but the total hardly stands up to scrutiny. In the top of the first inning of the game at League Park, the official scorer credited the Nats with eight steals, … Continue reading July 19, 1915: Nats credited with a record 8 steals in an inning
The University of Maryland, the Nats and MLB
College Park, home of the University of Maryland’s main campus, is just eight miles by car outside of Washington, D.C. The proximity came into play during World War II when travel restrictions forced major league teams to find spring training sites nearer their home cities. In 1943, ’44 and ’45, the Senators arranged to train … Continue reading The University of Maryland, the Nats and MLB
Lefler’s key pinch hits in September 1924
In the heat of the 1924 pennant race, the Senators acquired veteran minor leaguer Wade Lefler to provide what the team hoped would be a potent bat off the bench. The left-hand hitter did not disappoint. In four pinch-hit at-bats, Lefler drove in six runs with two doubles and a single. His first hit drove … Continue reading Lefler’s key pinch hits in September 1924
Fred Schulte helped the Nats become 1933 A.L. champs
Fred Schulte played center field for the pennant-winning 1933 Washington Senators. His three-run homer in Game 5 of the World Series against the Giants pulled the Senators even. But New York won on a 10th-inning homer by Mel Ott that tipped off of Schulte’s glove. The victory gave the Giants the championship, four games to … Continue reading Fred Schulte helped the Nats become 1933 A.L. champs
Who, if anyone, was the model for ‘Joe Hardy’?
Joe Hardy was the fictional baseball star created by J. Douglass Wallop in his 1954 novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, adapted soon after for Broadway and film as Damn Yankees. Middle-aged Washington Senators fan Joe Boyd makes a deal with the devil to become a great player (Joe Hardy) and, he hopes, … Continue reading Who, if anyone, was the model for ‘Joe Hardy’?
All-Star Games in D.C.: 1937, 1956, 1962, 1969 and 2018
During the depth of the Great Depression, with a quarter of the American workforce unemployed, baseball attendance had fallen by 40 percent. A World’s Fair was scheduled in Chicago in the summer of 1933, and the city’s mayor wanted a major sports event to accompany it. He asked the publisher of the Chicago Tribune for … Continue reading All-Star Games in D.C.: 1937, 1956, 1962, 1969 and 2018
Walter Johnson, George Washington and the Rappahannock
Next to the apocryphal story about George Washington and the cherry tree, the most familiar tale told about the Father of Our Country involves what he threw across the Rappahannock River. It was even mentioned on the iconic Beach Boys’ album, All Summer Long, in 1964.* Unlike the essential details of young George chopping down … Continue reading Walter Johnson, George Washington and the Rappahannock
July 6, 1920: Nats yield a record 14 runs in an inning
The New York Yankees reclaimed first place in American League with a 17-0 pounding of Washington on Tuesday, July 6, 1920, at the ballpark that would become known as Griffith Stadium. What made the game more memorable, however, was what happened in the fifth inning. That's when the Yankees scored what at that time was … Continue reading July 6, 1920: Nats yield a record 14 runs in an inning
Team with the fewest stolen bases in a season? The 1957 Senators
For a variety of reasons, stolen-base attempts ticked up in 2022 after several years of decline. Bigger bases, restrictions on throws to first base and on the positioning of infielders take effect in 2023, with the intent of producing more base hits and increasing successful stolen-base attempts. So it’s not likely steals will ever again … Continue reading Team with the fewest stolen bases in a season? The 1957 Senators
July 4, 1940: George Case ties record for most hits in a double-header
On July 4, 1940, at Griffith Stadium, speedy Senators’ outfielder George Case had nine hits in a double-header against the Athletics, matching a major league record that still stands. In the modern era (post-1900), this record is held by six others, but was achieved the last time more than 60 years ago. Case’s 9-for-10 was … Continue reading July 4, 1940: George Case ties record for most hits in a double-header
Post-1900 A.L., N.L., Washington has never been no-hit at home*
Playing at home, Washington's American and National League teams -- be it the current Nationals, the original Nationals/Senators or the expansion Senators -- have never been no-hit.* Here's a look at the visiting teams that have been no-hit in D.C. and no-hitters throw by Washington pitchers on the road. The Nationals, 2005 to 2022: Nationals’ … Continue reading Post-1900 A.L., N.L., Washington has never been no-hit at home*
The Nats’ late-season nightmares, 1955-1960
The original Washington American League franchise finished with a winning record for the last time -- barely -- in 1952. By winning on the last day of the season, it edged Boston for fifth place with a 78-76 record. Attendance at Griffith Stadium, with the league’s smallest capacity, was just shy of 700,000, but more … Continue reading The Nats’ late-season nightmares, 1955-1960
Chick Gandil, before the Black Sox
Before he became the key figure in the Black Sox scandal, Arnold “Chick” Gandil played a leading role in lifting the Washington Senators to respectability in the American League. While Walter Johnson’s pitching is rightly seen as the most important element of Washington’s rise, Gandil’s bat and glove can’t be overlooked. From 1912 to 1915, … Continue reading Chick Gandil, before the Black Sox
Washington baseball history 