Table of Content

  • Ron Hansen’s 1968 unassisted triple play

    More than half a century has passed since a player for the Washington Senators accomplished one of the rarest feats in the game: an unassisted triple play. It happened on July 30, 1968, a blowout loss for Washington during a season in which the Senators became the last American League team to finish in 10th… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • Sept. 26, 1964: At D.C. Stadium, Stottlemyre was last pitcher to get five hits at bat

    Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the designated hitter became universal for 2022. Pitchers, unless another Shohei Ohtani emerges, will no longer routinely bat in either league. So it’s worth looking back at a memorable game 58 seasons ago: September 26, 1964, the last time a pitcher actually had – and will ever again have… Read more

  • April 11, 1966: Emmett Ashford’s debut comes at D.C. Stadium

    Emmett Ashford had trouble getting into D.C. Stadium on April 11, 1966, to become the first Black umpire in the Major Leagues. A Secret Service detail protecting Vice President Hubert Humphrey, there to throw out opening day’s ceremonial first pitch, stopped Ashford under the grandstands as he entered the stadium. “Listen, there are no Negro… Read more

  • 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,… Read more

  • In 1933, Joe Cronin had a record 13 hits in 3 games

    In his first year as a playing manager, Joe Cronin had a charmed season. Already an established star, he had doubts that he could both manage and play at the level he had become accustomed to. He needn’t have worried. Cronin led the Griffith franchise to its third – and last – pennant, hit .309… Read more