June 23, 1917

The Babe Gets Ejected After Walking Senators' Morgan

In the top of the first inning of the first game of a scheduled double-header between the Senators and the Red Sox, Babe Ruth gave up a four pitch walk to the Senators’ Ray Morgan. The 24 year old Ruth was so outraged that umpire Brick Owens called four straight balls that Ruth threatened to punch the umpire. Brick Owens did not waste any time throwing out the Red Sox hurler. To cap it off Owens tossed out Pinch Thomas the Red Sox starting catcher.

With the Senators’ Ray Morgan on first base, Ernie Shore took the mound for the Red Sox, and Sam Agnew took over as the Red Sox catcher. Before the crowd stopped booing at Fenway Park, Agnew went on to throw out Morgan as he attempted to steal 2^nd base.

At the time no one knew it, but Ray Morgan would be the last Senator to get on base. Ernie Shore went on to retire the next twenty six Senators to pick up the very first combined no-hitter in the Major League. In fact the record shows that Shore pitched a perfect game as the Red Sox recorded 27 consecutive outs while Shore was in the game. The Red Sox won the first game 4-0 and followed that up with a 5-0 victory in game two.

June 23, 1933

Cronin's 5th Consecutive Multi Hit Game

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 a three game span and 15 hits in four game span.

Quick Facts:

• Washington Senators end the season in 1st place (99-53) in the American League, seven games ahead of the New York Yankees (91-59).
• Washington Senators lose the World Series in five games to the New York Giants.
• The 1933 Washington Senators team had a total of four future Hall of Fame players.

Joe Cronin
Goose Goslin
Heinie Manush
Sam Rice

• In 1933 Washington Senators pitcher Alvin Crowder joined shortstop Joe Cronin on the first ever American League All Star Team.

      

On April 10, 1961 - Before the Washington Senators and the Chicago White Sox opening day game the crowd of 26,725 watched President John F. Kennedy throw out ceremonial first pitch at Griffith Stadium.

The Senators' starting pitcher Dick Donovan did his job in the top of the 1st inning by getting Minnie Minoso to line into a double play to end the inning. The young Senators did not waste anytime to please the hometown fans as lead off hitter Coot Veal got a single off of Early Wynn. Coot Veal's single was the first hit by a member of the Senators team. Two batters later Marty Keough singled to left field and Veal went to 2nd base. After Dale Long struck-out Gene Woodling hit a triple into the gap between center field and right field, Veal came in to score the first run for the new Senators and Keough scored the second run as the Washington Senators took a 2-0 lead. The first inning would end with the Senators leading 2-0 in front of the large cheerful crowd.

In the top of the 2nd inning long time Senator star Roy Sievers now playing for the White Sox blasted a solo home run to make the score 2-1 Senators. In the bottom of the 2nd inning the Senators answered back when Pete Daley scored on a sac fly by Billy Klaus. The White Sox remove Early Wynn after giving up (3) runs and (5) hits in only two innings. The White Sox will follow up with another run in the top of the 3rd inning to pull within one run of the Senators.

After three scoreless innings the White Sox scored the tying run in the top of the 7th inning after Jim Landis scored on a Senators error. The White Sox scored their fourth run in the top of 8th inning when Roy Sievers sac fly knocked in Minoso for the winning run. Dick Donovan pitched all nine innings and got the loss for the Washington Senators and White Sox relief pitcher Frank Baumann recorded the win.

      

Gabby's Monumental Catch: August 21, 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 achieved by Chicago Colts catcher Pops Schriver on August 24, 1894.

On the morning of August 21, 1908 Gabby set up a platform under the monument and got ready for the first ball to be dropped. I do not know how many chances they agreed to give Gabby, but I do know he was not able to catch the first 12 balls that were dropped from 550 feet above his head. He caught it on the 13th try.

Overall it was a very productive day for Gabby, who received $500 for the catch and went on to catch that afternoon as Walter "Big Train" Johnson and the Senators beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-1.

On August 24, 1910, Billy Sullivan of the Chicago White Sox duplicated the Monument catch. Later that day, the Senators beat the White Sox, 3-2.

      

Ron Hansen's Unassisted Triple Play

July 30, 1968

On a hot evening at Cleveland Stadium the 5,937 fans in attendance witnessed a baseball rarity. In the bottom of the 1st inning the Cleveland Indians had runners on 1st and 2nd base when Joe Azcue lined a ball to the Washington Senators shortstop Ron Hansen. Before anyone knew what had happened Hansen recorded an unassisted triple play.

Ron Hansen’s unassisted triple play was the first one in the Major Leagues in 61 years, at the time it was the 8th in Major League History. Ron and the Senators did not get to celebrate too much as the Indians went onto punish the Senators by a score of 10–1. In fact Ron Hansen may not have celebrated at all after he struck-out all fours times he batted and committed his 17th error of the season in the 7th inning.

The next day Hansen’s batting average dropped to a season low of .182 after he went zero for two at the plate with two more strikeouts. On August 1st Hansen’s luck would change when he hit a 4th inning Grand Slam off of the Tigers’ pitcher Pat Dobson.

Once again Hansen’s celebration was short lived as the Washington Senators informed him the next morning that they traded him to the Chicago White Sox for Tim Cullen. What made this trade so interesting is that these two players were traded for each other earlier in the year.

On February 13, 1968 the Washington Senators traded Tim Cullen, Buster Narum, and Bob Priddy to the White Sox for Dennis Higgins, Steve Jones, and Ron Hansen. When Cullen and Hansen were swapped for each other on August 2, 1968 it was the first time in Major League Baseball history two players were traded for each other twice in the same year.

      

June 23, 1917

The Babe Gets Ejected After Walking Senators' Morgan

In the top of the first inning of the first game of a scheduled double-header between the Senators and the Red Sox, Babe Ruth gave up a four pitch walk to the Senators’ Ray Morgan. The 24 year old Ruth was so outraged that umpire Brick Owens called four straight balls that Ruth threatened to punch the umpire. Brick Owens did not waste any time throwing out the Red Sox hurler. To cap it off Owens tossed out Pinch Thomas the Red Sox starting catcher.

With the Senators’ Ray Morgan on first base, Ernie Shore took the mound for the Red Sox, and Sam Agnew took over as the Red Sox catcher. Before the crowd stopped booing at Fenway Park, Agnew went on to throw out Morgan as he attempted to steal 2^nd base.

At the time no one knew it, but Ray Morgan would be the last Senator to get on base. Ernie Shore went on to retire the next twenty six Senators to pick up the very first combined no-hitter in the Major League. In fact the record shows that Shore pitched a perfect game as the Red Sox recorded 27 consecutive outs while Shore was in the game. The Red Sox won the first game 4-0 and followed that up with a 5-0 victory in game two.

June 23, 1933

Cronin's 5th Consecutive Multi Hit Game

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 a three game span and 15 hits in four game span.

Quick Facts:

• Washington Senators end the season in 1st place (99-53) in the American League, seven games ahead of the New York Yankees (91-59).
• Washington Senators lose the World Series in five games to the New York Giants.
• The 1933 Washington Senators team had a total of four future Hall of Fame players.

Joe Cronin
Goose Goslin
Heinie Manush
Sam Rice

• In 1933 Washington Senators pitcher Alvin Crowder joined shortstop Joe Cronin on the first ever American League All Star Team.

      

June 12, 1967

At District of Columbia Stadium the Washington Senators and the Chicago White Sox played in what was the longest night game (22 innings, six hours, and 38 minutes) in Major League history.  The Senators win the game 6-5 when Paul Casanova hits a single to left field and Hank Allen scores the winning run in the bottom of the 22nd inning.

The ninth at bat is the charm for the Senators' catcher, Paul Casanova.  After catching the entire 22 innings and going zero for his first eight at bats, Casanova was able to produce the game-winning hit.

Quick Facts:
Paul Casanova makes the 1967 the American League all star team.

      

It was 91 years ago today when the Washington Senators' pitcher Walter "Big Train" Johnson pitched a Major League Baseball record *18-inning complete game shutout, to defeat Claude "Lefty" Williams and the Chicago White Sox 1-0.

The fans at Griffith Stadium were treated to one of the greatest pitching duels in baseball history. After 9-innings the game was far from being over as the Big Train and Lefty found themselves in a 0-0 pitching duel. After 8 more innings the two teams were still locked up at 0-0.

In the bottom of the 18th inning the Big Train helped him-self when he registered the Senators eighth base hit off of Lefty. The single by the Big Train sent the Senators' Eddie Ainsworth to third base. Maybe due to fatigue Lefty Williams went on to pitch a wild pitch to the next batter that allowed Ainsworth to score the winning run. This record breaking game only took 2 hours and 47 minutes to play.

Here are few things to note from this game.

* Claude Williams and Walter Johnson pitched complete games.
* There were no errors committed in the game.
* There were no substitutes during the game.

The shutout pitched by the Big Train was only one of the eight that he will pitch during the 1918 season. The Big Train went onto lead the Major League's in the following categories in 1918.

* Wins:  23
* Strikeouts: 162
* ERA: 1.27
* Shutouts (tied):8

In 1918 the Big Train also won the American League's and Major League's Pitching Triple Crown. Winning the Triple Crown was nothing new to the Big Train as he won his first one in 1913. In 1924 the Big Train will record his 3rd American League Triple Crown.

* Carl Hubble tied Walter Johnson's 18-inning complete game shutout Major League record in 1933.