Washington DC Baseball

[GeoPoto]

Player #89C: Oswald L. "Ossie" Bluege. Third baseman for the Washington Senators in 1922-1939. 1,751 hits and 43 home runs in 18 MLB seasons. 1935 All-Star. 1924 World Series champion. He played his entire career in Washington. He was best known for his defense, but his best season at the plate was 1928 as he posted a .364 OBP with 78 runs scored and 75 RBIs in 588 plate appearances. He managed the Washington Senators in 1943-1947.

Bluege's SABR biography: Over the next several years (following the 1925 season), the Senators finished in the upper half of the American League, as the Yankees and then the Athletics flexed their muscles as kings of the junior circuit. Bluege was at the top of his game, leading the league in fielding in 1931 (.960) and in multiple years in games started, assists, and innings played. Although he hit anywhere from .271 to .295 in his prime years, he was overshadowed by stronger offensive players like Judge, Rice, Goslin, and later Heinie Manush, Joe Kuhel, and Joe Cronin.

One of the most difficult adversaries for any American League club was Ty Cobb. Contrary to popular belief that Cobb was a dirty player, sharpened spikes and all, Bluege had a different recollection of him. “He would fake a slide, as if going directly for the baseman, and at the last minute throw his body in the opposite direction, away from the infielder and the base. He would over slide, then reach for a corner with his hand.” The basepaths belonged to the baserunners. Get in their way, and you could get hurt.

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[GeoPoto]

Player #83G: Stanley R. "Bucky" Harris. Second baseman for the Washington Senators in 1919-1928. 1,297 hits and 167 stolen bases in 12 MLB seasons. 1924 and 1947 World Series champion. In 1975, inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame. Named player-manager of the Washington Senators in 1924 at age 27. "The Boy Wonder" led Washington to World Series victory as "rookie" manger. Managed Washington Senators in 1924-1928, 1935-1942, and 1950-1954. Managed the Detroit Tigers in 1929-1933 and 1955-1956. Managed the Boston Red Sox in 1934. Managed the Philadelphia Phillies in 1943. Managed the New York Yankees in 1947-1948, including winning the 1947 world Series. Served as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1959-1960.

Smiles describes Bucky's run up to the season and his 1926 pitching staff: (Clark) Griffith knew that Bucky Harris was good for his team's bottom line and Bucky knew it, too. He may have been born on top of a coal mine, but baseball -- to his way of thinking -- was more like a gold mine. Bucky was always one of the first to sign and had never quibbled. But in November 1925, he became a holdout. That's when he declined to sign a one-year deal Griffith proposed. He passed his time courting (future wife Betty), working on a few player deals, and watching a horse named Bucky Harris run at Pimlico. . . .

. . . Based on experience, Griffith didn't like multi-year deals. He believed players performed better under the pressure of year-to-year contracts. Bucky was a different case. Griffith couldn't deny the attendance figures and he loved Bucky like a son. He relented, and on January 27 signed a three-year deal in Tampa. Terms weren't released, but it was speculated to be worth $100,000. In 1928 when the deal expired, Post columnist Shirley Povich said it had been worth $100,000. . . .

. . . Bucky talked up the deal for Bullet Joe Bush as a winner. On February 1 the Senators sent Zachary and Win Balou to the Browns for Bush and Jack Tobin. Bucky was ecstatic about the deal, saying it "assured his team of a third American League pennant." . . . Bucky's hopes for Bush ended with one line drive. On April 18, in just his second start, Joe was working on a one-hitter against the Yankees in New York with one out in the ninth when he was hit on the knee by a sizzling line drive by Earl Combs. . . .

. . . Without Bush, Bucky relied on his same old big four from 1925: Walter Johnson, Stan Coveleski, Dutch Ruether, and Firpo Marberry. His only concessions to youth were a pair of 26-year-olds from North Carolina, General Crowder and George Murray. Each started 12 games. Crowder went 7-4 and Murray, 6-3. (Bucky Harris by Jack Smiles.)

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[ValKehl]

George, I like the 1926-29 PC Exhibits for all the different colors they come in. I've long thought it would be fun to do a color run of these for a Senators player, but I never got around to doing it.

[pro9]

Sorry I'm so late to this thread. Fantastic thread, tons of info and great pictures. Thanks to all that have contributed so far. George, I wish I had your collecting focus!

I've got a few to contribute

1st is a Horner photo of Dave Altizer (from 1906-07)

2nd- Tim O'Rourke, he played for Washington briefly in 1894, but the photo is from 1895 as there are others from that photographer

[pro9]

Dan Mahoney

A JK&A of Walter Johnson

Is there a reason that you have not shown any Goudeys (or did I just miss them?)

[GeoPoto]

Welcome aboardPro9, thanks for posting. And the kind words. We are trying to progress through time and haven't reached Goudey yet.

Val, another great card. I have a few Judge PCs that we will get to shortly.

Player #54O: Walter P. "Barney" Johnson. "The Big Train". Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1907-1927. 417 wins and 34 saves in 21 MLB seasons. 1924 World Series champion. 1913 and 1924 AL Most Valuable Player. 3-time triple crown. 6-time AL wins leader. 5-time AL ERA leader. 12-time AL strikeout leader. He had a career ERA of 2.17 in 5,914.1 innings pitched. He pitched a no-hitter in 1920. He holds the MLB record with 110 career shutouts. MLB All-Time Team. Inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1936. One of his best seasons was 1913 as he posted a record of 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA in 346 innings pitched.

Deveaux on Walter Johnson in 1926: Walter Johnson started the Senators off on the right foot at Griffith Stadium on Opening Day, 1926, as he had with victories in nine previous opening games. This one was a marathon, fifteen innings, and Barney yielded a measly six hits, walked three, and struck out nine Philadelphia A's in staying the distance. No one reached second base against the Big Train throughout the entire contest. Of all his games and masterpieces, this was the one Walter Johnson considered his greatest, and it came as he was starting his 20th big-league campaign. It was another of those life-time-record 38 1-0 wins which Walter would chalk up by the end of his career, and was the last of his 13 home openers, ten of which he won, six by shutout.

However, age was beginning to catch up with the Washington Senators' pitching staff in 1926. Johnson, now 38, slipped to 15-16 on the heels of his 20-7, 3.07. It was an up-and-down year, as he went from a 6-1 record in mid-May to later losing seven in a row as the Nats fell to the second division. Barney's 3.61 ERA was the worst of his career, but in fairness to the great one, eight of his defeats were by a one-run margin, and five others were by two runs. (The Washington Senators by Tom Deaveaux.)

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[GeoPoto]

Player #118: Decature P. "Dick" Jones. Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1926-1927. 2 wins in 2 MLB seasons. He made 6 career appearances, 3 as a starter.

Dick Jones appeared in six games for the Washington Senators, four in 1926 and two in 1927. He started three of the games in 1926. That was his entire MLB career, totaling 24.1 innings pitched with an ERA+ of 60.

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