The Baseball Senators
Contents
- The Baseball Senators – A History
- The Baseball Senators – The Team
- The Baseball Senators – The Fans
- The Baseball Senators – The Ballpark
- The Baseball Senators – The Rivalries
- The Baseball Senators – The Legends
- The Baseball Senators – The Media
- The Baseball Senators – The Memorabilia
- The Baseball Senators – The Future
- The Baseball Senators – Miscellaneous
The Baseball Senators is a blog about, you guessed it, baseball! But not just any baseball, the Senators! We’ll keep you updated on all the latest news, games, and stats of your favourite team.
The Baseball Senators – A History
The baseball Senators were a professional baseball team that was based in Washington, D.C. The franchise was established in 1901 as a minor league team and eventually became a Major League team in 1907. The Senators took their name from the previous Washington Senators who played in the National League from 1892 to 1899. The franchise remained in Washington, D.C., until 1960 when they relocated to Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins
The Senators first began play in 1901 as a charter member of the eight-team Eastern League The team played its home games at National Park which was located on Georgia Avenue near the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, D.C. The franchise struggled during its first few years, finishing last in the League Standings in three of its first four seasons. In 1905, manager Griffith guided the Senators to their first winning season with a record of 79–71. Despite their winning record, the Senators finished sixth out of eight teams and did not qualify for the playoffs.
In 1907, the Senators joined the newly created American League as one of its original eight teams. The franchise again struggled during its early years in the AL, finishing last or next-to-last in the League standings six times between 1907 and 1922. During those years, manager Johnson helped lead the team to three second-place finishes (1910, 1912, 1913) and a third-place finish (1915). In 1924, manager Bucky Harris led the Senators to their first AL pennant with a record of 96–55; however, they lost to the New York Giants in the World Series that year.
The 1930s were arguably the most successful decade in franchise history. Four different managers led the Senators to first-place finishes in those years (Baker in 1930; Cronin in 1932; Harris again in 1933; and Gormon in 1935), but they were unable to win a World Series title during that time period. In December 1960, owner Calvin Griffith announced that he was relocating the franchise to Minneapolis–Saint Paul after 51 years in Washington, D.C.; two months later, Major League Baseball awarded an expansion franchise to Washington which took over most of the old Senators’ history and records
The Baseball Senators – The Team
Founded in 1901, the Washington Senators were a professional Baseball Team based in Washington, D.C. The Senators played in the American League (AL) and were one of eight charter members of the AL. The Senators’ home ballpark was Griffith Stadium, which opened in 1911 and was also home to the NFL’s Washington Redskins from 1933 to 1960.
The team struggled throughout its history, finishing last or near last in their divisional standings 27 times in their 61 seasons of play. They had only two winning seasons – in 1925 when they finished first (95-59) and 1933 when they second (91-61). Despite their poor record, the Senators were one of the most popular teams in baseball, drawing over a million fans seven times. They were also one of the AL’s most successful franchises at the gate, ranking fourth in attendance from 1901 to 1960.
The Senators’ primary rivals were the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Yankees The team was also involved in one of baseball’s most infamous moments – known as “The Shakeup” – when star players Joe Cronin, Goose Goslin, and Heinie Manush were traded away after the 1933 season in a cost-cutting move by owner Clark Griffith.
The team was sold following the 1960 season and moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul where they became the Minnesota Twins In their final season in Washington, the Senators set a then-MLB record for most losses in a single season, finishing with a record of 60-102.
The Baseball Senators – The Fans
The Baseball Senators – The Fans
We are the fans of the Washington Senators, and we love our team! We’ve been through some tough times, but we’ve always stuck by them. We’re excited for the future, and we can’t wait to see what our boys in blue will do next!
The Baseball Senators – The Ballpark
The baseball Senators, also known as the “Senators”, were a professional baseball team in the American League (AL) from 1901 to 1960. The franchise was one of the eight charter members of the AL, and played in Washington, D.C. from its inception. It moved to Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota after the 1960 season and became the Minnesota Twins
After winning three AL pennants and two World Series in 24 seasons from 1901 to 1924, the Senators fell on hard times. They only had two winning seasons and did not return to the World Series or come close to contending for a pennant for another 46 years. The team returned to Washington in 2005 as the Nationals (now known as the Washington Nationals).
The Baseball Senators – The Rivalries
The Washington Senators were a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. from 1901 to 1960. The team won nine American League (AL) Pennants and three World Series championships while playing at two different home stadiums, first Griffith Stadium and then Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. They played in the AL West Division from 1969 to 1971, after which the franchise was relocated to Arlington, Texas as the Texas Rangers
The Senators’ fierce rivalry with the New York Yankees was perhaps the most storied in all of baseball. The two teams met in the first ever game held at Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923, with the Yankees winning 3-1. From 1925 to 1960, they played each other nearly every year in spring training exhibition games known as the “Battle of Washington-New York”. They also met 19 times in the regular season during that time period, with the Yankees winning 13 of those meetings.
The Senators also had intense rivalries with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics. The Red Sox rivalry was mostly due to Boston’s status as a perennial powerhouse in baseball, while the Athletics rivalry was due mostly to geographic proximity and prominence within the AL East Division during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Baseball Senators – The Legends
Early baseball in Washington, D.C. was characterized by a lack of professionalism and poor facilities. Baseball slowly began to catch on in the late 19th century, and the first organized team in Washington was formed in 1860. The team, which was made up of government employees, was called the Washington Nationals
The first professional Baseball Team in Washington was the Senators, who were formed in 1891 as a part of the brand new American League The Senators quickly established themselves as one of the best teams in baseball, winning the pennant (league championship) in their very first season. The Senators went on to win three more pennants over the next decade, cementing their reputation as one of baseball’s most successful franchises.
Despite their on-field success, the Senators were often derogatory nicknamed “the Second Nine” or “the Infants” due to their youth and inexperience. After years of early exits from the playoffs and disappointing seasons, the Senators finally broke through and won their first World Series championship in 1924. Led by star players like Walter Johnson and Sam Rice, the Senators cruised to victory in seven games, giving Washington its first taste of Baseball Glory
The Senators’ World Series victory would prove to be short-lived, as the team never managed to replicate their success over the remainder of the 1920s and 1930s. The team finally bottomed out in 1933, when they finished with a dismal record of 52-102. This marked the beginning of a long period of decline for the franchise, as they would not make another postseason appearance until 1969 – a drought that spanned 36 years.
During this time period, the Senators were plagued by poor management and ownership, as well as a series of bad luck curse that seemed to hang over the franchise. Despite everything working against them, the Senators persevered and finally returned to prominence in 1961 when they won 101 games and narrowly missed out on winning the pennant. This year marked the beginning of a new era for Washington baseball as they would go on to win three more pennants over next eight years – including two World Series titles – before finally moving to Arlington, Texas following the 1971 season where they became known as the Rangers
The Baseball Senators – The Media
The media has had a field day with the Senators recent string of losses. Every newspaper and television station has had something negative to say about the team. They have been called everything from “a joke” to “the Worst Team in baseball.” The Senators owner, Mr. Thompson, has had enough. He calls a press conference to address the media.
“I am here to set the record straight,” he begins. “The Senators are not the worst team in baseball. We are not even close to being the Worst Team in baseball. In fact, we are one of the best teams in baseball.”
The media is shocked by Mr. Thompson’s comments and starts asking questions rapidly.
Mr. Thompson continues, “The Senators have a long history of success. We have won multiple championships and our fans are some of the most passionate in all of baseball. I am confident that we will return to our winning ways and that our fans will continue to support us through thick and thin. Thank you for your time.”
The Baseball Senators – The Memorabilia
The Baseball Senators were a professional Baseball team in the American League from 1901 to 1960. Based in Washington, D.C., the Senators played their home games at Griffith Stadium. The team was also known as the Washington Senators, the D.C. Senators, and the Nationals.
The team was one of the AL’s eight charter franchises, but spent many of its early years in last place. The team had a brief stint atop the AL standings under manager Bucky Harris in 1924 but otherwise languished in the second division for much of its time until moving to Minnesota in 1961 to become the Twins. Griffith Stadium fell into disrepair after years of neglect and was demolished following the team’s departure for Minnesota; D.C. would not have another major League Baseball team until 2005 when the Washington Nationals began play at Nationals Park
The Baseball Senators – The Future
The future of the Senators’ baseball team is looking very bright. With a young, talented core of players, the team is poised to contend for years to come. The offense is led by third baseman Anthony Rendon and right fielder Bryce Harper two of the best young hitters in the game. The pitching staff is anchored by ace Stephen Strasburg, who is one of the best pitchers in baseball. With a mix of veterans and young players the Senators have the talent to be a force in the MLB for years to come.
The Baseball Senators – Miscellaneous
The Baseball Senators were a professional baseball team from 1903 to 1971, before relocating to Arlington, Texas to become the Texas Rangers Throughout their history, the Senators played in four different cities: Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Kansas City Missouri. The Senators were named after the United States Senate; many senators were baseball fans and had supported the team throughout their history.
The team began play as the Washington Senators in Washington, D.C., in 1901. The team moved to Minneapolis–St. Paul after the 1960 season and became the Minnesota Twins After the 1971 season, the team moved again, this time to Milwaukee, where they became the Milwaukee Brewers The Kansas City Royals franchise began play as the Kansas City Athletics in 1955; after just thirteen seasons in Kansas City they moved to Oakland, California in 1968.