Washington Senators (1901–1960)
Former baseball team in Washington / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Washington Senators were one of the American League's eight charter franchises.
Washington Senators | |
---|---|
Information | |
League | American League |
Ballpark | Griffith Stadium (1911–1960) |
Established | 1901 |
Folded | 1960 (relocated to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins) |
Nickname(s) | Grifs (1912–1920) Nats (1905–1955) |
American League pennant | |
World Series championships | |
Former name(s) | Washington Nationals (1905–1955) |
Former ballparks | American League Park (1901–1903) Boundary Field (1904–1910) |
Colors | Blue, red, white |
Ownership | Clark Griffith (1920–1955) Calvin Griffith (1955–1960) |
Manager | Clark Griffith (1912–1921) Bucky Harris (1924–1928, 1935–1942, 1950–1954) Walter Johnson (1929–1932) Joe Cronin (1933–1934) |
Now known as the Minnesota Twins, the team was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1901 as the Washington Senators.
The team was officially named the "Senators" during 1901–1904, the Nationals during 1905–1955 and the Senators again during 1956–1960, but nonetheless was commonly referred to as the Senators throughout its history (and unofficially as the "Grifs" during Clark Griffith's tenure as manager during 1912–1920).[1][2] The name "Nationals" appeared on the uniforms for only two seasons, and then was replaced with the "W" logo. However, the names "Senators," "Nationals" and shorter "Nats" were used interchangeably by fans and media throughout the team's history; in 2005, the latter two names were revived for the current National League franchise that had previously played in Montreal.
For a time, from 1911 to 1933, the Senators were one of the more successful franchises in Major League Baseball. The team's rosters included Baseball Hall of Fame members Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, Joe Cronin, Bucky Harris, Heinie Manush and one of the greatest players and pitchers of all time, Walter Johnson. But the Senators are remembered more for their many years of mediocrity and futility, including six last-place finishes in the 1940s and 1950s. Joe Judge, Cecil Travis, Buddy Myer, Roy Sievers and Eddie Yost were other notable Senators players whose careers were spent in obscurity due to the team's lack of success.[3][4]