In 1924, the Washington Nationals (they were the Nationals, but also referred to as the Senators) won their first-ever World Series. It was a remarkable season for the Nationals. Owner Clark Griffith dismissed manager Donnie Bush just after the 1923 campaign and named Bucky Harris player-manager. It was a huge risk. Harris was only 27 years old and had only played four years in @MLB . How would the veterans on the team respond to taking orders from someone so young? What kind of experience and knowledge did such a young ballplayer possess? To the surprise of many, everyone accepted him, even aging veterans such as Roger Peckinpaugh and Walter Johnson. In fact, Johnson, who was coming off the first arm injury of his career, was hoping to rebound in his age-36 season, in what was supposed to be the final season of his career. Not only did "The Big Train" rebound he went 23-7 and won the MVP. He was sensational. Everything fell into place for Washington in 1924. A perennial second-division team, the Nats/Sens surprised everyone, won the American League, and then defeated the heavily favored New York Giants in the World Series to capture their first and only World Series Championship. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, author Gary Sarnoff who wrote the book, "A Team of Destiny," joins the show for a wonderful discussion of a team that time has forgotten, the 1924 Washington Nationals (Senators).

In this enlightening discussion, the focus shifts to the extraordinary 1924 Washington Senators, a team that defied expectations and emerged victorious in the World Series. The podcast intricately details key players such as Bucky Harris, the young player-manager, and Walter Johnson, a legendary pitcher who made a remarkable comeback after an injury. Their contributions are highlighted as the episode explores the dynamics within the team and the strategies employed by management. The narrative encapsulates the essence of teamwork, perseverance, and the spirit of competition that characterized this historic season. Listeners gain insight into the societal and cultural impact of this team's success amidst the backdrop of early 20th-century America, making it a compelling narrative that transcends the realm of sports.

Takeaways:

• The Washington Nationals, originally known as the Senators, have a complex and storied history in Major League Baseball, marked by numerous team changes and relocations.
• The 1924 season was significant for the Washington Nationals, culminating in their first World Series championship, a feat that remains a historic highlight for the franchise.
• Walter Johnson, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, finally achieved his lifelong dream of winning a World Series game during the 1924 championship series.
• Bucky Harris, at the age of 27, became the youngest manager to lead a team to a World Series victory, demonstrating exceptional leadership and resilience throughout the season.
• The support of the Washington fans, coupled with the team's unexpected success, created an electrifying atmosphere during the 1924 World Series, showcasing the city's deep connection to baseball.
• The narrative of the 1924 Washington Nationals reflects themes of perseverance and redemption, particularly through the careers of Walter Johnson and Bucky Harris.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Washington Nationals
• Washington Senators
• Montreal Expos
• Texas Rangers
• Minnesota Twins
• American League
• National League

This podcast is part of the Sports History Network, your headquarters for the yesteryear of your favorite sport.

You can Learn more at sportshistorynetwork.com In.

1884, Washington, D.C.

got its first Major League Baseball team, the Washington Nationals.

It was on and off for D.C.

and became the Washington Nationals, the team that we know today.

Through it all, Washington has only won two World Series championships.

This is Sports Forgotten Heroes, a tribute to the stars who shape the games we love to watch and the games we love to play.

Stars who provided us with many thrills, but when their time was up, they faded away.

We'll take a look back at their spectacular careers, their moments of fame, even if it was just for one season or just one game.

And now, here's your host, Warren Rogan.

Hello and welcome to Sports forgotten heroes.

A team of destiny.

And yes, it was a team of destiny.

And joining me on today's show is author Gary Sarnoff, who recently wrote a book about this incredible team called A Team of Destiny.

And we are going to discuss so much about this team, including the story of its young player manager, Bucky Harris, the incredible comeback of its legendary pitcher, Walter Johnson, and the climb to the top of the baseball world.

So much to discuss.

So I want to get straight into today's show, but before we do a little housekeeping, please follow Sports Forgotten Heroes on X@SportsFheroes.

Look for the Sports Forgotten Heroes page on Facebook.

And wherever it is you are listening, please follow, rate and review.

And hey, if you have a question or comment, please reach out.

Send me an email@sportsfh.infomail.com that's sportsfh.infoomail.com as.

Always, I thank you for your support.

Okay, let's get into today's show with my guest author, Gary Sark.

Hey, Gary.

Welcome to Sports Forgotten Heroes.

So glad to have you aboard.

Thank you very much, Warren.

Thank you very much.

For having me.

I'm happy to be here.

Yeah.

Yeah.

This should be fun.

We're going to talk about a subject, a team that many don't remember.

Washington baseball has such a unique history.

And that's where I really want to start this.

Perhaps you can give us a little reminder, a little history about baseball in Washington, D.C.

who the original Senators were.

The name the Nationals, the Minnesota Twins, the Texas Rangers, the Montreal Expos.

Why don't you give us a little history about baseball?

Major League baseball in Washington, D.C.

okay.

And they were owned by the Wagner brothers, who were not very popular because they treated their players as if they were stocks.

Whenever a player got good, they sold them off.

Okay?

So because they did this, because they sold off their good players, they didn't have much talent, and the team was never good.

So Washington went without baseball for a year.

One of the new teams was the Washington Senators.

So Washington had baseball back.

They were the Senators.

Someone made a good point saying, hey, listen, I think it's the name Senators, because the Senators mean Wagner brothers of the old centers, the National League.

And that means losing baseball.

So they decided on a name change.

So they had a contest for a new name, and the name Nationals was picked.

However, some sports writers, some fans were traditionalists.

They were not okay with this.

They wanted the Senators.

However, the team name and the colors for that matter, have been changed to the Nationals.

So here they were, the Washington Nationals.

But because some people objected to that and insisted on calling the Senators, the two names are used interchangeably.

So that's why if you look at old newspapers or old programs, will be the Senators or the Nationals.

The Nationals are the Senators.

So here they were called the Centers, but actually the Nationals playing in the American League, they continued to lose.

About eight different owners, the board of directors, they comprised the ownership team.

They decided on a new manager.

They hired a man named Clark Griffith, who of course would become, you know, his name would go down and baseball history for Washington, of course.

He came in as manager and to give him an incentive to come to Washington, they gave him an option to buy 10% of the team, which he did.

So he became one of the board of directors as well.

When Griffith came in as manager, his results were instant.

However, you know, he had Walter Johnson in his prime, so that, that helps big time.

He had.

Walter Johnson was pretty much the whole team.

He had a couple other good players, but you know, Walter Johnson was the guy.

I mean, you know, you couldn't beat this guy.

So here they were good for a while.

However, as a decade progressed, the Senators, the Nationals, they started going downhill a little bit.

So Griffith got the idea that the only way Washington would ever win a pennant would be or a world championship would be to see if he had complete power, which is why he arranged for a buyout.

He, he became co owner with a man named William Richardson, a businessman who backed him in the transaction and buying the Washington baseball club.

So they became co owners.

Griffith was president, he ran the team.

The other guy, Richardson, he was a businessman.

He was more interested in his business, so he kind of stayed out of it.

But he let Griffith, he let his money ride on Griffith's decisions.

So he went through a manager year.

And his decision was laughed at.

You hire a 27 year old kid, only has 4 full seasons of playing experience.

You know, everyone felt sorry for years he was set to fail.

But you know, Griffith had the last laugh.

Right.

So.

So the team was the Senators.

Well, the national team was the Senators.

Then they come back to the American League team.

Ultimately they're the Nationals, but.

But they're still called the Senators.

And I think some of the, some, some reporters or some people refer to them as the Griffs, as in Clark, you know, Griffith.

And this team stayed in the American League, ultimately were renamed the Senators later on.

I think it was in the 30s or early 40s, somewhere in that range.

The Nationals became the Senators and they stayed in Washington.

I think it was about 61.

Then they left Minnesota, became the Twins, D.C.

got another team, the Washington Senators.

They left, became the Texas Rangers.

In 69.

Baseball expanded with the Seattle Pilots and, and the.

Oh, my gosh, it's.

It has the Kansas City Royals in 69 in the American League, the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos in the National League.

The Pilots, who I did an episode about many, you know, many episodes ago, only played one year in Seattle.

They then moved to Milwaukee, became the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Expos lasted for quite some time before finally moving to Washington D.C.

where they became these Washington Nationals.

So the team that we are actually going to be talking about today is the Minnesota Twins.

They are now the Twins.

That's right.

It was about a year and a half later they officially changed the name to the Senators.

So they were the Senators for the last few years before they moved to Minnesota.

Senators and they are now the Texas Rangers.

Right.

So why did the.

Well, how should we refer to this team?

And if, if, if anybody read, you will see why they are the Team of Destiny.

I don't know how to refer to them.

Do I call them the Nationals?

Do I call them the Senators?

What should we call them today?

I think, you know what the names are used.

Senators and Nationals.

They were used interchangeably.

I use them interchangeably in my book back then.

They did as well.

So I think we could, at this, this program, I think we use the.

Names interchangeably okay, why did this team until that time really struggle?

What was it that that kept them as, for lack of a better term, a second division team?

They just struggled to win consistently.

Well, like I said, they were very good.

When Griffith came to manage, when he came to Washington to manage the Senators or Nationals, you know, they were very good.

So for a while they were contenders.

But then, you know, some of the players got older and Walter Johnson, you know, was still great but wasn't as good.

And, you know, the team just began to, you know, slowly decline and, you know, they just didn't have the players.

He won 23 games that year, won the American League MVP.

But the reason why they weren't good was because of Walter Johnson's gradual decline and because they just didn't have the players.

Before we get to all those good players, I think we have to visit first.

Griffith lets go of Washington's manager, Donnie Bush, and he, I'm not sure at first if you really had a plan in mind as to who he wanted to manage the team, but he ultimately picks, as you said earlier, his young star, Bucky Harris.

What kind of ball player was Bucky Harris?

And why did Griffith, why did Griffith like him so much and make him think, you know, this guy could be a player manager?

And Harris knew he was being scouted and he had this dream, you know, he was chasing a dream.

He wanted to be a big league player.

But a few weeks before Griffith saw him and, you know, because he knew he was being scouted, he continued to play with a broken finger.

He broke a finger on his throwing hand and but he continued to play.

So Griffith scouted.

When Griffith went to see him play in a double header, Harris won 6 for 6 and he handled all his fielding choices.

Then after the game, Harris met him and he realized, you know, he discovered he had a broken finger.

He played, went 6 for 6 with a broken finger.

So Griffith wanted him from the start.

And then, you know, so Harris, you know, reported to Washington and you know, he played the rest.

He played the season with a broken finger until they realized that that finger was broken.

They didn't know it at the time, but they realized that finger.

They took an extra and they found out their finger was broken.

And you know, Harris was on the bench and he protested because he wanted to be in there playing, you know, and he was always a fiery kind of player.

So Griffith knew from the start that one day he wanted Harris to manage his ball club, but he wanted Harris to manage after his playing days were done.

So he tried to swing a deal to get Collins to Washington through a trade, but he couldn't swing the deal.

And that's why he ultimately ended up pretty much at the last minute, right before the start of spring training.

That's how he ended up hiring Bucky Harris.

So he decides to give Harris a job.

And again, as you said earlier, he was only 27 years old and only played in four full seasons of Major League baseball.

Incredible.

Being tasked to be a player manager at such a young age.

You got to figure at least half the team, if not more, is older than Bucky Harris.

Yes.

What?

How did the rest of the team initially react to hearing a 27 year old, 4 year vet of Major League Baseball is going to run the team?

Harris, at first, I mean, he was absolutely thrilled that he was offered the job.

Absolutely excited.

He wanted the job so badly.

He was so happy to get the job that he didn't even think about the rest of the team.

You know, he was just happy I'm hired his manager.

This is great.

You know, Then what happened was he left Tampa because that's where he was.

He left Tampa to go to Hot Springs because that's where the veterans were.

He wanted to join the veterans in training for getting ready for spring training.

And they were in Hot Springs.

So he was on the train, he's heading to Hot Springs.

He started thinking about the team.

Then it hit him, you know, what are these guys going to think?

You know, Walter Johnson's 36 years old.

How is he going to feel about taking orders from a 27 year old kid?

And he really thought about Roger Peckinpah because Roger Peckinpah was the veteran shortstop, age 33, and Peckinpah had managerial experience.

He had filled in as Yankees manager and many thought that Peckinpah would get the job.

So he was really worried how these guys would react to him.

He was really scared.

But when he got to Hot Springs, he checked in the hotel, he met the team in the lobby and he was absolutely thrilled to find out that these guys were happy for him and were willing to work for him and even told them, bucky, we're going to work our heads off for you.

And then Roger Packinpah was very nice about it.

He congratulated Harris and he was thrilled that Harris had the job.

So, you know, that went very well.

So Bucky Harris was very relieved when he realized that these guys meant it, that these guys were going to work hard for him.

You know, you got to think, well, first of all, you got to be a good ballplayer to, to, to earn such an honor.

He's young and you got to figure he's got to be likable at least to some extent.

I mean, at the same time, Ty Cobb was a player manager for the Tigers during that same time period.

And you got to wonder If Cobb was 25, 26 and 27 in that age range and was named the player manager of the Detroit Tigers with the rest of the Tiger players.

Been so receptive to the idea that someone who, well, the way we understand it today was not so well liked on the ball field would have been so accepted as a player manager.

Yeah, I doubt that Cobb would have been because even in his veteran years when he was a manager, the players didn't care for him.

But yeah, you're right though.

Bucky Harris was very well liked because yeah, he was a likable guy and he worked hard, he was a good ball player and you know, he played in the win and yeah, he got along with, with his teammates.

So yes, he was a very likable player.

Likable person.

Yeah.

Other guys at the same time that were in, in the player, you know, a player manager back then was much more common than a player manager is today.

Obviously we don't have any and it's been quite some time since we, we've had a player manager.

You know, the last couple being probably Pete Rose and Frank Robinson, some of the others.

At that time you had Cobb you had George SISLER of the St.

Louis Browns, Dave Bancroft of the Boston Braves, Eddie Collins, who, you know, as you said Griffith wanted for.

For the National Senators.

He was with the White Sox.

So Harris is going to become player manager of Washington.

And, you know, the team just.

It wasn't a great team.

At least it hadn't been a great team.

They.

They hadn't really won anything.

I don't think many in the American League, National League, Major League Baseball really took this team seriously.

What was it about this team that Harris saw, that Griffith saw and said, you know, we might be able to motivate this team and get this team to gel and catapult them from a second division team into not only a competitive team, but a team that can contend for the American League pennant.

Well, Harris really believed in his heart, you know, even before the season, he really believed in his heart that he had a good team.

He really thought this team was going to contend.

And, you know, he really believed in him.

And, you know, in team meetings, you talk about winning, talking about, talking about championship, so he really believed in them.

And he was, you know, a fiery player, too.

So his disposition kind of rubbed off on the players, but he just.

But he knew that they were going to be good.

There was just no question in his mind.

Now, I think one reason why he thought they were going to be contenders was he was counting on Walter Johnson being back because he knew Walter Johnson had been.

He was back.

Yeah, yeah, he knew Walter Johnson had worked out, you know, had been hiking and hunting and, you know, keeping good shape during the off season.

And, you know, he knew Johnson.

He just knew that Johnson was going to have a good year.

So for one thing that, you know, he had Walter Johnson going back, but he obviously believed in his players and, you know, he had some good players.

I mean, Joe Judge and Sam Rice were with the.

They were veterans and they were over the age of 30.

They were very good ballplayers.

Even when Washington wasn't good.

They spent, you know, their entire careers until the very end with Washington.

So he knew he had them.

You know, Goose Gosselin was an up and coming player.

So that was another player that Bucky Harris knew he could count on to be good.

And he also had Roger Peckinpah, the veteran shortstop, who was a smooth fielder, and Harrison Peckinpah.

You know, they were a great double play combination to ring the double plays.

They could do it better than anybody in the league.

So, you know, so those having those Guys, I mean, gave him a lot of confidence, you know, and having Walter Johnson, you know, return to form, you know, so he knew this team was going to be good.

His heart, he believed they were going to be good.

Yeah, I want to get to some of those players in a moment, but before I get there, I don't want to diminish anything that the senators accomplished in 24, because moving way far ahead, they won the pennant again, the American League pennant in 25.

I mean, they wound up, they were a really good team.

But at the time, as we hit the 24 season, was it at all a down year, a downtime for the Yankees, the Tigers, the Philadelphia Athletics, or was it the Senators were just really that good?

Yeah, centers were really that good.

The Yankees, you know, they.

There's a lot of reasons, you know, back then, there are.

Some people thought they had the best team and they should have, but, you know, the senders were just better that year.

I think they finished ten and a half games ahead of the next best team.

The average shortstop situation.

Everett Scott, he was, you know, a great fielding shortstop in his prime, but he was now slowing down.

So there were a couple things, you know, working against the Yankees, but they were still in it.

I mean, they were still contenders.

You know, they pressed Washington till the end.

I think Washington was just better.

They had a good team.

They spent a few days late in the season in first place.

You know, they were contenders.

They finished six games behind Washington in third place.

They had a very good hitting team, though, and they had a couple good pitchers and good pitching depth.

The problem with the Tigers, though, there are a couple problems.

Number one, the second baseman situation.

They didn't have a reliable second baseman, so that hurt him.

And the other thing was Ty Cobb, he was just too intense for them, so that hurt him as well.

But they were still a good team, those teams.

So, you know, Detroit and New York, they were good teams.

They contend throughout the season.

They were contenders.

They spent most of the season on the heels of the Senators, or ahead of the Senators for that matter.

But you know, Washington, you know, the comeback of Walter Johnson and a strong hitting attack and, and great field to a great fielding, a great fielding infield as well, really lifted Washington, Washington to the top spot in The American League that year.

Well, you mentioned Peckinpah and you know, he was, he was, he was getting up there.

He's 33 years old, but he was one of the anchors of the infield.

Playing shortstop to 72 for the season yet Goose Gosling.

And you know, he young guy, 23 years old, but gosh darn it, hit 344, 12 home runs, 129 ribbons.

Sam Rice, as you mentioned, playing in the outfield, he was up there, 34 years old, he hit 334 and, and, and Joe Judge who hit.324.

But there's three other guys.

He had Walter Johnson, there's three other guys that you talk, two of whom you talk extensively about throughout the season and then one who joined the team midway through.

So first let's talk about George Moggridge.

Tell us about George because he was key to this whole thing.

Yeah, he got hot in the second half of the season.

He had a very good season.

Left hander in his mid-30s, you know, at the tail end of his career, but still he had a very good season.

He's a smart pitcher.

He's more of a finesse pitcher, not a overpowering pitcher, but he's a smart pitcher.

He was a left hander.

He's a good pitcher.

And you know, he really came through for Washington that year.

Another very important starter on that team, Tom Zachary.

Tell us about him.

That's very interesting too, about Tom Zachary.

Left handed pitcher who Washington wanted to trade.

And when the season started he was in the bullpen.

And some people wondered, you know, why they even asked here, why do you even keep this guy on the roster?

And Harris said, well, he has some value because he could consistently beat Cleveland and Chicago.

So he's got some value.

And there was one game where, you know, he started the season.

Zachary started the season as a relief pitcher.

There's one game against the Yankees, a double adder.

He sent him to the bullpen to warm up before the second game of the double header.

When the Washington fans saw him warming up, they actually booed him.

He became an outstanding.

He was outstanding.

He, for the first time in his career, he allowed less hits than innings pitched and he won two games in the World Series.

So another smart pitcher.

Too smart Finesse pitcher as well.

15, 9 with a.275 ERA.

He had a heck of a year.

Two wins in the World Series.

Yeah, another one.

I hope I say his first name right.

Ferpo Marbury.

Now, he was the guy that came out of the pen.

He was the relief specialist.

As you know, he was.

He was their guy.

I think he had 15.

Yeah, he had 15 saves.

He was, you know, he started some games, but he was really the rock out of the pen.

Yeah, he was.

And he was built for hard work.

He was a big, strong, powerful man.

And the thing about him is he only had one pitch, which is probably why they use him on the bullpen.

He only had one pitch, the fastball.

And he could throw that fastball hard.

But at that time in that season, he only had a fastball.

And, yeah, I mean, he had a very good fastball.

So, you know, opposing batters knew he was coming in with the fastball, but it was a pretty fast fastball.

And he was hard to hit, and it was hard to get a hit off of him.

And, you know, he was a big difference maker for that team.

He was outstanding.

Back, back to the outfield.

Nemo Lebold, he was very important.

But the one guy I want to talk about, you tell an interesting story, is a guy that they acquired midway through the season, Earl McNeely.

Tell us about Earl, how they found him.

They picked him up and he was hurt.

And then he really developed into such a key, an integral part of this team.

Yeah, he sure was.

And quite a story is right.

He was an outfielder for Sacramento in the Pacific Ghost League.

Now, Washington, one of their weaknesses was center field.

They needed a center fielder.

They had a couple different guys they tried out in center field.

Matthews, can I interrupt for one moment?

I just want everybody to understand that the Pacific Coast League, you know, we would think of the PCL today as a Triple A.

A Triple A league.

Back then, it was almost the second major league.

I mean, there were some great talent in the pcl.

Yeah, there sure was.

It was an outstanding league.

Some people refer to it as a third major league.

It was so talented.

And Earl McNeely was playing in Sacramento and he was playing very well.

But Washington needed a center fielder.

They tried a couple guys, you know, Wynton Matthews was one guy they tried who was pretty good.

He's a good hitter.

He's fiery.

He fired up the team.

But he had a weak Throwing arm.

So it was a liability.

So they tried Nemo Leibold, the former Chicago White Sox outfielder who played for the famous Black Sox.

But he was one of the clean Sox.

He played to win.

He ended up in Washington.

And the Senators thought that he was, he was pretty good.

But they thought he was no better than a reserve, no better than a number four outfielder.

So they weren't really comfortable with him being the everyday outfielder.

So they needed a center fielder and they wanted a right handed hitter because they have plenty of lefties in the starting lineup.

So they wanted a right handed hitter.

Joe Engel, he was the one man scouting crew for the Washington Centers.

He started scouting the minor leagues for a right handed hitting outfielder.

He went to the Pacific coast, he found, he found Earl McNeely.

He arranged for the purchase of Earl McNeely to join the Senators.

Now little did Engel or the Senators know that just a few days before he joined the senators, Earl McNeely sustained a shoulder injury.

So he was hurt.

He had a bruised shoulder so he couldn't even lift up his arm because he was in so much pain.

But however, the Senators didn't know this.

So they went ahead with the acquisition of McKinley Neely.

So he took a train from the west coast, joined the centers in Chicago and the first thing he went right to and he went, arrived in Chicago.

He went to the hotel, went right to Griffith's room.

Griffith said to him, he met him, you know, he knocked on the door.

Griffith opened the door.

I'm Earl McNeely, you know.

Griffith said, nice to meet you.

You're the guy I paid all the money for.

Well, it's finally nice to finally meet you.

And he extended his hand to shake his hand and McNeely said, sorry, I can't lift my arm past my shoulder.

I injured my shoulder few days ago.

So Griffith, when he heard this, he wanted to call off the deal.

However, an examination of McNeely revealed that he was okay to play and he could play and the injury was just a bruise and probably heal in a few days.

So sure enough, they put McNeely in the lineup right away.

And like you said, yeah, he paid off big time.

He hit.330 for him, he played well, played, played good defense for them, he hit well and he turned out to be a very good acquisition for the.

Senators to be a good team.

To be, you know, stating the obvious, not only do you have to have great frontline talent, you got to have great bench talent.

And that's what the Senators had.

So the season you know, Melee McNeely joins the team midway through the season and you know, the Senators are, are a decent team.

They're contending, they're not a second division team.

@ what point during this season did the rest of the American League start taking Washington serious?

Like, hey, you know, they, they, they might actually be pretty good.

When I first started real it first noticed Washington in late June, they put together a winning streak.

They won 19 out of 20 games, or maybe it was 19 out of 21 games, but they had the winning streak.

At the end of June they, with the winning streak.

They went into New York to play the Yankees in a four game series with the Yankees in first place by a couple of games.

And the Senators at Yankee Stadium swept all four games to move into first place.

So that's when teams, that's when others started taking notice of, hey, these guys might be for real.

However, not everybody was convinced.

A lot of people thought Washington, well, you know, just wait and see.

They're going to crack.

You know, Washington's going to crack.

A lot of people believe that, you know, just wait and see.

They took that what just wait and see kind of attitude and sure enough, well, they entered July, they began July on a high note.

They won.

I sweetly, they swept the Red Sox or they won four out of five from the Red Sox or something.

So.

And then they took the Athletics.

So they continue to play good in early July.

But then the Yankees came to town.

And the Yankees in a five game series took four out of five and the Tigers came to town.

Yeah, the Senators lost like six games in a row.

Yeah.

Suddenly by the end of July here they were in third place or they're actually in second place.

And then they went to St.

Louis in August where it was so hot, you know, it was hard to focus on baseball.

And they got swept in a five game series and then they fell into third place.

So everyone thought they were done for, but they got hot.

But how did Bucky keep this team together at that point?

They lost six in a row.

They dropped a third place.

How does a young guy like Bucky Harris, who really hasn't been in a pennant race, how does he keep this team together?

Who are his sergeants, his coaching staff?

How does he keep this team together and stop them from completely falling apart?

Well, he kept talking about winning and he kept talking about championship and you know, he fired him up that way and you know, he had, you know, Walter Johnson kept winning because Walter Johnson went on a 13 game winning streak, hadn't lost the Game since I think it was July 11th.

And he kept winning.

You know, every time Walter Johnson, you know, we've got Walter Johnson.

He's going to continue to win for you guys.

He told him so, you know, he kept them fired up and he kept them believing in themselves.

And, you know, they kept playing hard and hustling and they kept winning.

And they started winning after the slump in early August, they started winning and then what happened was they moved back into second place.

They're on the heels of the Yankees and they went to Yankee Stadium to play the Yankees in a four game series to finish out the month of August.

And they took three out of four to move back into first place.

So they entered September here.

They were in first place.

That's when everybody realized that Washington was definitely for real and might win the American League pennant.

And not only that, people were so thrilled by this because the Yankees and the Church Giants in the National League, they had won every pennant and met in three consecutive World Series.

People did not.

They were tired of an all New York World Series.

They wanted to see it change.

So the whole country was pulling for this.

Yeah, yeah, there was, there was Even, even, even the players.

A guy like Babe Ruth said, well, if it can't be us, it might as well be Washington, right?

Yeah, that's, that's unbelievable.

But, you know, even in Philadelphia in September, when they started September, the month of September, they're in first place and they go to Philadelphia and Bucky Harris, it's a home run and you know, he gets, he rounds the bases.

The Philadelphia infielders are actually congratulating him, patting him on the back, shaking his hand.

So I mean, that's unbelievable.

But yeah, that's the way it was.

I mean, everyone was playing for Washington most of all, first of all, because they were an underdog and it was so unexpected, but also because of Walter Johnson, everyone wanted to see.

Yeah, I want to get to that.

I want to get to that.

Before we get there, though, I do have this other question for you.

You know, the game of baseball has changed dramatically, obviously, but even from a scheduling standpoint, you really don't have double headers scheduled anymore.

Double headers were a part of the game, a big part of the game, but back then they were even a bigger part of the game.

And one of the things that struck me was all the double play, all the double headers that the Senators played, you know, a lot of it due to weather.

How does.

Did.

Did.

Could the Senators have been even better?

I mean, how did the double headers, having so many of them affect this team?

Yeah, well, you know, it was hard because it was, you know, kind of frightful for Washington because they didn't want pitching depth.

And Harris was basically going with the same four or five pitchers day after day, especially down the stretch, you know, so, you know, so, you know, it was, you know, tiring.

And that was also why Griffith and Harris elected not, you know, back then, teams, major league teams, as they travel, they play exhibition game during the season in a small town against a minor league team, you know, but that's why Griffith and Harris, because they wanted to save the team for these double headers and for the pressure down the strength down the stretch.

That's why they did not schedule these exhibition games.

And I'm sorry to interrupt, but yes, you were saying that, that when teams would travel, it was different, right?

You didn't have airplanes.

They traveled by train or bus, whatever it was along the way, they would stop and play an exhibition game.

The Senators didn't do this.

I think they played one.

Yeah, they played one in Bucky Harris's hometown of Pittston, Pennsylvania.

That was one that they just had to play.

I mean, it was his hometown.

You know, everyone in his hometown wanted to see him.

So that was one they went with.

Yeah, so they went with that one.

But they didn't play any other exhibition games because, you know, plain and simple, they just wanted to say, reserve the strength of the team for the league games.

And here they were battling a Bennett.

So, you know, they needed every ounce of strength, you know, every ounce of rest they can get.

What was the benefit to the teams to playing those exhibition games?

Was there any benefit to them?

Did they make any extra money?

What was the benefit?

Yeah, it was.

Yeah.

I mean, it was about giving fans the opportunity who wouldn't get to see them.

Giving fans the opportunity to see them and, yeah, making money.

Yeah, they.

They make some extra money.

Right, for sure.

You know, but other than that, there.

There really wasn't that much benefit other than the fact that you're giving these small towns a chance to see a Major League baseball team and up close and in person.

Back to Bucky, again, 27 years old, player manager, taken on this incredible role.

How did it actually affect his play?

Yeah, you know, he still played hard there.

People were worried about that, especially during the exhibition season, you know, spring training.

He was making some throwing errors but, you know, for Harris, I mean, you know, he was fiery.

He was a competitor.

If anything, it made him maybe even stronger.

You know, he had a good year at the plate, and, you know, he still did the job defensively.

I mean, if anything, it made him more intense.

It made him more what, you know, he wanted to come through, show his team the way.

And, you know, he liked that kind of pressure, too.

He wanted to be at the plate, you know, with a winning run on base or, you know, in the field when they needed a double play or, you know, they needed a play, period.

You know, in the field or on the base vest or whatever.

I mean, Harris liked that.

He loved that.

So he didn't mind the extra responsibility.

You sort of alluded to this just before, and I think it was somewhat of a theme in your book, was the career of Walter Johnson.

And the one thing that came to mind, and I'm not so sure you would see it today, but it sounded like almost everyone was pulling for Walter Johnson to finally make it to a World Series.

And one of the greatest pitchers of his time in one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game.

But he never had the opportunity to play in a World Series.

So why would fans from other teams care whether or not Walter Johnson got to play in a World Series?

Was it just.

It was just a different time?

Was baseball different?

Talk about that.

Well, Johnson was not only a great pitcher who pitched his entire career for the Washington Centers.

You know, so that was one reason.

But Walter Johnson, too, as I pointed out in my book, was just such a sportsman, such a nice guy, had so many friends around baseball, you know, the fans loved him.

They just wanted to see Walter Johnson, you know, get the.

Get his chance, not only for being a great player, but just for being such a wonderful individual, for being such a nice guy.

They wanted to see Walter Johnson get his chance.

I guess it would be the more modern times, the Ernie Banks, or I guess even maybe a guy like Don Mattingly.

These guys were great ball players who never got to appear in a World Series, a postseason game.

And so Johnson, you know, now he's 36 years old and, you know, he's won over 300 games.

Of course, baseball again, different back then.

Pitchers pitch more complete games, went deeper into games, but he really did have a heck of a season.

I mean, it was going to be his last.

And he finished the year 23 and 7, 2.72 ERA, 6 shutouts, 20 complete games through over, he threw 277⅔ innings.

Talk about his season as a whole.

He's coming off an arm injury.

How does he do this?

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

It is amazing.

And yes, he had the arm injury.

He spent the year, though, it was interesting.

He spent the off season, the winter, doing a lot of hiking, walking over hills.

And you know, he really, what he wanted to do is go.

So he really wanted to strengthen his legs.

So his goal was to strengthen his legs.

So what was amazing to him though was that by working the strength in his legs, he was able to restore his arm to full health.

He said that he had a knot in his pitching arm.

He said it was a strange knot by his elbow, very peculiar knot.

And he couldn't understand how he had it, but it was hampering his pitching.

And as each season passed by, the knot became smaller.

You know, he strengthened his legs and he was in great shape.

So a combination of all these things restored his arm to his pitching to 100%.

I mean, he was a great pitcher that year.

And he was able to do it by strengthening his legs and by, you know, finally getting rid of that bothersome knot he had.

And that's amazing.

But he knew, you know, going into that season, he knew he was going to have a good season and he was expecting the win 20.

So it was no surprise to him that he had such a good season.

You know, he knew he was going to have a good year and, you know, he knew he had it in him.

And he knew even though he was older, he still knew he could pitch in the American League and he could still win 20 games.

And little did he know he'd win the MVP that year.

Yeah, I mean, and then, you know, he pitched three more years and following year 25, he won 20 games.

Yeah.

Talk about how exciting it was around Washington D.C.

during this season.

I mean, people were lined up on the streets looking at the ticker tape or whatever, the ticker, outside of the newspapers.

Some fans would travel with the team to see them play at the stadium.

I mean, A pennant race in Washington D.C.

this was something they weren't used to talk about, the excitement and especially in September as the race heated up.

Now at that time, Washington, they're coming off a losing record.

So you're talking about January, February.

A reporter from one of the Washington newspapers, he went out and he interviewed fans.

He went to Capitol Hill to interview some politicians.

So he did a full interview of Washington baseball fans.

And his conclusion was, he did a full study.

His conclusion was Washington baseball enthusiasm was at an all time low.

I mean, everybody wasn't into it.

You know, nobody was into it.

And people are expecting another losing season.

I mean, you make no roster moves for a team that didn't win the previous year and you don't have a manager in place.

So you know, how good of a season could this possibly be?

Well, it's probably going to be another losing season, they're thinking.

So then they finally hired Harris and then came opening day.

So some of that enthusiasm was restored.

The opening day was a sold out crowd, you know, and Walter Johnson pitched a shutout.

So that kind of got the fans their hopes up a little bit.

But that was only temporary because the team didn't get off to a good start.

You know, they got off to slow start under Harris.

You know, it took a while for Harris enthusiasm to actually, to actually get the team going.

So they got off to the slow start and then they have all these rain outs too.

And they had a terrible storm in the month of May in Washington.

So here you have.

So there's good reason why this team is why the city is not into the team.

And then all of a sudden when the team started winning now enthusiasm was in store.

You know, in June after they swept the Yankees at Yankee Stadium four game series, they came back to Washington to play the Phillies, excuse me, play the Athletics on doubleheader.

So now enthusiasm, you know, is at an all time high in Washington.

Everybody's out to see Washington play in June and into July.

You know, everybody's into it now.

So suddenly the fans are really into it and then they go into the slump in August.

So the fans, you know, are unsure now.

They don't, they don't think they're going to do it.

You know, they had all these hopes, you know, in June and July that maybe this could be the year.

But now in August, you know, they weren't so enthused.

But then they get hot at the end of August and they take three out of four Yankees see them.

So now Washington baseball fans, you know, enthusiasm was at an all time high.

You know, they start getting these big, you know, these big attendances and their last home game of the year is 30,000 fans, you know, jam packed in the small Griffith Stadium.

So, you know, now the crowd is really into it.

And when they finish the season on the road, the last 20 games of the season is on the road.

You know, everybody's following the team the best way they could back then.

You know, there are no televisions, there's no play by play on the radio.

So you had to find other ways to follow the team.

The newspapers were the most popular way to follow the team with her on the road.

Other things were the electronic scoreboards which would post play by play results at street corners.

You know, that was another way fans could follow their team.

And then there actually was radio, but that was more of a batter by batter account, you know, not play by play.

So less people went to the radios, you know, more people went to the newspapers and the electronic scoreboards than they did the radio.

You know, I don't think there's one game in.

Look, baseball is a long season, 154 games back then.

I don't think there's really one game that you can pinpoint that said, yeah, this is where they turn their season around.

But what you can do is talk about the adversity that this team faced throughout the season.

And they overcame it and they win the American League pennant and now they have to face the New York Giants in the World Series.

And not many gave the Senators or the Nationals much of a chance to win the Series.

Especially going down two games to one, they, they lose the first game of the World Series in Washington.

They, they win the second game of the World Series.

So it's one to one going to New York.

And then the Giants win game two, game three to go up two games to one, and Walter Johnson lost game one.

They come back jumping ahead, they win game four.

So it's two to two, Johnson loses game five.

It is such a sad thing because as we said, people wanted to see Johnson win a World Series.

Now he finally gets into the World Series and he's 02.

The Nationals are down three games to two.

It's like this is impossible for them to come back.

How upset was everybody that Johnson was owing to in the World Series?

Yeah, people felt sorry for him because they really wanted to see Johnson win a World Series game because that was his career long dream, his lifelong dream was to pitch a win in a World Series game.

And before the season started, of course, nobody thought Washington would do it and nobody thought Walter Johnson would ever get a chance to pitch in a World Series.

So now he finally gets the chance to pitch in a World Series and people wanted to see him win.

People poured in their support through letters and telegrams, sending them to Walter Johnson, telling him how much they wanted him to win, how they were playing, and Walter Johnson wanted to come through for them.

But like you said, yeah, he lost game one in 12 innings, extra innings.

He pitched all 12 innings, threw 165 pitches, and he was a tough luck loser in game one.

And then he comes back in game five and he lost again.

And since game six was going to be the next day and game seven, when the day after, it was pretty much certain that Walter Johnson was done for the year, that he would get a chance to pitching another game that year, that he wouldn't get a chance to pitch in the World Series game.

So people were really disappointed because they really wanted to see him win.

But I don't think anyone was more disappointed than Walter Johnson was because not only did he want to win for himself, but he wanted to win for these many fans who poured in their love and support for him and told him they were pulling from.

He really wanted to win for them.

So he felt terrible about that.

He was just devastated.

After losing game.

Yeah, before we get to game six and seven, I do want to go back.

I forgot about this.

The Senators had a pretty big fan and his wife, President Calvin Coolidge, talk about how much they love this team.

Particularly his wife, unlike the President of.

The United States, Calvin Good.

The first lady, Grace Coolidge knew a lot about baseball.

She had followed baseball since her childhood.

She knew how to keep score.

You know, she'd go to games and she'd keep score, keep a scorecard.

So she knew how to.

She knew a lot about the game.

And you know, she grew up in New England, so naturally she was a Red Sox fan.

But when she came to Washington, you know, with the excitement of the Senators and, you know, and the Senators finally winning and Walter Johnson, Bucky Harris, she instantly became a Washington Senators baseball fan.

So yeah, she was a huge fan.

She pulled hard for the team and you know, she tuned into the game.

She listened on the White House radio to games 3, 4 and 5 which were played in New York.

You know, so she followed the team throughout the course of the season as well.

So, you know, she was a huge fan.

She was a big time baseball fan.

And after her husband's presidency, when they moved back to New England, she continued to follow the Red Sox.

She continued, she kept track of the senator, she liked Clark Griffith a lot, but she turned back to becoming a Red Sox fan.

So after the presidency she was back to rooting for the Red Sox.

You know, she wrote to a friend, dear friend, I don't know if you heard about last week, Clark Griffith died.

You know, so she followed the Senators, followed the team.

You know, you know, she was a baseball fan her whole life.

Well, it's three games to two in favor of the Giants are coming back to Washington and, and the guy who you said had one of the best, if not the best season of his career, Tom Zachary, goes out and wins game six.

So it's now three to three.

He pitched in two games, he won them both.

So sadly, not only is he not going to, most likely not going to have a World Series victory under his belt, he's not going to win a World Championship.

Right.

He's not going to win a World Series.

His, his great career is going to be void of both of those things.

But he had the last laugh.

Tell us about Game 7 and Johnson's ultimate victory.

Well, Game 7 was probably one of the greatest games in World Series history, maybe even baseball history.

The series is like you said, it's tied three games of three and the Giants are going to play the centers in Washington the seventh and deciding game.

So Harris had a plan, you know, John McGraw and the Giants had a lot of depth and they had so much depth that McGraw had a lineup that hit against, you know, left handed batting lineup to face right handed pitches and had a right handed batting lineup to face left handed pitchers.

So for Game 7, what Harris did was he started a right hander, Curly Ogden, who hadn't pitched in the series and had a sore arm.

But he started him because his plan was for he wanted McGraw to start his left handed hitting lineup, particularly Bill Terry, the first baseman, the hall of Fame first baseman who was having a great series and was destroying Washington right hand and pitching.

But Harris wanted to get Terry out of the game.

So he started a right hander, Curly Ogden.

And Curly Ogden faced two batters.

And after he faced the second batter, which he walked, Harris fought in George Mogridge, a left handed pitcher.

So a few innings later, you know, Bill Terry went up against Mogridge and he was went hitless.

He faced him twice and went hitless against him.

So in the fifth inning, when he was due to bat a third time against Mogridge, McGraw lifted Terry for a pitch hitter.

So Harris's plan worked, he got Terry out of there.

So Mogridge continued to pitch and then he eventually replaced Mogridge with another pitcher, Fred Marbury, a right handed pitcher.

So the game was tied after eight innings.

Actually, the Giants took a three to one lead and they led three to one heading into the bottom of the eighth.

And the Senators rallied for two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game three to three.

So here we are in game seven.

We're tied after eight innings, three to three in the bottom of the eighth, as Washington rallied for two runs, everybody was aware that Harris had lifted the pitcher for a pinch hitter.

So that meant in the top of the ninth, Washington would have a new pitcher on the mound.

So who was on the mound to start the top of the ninth?

None other than Walter Johnson came on in relief to pitch the top of the ninth.

Everybody is thrilled by the sight of Walter Johnson because this meant that Walter Johnson would get a chance to pitch possibly another win, another chance to pitch a win in the World Series.

So that was great.

So that thrilled everybody.

Well, Johnson retired the first batter he faced at the top of the ninth.

But then the next batter hits a triple, it's a triple against Johnson.

So now you got a New York Giant baserunner on third, only one out, and you got the number three, four and five hitters coming up.

So, you know, poor Walter Johnson.

It looked like it was going to happen to him again.

You know, here he was, you know, another chance to pitch a possible World Series win.

But now it looks like he's going to lose another game.

You know, poor Walter Johnson.

It looked like it just wasn't meant to be.

Well, lo and behold, Johnson retires the next two batters gets out of the jam.

So the game goes to the top, bottom of the ninth.

However, the centers don't score.

So here you are.

Game seven is now going into extra innings.

So the 10th inning, Walter Johnson got into another jam, and sure enough, he got out of it.

Washington doesn't score in the bottom of the 10th, so the game goes into the 11th and then into the 12th inning.

Walter Johnson again pitches through the top of the 12th, he pitches through another inning.

So now it's the bottom of the 12th and it's three, three.

And Washington has another chance to win the game, win it for Walter Johnson.

However, they have the number 7, 8, 9 hitters due up in the lineup.

So it looks like, especially after the number seven hitter, the leadoff hitter in the inning makes it out, it looks like the game's gonna go in the 13 innings.

And Babe Ruth, you know, he's among the press.

You know, he's covering the games as soon to get Rider.

And he's in the press box shaking his head.

He says, you know, I don't think Walter Johnson could pitch another shutout inning.

He's just pitched four.

He's 36 years old.

He just pitched four consecutive shot innings.

He just pitched two days ago.

I don't think he's going to win this game.

So it doesn't look good for Washington, especially because there's one out in the bottom of the 12th and muddy rule, the catcher who only has one hit in the World Series, he's 1 for 20, I believe, is at the plate.

And he hits a pop fly right above home plate.

The whole everyone in the crowd just groans because it looks like there's going to be out number two, right?

Now he's about to become the World Series goat.

Because what he does, Hank Gowdy, is he gets under the pop fly, pop up the pop fly.

He's gonna probably catch the ball.

And what he does, instead of throwing his mask out of the way, he drops it right in front of him.

The result is he steps on his mask, he stumbles, he flat out misses the ball for an air, you know.

And so Muddy Rule goes as an air.

Muddy Rule gets another chance.

And sure enough, on the next pitch, he hits a double down the left field line.

So there's a runner on second, only one out.

Walter Johnson's the batter.

He hits a routine grounder, the shortstop and the shortstop boots it.

So Walter Johnson gets on base.

So now it's first and second, only one out and Earl McNeely, the rookie I spoke about, recently called up, purchased from Sacramento, right of the Pacific.

Osley is at the plate, a rookie.

So he hits a ground ball.

It is a bad heat.

It's a ground ball right towards the third baseman, Fred Lindstrom.

It looks like it's going to be an inning ending double play for sure.

It's just totally routine, just a simple play.

Lo and behold, once you know it, the ball hits the glute to hit a pebble and it bounces over the third baseman, Freddie Lindstrom, bounces over his head, rolls into the left field.

Here's Muddy Rule.

The slowest player in the American League on second base.

Well, he runs, he rounds third and he's heading home.

And you know, since he's slow and you know, because of the anticipation and everything, you know, it seems like it takes him forever to get to home plate.

But he does get the home plate.

He crosses home plate with the winning run.

Washington wins four to three.

And best of all, Walter Johnson is credited with the win.

He wins the World Series.

He gets a win as the, you know, he's the winning pitcher wins the World Series.

And he had a key at that in the bottom of the 12th as well.

What a, what a storybook ending to a spectacular season.

So, you know, the epilogue to this story is it was a phenomenal year for Bucky Harris and Walter Johnson and of course the Washington Senators.

So let's end it here.

How important in baseball, in Washington D.C.

baseball history was this two year run for the legacies of Walter Johnson and Bucky Harris?

And what, if anything, does the 24 World Series championship mean today, if anything at all, for the city of Washington.

D.C.

well, Washington D.C.

has only won two major league World Series championships.

And it's the only World Series the Washington center has ever won.

So yes, I mean, it means a lot to the city of Washington to have that as part of their baseball history.

So absolutely wonderful that Washington's had it.

Absolutely important and certainly very important for the legacy of Bucky Harris to be a boy manager, to be a rookie manager, to overcome the odds, to do what nobody thought he could do, that nobody thought Washington could do, to win a World Series, you know, like that, and for Walter Johnson to finally get to pitch a World Series victory.

Now you go back to the World Series the next year and he'd win twice in the World Series.

So certainly very important win for Walter Johnson.

Well, Gary, I want to thank you so much for joining me on Sports Forgotten Heroes.

I encourage everybody to go out, pick up a copy.

I'm sure you can get it wherever you get your books.

Terrific.

Reid, Gary, thank you so much for joining me on Sports Forgotten Heroes.

Thank you, Juan.

Thank you very much for having me.

I appreciate it.

Anytime.

However, Washington just fell short in the World Series, losing the last two games to the Pittsburgh Pirates to fall four games to three.

Walter Johnson went 21 in that series after posting a record of 27 during the regular season.

Hey, once again I'd like to thank my guest today, Gary Sermons Arnold.

And thanks to all of you for.

Listening and I'll see you next time.

On Sports Forgotten Heroes.