The 1924 Washington Nationals

[welch]

Now three losses in a row, as the A's, at home, beat the Nats 6 - 4. A scoreless game until the bottom of the 7th, when Connie Mack's team score six runs, three of them unearned, off of Fred "Firpo" Marberry.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192404230.shtml

[Natsinpwc]

Now three losses in a row, as the A's, at home, beat the Nats 6 - 4. A scoreless game until the bottom of the 7th, when Connie Mack's team score six runs, three of them unearned, off of Fred "Firpo" Marberry.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192404230.shtml

It’s early. 

[imref]

It’s early. 

nightmare of a season

[welch]

Breaking that three-game losing streak, the Nats beat the A's beat the A's 4 - 3. Joe Martina (who??) won his second game, and went 2-for-4 at the plate. Nats almost back to .500: 4 - 5.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192404240.shtml

[welch]

Back in the slide: A's beat Walter Johnson and the Nats, 6 - 5. Senators too 3 - 0 lead into the bottom of the sixth, and then l;ost it. Johnson had a good day hitting, driving in the Nats' first run with a single in the top of the second. In the bottom of the sixth, rookie Al Simmons, future HoF, hit a three-run homer. One of the runs was unearned because SS Sam Peckinpaugh had booted a ground ball. In the 7th, Slim Harriss reached when Peckinpaugh threw a ball away. After Jimmie Dykes, a future manager, doubled, Bucky Harris replaced Johnson with Ted Wingfield. A single drove in Slim Harriss and another single drove in Dykes. Nats picked up a run in the 9th when Sam Rice and Goose Goslin hit back-to-back doubles. Nats had picked up a run in the 8th, and I only guess that I am reading the play-by-play correctly. Looks like Doc Prothro went 1st to 3rd on a single by Peckinpaugh. Then Nemo Liebold hit a flyball to right, and A's catcher, Cy Perkins dropped the throw. 

Nats now 4 - 6, and it looks like the baseball writers were right: Walter Johnson will never recover from the sore arm he got in 1920, maybe pitching his no-hitter, and the Washington Nationals are headed for the second division again.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192404250.shtml

[welch]

April 26, 1924: future umpire Eddie Rommel holds the Nats to five hits as A's beat Washington 2 - 0. Washington's Paul Zahniser held the A's to only six hits, but one of them was a home run to Al Simmons. Still sliding...Nats 4 - 7. Looking grim for the team that many Washingtonians called "the Senators", although even Shirley Povich, who got his first newspaper job that season, could not learn why.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192404260.shtml

[Dave in Fairfax]

April 26, 1924: future umpire Eddie Rommel holds the Nats to five hits as A's beat Washington 2 - 0.

They should have read his book. - G.S. Patton

[imref]

at this point the 2024 club has the same record as the 1924 club.

[welch]

Sunday, April 27:

Bosox tie the Nats with two runs in the top of the 7th, watched by a big crowd of 16,000. As Shirley Povich explained in 1960, many of those seats were behind pillars or else far out in the bleachers. The Nats scored five in the bottom of the 8th to put the game out of reach, even after Boston scored a pair in the top of the 9th. Reliever By Spence got the win after he blew a save of Tom Zachry's game. Notable?

In the top of the 1st, with runners on 1B and 3B, Tom Zachary struck out Sam Harris as Ira Flagstead tried to steal home. Muddy Ruel tagged him out. Then, in the bottom of the 1st, Nemo Leibold drew a walk and moved to second on Bucky Harris's single. Sam Rice lined out to 1B Sam Harris, who threw to SS Dud Lee to get Leibold and threw back to Sam Harris to get Bucky.

Yes, a strike-em-out catch-em-out DP, and a triple play. All in the 1st inning. Yes, more exciting baseball than waiting out a walk, a strikeout, and a home run.

Nats defense looks poor, especially catcher Muddy Ruel and 2B/Mgr Bucky Harris. In the top of the 2nd, Muddy Ruel's passed ball gives a runner 2B and Muddy's bad throw gives the runner 3B. He scores on a pop-fly to RF.

But the Nats hit, and Boston also committed three errors.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192404270.shtml

[welch]

April 28, 1924 was a tie game, Nats 2, Boston 2, in seven innings. In the 7th, Washington tied the score with two outs as Bucky Harris drove in Sam Peckinpaugh with an infield hit. According to Gary Sarnoff, in his new book, Team of Destiny, the skies had darkened as the Senators batted, and the Boston pitcher, Alex Ferguson, walked off the mound. Ferguson claimed that he had something in his eye, and walked toward the dugout. Home plate umpire Dick Nallin to the Boston manager to get Ferguson back on the mound, or to replace him, or else the game would be a forfeit. Finally, "Pilot Harris" got his hit. After a pitch in the 8th. it rained.

That's how the Nats had a tie game.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192404280.shtml

[welch]

April 29, 1924. "April is the cruelest month".

The Nats had an off-day scheduled for April 30, but took off a day early, losing 15 - 6 to Boston. Oyster Joe Martinha started slowly, giving up two walks around an out to the first three batters, and then a double, a single, and a sac fly. In the bottom of the first, the Nats matched Boston's three runs, but Oyster Joe started the top of the second with two walks. Bucky Harris pulled him for Ted Wingfield. The game stayed close until the top of the sixth, when Alan Russell and By Spence combined to give up four hits, four walks, and six runs.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192404290.shtml

[welch]

Maybe there's hope? The sliding Nats beat the Yankees 3 - 2. The once-great Walter Johnson went only six innings, and gave up both runs in the bottom of the 7th. First two Yankee hitters drove triples to deep left-center. He is 36. Firpo Marberry pitch three innings, earning what would now be called a "save".

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA192405010.shtml

[welch]

Friday, May 2, the Nats edge closer to .500, with a decisive two runs in the 9th when Sam Rice hit a home run to deep RF, scoring Joe Judge. They beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium 6 - 4. George Mogridge win his first of the season.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA192405020.shtml

[welch]

Slipping back from .500, the Nats, and Oyster Joe Martinha, lose 5 - 4 to the Yankees, in from of 20,000 fans at Yankee Stadium. Sad Sam Jones and Bullet Joe Bush scattered eight hits to the Nats, Nats took a 4 - 2 lead in the top of the 7th, but lost it in the 8th. Wally Pipp, himself, hit as two-run inside-the-park home run to deep left-center.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA192405030.shtml