The 1924 Washington Nationals

[welch]

Wednesday, July 2, and the Nats are in 1st place, while their opponent, the Boston Red Sox, have been sinking. A feqw weeks ago, Boston was fighting the Yankees and Tigers for first. Now, the Senators, as I called them, a holding first.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407020.shtml

An holding tightly. The Nats beat Boston 5 - 0, in another game that was over early. Washington took a 2-0 kead in the bottom of the 3rd, as Same Rice walked and Wid Matthews tripled him home. After Bucky struck out and  Goose grounded out to 1B, Muddy Ruel singled to plate Matthews. A  few innings later, Ossie Bluege walked and Nats starter Paul Zahniser got Ossie to second on a sacrifice bunt. Sam Rice promtly drove in Ossie with a single, although Sam was later caight stealing. In the 8th, Boston replaced Alex Ferguson with reliever Geoge Murray, and our Sam Rice doubled in two more runs.

Zahniser has settled in to pitch a couple of good games: this time, a 2-hit shutout for his third win against five losses.

Now, at 41 - 28, the Senators have take a 3 game lead over Detroit and a 3 1/2 game lead over the mighty Yankees.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=02

[welch]

The Yankees came to town on Friday, July 4. A test for Griff's men, and 12,000 fans came to watch. Washington lost the first game of a double-header, 4-2. Tom Zachary pitched well, shutting down the Yankees until the 6th, but then the team from the Bronx scored three runs, to take a 3-2 lead. Griff's men had steruck first, in the first, when Goose Goslin puulled a double to RF, scoring Wid Matthews. In the 5th, Sam Rice drove in Ossie Bluege with a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 6th, however, Bob Meusel and Wally Pipp (he was real!) drove in 3 runs. The Yankees picked up another run in the 8th.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407041.shtml

Fans did not go home, and several thousand more, a total of 20,000, saw the second game.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=04

[welch]

George Mogridge pitched well in the second game, giving up 4 hits, but the Nats lost again, 2 - 0 as the Yankees scored 2 runs in the 9th. For those with assumptions about power hitters, Babe Ruth, the greatest of them all, bunted in the first trying to advance Joe Dugan from 1st to 2nd. Dugan was thrown out.

In the 9th, Whitey Whitt singled and Joe Dugan tri-pled down the 3rd base line...remember, it was about 400 feet from home to the wall on that line. Bob Meusel doubled -- New York's fourth hit -- but that was all. The Senators got men on base in the bottom half, but couldn't score.

Nats, at 41-30, still 2 games ahead of the Yankees, and 3 1/2 ahead of the Tigers. The St. Louis Brows have climbed back into 4th, 4 1/2 back.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=04

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407042.shtml

[welch]

Saturday, July 5, and the Nats lose another one to the World Champion Yankees, 2-0 in the first game of another doubleheader. . Herb Pennock, future Hall of Famer, beat Walter Johnson. who gave up 10 hits.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407051.shtml

In the 1st, Babe Ruth doubled Whitey Whitt to 3rd, and Bob Meusel drove Whitte home. In the 6th, Babe doubled and Wally Pipp drove him in with a single. The Senators got hits, but scattered them, never more than one in an inning.

[welch]

In the second game, Washington walloped the Yankees, 7-2, as 25,000 growded into Griffith Stadium. That was the Stdium's capacity. Let's hop they brought their cowbells, and clapped in unison to urge the Nationals onward.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407052.shtml

[welch]

In the second game, Washington walloped the Yankees, 7-2, as 25,000 growded into Griffith Stadium. That was the Stdium's capacity. Let's hop they brought their cowbells, and clapped in unison to urge the Nationals onward.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407052.shtml

The Yankees started another future Hall of Famer, Waite Hoyt, and gave him two ruins to work with in the top of the 1st. Washington fought back with four runs in the bottom of the 1st: Wid Matthews walked and Bucjy Harris singled him to 3rd. Goose Gosln singled. Joe Judge singled, and then Roger Peckinpaugh drew a walk, scoring Harris. Tie game. Ossie Bluege grounded into a force-out at 2nd, but that scored Goslin. Then Bennie Tate singled, scoring Judge, making it 4-2, Washington. Tate was a rookie catcher, brought in to back up Muddy Ruel; Tate lasted with Washington until 1930, never quite becoming a starter, and he stuck in the majors until 1934.

Firpo Marberry, reliever and spot starter was throwing a good game. In the 4th, the bottom of the Washington order put two men on base, when Wid Mathews scored Tate on a bunt fielded by the Yankee 2B, Aaron Ward.

The Senators finished the day 42-31, 2 games ahead of the Yankees, and 3 ahead of the Tigers.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=05

[alanmiley]

please chime in here if there's a point about the games Welch recaps that would be fun to point out.

Just to keep things in synch, after John posts a recap of a Wednesday game, I can post my blurb (which ends on a Wednesday). 

[welch]

Has Washington secured first place? Have the Senators turned back the Yankkes? Sadly, no. On Sunday, July 6, New York beat Washington again, 7-4.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407060.shtml

Joe Martinha started for the Nationals and did not pitch badly, giving up 9 hits and 3 earned runs, and taking a 4-3 lead into the 9th. But then a single and a throw bobbled, I think, by Roger Peckinpaugh tied the score. Then Firpo Marberry, a tired Fred Marberry, relieved Oyster Joe, but gave up a ground ball that Bucky Harris booted. Two runs scored, and another when Babe Ruth doubled.

Bad fielding cost the Senators the win.

Nats now hold a 1-game lead over the Yankees.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=06

[welch]

On Wednesday, July 9, the Detroit Tigers came to town, beginning with a double-header. The Tigers were managed by Ty Cobb, who also played CF. Cobb had a strong lineup, since, besides having himself hitting third with a "mere" .345 average, Ty could add Heinie Manush, future Washington star for the "Wrecking Crew of '33", and Harry Heilmann. And Cobb had Fred Haney at 3B, future manager of the 1957 Wiorld Champion Milwaukee Braves.

And Detroit won, 5-2.

In the 5th, Washington starter George Mogridge gave up a couple runs, as Harry Heilmann and Heinie Manush drove in runs. Later, in the 7th, Heilmann drove in Haney and Manush. Washington picked up a couple runs in the 8th, but it was too late.

[welch]

In the second game, the Nats pitched young Curly Ogden, the same ex-Athletic who had pitched well in his previous start. Ogden gave up 6 hits, and the Senators won it 4-2. Detroit scored a run in the 1st and another in the 9th, and that was about. The Nats had taken a 2-1 lead in the 1st, when a Goose Goslin double scored Sam Rice and Wid Matthews. The Nats took a 4-1 lead in the 4th, when Curly Ogden (who needs a DH?) drove in Peckinpaugh and Ossie Bluege. After that, Ogden rolled.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407092.shtml

Having taken this game, the Nats held to first, with a 43-33 record. The Yankees were 1 1/2 games back.

[alanmiley]

Time for my recap - some of this is redundant with John's post ...

100 years ago in Washington Senators history
Wednesday, July 9, 1924 – In this week, the high flying Senators flew a little lower.  Facing 5 games with the Yankees to start the stretch, Washington Times articles on Thursday cited reasons for optimism for both teams.  On the Senators side, there was a report that “Sparkie” (Wid Matthews) was happy with the 3 hit performance in the game reported last time here and he felt confident that his slump was over.  Speaking of slumps, “YANKEES EMERGE FROM SLUMP, SAYS BABE” was the headline of Babe Ruth’s syndicated column.   In a sign of less than high respect he reported on teammates views of the clubs they had to watch out for:  “Wallie” Pipp cited Detroit, Joe Dugan said that instead it was Cleveland,  “Wallie” Shang picked Saint Louis, and “somebody else” mentioned Boston and Washington.  In other words, the league leaders were the co-favorites of “somebody.”

Thursday was an off day, but on Friday the 4th of July, the Yankees were in town for a double header. Another double header on Saturday and a single game on Sunday followed.  If there was disrespect in Ruth’s column, perhaps it was deserved as the Yankees took 4 of the 5 games.  The final game was a real mess;  our heroes made 5 errors including 3 in the 9th inning in which the Senator’s 1-run advantage turned into an Yankee easy win.  New York was now one game back.  In his column following the series, the Babe said, “It’s just the same old story.  When two clubs fight as hard as Washington and the Yankees did in this series, one of them is sure to break. And there’s where experience counts.”  The Washington Times carried a column by Harry Cross, the Sports Editor for the New York Evening Post, in which he noted that, “The Washington club is at present going beyond its speed and cannot hope to keep up the present pace much longer.”

The Senators desire for a post Yankees series bounce back was frustrated by an off day Monday and a rain out yesterday.  Perhaps we should use this break to consider the season at the half way point.  On the plus side, the Senators led the league on July 4th and more than 50% of the time, the July 4th leader wins the pennant.  On the minus side, the series with the Yankees was disheartening and some of the pundits are predicting that the “high flying” club may have flown too close to the sun.  Thinking back to last year’s post season, the widespread opinion was that the team needed to make some major player upgrades to have any chance of rising above mediocrity.  In that respect:
-- Griffith made a hard off season run to get Eddie Collins of the White Sox, but no deal could be made. 
-- In April, a young hard-hitting first baseman named Gehrig was sent down by the Yankees.  The Senators did not make a waiver claim, although chances are slim that it would have been successful.
-- Many a hopeful sign was seen for several players in spring training, but little has panned out and many of those potential heroes are no longer with the team.
-- The Senators did start Doc Prothro ahead of Ossie Bluege at third base for much of the season, but his good hitting did not make up for his poor fielding and Bluege was reinstated.  That decision was finalized last week when Prothro was sent to Memphis in exchange for the 31-year old rookie, Tommy Taylor.
-- They acquired the spark plug, Wid Matthews, to play center field.  Matthews has seemed to overcome some of his earlier attitude problems and played well.  Recently, his batting prowess was affected by a big slump, but he seems to have pulled out of it now and there is hope that he can raise his batting average to .300 again.
-- The final upgrade was acquiring “Curly” Ogden on waivers in May.  He was 0-3 with Philadelphia at the time, but he has since won 4 straight with the Senators.

That brings us today.  Yesterday's rain out means a double header against the Tygers. They are are in third place, 3 games behind.  The Evening Star’s John Keller wrote of today’s games, “There was a time when .500 baseball was something the Nationals were quite proud to boast of, but such is not the case these days.”  And .500 baseball is what happened today.

In the first game, George Mogridge was ineffective, giving up 5 runs on 11 hits in 7 innings.  Relievers Allen “Rubberarm” Russell and By Speece, shut out the Junglecats in the last two innings, but the Senators were unable to score a comeback.  They did have a bit of action in the 8th inning when the latest acquisition, Tommy Taylor, led off with a pinch hit single in his first major league at bat.  A Rice single sent him to third base and he scored on a Matthews sacrifice fly.  Goslin’s triple scored Rice, but that was the end of the offense in a 5-2 loss.  Speaking of triples, the league leaders last year were Goslin and Rice and the team again leads the league in triples now.  If you suspect it might have something to do with the dimensions of Griffith Stadium, you might be able to make the case.

In the today’s second game, Curly Ogden increased his Washington record to 5-0, giving up a single run on 4 hits over 8 innings.  The Senators made only 6 hits themselves, but a two run double by Goslin in the first and a two run single by Ogden in the fourth were sufficient for the victory.

Meanwhile, the White Sox beat the Yankees today so the 43 – 33 Senators are now 1.5 games ahead.  The race remains tight and 7th place Boston is only 7 games back.

[welch]

Thursday, July 10, in the first game of a double-header, Bucky Harris started Walter Johnson, hoping to reel off another winning streak. Unfortunately, Walter was not as sharp as expected, lasting only through 2 outs in the 5th. He left with a 4-3 lead as Allen Russell took over.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407101.shtml

There is no play-by-play for this game, but the record shows that both teams hit up a storm. The Tigers tied the game at 5-5 in the 6th with two more runs off of Russell. He gave up 6 hits and 7 runs, total, although only 2 of them were earned, across 3 innings of work. Detroit smashed 5 runs in the 8th, and looked to be easy winners...except that the Griffmen tied it with 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th.

The Tigers gathered 2 runs in the 13th inning, plating them off of Firpo Marberry. Yes, Firpo pitched again, this time for 2 innings. Firpo followed starter Tom Zachary, who pitched a couple, and Zarchary followed an inning by Joe Martinha. Bucky Harris must have been scrambling to use Zachary as a relief pitcher, and to go to Marberry again. Final? Tigers 12, Senators 10. It took 4:08 to play.

Detroit got 17 hits in the game: Manush went 3-for-5 with a double, and Ty Cobb 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs, while Heilmann went 3-for-7 with a triple and 3 RBIs.

However, the Senators picked up 19 (!) hits. Sam Eice was 3-for-8 with 2 RBIs, manager Bucky Harris 4-for-4, Goose Goslin 2-for-6, Joe Judge 3-for-6, Muddy Ruel 2-for-5. Harris, Goslin, Judge, and Ruel each drove in a run. Harris had a double and a triple, and Joe had a double. A lot of hits, a lot of runs, but a loss. The Nats made 4 errors, unfortunately.

This game was the 77th, the half-way point in the season. (as best I can tell)

[welch]

The second game of the double-header was called, most likely on account of darkness, after 5 innings and a little over an hour of play. That made over 5 hours of baseball. Attendance? 5,000.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407102.shtml

I see that Earl Whitehill started for Detroit. He would be traded to Washington in December, 1922, for Firpo Marberry, plus Carl Fisher. In 1933, Whitehill would win 22 games for "The Wrecking Crew of '33", the last pennant-winning Washington team until 2019.

Standings?

The Yankees beat the White Sox, 6-1. New York and Washington now tied at 43-34, with Detroit 2 games back.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=10

[welch]

July 11, 1924, and the slide continues. Detroit beat Washington, 4-3. Two days, three games and all three close ones, but no wins.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407110.shtml

Bucky Harris asked Wakter Johnson to start on short rest, possibly thinking that Johnson's 4 2/3 innings yesterday left him enough energy to pitch a full game today. Barbey went 9 innings, yes, but slipped in the 8th. Although the Senators started the inning with a 3-1 lead, Johnson gave up 3 runs and the Nats lost. Griff's men out-hit Ty Cobb's Tigers, 10-5, but there is no play-by-play. The box score does not show what happened in the 8th.

Perhaps Alan's next post can tell us.

The Yankees beat the White Sox 12-9, taking back first place. The Nationals fell to second, a game behind with a 43-35 record. Detroit is a game behind Washington.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=11

[welch]

On Saturday, July 12, the Cleveland Indians came to town, and Washington's losing continued in the first game of a double-header. Indians 7, Nationals 1. Something has to change or the season will slip away.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407121.shtml

Another ineffective start by George Mogridge saw Washington down 4-0 before getting a run. In the top of the 3rd, George Mogridge gave up a walk and a bunt single, A sac bunt put runners are 2b and 3b with only one out. Charlie Jamieson's double down the RF line drove in 2 runs. In the bottom half, Ossie Bluege led off with an infield hit. Bucky Harris must have seen something in Mogridge's pitching, because he pinch-hit for Mogridge. However, Bert Griffith popped out for Mogridge, but Sam Rice walked. Two on, 1 out. Then Wid Matthews hit a flyball to RF and Bucky grounded to 3B Rube Lutzke, who stepped on the bag to end the inning.

Allen Russell took the slab for Mogridge and immdiately gave up 2 runs. George Burns led off with a single and Russell walked the next man. Two on, no outs, and Russell had pitched himself into trouble. Batting 7th, Chuck Fewster, Cleveland's 2B, singled in one run, and then Rube Lutzke drove in another. 4-0, Indians, with By Spence relieving Russell to stop Cleveland's rally. The Nats got a run back in the bottom half, but Cleveland's Joe Shaute was tough. While By Speece pitched smoothly for the next three innings, Washington got nothing but a single by By.

Thanks to errors by Bucky Harris and Goose Goslin, the Indians scored three more times in the 8th. Let it be noted, though, that Joe "No DH" Shaute doubled to "deep LF".
 
(Apologies, Byron Speece. I've been misreading your name as "Spence", which is more common than "Speece". Here are his stats. No SABR bio, though:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/speecby01.shtml )

[welch]

In the second game of the double-header, Tom Zachary held the Indians to 5 hits, while the Nationals pounded 13 off of Sherry Smith and Dewey Metivier, beating Tris Speaker's team 9-2.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407122.shtml

Neither Smith nor Zachary were giving up much, but, in the bottom of the third, Sam Rice singled and Goose Goslin drove a triple to left-center. Then Tommy Taylor -- acquired, as Alan tells us, for Doc Prothro -- hit a ground-rule double down the RF line.

(Note: my memory from my first game, 1954, is that Griffith Stadium had a 30-foot wall across RF to deep, deep, right-center. The scoreboard was there. Andy Clem's "Griffith Stadium" shows a RF fence on that same line, but it must have been much shorter. Clem also shows a scoreboard on a line from the point in dead center, where the fence jutted back to protect theback yards of two row-houses, the owners of which refused to sell when the stadium was built.
http://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/GriffithStadium.html#Diag)

The Nats kept scoring. In the next inning, Sam Rice singled to center, driving in Roger Peckinpaugh and Ossie Bluege as Tris Speaker (!) could not come up with the ball cleanly. 

The Senators picked up three more runs in the 4th, on a Goose Goslin single, a Joe Judge bunt single toward 3b moving Goslin to 2b, and a Pinky Hargrave single. Pinky, a Rule 5 draftee, had become Washington's backup catcher over 22-year old Bennie Tate. Pinky was the brother of Bubbles Hargrave.

(Pinky, William McKinley Hargrave: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hargrpi01.shtml
Bubbles, Eugene Franklin Hargrave: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hargrbu01.shtml)

The Nats piled on 2 more runs in the 7th, making it 9-0. Zachary

In spite of the win, the Washingtons fell a half-game farther back of the Yankees. Nats record 44-36, only a half-game ahead of Ty Cobb's Tigers.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=12

[alanmiley]

In response to John's question about the 3-run 8th for the Tygers on June 11:

Burke double
Manush walk
Cobb single to center
 -- Burke & Manush both on third.
 -- Mathews throws to Bluege who knocked the ball down
 -- Burke broke for home
 -- "Bluege heaved the ball in the general direction of the scoring platter, but that was all." (Keller, Evening Star) and two runs score, Cobb getting to third.
Johnson got Heilmann out, but Blue singled, driving in Cobb.

[alanmiley]

Concerning Byron "By" Speece, he was looking hot in spring training:

As the opening day neared, the pitching situation clarified.  The Evening Star’s John Keller provided an analysis in today’s paper.  The team would keep 10 pitchers, with a 4-man starting rotation.  Veterans Walter Johnson and George Mogridge would continue in the workhorse roles of 1923.  The 3rd starter was young Paul Zahniser who had the 4th most starts in 1923.  About Tom Zachary who had been #3 in 1923 with 29 starts, Keller reported “If Jez Zachary is carried by the club, … he will be used mostly against the White Sox ….”  (Note the name “Jez” – remind me to tell you about that sometime.)

The 4th starter was a rookie, the submariner Byron “By” Speece, who had been acquired from Memphis of the class B Western League.   He had earlier broken some spring training rules, resulting in a $50.00 fine.  The incident apparently turned him around so that Harris and the coaches were being now quite keen on his spring successes.  Keller reported “He employs an underhand half-cross-fire delivery that is most baffling to the man at the plate.”

Of course, the question arises as to whether this rookie starter could be the missing piece that lifts the Senators out of their 1923 doldrums.  Spoiler Alert:  If that is the question, then “No” is the answer.   Speece started a total on one game for the team in 1924.  In fact, his greatest contribution to the Senators came after the 1924 season concluded when he was traded to Cleveland for the future Hall of Fame pitcher Stan Coveleskie.

[welch]

Byron Speece note: the late-50s Senators had a relief-pitcher named Dick Hyde who shocked fans by throwing a "submarine" pitch. He had a great 1958, going 10-3 with a 1.75 ERA. He saved 19 games, probably because that team lost so many games that he was called in to finish 44 times. The Nats came back to win 10 of those, then. He pitched over 100 innings.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hyde--002ric

[welch]

In response to John's question about the 3-run 8th for the Tygers on June 11:

Burke double
Manush walk
Cobb single to center
 -- Burke & Manush both on third.
 -- Mathews throws to Bluege who knocked the ball down
 -- Burke broke for home
 -- "Bluege heaved the ball in the general direction of the scoring platter, but that was all." (Keller, Evening Star) and two runs score, Cobb getting to third.
Johnson got Heilmann out, but Blue singled, driving in Cobb.

Thanks, Alan. Why did Bucky pitch Johnson two days in a row?

[alanmiley]

Thanks, Alan. Why did Bucky pitch Johnson two days in a row?

I don't know.  The sports writers in the Star and Washington Times treated it in a matter of fact manner.

Possibly it was because 5 pitchers were also used in the previous day.  And Johnson only pitched 4.2 innings. 

This was the only time in the 1924 regular season when Johnson pitched on consecutive days although there were 3 times when he pitched on one day of rest.  His average was 3.4 days rest over the season.

Speculating, I guess we have to assume it was situational;  Detroit was nipping at the heels of our heroes. It was a high leverage game.  Bucky Harris could have started someone who had more rest, but on the other hand no other pitcher was Walter Johnson.

[welch]

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407130.shtml

Another slugfest, with Tris Speaker's Indians and Bucky Harris's Griffmen combining for 30 hits and 26 runs. Washington wins 15-11. Speaker had a home run, but Goose Goslin and Joe Judge hit 2 doubles each, Bucky Harris added another, and Sam Rice triplped.

None of the pitchers sparkled, although Washington's starting slabman, Firpo Marberry, gave the team a decent five innings. Paul Zahniser blew a save but got the win, as Alan Russell finished for him. The Indians pitching? George Uhle gave up 5 runs over the first two innings, and the others did no better.

The Senators picked up 2 runs in the first on a pair of two-out doubles, by Bucky Harris and Goose Goslin, and a single by Joe Judge. First-baseman Joe Judge is not as famous as others on the team, and we at WNFF discussed whether Adam LaRoche continued a Washington tradition, as "pundits" said, of good-fielding single-hitting 1B. Just then, Judge was hitting .322 with an .827 OPS. He hit that steadily through the season, and, incidentally, finished with a .394 OBP, and an OPS+ of 119.

In the second, with two on and two out, Sam Rice drove a triple to right-center. CF Tris Speaker's glove was known as "the place where triples go to die", but not this time. Nemo Leibold singled, driving in Rice. Leibold, mentioned earlier in the season, was one of the players to start and survive, from the 1919 White Sox "honor and reputation intact", says his SABR biography.

Cleveland hit back for 3 runs in the 3rd, as Firpo gave up a walk, a single, and then walked the first run home. Glenn Hyatt then singled on a popfly, platiing two more runs. 5-3, Washington. Marberry then recovered his control, and a Judge-to-Peckinpaugh-to-Judge helped him through the 4th. Marberry's control did not last long, and in the 5th, he surrendered a double and Tris Speaker's line-drive homer to RF. Harris sent a pinch-hitter for Marberry in the bottom half of the inning, when the Senators scored two runs on a Goose Goslin double.

Unfortunately, the 2-run lead was not safe because Cleveland tied the score in the top of the 6th, when Paul Zahniser gave up a single to Cleveland's pitcher, Watson Clark with runners on 2b and 3b. That was the high point for Watson Clark, because Washington buried him, and Cleveland's next two pitchers, Luther Roy and Virgil Cheeves in the bottom of the 6th.

The Nats scored 8 runs on 6 hits, and the hammering got so bad that Tris Speaker moved his 1B, to the mound. Joe Judge started the fun with a double, and Roger Peckinpaugh was safe on a bunt that moved Judge to 3b. Ossie Bluege's infield hit scored Judge. Bennie Tate's single loaded the bases and Zahniser drove in a run on when he drew a walk. Sam Rice grounded into a force out at home, leaving the bases still loaded. Nemo Leibold walked, pushing home another un and leaving the bases still loaded. Bucky Harris popped out, but Goslin drew another walk. The score was 11-7 when Joe Judge drove in 3 runs with a double. The Nats had batted around. Roger Peckinpaugh singled Judge home. So Joe Judge had two doubles in that inning, and Roger Peckinpaugh had two singles.

Cleveland picked up a few runs in the remaining innings, but the game was over.

The Yankees beat the Browns, 6 - 2, so Griffith's men remain 1 1/2 games behind New York. The Senators are at 45-36. Detroit is a game behind Washington.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=13

[welch]

After yesterdays scoring festival, I expected a tight-scoring game on Monday, July 14. The 3,500 fans at Griffith Stadium saw Curly Ogden shut out the Indians 12-0. Yes, the Griffmen scored 27 runs in two days. Of Washington's 18 hits, every player got a hit, and only Roger Peckinpaugh and Ogden got a mere one hit...although Curly's was a double. Thank you, Connie Mack for releasing Ogden!

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407140.shtml

The game was even all the way until the bottom of the 3rd, when the Senators scored six times. With two outs, Sam Rice singled and Nemo Leibold (pronounced LYE-bold) walked. Tommy Taylor, playing second in place of Bucky Harris, drove on Rice with a single. Tris Speaker might had though that his pitcher, Joe Dawson could get one more out, but Goose Goslin singled, scoring Leibold. Joe Judge doubled down the RF line, scoring Taylor and Goslin. Roger Pecknpaugh singled to CF, scoring Judge. Speaker was thought to have the best arm in baseball, but his throw home was not in time, and it allowed Peck to take 2b. After Ossie Bluege walked, backup catcher Bennie Tate singled, scoring Peckinpaugh. Ogden grounded out, finally.

The Griffs' rally might have knoched the wind out of the Indians.

In the bottom of the next inning, Joe Judge tripled to "deep CF", and remember that Griffith Stadium had a deep, deep CF. Three runs scored. Game over, although the Nats scored single runs in the 5th, 6th, and 7th.

The Browns split a double-header with the Yankees, so Washington gained a half-game. Washington now at 46-36.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=14

[welch]

July 15 and another win for Griff's Men, who beat the Indians, again, 4-2. Just need the Yankees to blink.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192407150.shtml

Walter Johnson is back to top form, beating Cleveland's Stan Coveleski with a 6-hitter. Alan Miley reminds us that reliever By Speece would be traded for Covaleski after the season, becoming an ace for Washington on the great 1925 team.

In the bottom of the first, Tommy Taylor, playing second in place of Bucky Harris, singles Nemo Leibold, who had walked, all the way to 3b. After Goose Goslin popped out, Leibold stole home (!) as Taylor stole 2b. Joe Judge walked and Muddy Ruel was hit by a Coveleski pitch, loading the bases. Coveleski then walked Roger Peckinpauigh for a second run. Senators 2-0.

Coveleski settled down, and Walter Johnson pitched like The Big Train. In the 3rd, Tris Speaker, the Grey Eagle, doubled to right, but was strtanded. In the 6th, Speaker walked, Joe Sewell doubled, and Glenn Hyatt scored Speaker on a long sac fly to CF. Nats leading 2-1. In the bottom half, Muddy Ruel led off with a double and Roger Peckinpaugh drew a walk. After a groundout ad a force-out, Sam Rice bunted for a hit, scoring Peckinpaugh, and Leibold singled home Johnson. 4-1 Washington.

Cleveland picked up a run in the 8th as Glenn Hyatt singled agaiin with a runner in scoring position, but that was all. In the top of the 9th, Cleveland sent up pinch hitters, but got nothing. The second pinch-hitter was Homer Summa, a guy named to hit round-trippers. But he popped out to Muddy Ruel, Washington's catcher.

Meanwhile, the Yankees beat the Browns, 5-4, so the Nationals stay 1 game back, at 47-36. Detroit has fallen two games behind Washington. The race is still tight.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/index.fcgi?year=1924&month=07&day=15

[alanmiley]

100 years ago in Washington Senators history
Wednesday, July 16, 1924 – Today is an off day.  A day without baseball is a day of misery for loyal Senators bugs.  To them, we offer three sources of relief:  1)  Contemplate the games since last report, 2)  Ponder what is happening with the lineup, 3) Read today’s sports pages.

1)  In games this week:  The Detroit series was completed Thursday and Friday.  When the first game of Thursday’s double header lasted 13 innings, little time was left for the second. It was called off for darkness after 5 innings and the score tied.  Both of the other games were Washington losses.  Friday’s game was frustrating.  Behind 3 -1 in the 8th inning, Ty Cobb hit a single to center with 2 men on base.  The good news was that the Tygers ended up with two men occupying 3rd base simultaneously.  The bad news was that a bad throw from Matthews to 3rd Baseman Bluege, followed by a worse throw from Bluege into the stands (in the general direction of home plate) resulted in two runs and Cobb occupying third base with none out.  Cobb eventually scored and the Senators suffered another loss.

For the rest of the week, the Senators hosted 7th place Cleveland.  Superficially, this seemed like a chance to recover from the difficult Tygers series, but The Washington Times’ Louis Dougher urged some caution:
-- The Indians had won 6 of the 7 games played this season, 
-- Tris Speaker had managed the previous Indian series with St. Louis, so that his best pitchers were ready for the Senators
-- Cleveland was sparking in spring training and while various combinations of injuries and bad luck had dampened the early season, they were ready to take off now.

Fortunately, Dougher had been over cautious; the Senators lost the first game, but won the next four.  What’s more, the bats seemed to have reawakened as they scored 9, 15, and 12 runs in three of those games.  Sunday’s game*, a 15 – 11 slugfest appeared to have further implications.  After Zahniser walked three straight in the ninth inning, Harris had a conversation with the umpire, Howard “Ducky” Holmes.  He called the umpire a “fathead” and was immediately issued an indefinite suspension.

2)  Lineup dynamics:  Bucky Harris has treated Roger Peckinpaugh as a sort of unofficial “assistant manager, ” so upon his suspension Peck stepped into the managerial role.  Bluege covered at second base and the old rookie, Tommy Taylor back filled at third.  Peck managed well enough to win, Bluege had a few nice plays at second, and Taylor knocked out a couple of hits, so the suspension has not been much of a problem.

A couple of weeks ago, the Senators picked up outfielder Bert Griffith** (no relation).  He was a little heavy and little slow, but he was hitting .325 for double A Kansas City.  His first efforts were a couple of unsuccessful attempts to pinch hit for pitchers.  In Thursday’s first game, he pinch hit for Matthews  in a high leverage situation (tie game, 2 on and 2 out in the sixth inning).  He stayed the game in center field for the next 3 innings until he was, himself, replaced by Leibold.  Then he started and played the entire nightcap.  Matthews was back for the next two games, but Tommy Taylor played Saturday and Leibold played in the next 3 games.  The Louis Dougher’s LOOKING ‘EM OVER column in yesterday’s Washington Times was entitled “ARE THE GRIFFMEN CRACKING?”  Among other issues he mentioned that the correspondence he received showed a poor reaction to the permanent benching of Matthews.  Even if he wasn’t hitting that well, the “spark plug” was needed to keep the team going.  One reader wrote, “We know all about Leibold.  This team got nowhere with him in center field.  It won’t get anywhere with him playing there now.  The team began doing things when Matthews joined it.  It will do little more without his fire an pepper stuff.”

I probably don’t need to remind you that when Harris returns, the starting 8 position players will be the regulars from that team of 1923 which needed a major roster upgrade to rise above mediocrity.

3)  In today’s sports pages:  We see that Clark Griffith has convinced American League President Ban Johnson, that “fathead” isn’t really that profane and the suspension of Harris has been lifted. We also see Babe Ruth’s syndicated column, titled “READ THIS AND WEEP, OR LAUGH, YOU GRIFF BUGS!” boldly predicts the Yankees continual rise.  On the other hand Nick Altrock’s syndicated column headlines, “NICK INVITES HIS FRIENDS TO WORLD SERIES HERE.”  We see that Goose Goslin’s .358 average is fifth in the American League.  We see stories anticipating the Browns coming to town.  And finally, we see that the 47-36 Senators are a game behind the Yankees. (Too late for the paper is today’s Yankee loss which reduces the lead to ½ game.)

Once we have exhausted the sports pages, we might accidentally turn to The Washington Times editorial page.  It ponders the critical question, “Is Fathead an Abusive Word When Applied to Umpires?”

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* A fuller description of this game may be found in the SABR report:  https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-13-1924-surprising-slugfest-ends-in-near-riot/
** Griffith was the grandfather of Matt Williams who played for 17 years in the majors as well as managing the (NL) Washington Nationals for two years including a 96-win season.