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

[welch]

After beating the Yankees, two put of three, the Nats returned to Griffith Stadium, on Sunday, May 4th, to face the A's. After collecting three runs over the first two innings, Walter Johnson (who else?) and Firpo Marberry (who else?) held on win, 3 - 2. Johnson gave up 5 hits, 3 walks and 5 strikeouts, and went  Both runs were unearned. Steady CF Sam Rice, our future HoF, made the error. Johnson went 2-for-4 and scored the run. He is now 4 - 1 on the season.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192405040.shtml

And the Nats are 8 - 9...closer to .500, tied with the Browns for 6th-7th place, 2.5 games behind the league-leading Yankees.

[nobleisthyname]

We need to bring back old-timey baseball names. These are all great.

[welch]

We need to bring back old-timey baseball names. These are all great.

That's what I keep thinking every time I go through one of these box scores, especially when Sad Sam Jones is replaced by Bullet Bob Bush. The Yankees Bob Meusel, one of their Murderer's Row, has a brother we will meet in the World Series: Irish Meusel.

[welch]

Monday, May 5, at Fenway. You cannot start Walter Johnson every day, and so, the Red Sox beat the Nats 8 - 3. Tom Zachry, Allen Russell, and Ted Wingfield gave up run after run, and the Nats never got close.

Nats slide to 7th, tied with the Browns. Optimistically, we could say that the Nats are tied for 6th, maybe, but both St. Louis and Washington are 3.5 games behind the Yankees.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS192405050.shtml

[welch]

Tuesday, May 6, 1924. Nats against Boston Red Sox, Fenway. Nats trying to get started again, after yesterday's bad loss. But, no. Maybe Griff needs to make Walter Johnson ten years younger and try to have him start every other day.

Paul Zahniser gave up a three runs in the bottom of the 1st on a double by Danny Clark, but the Nats nipped a run here and there, a closed to 5 - 4 in the top of the 8th. Then Firpo Marberry, pitching into his seventh inning of relief, then the sky fell in. Hits by Steve O'Neill, Dud Lee, Oscar Fuhr, and Bobby Veach drove in 7 runs. Bucky Harris replaced Firpo with Slim McGrew, who gave up another, and it was all over.

Zahniser was replaced by pinch-hitter Pinky Hargrave. He would be traded to Boston in 1926 and traded to a minor league team in St. Paul, MN. Then he was traded to Cincinnati for Bubbles Hargrave. Yes, Pinky and Bubbles were brothers.

Nats fall to "uncontested" 7th Place, at 8 - 11, 4.5 games behind the Yankees.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS192405060.shtml

[Natsinpwc]

They have no chance.  And not even a player draft to tank for.

[Five Banners]

They have no chance.  And not even a player draft to tank for.

Nightmare

[welch]

Wednesday, May 7th: Are the Nats back on track? Yes! Nats win 5 - 4. George Mogridge went the distance, all 11 innings. Goose Goslin got a cou0le of hits, Joe Judge got three and drove in two runs, and Doc Prothro, the dentist from Tennessee, drove in two, Key plays: Nats tied the game in the top of the 9th as Joe Judge led off with a double and Muddy Ruel bunted him over to 3B. Doc Prothro scored Judge on a SF. In the 11th, Joe Judge singled, Muddy Ruel singled, and Doc Prothro moved the runners up on a ground out. Then Boston starter Jack Quinn threw a wild pitch, scoring Judge.

Washington climbs to 6th Place, still 4.5 games behind the Yankees.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS192405070.shtml

[welch]

Thursday, May 8, 1924. Bucky is still searching for a RF. CF is set with Sam Rice (future HoF) and LF also, with Goose Goslin (future Hof). Today he tried someone named Lance Richbourg in RF. I've read about the old Senators in Shirley Povich's history and in Hank Thomas bio of his grandfather, Walter Johnson. If either mentioned Richbourg, it didn't stick. (Note: I'm trying to stay away from reading Gary Sarnoff's Team of Destiny until the season is over...just following the play by play from Baseball Ref)

Harris started Walter Johnson, who gave up a couple runs in the 1st, another in the 3rd, and another in the 5th. Johnson walked three and struck out eight, and Boston got six hits. That was enough, as the Nats could not solve Howard Ehmke -- a twenty-game winner the year before, and, overall, an up-and-down pitcher. The Nats got him on his good day, but, overall, he led the AL with 17 losses in 1924.

Nats loaded the bases in the top of the first, but Muddy Ruel grounded out. Boston had two on and two out in the bottom of the first, when Shano Collins hit a triple to deep left-center. Washington picked up an unearned run in the second, but that was about as close as they could get. They wasted a start by Johnson.

Nats 5 games behind the Yankees in 6th place, and 1.5 games behind the 5th place White Sox.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS192405080.shtml

[welch]

Nats were off on May 9th. Took that long train-ride back from Boston/

[welch]

Saturday, May 10, the Nats scored two in the 8th to catch and beat Detroit for Oyster Joe Martinha. Ty Cobb went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Oyster Joe mostly controlled Heinie Manush (see Nats 1933 Pennant winners). In the 8th, Sam Rice and Joe Judge started things with a pair of doubles. Doc Prothro drove in the winning run.

Nats, 10 - 12, remain in 6th place, 5 games behind the Yankees.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192405100.shtml