Washington DC Baseball

ValKehl · #1 01-30-2023, 09:07 PM

1923 was not an especially prolific year for baseball card issues. Here's a tough 1923 card of Sam Rice and a Canadian card of Herold "Muddy" Ruel, who became a key player for the Senators after being acquired, as George mentioned in the above post, from the Red Sox in early 2023. Ruel batted .316 in 136 games in 1923, and this was his highest batting average during his 19 year MLB career.

I just remembered I have and have added a 1923 Willard's Chocolate of Allen Russell, the other player George mentioned that the Senators acquired in 1923 from the Red Sox. Russell had one of the best years of his 11-year MLB career in 1923, with a 10-7 W-L record, a 3.03 ERA, and a Major-League-leasing 9 saves (Clark Griffith was one of the earliest to gravitate to the heavy use of relief pitchers - Russell started only 5 of the 52 games in which he appeared).

GeoPoto · #2 01-31-2023, 04:59 AM

Thanks, Val!

Player #99: William F. "Bill" Conroy. "Pep". Infielder with the Washington Senators in 1923. 8 hits in 67 plate appearances in 1 MLB season.
Bill Conroy , nicknamed "Pep", was a professional baseball player. He was an infielder for one season (1923) with the Washington Senators. For his career, he compiled a .133 batting average in 60 at-bats, with two runs batted in.

Conroy was treated for an abscess or tumor at the base of his brain, first experienced in 1922. "The ruddy faced, stockily built youngster reported to the training camp apparently in the best of health, said he felt well and showed sufficient ability in the exhibition games to earn the berth as regular at the far corner." He admitted to having headaches in spring training but was eager to play in 1923. It seems unlikely the medical condition caused his short MLB career as he eventually died at age 71.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1675162724

GeoPoto · #3 02-01-2023, 04:12 AM

Player #100: Eric G. "Swat" Erickson. Pitcher with the Washington Senators in 1919-1922. 34 wins and 4 saves in 7 MLB seasons. He is the only Swedish-born player in MLB history to appear in more than 1 or 2 games. He debuted with the New York Giants in 1914. His most productive season was 1920 with Washington as he posted a 12-16 record with a 3.84 ERA in 239.1 innings pitched.

Ericson's SABR biography: Between 1870 and 1920, over a million Swedes emigrated to the United States, primarily seeking greater economic opportunities. This influx produced notable second- and third-generation Swedish-American baseball stars like Charles �Swede� Risberg and Freddie Lindstrom. But only four Swedish-born players made the big leagues. Collectively they appeared in just 149 major-league games. Pitching for the Giants, Tigers, and Senators in an eight-year career (1914-22), Eric Erickson accounts for 145 of these. . . .

. . . Before the 1920 season, MLB outlawed the shine-slash-spitter Erickson had relied upon, and he was not among the 17 pitchers whose slippery repertoire was grandfathered. For whatever reason�changes in the pitching rules, or a loss of velocity�his ability to overpower hitters diminished. Before 1920 he had struck out five hitters every nine innings, an impressive Deadball Era accomplishment. In 1920 he struck out 3.3 batters every nine innings, and achieved a 12-16 record and a 3.84 ERA. . .

. . . During 1921�s spring training, Erickson began to use �a sort of half side-arm and half under-hand delivery.� The Senators climbed into fourth place with an 80-73 mark. Erickson, as the fourth starter, finished with an 8-10 mark and a 3.62 ERA. The retrospectively-calculated ERA+ of 114 he achieved that season was his career-best.

In November 1921, Griffith sought to deal Erickson to Portland for some of their young pitching talent. But the Yankees refused to let him pass through waivers. Next, he was rumored to be a piece in a three-way trade, with the Athletics and the Red Sox, which would bring Roger Peckinpaugh to Washington. Though the deal went down, Erickson was not included. Consequently, the veteran stayed with Washington in 1922, stumbling to a 4-12 record and a 4.96 ERA. . . .

. . . During his major-league days, the press commonly referred to Erickson as �Ole� or Olaf� or �the big Swede.� In Jamestown (where he grew up and lived), ever since delivering key hits at the beginning of his semipro days, he was known exclusively as �Swat.� Almost two decades after his earliest triumphs, possibly his finest baseball moment occurred on a local semipro diamond. On August 7, 1930, Bill McKechnie�s Boston Braves came to Jamestown for an exhibition game. The 38-year-old Erickson one-hit the major leaguers, allowing only a �dinky single between first and second� to pinch-hitter Lance Richbourg in the ninth inning. �Swat� accounted for all of Jamestown�s runs in their 3-0 victory, by clearing the bases with a triple in the second inning.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1675246155

GeoPoto · #4 02-02-2023, 02:52 AM

Player #82D: Edward P. "Patsy" Gharrity. Catcher with the Washington Senators in 1916-1923 and 1929-1930. 513 hits and 20 home runs in 10 MLB seasons. He also played some first base and outfield. He had a career OBP of .331. His best season was 1921 as posted a .386 OBP with 55 RBIs in 455 plate appearances.

Gharrity's SABR biography: . . . Griffith acquired catcher Muddy Ruel for the 1923 season. Gharrity split his time between catching, first base, and pinch-hitting, appearing in 93 games. He batted a career-low .207. Over the winter, Gharrity made a fateful decision. He decided to join the Midwest Industrial League and play for Beloit. Not only did they pay a baseball salary, they found a job for him in the local steel mill. Little did he know that the Senators under Bucky Harris would win the pennant in 1924 and 1925.

Griffith was angered by Ed�s decision and had him placed on the suspended list. Gharrity played in the Industrial League from 1924 to 1928. He was one of the stars of the league, which stretched from Wisconsin through Chicago to Massillon and Canton, Ohio. In 1924 he and Hippo Vaughn formed the best battery in the circuit. . . .

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1675327941

GeoPoto · #5 02-03-2023, 04:14 AM

Player #83D: Stanley R. "Bucky" Harris. Second baseman for the Washington Senators in 1919-1928. 1,297 hits and 167 stolen bases in 12 MLB seasons. 1924 and 1947 World Series champion. In 1975, inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame. Named player-manager of the Washington Senators in 1924 at age 27. "The Boy Wonder" led Washington to World Series victory as "rookie" manger. Managed Washington Senators in 1924-1928, 1935-1942, and 1950-1954. Managed the Detroit Tigers in 1929-1933 and 1955-1956. Managed the Boston Red Sox in 1934. Managed the Philadelphia Phillies in 1943. Managed the New York Yankees in 1947-1948, including winning the 1947 world Series. Served as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1959-1960.

Smiles touches on highlights from Harris' 1923 season: On the opening day of camp Griffith named Bucky captain of the Senators. Being captain got Bucky a banner headline in the Post but not much power. It was largely a ceremonial position, but he took it to heart. "The responsibility, as I took it, was more intense study of the players and the game." . . .

. . . On September 25 Bucky helped rookie pitcher Frederick "Firpo" Marberry win his first start, 5-3, over the White Sox. Bucky knocked in three of the Senators' five runs and made a "brilliant catch of Blankenship's liner doubling up Crouse to end the game." Marberry, an obscure 24-year-old Texan, got in 11 games in 1923 and was little noticed. But in 1924 Bucky, as the Senators' manager, would use Marberry in an unprecedented way. Decades ahead of his time, Bucky turned Marberry into a closer who was as vital to the Senators' pennant and World Series triumphs as Walter Johnson. . . .

. . . Muddy Ruel led the team in batting average, hitting .316. Bucky batted .282 with 36 extra-base hits, the most of his career. Two were home runs, his first since 1921. He readily attributed his power surge to the live ball. Bucky again led second basemen in putouts with 418, 71 more than Collins; double plays with 120, 43 more than Collins; and total chances per game. Bucky and Peckinpaugh became the first shortstop-second base tandem in which both took part in 100 double plays. Peckinpaugh made 100 exactly. Babe Ruth was selected American League MVP with 64 votes. Ruel got seven votes, and Bucky received three. (Bucky Harris by Jack Smiles.)

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1675419071
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GeoPoto · #6 02-04-2023, 04:18 AM

Player #54L: Walter P. "Barney" Johnson Part 1. "The Big Train". Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1907-1927. 417 wins and 34 saves in 21 MLB seasons. 1924 World Series champion. 1913 and 1924 AL Most Valuable Player. 3-time triple crown. 6-time AL wins leader. 5-time AL ERA leader. 12-time AL strikeout leader. He had a career ERA of 2.17 in 5,914.1 innings pitched. He pitched a no-hitter in 1920. He holds the MLB record with 110 career shutouts. MLB All-Time Team. Inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1936. One of his best seasons was 1913 as he posted a record of 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA in 346 innings pitched.

Deveaux takes us through Waler's 1923 season: Walter Johnson hurt his left knee while striding, on May 20, in St. Louis. The incident eventually led to the dismissal of coach George Gibson. It had been Gibson's idea that the way to get the kinks out of Walter's leg was to have him chase fungoes every day. When the strategy backfired, Gibson was replaced with the old pitching great, Jack Chesbro. Chesbro wasn't around long, replaced as third-base coach before the beginning of the next season by Al Schacht, the ex-pitcher and funnyman with the hangdog look.

Schacht had called Clark Griffith on a promise the Old Fox had made three years earlier on the occasion of another Walter Johnson injury. Back on July 5, 1920, when Barney was to have started one of the games of a doubleheader at home versus the Yankees but had been unable to come out, Schacht had saved the day, as mentioned (see entry for Schacht in the 1920 portion of our thread) before a large crowd that the owner would have been loath to disappoint. When he volunteered, Griff had promised Schacht a job forever if he went out and won the crowd over, and of course, he did. There was no question that the Clown Prince of Baseball was no clown when it came to baseball know-how, and now he would be reaping his reward on the coaching lines. (We will return to this account in Part 2 of Walter's entry, but first a diversion to introduce a noteworthy MLB player despite his unfortunate role in Walter's 1923 season.)

(Quick aside: As a team collector, I am generally denied the joys of collecting hall of fame and other famous players, unless their careers included time in Washington. A key exception occurs when they are found sharing a card with a Washington player. Here we find a three-card panel with Walter Johnson and, as a bonus, the circumstantially famous, Wally Pipp.)

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GeoPoto · #7 02-05-2023, 04:12 AM

Player #101: George C. "Mooney" Gibson. Catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1905-1916 and with the New York Giants in 1917-1918. 893 hits and 15 home runs in 14 MLB seasons. 1909 World Series champion. His best season was 1909 as he posted a .326 OBP with 52 RBIs in 571 plate appearances. During the 1909 season, he caught in 134 consecutive games, which was the record until 1940 when it was broken by Ray Mueller. His 150 games caught during the 1909 season was also a record, which stood until broken by Ray Schalk in 1920. He led the 1909 National League catchers in fielding percentage, baserunners caught stealing, and in caught stealing percentage. He also caught all seven games in Pittsburgh's 1909 World Series championship. Gibson managed the Pirates in 1920-1922, the Chicago Cubs in 1925, and the Pirates again in 1932-1934. He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Gibson's SABR biography summarizes his career as a player in MLB: Over the three-year period from 1908 to 1910, Pittsburgh Pirates catcher George Gibson averaged 144 games behind the plate per season, an unheard-of figure for a catcher during the Deadball Era. �Wagner, Clarke, and Leach have been set above all others in allotting credit for Pittsburgh�s success, but there is a deep impression in many people�s minds that �Gibby� was the one best bet,� wrote Alfred H. Spink in The National Game. Though he wasn�t much of a hitter, as evidenced by his lifetime .236 batting average, Gibson was generally regarded as one of the NL�s premier catchers because of his stellar defensive skills and his deadly, accurate throwing arm. When his playing days were over, the popular former backstop turned his reputation as a smart player and square shooter into a moderately successful managing career, compiling a 413-344 record in parts of seven seasons as one of the first Canadians ever to manage in the major leagues. . . .

. . . Catching veteran twirler Deacon Phillippe in his major-league debut at Cincinnati on July 2 (1905), �Hack� Gibson recorded six putouts, two assists, and one error. In The Glory of Their Times he explains how the error occurred on a throw to second base: �The first time one of the Cincinnati players got on first base, he tried to steal second. I rocked back on my heels and threw a bullet, knee high, right over the base. Both the shortstop and second baseman�Honus Wagner and Claude Ritchey�ran to cover second base, but the ball went flying into center field before either of them got near it. I figured they were trying to make me look bad, letting the throw go by, because I was a rookie. But Wagner came in, threw his arms around me, and said, �Just keep throwing that way, kid. It was our fault, not yours.� What had happened was that they had gotten so used to Heinie Peitz�s rainbows that any throw on a straight line caught them by surprise.� Although he posted back-to-back batting averages of .178 in 1905-06 and allowed 31 passed balls during the latter season, Gibson diligently studied the mental game of baseball under Fred Clarke�s tutelage and worked hard to improve his skills. Years after his retirement he credited Clarke with teaching him to play intelligent baseball and boasted that �thinking was my real specialty.�

Gibson�s greatest season was the phenomenal 1909 campaign, in which the Pirates posted a 110-42 record. That year he caught 150 regular-season games for the Corsairs, including a remarkable string of 134 consecutive games to set an NL record. �There is no doubt but that Gibson could have caught every game of the National League schedule had it been necessary for him to do so,� wrote Spink. �However, the pennant was clinched many days before the wind-up and Clarke gave Gibson the rest he so richly deserved.� He never missed a game despite �black and blue marks imprinted by 19 foul tips upon his body, a damaged hand, a bruise on his hip six inches square where a thrown bat had struck, and three spike cuts,� and he even managed to post one of his better offensive seasons: .265 with 25 doubles, nine triples, two home runs, and 52 RBI. In the midst of his streak, Gibson slugged a double for the final hit in Pittsburgh�s Exposition Park on June 29, and the next day captured the Pirates� first hit (a single) in the new Forbes Field. On the eve of the World Series, press reports described him as �far and away the best catcher in the National League.� The London Free Press, his hometown newspaper, even credited him with the World Series success of pitcher Babe Adams: �His ability to quickly discover the weakness of the Detroit heavy hitters undoubtedly was the cause of Adams� strength.�

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