The Griffith Dynasty, Part 3: 1924 - Walter Johnson, The Senators Pennat Race And The Thrilling World Series

 

Much of the credit for the Senators winning the pennant in 1924 is given to Walter Johnson and he did much to deserve it. But as Johnson knew all too well, it is almost impossible for a single player, even a pitcher as great as Johnson to do so. By that point Clark Griffith had managed to build one of the greatest teams in the American League and Johnson was helped by four superb players. But even though three of those players got into the Hall of Fame and the fourth was a revolution to baseball, they are among the most underrecognized players in all of baseball history despite their impressive accomplishments. So let’s give credit where its due to those four men.

Sam Rice, like Babe Ruth and George Sisler before him, had first come to the Senators as a pitcher in 1914. A solid minor league pitcher, he became a Senator by fate. The owner of the minor league team who had his contract owed a $300 debt to Griffith and he offered Rice to him in advance of the debt. Despite his competence, the owner convinced the Senators to let Rice be an outfielder.

In 1917, his first full season as a regular he hit .302. He was recalled to the Army in 1918 but his unit never saw combat. In 1919, he hit .321 and became one of the great line drive hitters in baseball. In 1020 he hit .338 and stole 63 bases. In 1921, he hit thirteen triples, the first of ten consecutive years he would finish in double-digits in that category. Never a power hitter, he batted .322 lifetime and would finish his career with 2987 hits. At the time of his retirement, no one knew how many he had exactly. But when the number was finally calculated, he declined an offer by Griffith to return for the 13 it would take to put him at 3000, even then a significant milestone for most hitters. In 1924, he hit .324, stole 24 bases and hit 11 triples.

Goose Goslin had been called up by Washington at the end of the 1921 season and had been promising enough that he became a starter for the team the following year. His first full season he hit .324, the next he hit .300 with 18 triples and 99 RBIs. In 1924, he was one of the best run producers in the American Lead. He lead the league with 129 RBIs, managed 199 hits, 299 total bases and 17 triples. He only hit 12 home runs that year (Griffith Park was noting kind to home run hitters) but he would be one of the most consistent hitters in the American League, finishing with a .316 batting average, 248 homer runs and 2735 hits. Most impressive, he was a vital part of five American League Pennant winners and two World Champions while never playing with the Yankees (he won three pennants with Washington, two more with Detroit)

Firpo Marberry had started pitching with Washington in August of 1923, going 4-0 in 44 2/3 innings with a 2.82. For the rest of his career he was used both as a starter and a reliever, but unlike previous bullpen pitchers, he was used far more in the latter. Though no one kept records of it until years after the fact, he would lead the American League in saves six times in his career. Because Marberry also started many times, he never had the impressive bullpen measures of today’s closers. Indeed, in the latter half of his tenure with Washington he started as many games as he relieved. The record indicates he was good at both: in 1926 he saved 22 games and in 1930 he went 16-4.

Because he spent so much time being used as both and that is most likely the reason he has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Because Goslin and Rice did not play for prominent teams, it may explain why it took so long for them to get into the Hall of Fame: Goslin wasn’t inducted until 1966, and Rice until 1963. The 1924 Senators had many other skilled players on their roster, though none at the level of the three players I’ve listed. Roger Peckinpaugh was one of the great defensive shortstops of the era and once hit in 29 consecutive games. Muddy Ruel was a great defensive catcher and Joe Judge a superb hitter and fielder. The team also had a fairly good supporting cast of pitchers, including Tom Zachry who went 15-9 and a 2.75 era, which would be good enough for second in the American League. (Zachry is remembered more for the fact he gave up Babe Ruth’s 60^th home run in 1927.) But one of the more critical factors was their second baseman.

Despite only hitting 214 as a call-up in 1919, Griffith made Bucky Harris Washington’s regular second baseman in 1920. Never a great hitter he was good defensively and a fearsome competitor. On February 9^th Griffith stunned the baseball world – and Harris – when he named him the player-manager of the Senators.

Player-managers were not uncommon in the first half of the twentieth century more as a cost-cutting measure then confidence in a player’s ability to do both jobs.  Some had immense success at the job. Frank Chance had led the Chicago Cubs to four pennants and two world series between 1906-1910, along with average 104 wins a season.  Third baseman Jimmy Collins had led the Boston Red Sox to the first ever World Series championship in 1903. Tris Speaker had guided the Cleveland Indians to their first ever pennant and World Series in 1920. Before the 1924 season began, three of the first twelve players inducted into Cooperstown in 1939 – Speaker, Ty Cobb of the Tigers and George Sisler of the St. Louis Brown – were player-managers in the American League.

But Harris was a different story. He was only 29 by far the youngest man to ever manage a major league team. While many thought Harris was a good player, no one gave him – or the Senators – much of a chance going into the 1924 season. Why should they? The Yankees had won three consecutive American League pennants and going forward their roster, led by the reigning home run king – and recently crowned American League MVP Babe Ruth – was unchanged.

It didn’t seem like much had changed for the Senators after opening day. 26,000 fans came to see Calvin Coolidge throw out the first pitch to Walter Johnson. By this time Coolidge was the fourth President to see Johnson start opening day. Johnson threw a 4-0 shutout against the Philadelphia A’s.

As was typical the Senators dropped into second division and by May they were in seventh place. Then on May 23^rd Johnson threw one of his greatest games, a one hit shutout over the White Sox, where he struck out 14, including six White Sox in a row.

They hovered at .500 until a Johnson win over the A’s put them there for good. Four wins over the Yankees in three days put the Senators in first place on June 21. It was the latest in a Washington season a Senator team had been in first. By the end of June Washington had a four game lead over the Yankees. Pennant fever for the Senators had swept the country. For the next six weeks, Washington, New York and Detroit battled it out for the pennant. They lost five straight in St. Louis to drop behind both clubs, but on August 7^th Johnson broke the club’s six game losing streak.

After Johnson beat Detroit on August 17^th to pass the Tigers for good, for the last six weeks of the season Johnson’s pitched with only three days rest. Johnson told Harris that if he could help Washington win the pennant, he didn’t care if he hurt his arm.

By the end of August, something extraordinary was happening when the Senators played on the road, they got more cheers then the teams they were playing. This seemed true even at Yankee Stadium. Damon Runyon, a New York columnist himself gave an explanation that holds as much water today as it did a century ago:

“It will be a great thing for baseball if Washington gets into the World Series. This is treasonable from a New Yorker but true. The country at large can not work up much interest when two New York clubs are fighting for the championship of baseball.”

Of course there was also just as much national sentiment for Walter Johnson. And Johnson proved he was worthy of their appreciation. Even in an era was dominated by hitters, he was still capable of leading the American League in strikeouts, shutouts, earned run average and wins. Washington had by far the best pitching in baseball in 1924 – they had the lowest ERA in the American League that year – but Johnson was the man everyone feared,  Even before the season ended, he was a near unanimous choice by the sportswriters  for American League’s Most Valuable Player, receiving 55 of the 64 votes cast.

Near the end of the season the Yankees caught Washington and Johnson helped propel the Senators with 13 consecutive victories. But after his last one and his 23^rd win, disaster struck on September 26^th. Washington lost to Boston 2-1, ending both Johnson’s winning streak and Sam Rice’s 31 game hitting streak. Worse, Johnson was hit on the elbow by a pitch and forced to leave the game in the seventh. But the next day the Senators won 7-5 and the Yankees lost to the A’s. The Senators had a two game lead with two games left to play. The next day, they beat Boston 4-2 to clinch their first pennant.

On October 1^st a parade went down Pennsylvania Avenue with an estimated 100,000 people witnessing it. The Senators knew their opponents would be John McGraw’s New York Giants. Unlike the Yankees, they had won their fourth consecutive pennant, the tenth and what would be the last won by the legendary John McGraw.

How great this team was has been inflated by Cooperstown, though there are several men elected to the Hall of Fame, they are among the weakest selections in the history of Cooperstown. But it was good enough to strike fear into the hearts of the National League with George Kelly at first, Frankie Frisch at second, Travis Jackson at shortstop and a recent call-up named Bill Terry at first. Hack Wilson who would one day set the record for RBIs in a season with 190 was in the outfield along with Ross Youngs and Irish Meusel. This team had beaten the Yankees twice and lost a hard fought series in 1923. The Giants were supremely confident.

On October 4^th  Walter Johnson finally got a chance to pitch in a World Series game. The country was listening on telegraph, electronic scoreboards and a brand new medium: radio. NBC was broadcasting the World Series.

Johnson may have been a little nervous at the start. He retired the side in order in the first but in the second he grooved a fastball to George Kelly who hit a fly ball into temporary stands designed for the crowds at Griffith Park. In the fourth, Bill Terry swung late on a fastball to hit another home run. It was 2-0.

Giants pitcher Art Nehf didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning. Then in the fifth Earl McNeely doubled, moved to third on an infield out and scored on another one. .

The Giants held their lead until the bottom of the ninth. Then Ossie Bluege doubled and Peckinpaugh to tie the game at 2. The game went into extra inning and it was not until the 12^th that it broke. Hank Gowdy, the Giants catcher was hit by Johnson. Nehf himself hit a liner that dropped in front of McNeely who fumbled the ball. There were runners on second and third. One out later, Ross Youngs popped a Texas Leaguer that dropped in front of McNeely and pinch runner Billy Southworth tagged on a fly. The Giants led 4-2.

But the game wasn’t over. A pinch hitter for Johnson reached second on an error. After one out, Harris drove a run in with a single. Rice followed with another drive but ran too far and was picked up. Goslin hit a slow roller to Kelly but he made a one-handed grab and threw the first to get him before Harris scored the tying run. The Giants took Game 1 4-3.

Johnson had struck out 12 in 12 innings to tie the World Series record at the time. But the Giants also managed fourteen hits. Johnson had lost but by no means ignobly.

In the second game Zachry pitched better, giving up just four hits and one run in eight innings. The Senators got to Giant pitcher Jack Bentley earned with 2 runs in the first and another along the way. In the ninth Zachry walked Frisch who scored on a long single by Kelly to right. The Giants tied it with two down in the ninth. But in their half of the ninth, Judge walked, Bluege bunted him to second and Peckinpaugh hit a ball just out of reach for the Senators to win Game 2 and tie the series at one game apiece.

The series moved to New York and the Polo Grounds for the next three games. Game 3 was a mess as the Giants won 6-4 and the play was worse for Washington then the box score indicated. Washington managed nine walks and nine hits but left thirteen men on the bases. The Giants got three unearned runs of Washington, including the surprise starter Marberry, who had earned a relief win the previous game and his three successors. In the midst of the game, the Senators also lost Peckinpaugh as he pulled a muscle and he was lost.

To give Johnson an extra day of rest George Mogridge started Game 4. He gave up just three hits in 7 1/3 innings before Marberry came in to close it out. The Senators won 7-4, helped by Goose Goslin who went four for four with a home run and 4 RBIs.

Johnson was up for Game 5. He started the first two innings fine but in the third Jackson managed a hit. Pitcher Jack Bentley singled and Lindstrom dropped a bunt no one could catch. Johnson got out of a bases loaded jam but the score was 1-0. The Senators tied it up in the fourth but Bill Terry tripled on ‘the longest line hit John McGraw ever saw at the Polo Grounds. “ Wilson hit the next pitch right at Johnson who caught Terry snoozing.

In the 5^th however the Giants scored two runs on a Bentley ‘home run’ that was the fluke kind that came in the Polo Grounds. Goslin hit a home run in the eight, becoming the second player in history to hit 3 home runs in a World Series. (Ruth had done it the year before.) But in the ninth the bottom fell out as the Giants barraged Johnson for three more runs. Johnson stayed in for all of it. Harris could not bring himself to take Johnson out no matter how bad it got.

As Johnson left the stadium, he was in tears. He had failed his team and the fans by losing both his starts. He knew he would not get another chance even if the Senators managed to win the series – and they needed both games to do that. Washington was encompassed in a similar gloom when the team came back home. Walter had lost twice and without him, what chance did the Senators have?

In Game 6, Zachry refused to let the Senators go quietly. After giving up a run in the first, he shut them out the rest of the way. In the fifth, Peckinpaugh bandaged heavily and singled to left. He limped to second on a sacrifice and got to third on a grounder by Zachry. Nehf had been pitching superbly but then he walked McNeely who then stole second. It was Harris himself who singled to drive in the go ahead runs. Washington won 2-1.

It was time for Game 7, which would be one of the greatest games in World Series history. Harris was strategizing. The terror of the Giants had been Bill Terry. He’d only started three games (McGraw had not started him against right-handers) but he was hitting .429 with 3 walks.

He started Curly Odgen as a ruse to keep Terry on the bench. Odgen struck out Lindstrom to lead off and one batter later he pulled him for Mogridge.

For five innings Mogridge held the Giants scoreless. Giants started Virgil Barnes only gave up one hit out of the first ten Senators. That hit, however, belonged to Harris, who hit a home run. (He hit two in the series. In his entire career, he only hit 9.)

In the sixth Mogridge lost the plate and with 2 men on, Harris removed him to put it Marberry. Walter Johnson started warming up in the bullpen and received a huge ovation. Marberry couldn’t hold it and the Giants took a 3-1 lead.

After six innings the Senators had managed just a single hit. In the bottom of the eighth, however, Nemo Leibold pinch hit a double. Muddy Ruel had yet to hit in the series but he managed one. Bennie Tate pinch hit for Mayberry. Tate worked a walk to load the bases. McNeely hit a fly ball.

Harris was up. He worked the count to 2-2. Then he hit a ball to third that hit the turf and bounced over Lindstrom’s head. The score was tied 3-3. Griffith Park went insane. Nehf came in to replace Barnes and retired the side.

It didn’t quiet much later because walking onto the mound was Walter Johnson. “The park was in an uproar. Utter strangers were hugging each other in the stands because Walter was going to get one more chance in the series.” Clark Griffith said. Christy Mathewson, covering the series, however said: “It’s a shame to send him in.” Mathewson had been in this position before, having been on the mound to lose the 1912 World Series and he’d had more than one day’s rest.

The first batter he faced was Fred Lindstrom, who’d gone four for four against him in Game 5. Johnson got him out. Frisch then hit a screaming line drive that looked sure to go for an inside the park home run before McNeely managed to stop I for a triple. The crowd when quiet. Youngs was intentionally walked to face the National Leagues home run leader George Kelly. Johnson threw three straight fastballs by him. Youngs stole second on the next pitch uncontested and Irish Meusel was retired. The Giants were retired.

The Senators rallied in the ninth but they could not score.

In the tenth Johnson walked Hack Wilson but struck out Travis Jackson and Hank Gowdy hit into an inning-ending double play. The Senators went down in order, though Johnson hit a long-fly ball that look like it might leave the park before Wilson hauled it down.

In the eleventh the Giants had a runner on second but Johnson struck out Frankie Frisch. He walked Ross Youngs but Johnson again struck out Kelly to retire the side. Jack Bentley took the mound for the Giants in the eleventh. Goslin managed a double. Judge was walked  and Bluege grounded out.

In the 12^th Meusel single, but Johnson struck out Wilson and got Jackson and Gowdy.

Finally with one out in the twelfth Muddy Ruel hit an easy pop-up to Gowdy – who tripped over his catcher’s mask. Given a reprieve, Ruel hit a double. Johnson hit the next pitch just out of Jackson’s reach.

Earl McNeely walked to the plate. He hit a foul into the stand, Bentley threw a fastball to Lindstrom, who was waiting for the ball. And then hit a pebble.

Muddy Ruel, as Shirley Povich said later, was ‘the slowest man in baseball”. Even though the ball was well into left field, everyone held their breath. Griffith said it felt like an eternity before Ruel finally crossed the plate to score.

The stadium exploded. The Senator players poured onto the field. McNeely made it to first and watched as Johnson got to second and stayed there, with a broad smile on his face and tears rolling down his cheeks. They even tore past Calvin Coolidge.

In the dugout Harris was stunned, forgetting to put his clothes on after he showered. Even the Giants themselves all walked into the locker room to shake hands with the man who’d beaten him. Even Jack Bentley, the losing pitcher was good humored about it. “Walter Johnson is such a lovable character that the good lord didn’t want to see him get beat again.

Grantland Rice summed it up:

Destiny waiting for the final curtain stepped from the wings today and handed the king his crown. In the most dramatic moment in baseball history, the wall-eyed Goddess known as fate, after waiting 18 years, led Walter Johnson to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The next day a victory parade was led down Pennsylvania avenue by Walter Johnson himself. The entire team took pictures with the Senators. Rice reported “a close observer has it on a good authority that President Coolidge’s vocal chords twitched.”  Johnson had every intention of making that moment his last on a ball field but fate would intervene. And though he could not know it glory would come to the Senators again almost the next year.

In the next article I will deal with the 1925 season which for much of the year seemed even more glorious then the previous one – until it ended in heartbreak for Washington and Johnson in particular.