Hall-of-Famer Walter Johnson finally wins with 1924 Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals of the National League East were born as the Montreal Expos in 1969. I have always known this since I attended the first game the Expos ever played at Shea Stadium. The Washington Nationals who won their only World Series in 1924, were born as the Washington Senators, an original American League team in 1901. It can be confusing.
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Nerdy baseball history fans like me may know that the Senators changed their name to Nationals in 1905 and kept that nickname until 1957 when they reverted to the Senators again. But that was for only four years before the franchise picked up and moved to Minnesota where they have been the Twins ever since. I was at Target Field this past summer and on this 100th anniversary of the 1924 championship, homage was paid to the 1924 team both in left field and in displays around the stadium.
In their history, the Senators/Nationals were mostly moribund posting a .434 winning percentage between 1901 and 1960. That’s lousy, really lousy. Their performance spawned the description of the team as — Washington, first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.
Maybe it’s because it’s 100 years ago and it’s been discussed a bit more this year than other years that I feel compelled to write about what was an epic season and World Series. I’ve always been fascinated by the only World Series Washington won in the 20th century. The relocated Expos/Nationals surprised MLB in 2019 winning the World Series after beginning the season 19–31.
As the 1924 season dawned, for six of the prior seven years the Nationals had a losing record. The Yankees in 1923 had just won their first World Series, (in their first season in recently constructed Yankee Stadium), and there was no reason to believe they would falter in 1924. The Nationals had 27-year-old ‘Boy Wonder’ Bucky Harris as player-manager. Harris would later go on to be a Hall of Fame manager for the Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies, and Yankees where he skippered the 1947 Yankees to his other World Series championship — 23 years later!
The Nats had stars with superb nicknames like catcher Muddy Ruel, HOF outfielder-to-be Goose Goslin, and most importantly Walter ‘Big Train’ Johnson. Johnson would later be elected to the Hall of Fame with the first class of players in 1936 that included Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth. The equally great and future HOFer Sam Rice was also a star player in the lineup.
In 1924 Washington D.C. had around 450,000 residents and they were big fans of the team that were also sometimes called the ‘Capitals’. President Calvin Coolidge regularly attended games. You can watch some clips of the 1924 World Series, grainy black and white and yet incredibly arresting.
During the season the Nationals were in first place for a total of 55 days, never leading the Yankees by more than three games, finishing two games ahead of the Bronx Bombers. No, Babe Ruth did not have an off year, but it was the year before Lou Gehrig joined the team. Their World Series opponents, the powerful New York Giants, were led by John “Little General” McGraw and were expected to roll over the Nationals. The Giants had won the 1921 and 1922 World Series before losing to the Yankees in 1923. Besides manager Harris, the Giants lineup featured seven future Hall-of-Famers which included George ‘High Pockets’ Kelly, Freddie Lindstrom, Frankie Frisch, Ross Youngs, Bill Terry, Travis Jackson, and Hack Wilson. There were no future HOF pitchers for the Giants, but they really were not needed!
Another famously named player, Firpo Marberry, who later became baseball’s first specialized relief pitcher, was a staff stalwart pitching in 50 games and started 14. Pitchers did not often pitch in 50 games. Aside from Johnson, Tom Zachary and George Mogridge were relied-upon and excellent starters.
Each team featured a player named Mule. Mule Shirley for the Nationals, Mule Watson for the Giants. Shirley went one-for-three in the WS and Watson recorded a save. Is it me or were baseball names just more interesting 100 years ago?
Games one and two were 4–3 affairs in Washington
Game One: The best-of-seven World Series opened in Washington with the Giants prevailing 4–3 in 12 innings. Walter Johnson who had not pitched in eight days, started game one vs. Art Nehf of the Giants. Both pitchers threw all 12 innings. Johnson gave up 14 hits, Nehf only three. The New Yorkers put up two runs in the top of the 12th inning on a fly-ball single and a sacrifice fly. The Nationals scratched out an unearned run in the bottom of the 12th but fell short.
Game Two: was also a 4–3 contest this time going to the Nationals who took a 3–1 lead into the ninth inning only to see the Giants plate two runs off tiring starter Tom Zachary to tie the score. The Nats responded with shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh doubling home the winning run with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The Series headed to the Polo Grounds in New York for games three and four — and five if necessary!
Games three, four, and five in in New York City
Game Three: featured starting pitchers who could not last four innings. Eight pitchers were used between the two teams something fans of baseball 100 years later see as routine. The Giants behind Hugh McQuillan got off to 3–0 lead after three innings and McGraw’s team managed their way to a 6–4 triumph when a ninth inning rally by the Nationals fell short.
Game Four: Washington evened the series in game four behind the fine pitching of Mogridge who outdueled the Giant’s Virgil Barnes. Firpo Marberry got the save in a 7–4 game in which Goose Goslin was the hitting star having had four hits including (2) two-run home runs.
Game Five: 36-year-old Walter Johnson who had toiled for 18 seasons trying desperately to win a World Series, came back to start game five. Johnson again pitched a complete game but faltered a bit in the eighth inning as the Giants plated three runs on their way to a 6–2 victory taking a 3–2 Series lead as the teams headed back to Washington.
Games six and seven in Washington
It was a tight World Series and after five games the Giants had outscored the Nationals 23–20. The fans were poised for an epic finish to this World Series, and they got exactly what they wanted!
Game six: Was a tense low-scoring affair with the Giants ‘High Pockets’ Kelly singling in Ross Youngs in the top of the first inning off Tom Zachary. The Nats replied in the fifth inning when Bucky Harris helped his own cause as manager by singling in two runs to close the game’s scoring. Zachary pitched a complete game striking out Hack Wilson to end the game. The Nationals had tied the series 3–3!
Game seven: Would be the capper for this extremely memorable and exciting World Series. Just as it was in game one, it was a 12-inning game with Walter Johnson on the mound in the 12th inning, again. However, Johnson having pitched only two days prior, did not start the game. But he was ready if needed. (Forty-one years later Sandy Koufax in 1965 would start game seven vs. the Twins (formerly Nationals) also only on two days of rest, and the HOF lefty pitched a complete game 2–0 shutout leading the Dodgers to a Series victory). The Nats pushed across two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the score 3–3. A weary Johnson took the mound in the ninth inning.
From the SABR article:
Johnson quickly found himself in trouble, giving up a one-out triple to Frisch. He got out of it, though, by intentionally walking Youngs and striking out Kelly on three pitches. (Irish) Meusel then hit a grounder to third baseman Ralph Miller, whose erratic throw to first was saved by a great stretching catch by Joe Judge.
Like the Giants, the Senators threatened in the last of the ninth. Judge singled with one out. (Ossie) Bluege grounded to Kelly, who threw to second to try to force Judge. Shortstop Travis Jackson was late in covering, then dropped the throw and had it roll away as Judge made it all the way to third on the error. With Washington needing only a long fly to win, John McGraw went to his bullpen, bringing in McQuillan to face Miller. After taking a ball, Miller hit a sharp grounder. It was right at Jackson, though, who made up for his error by starting an inning-ending double play and preventing the winning run from scoring.
Johnson returned to throw three more scoreless innings.
Two bad bounces made a big difference
Going back to the bottom of the eighth inning when Johnson’s teammates had tied the score, it came about due to a bad-hop single past Giant third baseman Freddie Lindstrom. In the bottom of the 12th inning, incredibly, a very similar play occurred when Earl McNeely got to play the hero with a walk-off bad-hop down the third baseline double to secure the World Series for Johnson, Bucky Harris and the Nationals. Freddie Lindstrom seems to have been cursed that day!
Walter Johnson finally had his World Series victory, and it was one for the ages! 90 years later Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner would win game one and game five of the 2014 World Series and then come back to get the save in game seven pitching five scoreless innings versus the Kansas City Royals.
If you’d like to read more here’s a good article on the SABR website.
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Watching the game footage from 100 years ago what you see is quite familiar. The choppy film makes the players look faster, but the game has the rhythm and feel that it does today. That’s just another reason why baseball is so timeless! Well except for the pitch clock!
About the Author: Mark Kolier along with his son Gordon co-hosts a baseball podcast called ‘Almost Cooperstown’. He also has written baseball-related articles that can be accessed on Medium.com
