Thursday, August 31, 2006
Today in Baseball History & Nationals Lose 1-5 last night
40 years ago on this date (August 31, 2006):
Washington Senators played two games at Municipal Stadium against the Kansas City Athletics. The Kansas City Athletics had started life as the Philadelphia Athletics and played from 1901-1954 in Philly, winning 5 World Championships, and 9 Pennants. The Athletics moved to Kansas City for the 1955 season and stayed there until 1967. They moved to Oakland and have been the Oakland Athletics ever since 1968. As the Oakland Athletics, the team has won 4 World Championships, and 6 Pennants. This verison of the Washington Senators was the one that started in 1961 immediately after the older verison of the Washington Senators moved to and became the Minnesota Twins. This version of the Washington Senators played in Washington, D.C. from 1961-1971, before moving to and becoming the Texas Rangers.
The games:
Game One: Mike McCormick pitches a complete game 4 hit shutout for the Senators and won his 9th game of the season (ended 11-14 with an ERA of 3.46 for the 1966 season). McCormick appeared in two seasons with the Senators, 1965 & 1966 wearing number 16 and earning a salary of $24,000 per year. Gil Blanco started and pitched 5 innings for the Athletics, giving up 3 runs off of 5 hits and 4 walks. Blanco only appeared in two seasons in the majors, in 1965 with the Yankees and 1966 with the Athletics. Blanco wore number 28 with the Yankees and number 30 with the Athletics and made $6,000 for his 1966 efforts.
The runs: LF Frank “Hondo/Capital Punisher” Howard hit a 2 run 2 out home-run in the first inning, his 17th of the year. 3B Ken McMullen drove in Howard with a hit in the sixth inning. Senators win 3-0.
Game Two:
Senators lose 0-4 to the Athletics in their second game of the day. Barry Moore started for the Senators and picked up his second loss of the season, and Paul Lindblad started for the Athletics and picked up his 5th win of the season.
40 years ago the Washington Nationals franchise did not exist in any form. The franchise started in 1969 as the Montreal Expos.
On this day (8/31) in 1969, the Expos played two games, winning one 6-1, losing the other 2-5.
Game One:
The Expos lost their first game of the day 2-5 against the San Diego Padres (which, oddly enough, an organization tried to bring to Washington DC in 1973, but the effort, obviously, failed; NL voted on December 6, 1973). Jerry Robertson, wearing number 27, started for the Expos (Robertson played appeared two seasons in the MLB, first with the Expos in 1969, then with the Tigers in 1970). Robertson picked up his 12th loss of the season after pitching for 6 innings, and giving up 4 runs off of 5 hits and 1 walk. Dave Roberts (wearing number 15) started for the Padres but lasted only 3.1 innings, giving up 2 runs off of 5 hits and 2 walks. Roberts was also a rookie in 1969, and his last year playing in the MLB came in 1981 with the Mets.
The Runs (for the Expos): Rusty Staub hit a 1 out 1 on home-run in the third inning (his 25th HR of the year). That was all the runs the Expos scored in this game, but not for the day.
Game Two:
Rookie starting pitcher Steve Renko, wearing number 18, pitched a 1 run, 5 hit complete game win for the Expos (Renko’s sixth win of the season). Veteran Joe Niekro, wearing number 37, started for the Padres and lasted 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs off of 7 hits and 2 walks (Niekro took the loss, his 13th loss of the season).
The Expos runs: SS Bobby Wine hit his 3rd home-run of the season in the 2nd inning with 0 on and 1 out. LF Mack Jones hit his 21st home-run of the season with 2 on and 0 out in the 8th inning. Not sure how the other 3 Expos runs scored, though I know that Staub had 1 RBI in the game, and Fairly also had an RBI in the game (in addition to Wine’s 1 with his HR and Jones 3 with his HR). Expos won 6-1.
Tonight:
And on this date in 2006, The Nationals will face the Philadelphia Phillies tonight at 7:05 pm at RFK Stadium. The game, though, might get rained out.
RHP Pedro Astacio, with a record of 3 wins and 4 losses (6.10 ERA), will take the mound for the Nationals, and LHP Randy Wolf (3-0, 5.58) will start for the Phillies. This will be Wolf’s seventh start since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Astacio will try to make it past the third inning tonight, after failing to do so in his last two starts (remember, though, that three starts ago, Astacio pitched a complete game).
Last Night:
And on August 30, 2006, the Nationals faced the Phillies and lost 1-5.
Ramon Oritz, wearing number 26, took the mound for the Nationals and lasted six innings, giving up 3 earned runs (4 total) off of 5 hits and 2 walks. Schroder relieved Oritz and pitched the seventh and 8th innings. Rauch relieved Schroder and pitched most of the ninth inning, but gave up 1 more run. Wagner finished the ninth inning (1 out) and gave up zero runs, hits and walks. Ortiz picked up his 12th loss of the year.
Rookie starting pitcher Cole Hamels, wearing jersey number 35, started for the Phillies. Hamels pitched 8 innings and gave up just 1 run (HR) off of 4 hits and 2 walks. Hamels picked up his 7th win.
The runs: Soriano hit his 43rd home-run in the 8th inning with 1 out in the inning.
Box Score.
Washington Senators played two games at Municipal Stadium against the Kansas City Athletics. The Kansas City Athletics had started life as the Philadelphia Athletics and played from 1901-1954 in Philly, winning 5 World Championships, and 9 Pennants. The Athletics moved to Kansas City for the 1955 season and stayed there until 1967. They moved to Oakland and have been the Oakland Athletics ever since 1968. As the Oakland Athletics, the team has won 4 World Championships, and 6 Pennants. This verison of the Washington Senators was the one that started in 1961 immediately after the older verison of the Washington Senators moved to and became the Minnesota Twins. This version of the Washington Senators played in Washington, D.C. from 1961-1971, before moving to and becoming the Texas Rangers.
The games:
Game One: Mike McCormick pitches a complete game 4 hit shutout for the Senators and won his 9th game of the season (ended 11-14 with an ERA of 3.46 for the 1966 season). McCormick appeared in two seasons with the Senators, 1965 & 1966 wearing number 16 and earning a salary of $24,000 per year. Gil Blanco started and pitched 5 innings for the Athletics, giving up 3 runs off of 5 hits and 4 walks. Blanco only appeared in two seasons in the majors, in 1965 with the Yankees and 1966 with the Athletics. Blanco wore number 28 with the Yankees and number 30 with the Athletics and made $6,000 for his 1966 efforts.
The runs: LF Frank “Hondo/Capital Punisher” Howard hit a 2 run 2 out home-run in the first inning, his 17th of the year. 3B Ken McMullen drove in Howard with a hit in the sixth inning. Senators win 3-0.
Game Two:
Senators lose 0-4 to the Athletics in their second game of the day. Barry Moore started for the Senators and picked up his second loss of the season, and Paul Lindblad started for the Athletics and picked up his 5th win of the season.
40 years ago the Washington Nationals franchise did not exist in any form. The franchise started in 1969 as the Montreal Expos.
On this day (8/31) in 1969, the Expos played two games, winning one 6-1, losing the other 2-5.
Game One:
The Expos lost their first game of the day 2-5 against the San Diego Padres (which, oddly enough, an organization tried to bring to Washington DC in 1973, but the effort, obviously, failed; NL voted on December 6, 1973). Jerry Robertson, wearing number 27, started for the Expos (Robertson played appeared two seasons in the MLB, first with the Expos in 1969, then with the Tigers in 1970). Robertson picked up his 12th loss of the season after pitching for 6 innings, and giving up 4 runs off of 5 hits and 1 walk. Dave Roberts (wearing number 15) started for the Padres but lasted only 3.1 innings, giving up 2 runs off of 5 hits and 2 walks. Roberts was also a rookie in 1969, and his last year playing in the MLB came in 1981 with the Mets.
The Runs (for the Expos): Rusty Staub hit a 1 out 1 on home-run in the third inning (his 25th HR of the year). That was all the runs the Expos scored in this game, but not for the day.
Game Two:
Rookie starting pitcher Steve Renko, wearing number 18, pitched a 1 run, 5 hit complete game win for the Expos (Renko’s sixth win of the season). Veteran Joe Niekro, wearing number 37, started for the Padres and lasted 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs off of 7 hits and 2 walks (Niekro took the loss, his 13th loss of the season).
The Expos runs: SS Bobby Wine hit his 3rd home-run of the season in the 2nd inning with 0 on and 1 out. LF Mack Jones hit his 21st home-run of the season with 2 on and 0 out in the 8th inning. Not sure how the other 3 Expos runs scored, though I know that Staub had 1 RBI in the game, and Fairly also had an RBI in the game (in addition to Wine’s 1 with his HR and Jones 3 with his HR). Expos won 6-1.
Tonight:
And on this date in 2006, The Nationals will face the Philadelphia Phillies tonight at 7:05 pm at RFK Stadium. The game, though, might get rained out.
RHP Pedro Astacio, with a record of 3 wins and 4 losses (6.10 ERA), will take the mound for the Nationals, and LHP Randy Wolf (3-0, 5.58) will start for the Phillies. This will be Wolf’s seventh start since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Astacio will try to make it past the third inning tonight, after failing to do so in his last two starts (remember, though, that three starts ago, Astacio pitched a complete game).
Last Night:
And on August 30, 2006, the Nationals faced the Phillies and lost 1-5.
Ramon Oritz, wearing number 26, took the mound for the Nationals and lasted six innings, giving up 3 earned runs (4 total) off of 5 hits and 2 walks. Schroder relieved Oritz and pitched the seventh and 8th innings. Rauch relieved Schroder and pitched most of the ninth inning, but gave up 1 more run. Wagner finished the ninth inning (1 out) and gave up zero runs, hits and walks. Ortiz picked up his 12th loss of the year.
Rookie starting pitcher Cole Hamels, wearing jersey number 35, started for the Phillies. Hamels pitched 8 innings and gave up just 1 run (HR) off of 4 hits and 2 walks. Hamels picked up his 7th win.
The runs: Soriano hit his 43rd home-run in the 8th inning with 1 out in the inning.
Box Score.
