WASHINGTON — When the Washington Nationals punched their ticket to the World Series by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS, it didn't just mark their first championship appearance in franchise history -- it's also D.C.'s first taste of the series since the Senators made it in 1933.
The Senators were DC's professional baseball team from 1901-1960, and they played in the American League, now known as the National League (Confusing right?). The Senators were one of the American League's eight charter franchises. The club was founded in D.C. in 1901.
The team changed its official name to the Washington Nationals in 1905, and the name "Nationals" appeared on the uniforms for two seasons. "Nationals" was replaced with the curly "W" logo for the next 52 years, but the team was still often referred to as The Senators, according to Baseball Reference.
In 1933, the Senators dueled the New York Giants in the World Series, which ran from Oct. 3 to 7. The Senators ultimately lost the series, 4-1 to the Giants.
- Game 1, Oct. 3: The Senators fell to the Giants 4-2.
- Game 2, Oct. 4: The Senators fell to the Giants 6-1.
- Game 3, Oct. 5: The Senators defeated the Giants 4-0.
- Game 4, Oct. 6: The Giants won vs. The Senators 2-1.
- Game 5, Oct. 7: The Senators lost to The Giants 4-3.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt threw out the first pitch of Game 3 on Oct. 5, 1933.
The Senators played at Griffith Stadium, which was named after the Senators' owner -- Clark Griffith. The Senators had Hall of Famers SS Joe Cronin, OF Heinie Manush and OF Goose Goslin on the team, according to Baseball Reference.
Cronin was also their manager -- called a player-manager -- which was common then, but rarely happens now.
The 12 top players of the Senators at the time include:
- Joe Cronin
- Earl Whitehill
- Buddy Myer
- Heinie Manush
- General Crowder
- Fred Schulte
- Joe Kuhel
- Jack Russell
- Goose Goslin
- Monte Weaver
- Lefty Stewart
- Luke Sewell
The Senators first moved from D.C. in 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins. Baseball remained in D.C. under a new ownership again as the Senators until 1972. Then the team moved to Arlington to become the Texas Rangers. This left the District empty of baseball until 2004, when the Montreal Expos moved to Navy Yard as the Washington Nationals.
While the Washington Nationals have clinched a spot in the 2019 World Series, no D.C. team has since matched the 99 wins that the Senators had.