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First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League...
That vaudeville joke was probably coined later, but it certainly fit the 1904 Washington Senators. The American League had taken over the team and roster decisions were being made by AL president Ban Johnson, not always to the Senators' benefit. After the first 14 games of the season, the team had 13 losses and one tie. Player-manager Malachi Kittridge was relieved of his managing duties (but not his catching duties) with a record of 1-16-1, and outfielder Patsy Donovan became the manager for the rest of the season. (In 1903, Donovan had been a player-manager for the St. Louis Cardinals.) After 77 games (the halfway point of the season), the Senators had a record of 14-60-3. Somehow, they improved after that, and finished with a record of 38-113-6, even managing a 3-game winning streak in August against the Browns. Their winning percentage of .252 ended up as the 4th lowest in the 20th Century, behind the 1916 Philadelphia A's (36-117, .235), the 1935 Boston Braves (38-115, .248), and the 1962 New York Mets (40-120, .250).
Unless indicated otherwise, the player photos in this thread are from 1904. Photos of the team and players from 1901 through 1903 are in the following thread: http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth...tograph-Thread
Managers-------Malachi Kittridge (1-16-1) 1903----Patsy Donovan (37-97-5) undated----
BosN Kittridge.jpgPatsy Donovan formal undated.jpg
That vaudeville joke was probably coined later, but it certainly fit the 1904 Washington Senators. The American League had taken over the team and roster decisions were being made by AL president Ban Johnson, not always to the Senators' benefit. After the first 14 games of the season, the team had 13 losses and one tie. Player-manager Malachi Kittridge was relieved of his managing duties (but not his catching duties) with a record of 1-16-1, and outfielder Patsy Donovan became the manager for the rest of the season. (In 1903, Donovan had been a player-manager for the St. Louis Cardinals.) After 77 games (the halfway point of the season), the Senators had a record of 14-60-3. Somehow, they improved after that, and finished with a record of 38-113-6, even managing a 3-game winning streak in August against the Browns. Their winning percentage of .252 ended up as the 4th lowest in the 20th Century, behind the 1916 Philadelphia A's (36-117, .235), the 1935 Boston Braves (38-115, .248), and the 1962 New York Mets (40-120, .250).
Unless indicated otherwise, the player photos in this thread are from 1904. Photos of the team and players from 1901 through 1903 are in the following thread: http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth...tograph-Thread
Managers-------Malachi Kittridge (1-16-1) 1903----Patsy Donovan (37-97-5) undated----
BosN Kittridge.jpgPatsy Donovan formal undated.jpg
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