1961 Washington Senators season

Last updated

1961  Washington Senators
League American League
Ballpark Griffith Stadium
CityWashington, D.C.
Record61–100 (.379)
League place10th
Owners Elwood Richard Quesada
General managers Ed Doherty
Managers Mickey Vernon
Television WTOP
Radio WTOP
(Dan Daniels, John MacLean)
Seasons 1962  →

The 1961 Washington Senators season was the team's inaugural season, having been established as a replacement for the previous franchise of the same name, which relocated to the Twin Cities of Minnesota following the 1960 season, becoming the Minnesota Twins. The Senators finished in a tie for ninth place in the ten-team American League with a record of 61–100, 47+1⁄2 games behind the World Champion New York Yankees. It was also the team's only season at Griffith Stadium before moving its games to D.C. Stadium for the following season. The expansion team drew 597,287 fans, tenth and last in the circuit. [1] The old Senators had drawn 743,404 fans in 1960.

Contents

Offseason

The Senators, along with the Los Angeles Angels, were the first ever American League expansion teams. Both teams participated in Major League Baseball's first ever expansion draft. The Senators used their first pick in the 1960 Major League Baseball expansion draft to select pitcher Bobby Shantz from the New York Yankees (while the Angels picked Eli Grba). Grba wound up playing two-plus seasons for Los Angeles before returning to the minor leagues. However, Shantz never played for the Senators, as he was traded just two days later to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Harry Bright, Bennie Daniels, and R. C. Stevens, [2] all of whom played for the Senators in 1961.

A 1992 Associated Press article which looked prospectively to the Rockies and Marlins expansion draft and retroactively at previous expansion drafts stated: "The Senators drafted for experience and got burned when players such as Dave Sisler, John Klippstein, Tom Sturdivant, Dale Long, Bobby Klaus and Gene Woodling didn't produce." [3]

Notable transactions

Regular season

As an expansion team, the Senators were not expected to do well. They finished tied for last in the league with the Kansas City Athletics. They also finished 9 games behind their expansion brethren, the Angels. One bright spot was pitcher Dick Donovan, who led the American League in earned run average and WHIP, making the All-Star team and finishing 17th in league MVP voting.

Season standings

American League 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 109530.673—65–1644–37
Detroit Tigers 101610.623850–3151–30
Baltimore Orioles 95670.5861448–3347–34
Chicago White Sox 86760.5312353–2833–48
Cleveland Indians 78830.48430½40–4138–42
Boston Red Sox 76860.4693350–3126–55
Minnesota Twins 70900.4383836–4434–46
Los Angeles Angels 70910.43538½46–3624–55
Kansas City Athletics 611000.37947½33–4728–53
Washington Senators 611000.37947½33–4628–54

Record vs. opponents

1961 American League record

Sources:
TeamBALBOSCHWCLEDETKCALAAMINNYYWSH
Baltimore —11–711–79–99–913–58–1011–79–9–114–4
Boston 7–11—9–95–138–1010–811–7–111–75–1310–8
Chicago 7–119–9—12–66–1214–410–89–9–16–1213–5
Cleveland 9–913–56–12—6–128–910–810–84–1412–6
Detroit 9–910–812–612–6—12–6–114–411–78–1013–5
Kansas City 5–138–104–149–86–12–1—9–97–114–149–9
Los Angeles 10–87–11–18–108–104–149–9—8–96–1210–8
Minnesota 7–117–119–9–18–107–1111–79–8—4–148–9
New York 9–9–113–512–614–410–814–412–614–4—11–7
Washington 4–148–105–136–125–139–98–109–87–11—

Opening Day lineup

In the first game in franchise history, the "Presidential Opener" then held every year in Washington, the Senators were defeated by the Chicago White Sox, 4–3, on Monday, April 10, 1961. With leadoff man Coot Veal getting its first-ever hit (an infield single) in the first inning, Washington jumped out to a quick 2–0 advantage and led 3–1 after two innings. But the Senators were blanked thereafter and committed four errors, leading to two unearned runs, as Chicago battled back to win. Roy Sievers, former star of the previous Washington franchise, drove in a pair of White Sox runs with a home run and a sacrifice fly. [7] It was the last Presidential Opener in the history of Griffith Stadium, and the first one in which John F. Kennedy threw out the first ball.

  5 Coot Veal SS
  6 Billy Klaus 3B
  9 Marty Keough RF
25 Dale Long 1B
14 Gene Woodling LF
  1 Willie Tasby CF
  4 Danny O'Connell   2B
  8 Pete Daley C
20 Dick Donovan P [8]

Roster

1961 Washington Senators
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Gene Green 110364102.2801862
1B Dale Long 12337794.2491749
2B Chuck Cottier 10133779.234234
SS Coot Veal 6921844.20208
3B Danny O'Connell 138493128.260137
LF Chuck Hinton 10633988.260634
CF Willie Tasby 141494124.2511763
RF Gene Woodling 110342107.3131057

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Marty Keough 13539097.249934
Jim King 11026371.2701146
Billy Klaus 9125157.227730
Bob Johnson 6122466.295628
Pete Daley 7220339.192217
Harry Bright 7218344.240421
Bud Zipfel 5017034.200418
Jim Mahoney 4310826.24106
R.C. Stevens 33628.12902
Ken Retzer 165318.34013
Joe Hicks 12295.17211
Dutch Dotterer 7195.26301
Ron Stillwell 8162.12501
Ed Brinkman 4111.09100
Chet Boak 570.00000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Joe McClain 33212.08183.8676
Bennie Daniels 32212.012113.44110
Dick Donovan 23168.210102.4062
Ed Hobaugh 26126.1794.4267
Tom Sturdivant 1580.0264.6139
Hal Woodeshick 740.1324.0224
Claude Osteen 318.1114.9114
Héctor Maestri 16.0011.502

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Marty Kutyna 50143.0683.9764
Pete Burnside 33113.1494.5356
John Gabler 2992.2384.8633
Tom Cheney 1029.2138.8020
Carl Mathias 413.20111.207
Carl Bouldin 23.10116.202

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Dave Sisler 4528114.1830
Johnny Klippstein 422206.7841
Mike Garcia 160104.7414
Rudy Hernández 70103.004
Roy Heiser 30006.351

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
D Pensacola Angels Alabama–Florida League Archie Wilson
D Middlesboro Senators Appalachian League Lew Morton

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Middlesboro

Awards and honors

1961 American League ERA leader

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References

  1. ↑ Baseball Reference 1961 Miscellaneous Team Records
  2. ↑ Bobby Shantz page at Baseball Reference
  3. ↑ Rockies, Marlins Are Gearing Up : Expansion: Lessons of the past indicate that drafting young players is the key to success, Associated Press (Los Angeles Times), Nov. 14, 1992.
  4. ↑ Ray Semproch page at Baseball-Reference
  5. ↑ Jim King page at Baseball Reference
  6. ↑ Coot Veal page at Baseball Reference
  7. ↑ Retrosheet box score, 1961-04-10
  8. ↑ "1961 Washington Senators Roster by Baseball Almanac".
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