1901
The inaugural edition of the Washington Senators finished in the second division of the American League in 1901. The Senators bested only the Detroit Tigers over the course of the season winning eleven of twenty tilts. The Sens best stretch came in Mid-May, winning six straight contests, including four-straight at Boston. Their worst ball came during an eight-game losing streak in early July where they lost five road games against the Athletics and Americans and dropped three consecutive home games to the Orioles. First Baseman Mike Grady led all Senators with nine round-trippers, while Outfielder Sam Dungan paced the team with seventy-five Runs Batted In. Outfielder Irv Waldron led all batsmen with a .322 batting average. Pitcher Casey Patten led the staff with and 18-10 record while recording 109 punchouts and an Earned Run Average of 3.93. On October 19th, Ed Delahanty jumped from the National League’s Phillies to the Senators, providing hope for the 1902 season.
1902
The off-season acquisition of future Hall of Famer, Ed Delahanty, did little to improve Washington’s standing in the American League. Delahanty slashed .376/10/93, winning the team’s Triple Crown. Despite the added offense, the Senators lost three more games than the prior campaign. The Senators, once again, finished sixth out of eight entries. Tom Loftus became the new skipper, replacing Jim Manning. Al Orth anchored Loftus’ pitching staff, starting 37 games and finishing with 19 victories and a 3.97 ERA. Casey Patten headed the Senator twirlers with 92 strikeouts. The Senators pieced together a five-game winning streak in July and dropped six-straight matchups in September, both season highs. The bulk of the Senators victories came at the hands of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Americans, winning 22 of 39 decisions.
1903
The 1903 version of the Senators regressed to last place in the American League. Washington was on the correct side of only 43 of 137 outcomes. The highlight of the season for Senator’s fans occurred on September 24th, when the Cleveland Naps third baseman Bill Bradley hit for the cycle against the Sens.
Cycle:
Bill Bradley (CLE)
vs. Washington Senators
The offense struggled mightily as Outfielder Kip Selbach led the team with a .251 batting average and 49 runs plated. Jimmy Ryan bested the team with 7 home runs. Casey Patten topped all Senators pitchers with 11 wins and 133 strikeouts. The Senators were dealt another blow when Ed Delahanty fell into Niagra Falls and perished after being removed from the team’s train due to disorderly conduct in early July. 1903 would be the Senators final season at American League Park before moving into their new home, National League Park.
Curve in the Dirt.com 