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Washington Team Formation
When the American League declared itself a major league in 1901, the new league moved the previous Western League’s Kansas City franchise to Washington, a city that had been abandoned by the National League a year earlier. The Washington club, like the old one, would be called the Senators.
The Senators began their history as a consistently losing team, at times so inept that San Francisco Chronicle columnist Charley Dryden joked: “Washington: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.” The 1904 Senators lost 113 games, and the next season the team’s owners, trying for a fresh start, changed the team’s name to the Nationals. The Senators name remained widely used by fans and journalists in fact, the two names were used interchangeably although “Nats” remained the team’s nickname. The Senators name was officially restored in 1956.
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World Series Winner 1924
In the 1924 World Series, the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants in seven games. The Giants became the first team to play in four consecutive World Series, winning in 1921 – 1922 and losing in 1923 – 1924. Their long-time manager, John McGraw, made his ninth and final World Series appearance in 1924. This was the second extra-inning World Series-deciding game (1912) and the last until 1991. The winning team of the 1991 World Series was the very same franchise, then (and now) known as the Minnesota Twins.
The Washington Senators baseball team was one of the American League’s eight charter franchises. The club was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1901 as the Washington Senators. In 1905, the team changed its official name to the Washington Nationals. The name “Nationals” appeared on the uniforms for only two seasons, and was then replaced with the “W” logo for the next 52 years. However, the names “Senators”, “Nationals” and shorter “Nats” were used interchangeably by fans and media for the next sixty years.
Established
1901
City
Washington D.C. – Minneapolis
League History
2000 – Present / Major League Baseball
1901 – 1999 / American League
Team History
1961 – Present / Minnesota Twins
1901 – 1960 / Washington Nationals/Senators
Nickname
Nationals/Senators – The Washington franchise was known as both “Senators” and “Nationals” at various times, and sometimes at the same time because of their location near the capital.
Championship
World Series 1
1991, 1987, 1924
Stadium
2010 – Present / Target Field
1982 – 2009 / Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
1961 – 1981 / Metropolitan Stadium
*Washington D.C.*
1911 – 1960 / Griffith Stadium
1911 – 1920 / National Park
1903 – 1910 / National Park
1901 – 1902 / American League Park
Owner
2009 – Present / Jim Pohlad
1984 – 2009 / Carl Pohlad
1955 – 1984 / Calvin Griffith
1920 – 1955 / Clark Griffith
1912 – 1920 / Benjamin Minor
1904 – 1912 / Thomas C. Noyes
1901 – 1903 / Ban Johnson & Fred Postal
Retired Number
3 / Harmon Killebrew
6 / Tony Oliva
7 / Joe Mauer
10 / Tom Kelly
14 / Kent Hrbek
28 / Bert Blyleven
29 / Rod Carew
34 / Kirby Puckett
42 / Jackie Robinson
*Blue is this team’s history