Jim Kaat of the Washington Senators
They lost their last 7 games, and 11 of their last 12, turning a respectable 72-70 record into 73-81, good for 5th in the American League, but 24 games behind the Pennant-winning Yankees.
In 1955, their longtime owner, Clark Griffith, once a Hall of Fame pitcher for the team now known as the Chicago Cubs, winner of the 1st AL Pennant as manager of the Chicago White Sox, and the 1st manager of the team that would become the Yankees, died, leaving the team to his nephew, Calvin Griffith. In 1956, Calvin publicly promised that he would never move the Senators.
In 1960, Calvin announced he was moving the Senators to Minneapolis, to become the Minnesota Twins. He had a good reason: Griffith Stadium only seated 27,000 people, and was hastily built in 1911 after a fire destroyed the previous ballpark on the site. And he didn't know if it would be a good idea to share what would become Robert F. Kennedy Stadium with the NFL's Washington Redskins.
He had another good reason: Just up the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the Orioles had taken a big chunk of the Senators' fanbase, not just in the Baltimore area, but in D.C.'s Maryland suburbs. He simply couldn't compete -- as Bob Short found out, and he moved the expansion team given to the District as "the new Senators" in 1961 to the Dallas area after the 1971 season, to become the Texas Rangers.
Calvin Griffith also had a bad reason to break his promise and move the team: The neighborhood around Griffith Stadium, LeDroit Park, north of downtown, had already been majority-black since the Civil War nearly a century earlier. Howard University had built its campus nearby, and would end up building its hospital on the site of the ballpark. Griffith wanted to move his team to a place that didn't have many black people. At the time, Minneapolis was about as white as you could get and still be in a large American city.
There are currently 28 living former Original Washington Senators:
* Gilbert "Gil" Coan, 87, from Monroe, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. A left fielder, he debuted with the Senators in 1946, stayed with them through 1953, became an original Baltimore Oriole in 1954, and is also a surviving New York Giant. He retired in 1956, and opened an insurance agency in Brevard, North Carolina, which his son and grandson now run.
* Eddie Robinson, 98, from Paris, Texas, outside Dallas. A 1st baseman, he debuted with the Cleveland Indians in 1942, missed the next 3 seasons serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, returned in 1946, and helped the Indians win the 1948 World Series. He is the last living person to have played on a Cleveland team that won a World Series.
He played for the Senators in 1949 and 1950, then was traded to the Chicago White Sox, then the Philadelphia Athletics, 1 of 10 surviving players of theirs. He made the All-Star Game in 1949, '51, '52 and '53, mainly because every team had to have at least 1 All-Star. He was a Yankee from 1954 to mid-1956, winning an American League Pennant in 1955, before going back to the A's, by then in Kansas City. He split the 1957 season with the Detroit Tigers, the Indians again, and the Baltimore Orioles, and that was it for him. He batted .268 lifetime, with 172 home runs.
He is currently the oldest living ex-Yankee, and the 2nd-oldest former MLB player, trailing Val Heim of the 1942 White Sox by 41 days. After playing, he worked as both a coach and in the front office for pitcher-turned executive Paul Richards with the Orioles, the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves. In between jobs with Richards, he ran the A's farm system. He was the Braves' general manager from 1972 to 1976, and the Texas Rangers' GM from 1977 to 1982.
His last job in baseball was scouting for the Boston Red Sox, the only one of the original 8 AL franchises he didn't play for. The Indians honored him at Game 6 of the 2016 World Series.
* Floyd Robert "Bob" Ross, 90, from the Los Angeles suburb of Fullerton, California. A pitcher, he debuted with 6 games with the Senators in 1950, was up with them for 11 games in 1951, and then missed the next 2 seasons due to serving in the Korean War. He didn't appear in the major leagues again, except in 1956 for 3 games with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He pitched in professional baseball from 1945 to 1959, going 80-85 in the minor leagues, but only 0-2 in the majors, and threw his last professional pitch right before turning 31. Aside from his name, he appears to have no connection to the famous TV painter Bob Ross.
* Irv Noren, 94, born in Jamestown, in Western New York State. Like Jackie Robinson, 6 years younger, he grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California, attended Pasadena City College, and serving in the U.S. Army in World War II. Unlike Jackie, he did not also star at a 4-year college (in Jackie's case, UCLA), and he didn't have to face racial prejudice.
An outfielder, he debuted with the Senators in 1950, and was traded to the Yankees in 1952. He is the last surviving player from the 1952 World Series winners, and 1 of 3 from the 1953 World Series winners, along with Whitey Ford and Art Schallock. (Bobby Brown was serving in the Korean War in both seasons, Ford in '52.)
He was named an All-Star in 1954, and was a Series winner again in 1956, 1 of 3 survivors from that team, along with Ford and Don Larsen. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, last playing in the major leagues in 1960. He was a coach under Dick Williams on the 1972 and 1973 World Champion Oakland Athletics. His last uniformed job was as a coach with the 1975 Chicago Cubs.
* Jerry Snyder, 90, from Jenks, Oklahoma, outside Tulsa. A middle infielder, he was a backup for the Senators from 1952 to 1958.
* Wayne Terwilliger, about to turn 94, from Clare, Michigan. A 2nd baseman, he served in the Marines in World War II. He debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 1949. After they traded him in 1951, he spent the rest of his career with teams that no longer exist in those forms: The Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants, the Washington Senators and the Kansas City Athletics, with whom he played his last game, in 1960. He was with the Senators in 1953 and '54.
He became a longtime minor league manager and major league coach, and was on Tom Kelly's staff when the Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. He won an independent league's Pennant as manager of the revived Fort Worth Cats in 2005.
* Ed Fitz Gerald, 95, from Santa Ynez, California, outside Santa Barbara. A catcher, he reached the majors with the 1948 Pittsburgh Pirates, played for the Senators from 1953 to 1959, and closed with the Cleveland Indians in 1959. He then coached for the Indians, Kansas City Athletics, and Twins.
* Bob Oldis, 91, from Iowa City, Iowa. A catcher, he debuted with the Senators in 1953, and remained with them through 1955. After 4 seasons in the minor leagues, he resurfaced with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, and they won the World Series. He is 1 of 12 surviving players from that team. He finished his career in 1962 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He later coached under Gene Mauch on the ill-fated 1964 Phillies and the 1969 Montreal Expos, where he was the 1st 1st-base coach in team history. He remained with the Expos until 2002, when the ownership switch of Jeffrey Loria transferred their scouting department to the Florida (now Miami) Marlins. Oldis is officially still one of the Marlins' coaches.
* Camilo Pascual, 85, from Havana, Cuba. The 1st of several players from Cuba brought to the Senators by scout Joe Cambria, he was probably the best, remaining with the franchise until 1966, and then playing 3 years with the "New Senators," lasting in the majors until 1971 with the Cleveland Indians. With one of the best curveballs of the era, he made 7 All-Star Games, led the AL in strikeouts 3 straight years from 1961 to 1963, and forged a career record of 174-170 with 2,167 strikeouts, despite mostly pitching for struggling teams.
He helped the Twins win the 1965 Pennant, and is a member of their team Hall of Fame, the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. Like many exiled Cubans, he settled in Miami. He was pitching coach under Gene Mauch when he managed the Twins from 1978 to 1980. He has scouted for the Oakland Athletics, the New York Mets and, currently, for Venezuela, the Los Angeles Dodgers. His biggest signing is fellow Miami Cuban Jose Canseco.
* Bobby Kline, 90, from St. Petersburg, Florida. A shortstop, he played 77 major league games, all with the 1955 Senators.
* Johnny Groth, 93, from Chicago. A center fielder, he debuted with the 1946 Detroit Tigers, and ended with the Tigers in 1960. In between, he played for 3 teams that no longer exist in their present form: The St. Louis Browns in their last season of 1953 (he is 1 of 9 living former Browns), the Senators in 1955, and the Kansas City Athletics in 1956 and '57.
* Julio Bécquer, 86, from Havana, Cuba. A 1st baseman, he was part of the Senators' Cuban Connection, reaching the majors in 1955, and remaining with them until 1960. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft, being drafted by the Los Angeles Angels. But the Angels traded him to the Twins in midseason, making him an original Angel and an original Twin. He remained with the Twins through the 1963 season, and still lives in Minneapolis, a vast difference in climate from his homeland.
* José Valdivielso, 85, from Matanzas Cuba. A shortstop, he was another member of the Cuban Connection that arrived in D.C. in 1955. He remained with the franchise until 1961, the 1st Minnesota season.
* Pedro Ramos, 84, from Pinar del Río, Cuba. A pitcher, he was another from the Cuban Connection, arriving in 1955, making the All-Star Team in 1959, and remaining through the 1961 move. After 2 1/2 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, the Yankees traded for him, and converted him to a reliever. This turned out to be a key in their winning the 1964 Pennant.
After going to the Phillies, Pirates and Reds, Ramos finished his career where it began, with the "New Senators," in 1970, He finished 117-160 with 54 saves. He later scouted for the team then known as the California Angels.
* Dick Hyde, 91, from Hindsboro, Illinois. A pitcher, he was with the Senators from 1955 to 1960, and the Orioles in 1961, when a sore arm doomed his career. In 1958, he went 10-3, and led the AL in saves with 19 and games finished with 44. But for his career, he was just 17-14 with 25 saves.
* Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog, 87, from the St. Louis suburb of New Athens, Illinois. Like Edward Charles Ford and Don Richard Ashburn, who also had the nickname, his hair was very blond. "Herzog" is German for "Duke," so he could also have been nicknamed "Duke."
He had quite a baseball career, and is in the Hall of Fame -- but not for anything he did as an outfielder for the Senators from 1956 to 1958. Or for the Kansas City Athletics, the Baltimore Orioles or the Detroit Tigers. He played 634 games, an average of 79 per season, and batted .257. An unremarkable player.
He became a scout and a coach for the A's, then the 3rd base coach and director of player development for the Mets. He did have a hand, if not a uniformed one, in helping them win the 1969 World Series and the 1973 National League Pennant. When Gil Hodges died just before the start of the 1972 season, the manager's job was given to Yogi Berra. It worked, but Whitey viewed it as a snub, and chose to take the 1st managing job that came along.
That was with the Texas Rangers in 1973. No luck. Nor with the 1974 California Angels. In 1975, he was hired by the Kansas City Royals, and managed them to 3 AL Western Division titles, but no Pennants. The St. Louis Cardinals hired him, and he became almost certainly the last man MLB will ever see to be a success as field manager and general manager at the same time, winning 3 National League Pennants and the 1982 World Series. His last baseball job was as GM of the 1993-94 Angels.
* Garland Shifflett, 84, from Elkton, Virginia. A pitcher, he appeared in 6 games for the franchise as the 1957 Senators, and 10 for them as the 1964 Twins. The bulk of his career was spent with the Charlotte Hornets, a minor-league baseball team that preceded the World Football League and NBA teams with those names.
* Vito Valentinetti, 90, from Manhattan. A pitcher, he pitched for both Chicago teams, the White Sox in 1954 and the Cubs in 1956 and '57, before becoming a Senator in 1958 and '59. He finished with a major league record of 13-14.
* Ken Aspromonte, 87, from Brooklyn. A 2nd baseman, he came to the Senators from the Boston Red Sox in 1958, but was traded to the Cleveland Indians in the middle of the last season, 1960. Like Bécquer, he was an original Angel in 1961. He last played in the majors in 1963, then played in Japan until 1966. He managed the Indians from 1972 to 1974. His brother Bob Aspromonte retired in 1971, making him the last active player who had played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
* Bobby Malkmus, 88, from Newark. A graduate of South Side High School (renamed Malcolm X Shabazz High School in 1972 -- yes, for that Malcolm X, although the school is usually called "Shabazz"), he was a reserve infielder who debuted in 1957, playing 13 games for the Milwuakee Braves, who won the World Series that year, but he was not on the Series roster. Still, he is 1 of 11 surviving players for that team. He then played 47 games for the Senators in 1958 and '59.
His only season as a semi-regular was in 1961, for the Philadelphia Phillies, the year they lost 23 straight games, still the most in the major leagues since 1899. The aforementioned Bob Oldis was also on that team. He closed with the Phillies in 1962. He became a minor-league manager, and is still a scout for the Cleveland Indians.
* Albert "Albie" Pearson, 85, from the Los Angeles satellite city of El Monte, California. An outfielder, he debuted for the Senators in 1958, and played 9 seasons in the major league despite being only 5-foot-6. He was AL Rookie of the Year for the Senators in 1958, but was traded up the road to the Orioles in 1959, and they left him unprotected in the expansion draft. This allowed him to be an original Los Angeles Angel, from 1961 to 1966. In 1963, he was an All-Star, and he finished his career with a .270 batting average.
He later became a minister, and has opened churches, orphanages and camps for abused and sick children in America, South America (Ecuador) and Africa (Zambia).
* Ron Samford, 89, from Dallas. A shortstop, he closed his career with the 1959 Senators, and hit a home run in his last at-bat.
* Dan Dobbek, 84, from Ontonagon, Michigan, on the Upper Peninsula. An outfielder, he was with the Senators/Twins franchise from 1959 to 1961, including the move. Ironically, given the Senators' Cuban connection, his biggest success in baseball was in Cuba -- after the Castro Revolution, winning the 1960 Caribbean Series with Elefantes de Cienfuegos.
* J.W. "Jay" Porter, 86, from Shawnee, Oklahoma. As with Johnny Cash, who was born simply "J.R.," and later Kansas City Royals shortstop U L Washington (no periods), his initials don't stand for anything. But the J got emphasized so much that "Jay" became his nickname.
A catcher, he debuted with the St. Louis Browns in 1952, so he is not only 1 of 28 living former Old Senators, he is also 1 of 9 living former Browns. He got traded to the Detroit Tigers, and spent the 1953 and '54 seasons in the minors before being called up. His last season was 1959, splitting it between the Senators and the St. Louis Cardinals, finishing with a .228 batting average.
* Jim Kaat, 80, from Zeeland, Michigan. A pitcher, he debuted with the team in 1959, helped them win the 1965 Pennant and the 1969 and '70 AL Western Division titles. He was still with them in 1973, making him the last Senator still with the Twins.
"Kitty" then pitched for the Chicago White Sox, helped the Philadelphia Phillies win 3 straight NL Eastern Division titles, pitched in late 1979 and early 1980 with the Yankees, and then 3 1/2 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, finally getting a World Series ring in 1982, just before turning 44. He retired after the 1983 season, making him the last former Old Senator still playing.
He finished with a career record of 283-237, 32,461 strikeouts, 3 All-Star berths, and 16 Gold Gloves, a record for pitchers since broken by Greg Maddux. The Twins have elected him to their team Hall of Fame. He also became an esteemed broadcaster. But he has not been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in either category. He should be elected in at least one.
* Billy Gardner, 92, from Waterford, Connecticut, outside New London. A 2nd baseman, he played for the Senators/Twins as they moved in 1960-61. He is also 1 of 10 surviving 1961 World Champion Yankees. He managed the Twins from 1981 to 1985, and the Kansas City Royals in 1987.
Terwilliger, Samford and Gardner are 3 of the 17 surviving former New York baseball Giants. Samford, Gardner, Willie Mays and Johnny Antonelli are the last 4 survivors of the Giants' 1954 World Champions.
* Rudy Hernández, 87, from Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. He was the 1st Dominican native to pitch in the major leagues, preceding Juan Marichal by 16 days. Oddly, he played for the last edition of the Old Senators in 1960 (21 games), and the first edition of the New Senators in 1961 (7 games), and for no other teams in any other seasons. As far as I know, he's the only player only to play for each edition of the Senators and no other MLB team.
* Don Lee, 85, from Globe, Arizona. A pitcher, he was in the major leagues from 1957 (Tigers) to 1966 (Cubs), including with the Senators/Twins from 1960 to 1962. He finished 40-44 for his career.
UPDATE: Irv Noren died on November 14, 2019. In 2020: Gil Coan died on February 4, Dick Hyde on April 15, Garland Shifflett on May 13, Ed Fitz Gerald on June 14, Jay Porter on October 11, and Julio Bécquer on November 21.
Terwilliger, Samford and Gardner are 3 of the 17 surviving former New York baseball Giants. Samford, Gardner, Willie Mays and Johnny Antonelli are the last 4 survivors of the Giants' 1954 World Champions.
* Rudy Hernández, 87, from Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. He was the 1st Dominican native to pitch in the major leagues, preceding Juan Marichal by 16 days. Oddly, he played for the last edition of the Old Senators in 1960 (21 games), and the first edition of the New Senators in 1961 (7 games), and for no other teams in any other seasons. As far as I know, he's the only player only to play for each edition of the Senators and no other MLB team.
* Don Lee, 85, from Globe, Arizona. A pitcher, he was in the major leagues from 1957 (Tigers) to 1966 (Cubs), including with the Senators/Twins from 1960 to 1962. He finished 40-44 for his career.
UPDATE: Irv Noren died on November 14, 2019. In 2020: Gil Coan died on February 4, Dick Hyde on April 15, Garland Shifflett on May 13, Ed Fitz Gerald on June 14, Jay Porter on October 11, and Julio Bécquer on November 21.
In 2021, Ron Samford died on January 14, Wayne Terwilliger on February 3, Vito Valentinetti on August 5, Johnny Groth on August 7, Eddie Robinson on October 4, and Bobby Kline on October 26. In 2022, Jerry Snyder died on January 31, and . In 2023, Albie Pearson died on February 21, and Dan Dobbek died on November 28, and Rudy Hernández died on November 23. In 2024, Billy Gardner died on January 3.
This dropped the number to 8: Bob Ross, Bob Oldis, Camilo Pascual, José Valdivielso, Whitey Herzog, Ken Aspromonte, Bobby Malkmus, Jim Kaat and Don Lee.
Jim Kaat was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022, as a player.
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