How Ted Williams Brought Baseball Back to Washington: The Untold Story

Looking at the title of today's blog, a wag might quip that Williams brought baseball back to D.C. in 1969.

In many ways, that's true. Williams inherited the team that, in 1968, was MLB's absolute worst. Even worse, when the AL added the Seattle Pilot and Kansas City Royals in 1969, they split into two divisions. Into the East went Detroit, Baltimore, Cleveland, Boston and New York. These teams finished in the top five spots in 1968. Raising the mountain higher, new Senators owner Robert E. Short, fired the incumbent GM, George Selkirk and the Nats added no player of any value for the 1969 season.

Nevertheless, Williams, as a rookie manager, turned that dross into gold, leading the Senators to 86 wins and the first winning season in DC since 1946. 23 years! He helped the hitters and the pitchers.

The Senators in 1968, had an OPS of .623, 14 points below the league average, (OPS plus was 92, 1 point below average) and an ERA+ of 80, 21 points below the league average. Standard ERA was 3.64 for the Nats, 66 points above the league average (stats from baseballreference.com).

In 1969, those numbers improved quite a bit. The hitters had an OPS of .708, 18 points above the league average. OPS+ was 103, league average was 93. ERA+ for the pitching staff was 99, 1 point below league average. ERA was 3.49, 13 points below league average.

Williams was selected as The Sporting News AL Manager of the Year, besting Earl Weaver and his 109-win Orioles. Back then, the Baltimore Birds were so good, Weaver was often denigrated as a mere "push-button manager."

So, Teddy Ballgame truly did return watchable baseball to DC in 1969. But, he also gave the push to return the National Pastime to DC again in 1998, at the November 1969 Senators Reunion, sponsored by the Washington Baseball Historical Society.

Williams was old and frail then, spending most of his time in a wheelchair. Yet, his spirit, his magnetism, his ability to light up a room, remained. The reunion event's capstone was a Sunday breakfast with players from the 1969 team hosting fans at each table. Williams was invited, but did not appear until the event was almost over.

The living legend rose from his wheelchair, swatted the helping hand from his son, John Henry, away, and immediately owned the room. He ended his remarks with a clarion call for baseball in DC:

"Hey, keep the faith about Washington, because I can't think of a better place, and probably the best place, for Major League Baseball to come back."

Then, in September 2005:

Hallelujah!