The 1969 Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing 4th in the newly established

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.

Offseason

* January 8, 1969:

John Orsino John Joseph Orsino (April 22, 1938 – November 1, 2016) was a Major League Baseball catcher. He was signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before the 1957 season, and played for the San Francisco Giants (1961–1962), Baltimore ...

was purchased from the Senators by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

Regular season

The year 1969 was a turning point in Washington sports history. The Senators named

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1 ...

as manager. The

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

hired

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...

as Head Coach and he had brought a winning attitude to the nation's capital. In the same year, the nearby

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

had hired

Lefty Driesell Charles Grice "Lefty" Driesell (born December 25, 1931) is a retired American college basketball coach. He was the first coach to win more than 100 games at four different NCAA Division I schools, Driesell led the programs of Davidson College, ...

to coach basketball. It marked a renaissance in sports interest in America's most transient of cities. The hiring of Ted Williams sparked at least increased curiosity in the team. Williams' fanatical approach to hitting helped improve the Senators offense considerably, and inspired the team to its one and only winning season during its 11-year stay in Washington. The Senators won 86 games, 21 more than in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

, and improved from last place in the ten-team 1968 American League to one game out of third in the new AL East division. For this remarkable turnaround, Williams was voted American League Manager of the Year. As a result, attendance at RFK Stadium improved to over 900,000, the highest attendance for the "new" Senators and, at the time, the highest in Washington's baseball history.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day starters

* CF

Del Unser Delbert Bernard Unser (born December 9, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder and utility player from to , most prominently with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was ...

* RF Ed Stroud * LF Frank Howard * 1B

Mike Epstein Michael Peter Epstein (born April 4, 1943), nicknamed "Superjew", is an American former professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators / Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels of Major League Bas ...

* 3B Ken McMullen * SS

Ed Brinkman Edwin Albert Brinkman (December 8, 1941 – September 30, 2008) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a shortstop, for the Washington Senators (1961– ...

* 2B Tim Cullen * C

Paul Casanova Paulino Ortiz Casanova (December 21, 1941 – August 12, 2017) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1974 for the Washington Senators and Atlanta Braves. Minor league career Paul C ...

* P

Camilo Pascual Camilo Alberto Pascual Lus (born January 20, 1934) is a Cuban former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During an 18-year baseball career (1954–71), he played for the original modern Washington Senators franchise (which became the Mi ...

Notable transactions

* June 5, 1969:

1969 Major League Baseball draft The 1969 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft took place prior to the 1969 MLB season. The draft featured future Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven (pick 55) and Dave Winfield (pick 882). First round selections The following are the first round picks ...

** Dave Moates was drafted by the Senators in the 4th round. ** Dave Criscione was drafted by the Senators in the 5th round. * June 20, 1969: Bill Denehy and cash was traded by the Senators to the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

for

Lee Maye Arthur Lee Maye (December 11, 1934 – July 17, 2002) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played eleven seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Braves (1959–1965), Houston Astros (1965–1966), Cleveland Indians ...

Roster

Game log

Regular season

, - style="background:#fcc;"
1
, , April 7 , , 1:30p.m. EST , ,

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, , L 4–8 , , Stottlemyre (1–0) , , Pascual (0–1) , , – , , 2:47 , , 45,113 , , 0–1 ,
L1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
2
, , April 9 , , 8:05p.m. EST , ,

, , W 6–4 , , Coleman (1–0) , , Bahnsen (0–1) , , – , , 2:00 , , 15,162 , , 1–1 ,
W1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
3
, , April 10 , , 1:30p.m. EST , ,

, , W 9–6 , , Hannan (1–0) , , Peterson (0–1) , , Higgins (1) , , 2:33 , , 3,971 , , 2–1 ,
W2
, - style="background:#cfc;"
4
, , April 11 , , 8:00p.m. EST , , @

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

, , W 4–0 , , Moore (1–0) , , Hardin (0–1) , , Higgins (2) , , 2:15 , , 8,415 , , 3–1 ,
W3
, - style="background:#fcc;"
5
, , April 12 , , 2:15p.m. EST , , @

, , L 0–9 , , McNally (1–0) , , Pascual (0–2) , , – , , 2:16 , , 6,379 , , 3–2 ,
L1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
6
, , April 13 , , 2:00p.m. EST , , @

, , L 0–2 , ,

Palmer Palmer may refer to: People and fictional characters * Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land * Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...

(1–0) , , Coleman (1–1) , , – , , 2:03 , , – , , 3–3 ,
L2
, - style="background:#fcc;"
7
, , April 13 , , 4:38p.m. EST , , @

, , L 0–9 , ,

Phoebus Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

(1–0) , , Bosman (0–1) , , – , , 2:07 , , 20,483 , , 3–4 ,
L3
, - style="background:#fcc;"
8
, , April 15 , , 2:00p.m. EST , , @

, , L 2–8 , , Peterson (1–1) , , Bertaina (0–1) , , – , , 2:32 , , 13,889 , , 3–5 ,
L4
, - style="background:#bbb;" , –, , April 16 , , , , @

, , colspan="8", Postponed (Rain) , - style="background:#fcc;"
9
, , April 17 , , 1:00p.m. EST , , @

, , L 3–7 , , Stottlemyre (3–0) , , Higgins (0–1) , , – , , 2:28 , , – , , 3–6 ,
L5
, - style="background:#cfc;"
10
, , April 17 , , 4:03p.m. EST , , @

, , W 5–2 , , Moore (2–0) , , Bahnsen (0–3) , , Higgins (3) , , 2:17 , , 6,883 , , 4–6 ,
W1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
11
, , April 18 , , 8:05p.m. EST , ,

, , L 0–6 , ,

(2–0) , , Coleman (1–2) , , – , , 2:27 , , 4,457 , , 4–7 ,
L1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
12
, , April 19 , , 2:15p.m. EST , ,

, , W 7–5 , , Bosman (1–1) , , Cuellar (0–2) , , Higgins (4) , , 2:20 , , 5,495 , , 5–7 ,
W1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
13
, , April 20 , , 1:00p.m. EST , ,

, , L 1–2 , , McNally (2–0) , , Hannan (1–1) , ,

Watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

(2) , , 2:52 , , – , , 5–8 ,
L1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
14
, , April 20 , , 4:27p.m. EST , ,

, , W 5–2 , , Bertaina (1–1) , , Hardin (0–2) , ,

Humphreys Humphreys may refer to: Places * Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge, Arkansas-Mississippi * Camp Humphreys, U.S. Camp in South Korea *Humphreys, Missouri *Humphreys County, Mississippi * Humphreys County, Tennessee * Humphreys County Airport, Tennessee * ...

(1) , , 2:19 , , 18,055 , , 6–8 ,
W1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
15
, , April 21 , , 8:05p.m. EST , ,

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

, , L 0–2 , , Sparma (2–0) , , Moore (2–1) , , – , , 2:15 , , 3,813 , , 6–9 ,
L1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
16
, , April 22 , , 8:05p.m. EST , ,

, , L 2–4 , , Hiller (1–0) , , Pascual (0–3) , ,

McMahon McMahon, also spelled MacMahon (older Irish orthography: ; reformed Irish orthography: ), is a surname of Irish origin. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Mac'' ''Mathghamhna'' meaning 'son of the bear'. The surname came into use around the 11th c ...

(3) , , 2:48 , , 4,922 , , 6–10 ,
L2
, - style="background:#bbb;" , –, , April 24 , , , , @

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, , colspan="8", Postponed (Rain) , - style="background:#cfc;"
21
, , April 28 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 6–1 , , Pascual (1–3) , , Wilson (1–3) , , Bosman (1) , , 2:39 , , 7,353 , , 11–10 ,
W5
, - style="background:#fcc;"
22
, , April 29 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 4–5 , , Radatz (1–0) , , Bertaina (1–2) , , – , , 2:24 , , 6,986 , , 11–11 ,
L1
, - , - , - style="background:#bbb;" , –, , June 15 , , , ,

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

, , colspan="8", Postponed (Rain) , - style="background:#fcc;"
64
, , June 17 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 1–5 , , Cuellar (0–2) , , Shellenback (1–2) , , – , , 2:26 , , 22,134 , , 31–33 ,
L2
, - style="background:#fcc;"
65
, , June 18 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 1–3 , , Hardin (3–3) , , Moore (5–2) , , Hall (2) , , 2:11 , , 10,420 , , 31–34 ,
L3
, - style="background:#fcc;"
66
, , June 19 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 0–2 , , McNally (10–0) , , Higgins (4–7) , , – , , 2:04 , , 13,376 , , 31–35 ,
L4
, - style="background:#cfc;"
67
, , June 20 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 7–2 , , Knowles (3–0) , ,

(1–4) , , – , , 3:07 , , 27,725 , , 32–35 ,
W1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
68
, , June 21 , , 1:15p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 5–9 , , Lolich (8–1) , ,

(1–2) , , – , , 2:31 , , 25,340 , , 32–36 ,
L1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
69
, , June 22 , , 1:30p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 9–4 , , Higgins (5–7) , , Dobson (2–5) , , – , , 2:51 , , – , , 33–36 ,
W1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
70
, , June 22 , , 4:56p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 9–5 , , Moore (6–2) , , Sparma (4–3) , , – , , 1:51 , , 52,721 , , 34–36 ,
W2
, - style="background:#fcc;"
71
, , June 23 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 3–5 , ,

(9–2) , , Knowles (3–1) , , Richert (6) , , 1:57 , , 7,830 , , 34–37 ,
L1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
72
, , June 24 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 3–6 , , Hall (4–2) , , Shellenback (1–3) , , – , , 3:06 , , 14,763 , , 34–38 ,
L2
, - style="background:#cfc;"
73
, , June 25 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 11–8 , ,

(2–2) , , Hardin (3–4) , , Knowles (2) , , 2:41 , , 11,130 , , 35–38 ,
W1
, - style="background:#bbb;" , –, , June 30 , , , , @ Indians , , colspan="8", Postponed (Rain) , - , - style="background:#fcc;"
90
, , July 11 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 3–4 , , Stottlemyre (13–6) , , Moore (7–4) , , – , , 2:13 , , 22,254 , , 46–44 ,
L1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
91
, , July 12 , , 2:15p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 1–3 , , Burbach (6–7) , , Bosman (6–3) , , Aker (7) , , 2:39 , , 17,818 , , 46–45 ,
L2
, - style="background:#cfc;"
92
, , July 13 , , 1:00p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 5–4 , ,

Cox Cox may refer to: * Cox (surname), including people with the name Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** ...

(7–1) , , Peterson (9–11) , , – , , 2:19 , , – , , 47–45 ,
W1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
93
, , July 13 , , 3:54p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 10–1 , , Shellenback (2–4) , , Downing (1–3) , , – , , 2:22 , , 31,700 , , 48–45 ,
W2
, - style="background:#cfc;"
94
, , July 14 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 3–0 , , Coleman (6–7) , , Sparma (5–7) , , – , , 2:50 , , 23,831 , , 49–45 ,
W3
, - style="background:#cfc;"
95
, , July 15 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 7–3 , , Moore (8–4) , , Hiller (2–3) , , Baldwin (3) , , 2:28 , , 16,122 , , 50–45 ,
W4
, - style="background:#fcc;"
96
, , July 16 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 0–3 , , Lolich (8–1) , , Bosman (6–4) , , – , , 2:27 , , 21,568 , , 50–46 ,
L1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
97
, , July 17 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 3–4 , , Wilson (8–7) , ,

(7–2) , ,

(8) , , 2:31 , , 24,701 , , 50–47 ,
L2
, - style="background:#fcc;"
98
, , July 18 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 0–5 , , Peterson (10–11) , , Shellenback (2–5) , , – , , 2:13 , , 11,002 , , 50–48 ,
L3
, - style="background:#fcc;"
99
, , July 19 , , 5:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 0–9 , , Stottlemyre (14–7) , , Moore (8–5) , , – , , 2:12 , , – , , 50–49 ,
L4
, - style="background:#cfc;"
100
, , July 19 , , 7:47p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 4–0 , , Coleman (7–7) , , Bahnsen (5–11) , , – , , 2:37 , , 16,547 , , 51–49 ,
W1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
101
, , July 20 , , 2:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 2–3 , , Aker (5–2) , ,

(7–3) , , – , , 3:17 , , 32,933 , , 51–50 ,
L1
, - style=background:#bbbfff , colspan="12", 40th All-Star Game in Washington, DC , - , - , - style="background:#bbb;" , –, , September 8 , , , , @

, , colspan="8", Postponed (Rain) , - style="background:#fcc;"
141
, , September 9 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 1–6 , , Cuellar (21–10) , , Carlos (5–4) , , – , , 2:25 , , – , , 72–69 ,
L1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
142
, , September 9 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 2–3 , ,

(13–6) , , Coleman (10–13) , ,

(14) , , 2:39 , , 10,747 , , 72–70 ,
L2
, - style="background:#cfc;"
143
, , September 10 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 6–1 , , Bosman (12–5) , , Stottlemyre (18–13) , , – , , 2:10 , , 6,016 , , 73–70 ,
W1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
144
, , September 11 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 7–3 , , Hannan (6–5) , , Bahnsen (9–14) , , Knowles (12) , , 2:10 , , 5,389 , , 74–70 ,
W2
, - style="background:#cfc;"
145
, , September 12 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 4–3 , ,

(12–5) , , Wilson (12–10) , , – , , 2:17 , , 9,398 , , 75–70 ,
W3
, - style="background:#cfc;"
146
, , September 13 , , 2:15p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 11–6 , , Knowles (1–2) , , Timmermann (3–3) , , – , , 2:56 , , 9,921 , , 76–70 ,
W4
, - style="background:#fcc;"
147
, , September 14 , , 1:30p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 4–7 , , Dobson (5–10) , ,

Dukes Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

(0–1) , , Hiller (4) , , 3:58 , , 12,114 , , 76–71 ,
L1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
148
, , September 15 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , W 3–2 , ,

(3–3) , ,

(14–3) , , – , , 1:51 , , 5,376 , , 77–71 ,
W1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
149
, , September 16 , , 8:05p.m. EDT , ,

, , L 0–1 , , McNally (19–6) , , Hannan (6–6) , ,

(16) , , 2:41 , , 8,165 , , 77–72 ,
L1
, - style="background:#fcc;"
150
, , September 17 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 1–2 , , Peterson (16–15) , ,

(12–6) , , – , , 1:17 , , 5,025 , , 77–73 ,
L2
, - style="background:#fcc;"
151
, , September 18 , , 8:00p.m. EDT , , @

, , L 3–4 , , Stottlemyre (19–13) , , Moore (8–8) , , – , , 2:13 , , 6,020 , , 77–74 ,
L3
, - style="background:#bbb;" , –, , September 23 , , , , @

, , colspan="8", Postponed (Rain) , - style="background:#cfc;"
154
, , September 24 , , 5:30p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 8–4 , , Hannan (7–6) , ,

McLain McLain is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Denny McLain, American baseball player * Hardy McLain (born 1952), American hedge fund manager *Jeremiah McLain Rusk, American politician, 15th governor of the state of Wisconsin * Raym ...

(23–9) , , Shellenback (1) , , 2:38 , , – , , 79–75 ,
W1
, - style="background:#cfc;"
155
, , September 24 , , 8:43p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 7–4 , , Higgins (10–9) , , Lolich (18–10) , , Knowles (13) , , 2:44 , , 14,032 , , 80–75 , ,
W2
, - style="background:#cfc;"
156
, , September 25 , , 1:30p.m. EDT , , @

, , W 7–2 , , Bosman (13–5) , , Kilkenny (7–6) , , – , , 2:18 , , 4,589 , , 81–75 , ,
W3
, - , - , - style="text-align:center;" , Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Senators team member

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Other pitchers

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

Relief pitchers

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

Awards and honors

, American League Leader, Triples (8)Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.96, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, *Del Unser, American League Record, Fewest Triples in One Season by an American League Leader (8) *

, Associated Press AL Manager of the Year

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

* Frank Howard, starting LF *

Darold Knowles Darold Duane Knowles (born December 9, 1941) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from through , most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecu ...

, reserve

Farm system

Savannah affiliation shared with Houston Astros

Notes

References

1969 Washington Senators
at ''Baseball Reference''
1969 Washington Senators
at ''Baseball Almanac'' * {{Texas Rangers Texas Rangers seasons Washington Senators season

Washing Washing is a method of cleaning, usually with water and soap or detergent. Washing and then rinsing both body and clothing is an essential part of good hygiene and health. Often people use soaps and detergents to assist in the emulsification o ...