Tag: Walter Johnson

This day in baseball: Walter Johnson and Lefty Williams go 18 innings

May 15, 2026

On May 15, 1918, the Washington Senators defeated the Chicago White Sox, 1–0, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. in an undeniably impressive pitching duel. Despite recording eighteen innings, the contest only lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes as Walter Johnson and Lefty Williams both went the distance in this game. Washington won the game in the bottom of the 18th, when Eddie Ainsworth scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Walter Johnson, 1910 (Charles Conlon/public domain)

This day in baseball: The first Hall of Fame class is selected

January 29, 2023

On January 29, 1936, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and a special Veterans Committee selected Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson in the first-ever Baseball Hall of Fame elections. The enshrinement of these five greats, however, would have to wait until 1939, since the museum’s construction in Cooperstown had not yet begun.

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1936 inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame inductees: L-R: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Water Johnson (Wikimedia Commons / public domain)

This day in baseball: Walter Johnson loses congressional bid

November 5, 2022

On November 5, 1940, Election Day in America that year, former pitcher Walter Johnson lost to William D. Byron, the Democrat incumbent, in a bid to represent Maryland’s sixth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Hall of Fame right-hander had been elected as a Montgomery County Commissioner in 1938 but lost this election to Byron by a total of 60,037 (53%) to 52,258 (47%).

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US President Calvin Coolidge and Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson shake hands, 1924 (National Photo Company collection, Library of Congress)

This day in baseball: Walter Johnson’s 36-win season

September 29, 2022

Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson defeated the Philadelphia Athletics, 1-0, on September 29, 1913 to record his final decision of the season. Johnson would appear in only one more game in 1913 and finished the season with an impressive 36-7 record and a mind-boggling 346.1 innings pitched. Over the course of the season, Johnson also notched two saves, 243 strikeouts, and only gave up 9 home runs and 40 walks. He concluded 1913 with an ERA of 1.14.

Walter Johnson (Library of Congress)

This day in baseball: Walter Johnson pitches three consecutive shutouts

September 7, 2022

On September 7, 1908, Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators pitched the third of three consecutive shutouts against the New York Highlanders at Hilltop Park. Johnson threw a six-hit shutout on Friday, September 4th, followed by a four-hitter with no runs on Saturday, then concluded with a two-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader on Labor Day.

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Walter Johnson, 1910 (Charles Conlon/public domain)

This day in baseball: Schoolboy Rowe’s win streak ends

August 29, 2022

After winning a record-tying (at that time) 16 consecutive games on the mound, Lynwood Thomas “Schoolboy” Rowe finally lost to the Athletics, 13-5, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park on August 29, 1934. The Tigers’ right-hander’s mark tied the American League record for consecutive wins shared by Smoky Joe Wood, Walter Johnson, and Lefty Grove.

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Schoolboy Rowe, 1936 (public domain)

“Fastball” documentary

August 25, 2021

This documentary, “Fastball,” is fun to watch, and currently, it’s available for free through YouTube. Kevin Costner narrates, and you also get to hear from Joe Posnanski, Derek Jeter, Goose Gossage, Hank Aaron, plus a number of other hard-throwing pitchers and the hitters who had to face them. The documentary is rich with stories about many of the great fastball pitchers in the game, both past and present, and I even found myself experiencing small surges of adrenaline as I watched. The science presented in the film is fascinating, as well.

It looks like you’ll have to make your way to YouTube to watch it, as I’m unable to drop the video here due to restrictions. Definitely check it out, if you get the chance!

Quote of the day

February 28, 2020

I was the greenest rookie that ever was. One evening I was standing out on the sidewalk when a stranger approached and said, ‘You’re famous already kid. See, they’ve named a hotel for you.’ I looked across the street and sure enough, there was a big illuminated sign that read ‘Johnson Hotel.’ Well, do you know that I was so green that I actually believed the man!

~Walter Johnson

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Walter Johnson (Library of Congress)