Washington Senators Quiz | MLB Historical

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who did the Senators play in their first ever home game, back in 1901?

Answer: Baltimore Orioles

After opening their season with two wins in Philadelphia, the Senators played their first home game on April 16, 1901. They defeated John McGraw's Baltimore Orioles 9-2 before 9,772 fans.

2. Washington's AL batting champion Ed Delahanty died in July 1903. Where was Delahanty's body found?

Answer: Niagara River

In circumstances never fully explained, Delahanty was found in the Niagara River, near Niagara Falls, around July 4th. Delahanty disappeared from a train crossing the International Bridge, which crosses the Niagara River. It will probably never be known if he fell, jumped or was pushed off the train.

3. When did Walter Johnson first appear with the Senators?

Answer: 1907

Johnson, maybe the greatest right-hander in baseball history, had a 5-9 record with the Senators in 1907 with an ERA of 1.86.

4. In 1914, angered because the Senators wanted to reduce his contract, Walter Johnson signed with which Federal League team?

Answer: Chicago Whales

When told that the Senators wanted to cut his wages, Johnson went out and signed with the Federal League's Chicago Whales. Senators manager Clark Griffith then went to Johnson's home and signed him to the exact same contract that Johnson had signed with the Whales.

The Senators didn't have the money to pay the contract, so Griffith went and convinced Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey to pay the contract. He convinced Comiskey by telling him that he would lose a lot more money if Johnson pitched for the Chicago Federal League team.

5. How many World Series did the Senators appear in?

Answer: 3

The Senators played in the World Series in 1924, 1925 and 1933.

6. Who did the Senators play in the majority of their World Series appearances?

Answer: New York Giants

The Senators faced the Giants in two World Series. They beat them in 1924 and lost to them in 1933. In 1925, the Senators lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

7. How many years did Walter Johnson serve as manager of the Senators?

Answer: 4

Johnson managed the Senators from 1929 to 1932. They finished 5th, 2nd, 3rd and 3rd in his four years at the helm.

8. Who was the manager of the Senators the last time they appeared in the World Series?

Answer: Joe Cronin

Cronin, the future president of the American League, was in his first year as player/manager of the Senators when they made their last World Series appearance in 1933. The Senators lost to the Giants in 5 games. Cronin would only last 2 years as Senators' manager before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.

9. After their last appearance in the World Series, how many times did the Senators finish second in the American League before they moved to Minnesota in 1961?

Answer: 2

The only time after 1933 that the Senators finished the season in second place was during World War II. In 1943, Washington finished 8 1/2 games behind the Yankees and, in 1945, they finished 1 1/2 games behind Detroit.

10. Which Senators player won the American League batting title in 1946 and 1953?

Answer: Mickey Vernon

Vernon won the 1946 AL batting title, hitting .353. In 1953, Vernon won the batting title with a .337 average. He beat Cleveland's Al Rosen, who was fighting for the Triple Crown, by one point.

11. How many times did the first Senators franchise (1901-1960) lose 100 games in a season?

Answer: 5

The original Senators franchise lost 100 games five times in their history.
1904 - 113
1907 - 102
1909 - 110
1949 - 104
1955 - 101

12. The last manager of the first Washington Senators franchise (formed 1901) was also the first manager of the Minnesota Twins, when the Senators moved to Minnesota following the 1960 season.

Answer: True

Cookie Lavagetto had been the manager of the Senators since the middle of the 1957 season, when he took over for Charlie Dressen. In 1961, Lavagetto began as the Twins' first manager but would be fired in June of that year, being replaced by Sam Mele.

13. Which of the following Minnesota Twins did not begin their career with the franchise when it was located in Washington?

Answer: Tony Oliva

Oliva did not begin his major league career with the Twins until 1962. The other three all spent time with the Senators before the franchise moved to Minnesota.

14. Which of the following was never a manager of the second version of the Senators, a franchise that existed from 1961 to 1971?

Answer: Gene Mauch

The first manager of the second Washington Senators was Mickey Vernon. He lasted until the middle of the 1963 season, when he was replaced by Gil Hodges. Hodges managed the Senators through 1967, when he left to take over the New York Mets. In 1968, Jim Lemon was named manager and lasted all of one season. Bob Short bought the Senators after the 1968 season and replaced Lemon with Ted Williams, who managed the team their last three years in Washington.

15. What unusual occurrence took place during the Senators' last game in Washington, in 1971?

Answer: Senators lose in a forfeit

Late in the 1971 season, it was already known that the Senators would be moving to Texas. In their last game, the Senators were beating the Yankees 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning. At this point, fans started coming out on the field looking for souvenirs. An attempt to get the fans to return to their seats failed and the umpires declared the game in forfeit, giving the Yankees a 9-0 win.

Source: Author AdmiralShark

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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Washington Senators Trivia Quiz

Montreal became the Washington Nationals but, for 70 years, the Senators called Washington home: the original (1901-1960) that became the Minnesota Twins, and the expansion (1961-1971) that became the Texas Rangers.

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