Washington Senators

1961 – 1971

When Calvin Griffith moved the original Senators to Minnesota, they were replaced by this expansion franchise. It was considered important to keep a team in the nation’s capital to placate Congress and thus stave off any reconsideration of baseball’s exemption from anti-trust laws. The new club continued the losing tradition of the original team, losing 100 games each of their first four seasons. The Senators had only one winning season, a fourth-place, 86-76 finish under rookie manager Ted Williams. Their only star through most of the club’s existence was Frank Howard, who led the AL in homers in 1968 and 1970. In 1972 new owner Bob Short moved the club to Texas.