| 1956 Washington Senators | |
|---|---|
| Major League affiliations | |
| |
| Location | |
| |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Calvin Griffith (majority owner, with Thelma Griffith Haynes) |
| General manager(s) | Calvin Griffith |
| Manager(s) | Chuck Dressen |
| Local television | WTTG |
| Local radio | WWDC (FM) (Arch McDonald, Bob Wolff) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1956 Washington Senators won 59 games, lost 95, and finished in seventh place in the American League. They were managed by Chuck Dressen and played home games at Griffith Stadium.
Offseason
- November 8, 1955: Mickey Vernon, Bob Porterfield, Johnny Schmitz, and Tom Umphlett were traded by the Senators to the Boston Red Sox for Karl Olson, Dick Brodowski, Tex Clevenger, Neil Chrisley, and Al Curtis (minors).[1]
- February 8, 1956: Mickey McDermott and Bobby Kline were traded by the Senators to the New York Yankees for Lou Berberet, Bob Wiesler, Herb Plews, Dick Tettelbach, and a player to be named later. The Yankees completed the deal by sending Whitey Herzog to the Senators on April 2.[2]
Regular season
- April 18, 1956: Umpire Ed Rommell was the first umpire to wear glasses in a major league game. The game was played between the Senators and the New York Yankees.[3]
Season standings
| American League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 97 | 57 | 0.630 | — | 49–28 | 48–29 |
| Cleveland Indians | 88 | 66 | 0.571 | 9 | 46–31 | 42–35 |
| Chicago White Sox | 85 | 69 | 0.552 | 12 | 46–31 | 39–38 |
| Boston Red Sox | 84 | 70 | 0.545 | 13 | 43–34 | 41–36 |
| Detroit Tigers | 82 | 72 | 0.532 | 15 | 37–40 | 45–32 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 69 | 85 | 0.448 | 28 | 41–36 | 28–49 |
| Washington Senators | 59 | 95 | 0.383 | 38 | 32–45 | 27–50 |
| Kansas City Athletics | 52 | 102 | 0.338 | 45 | 22–55 | 30–47 |
Record vs. opponents
1956 American League Records Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | NYY | WSH | |||||
| Baltimore | — | 6–16 | 9–13 | 5–17 | 13–9 | 15–7 | 9–13 | 12–10 | |||||
| Boston | 16–6 | — | 14–8 | 13–9–1 | 12–10 | 12–10 | 8–14 | 9–13 | |||||
| Chicago | 13–9 | 8–14 | — | 15–7 | 13–9 | 14–8 | 9–13 | 13–9 | |||||
| Cleveland | 17–5 | 9–13–1 | 7–15 | — | 11–11 | 17–5 | 10–12 | 17–5 | |||||
| Detroit | 9–13 | 10–12 | 9–13 | 11–11 | — | 16–6 | 12–10 | 15–7–1 | |||||
| Kansas City | 7–15 | 10–12 | 8–14 | 5–17 | 6–16 | — | 4–18 | 12–10 | |||||
| New York | 13–9 | 14–8 | 13–9 | 12–10 | 10–12 | 18–4 | — | 17–5 | |||||
| Washington | 10–12 | 13–9 | 9–13 | 5–17 | 7–15–1 | 10–12 | 5–17 | — | |||||
Opening Day lineup
| 1 | Eddie Yost | 3B |
| 32 | Dick Tettelbach | LF |
| 30 | Whitey Herzog | RF |
| 2 | Roy Sievers | 1B |
| 5 | Pete Runnels | 2B |
| 10 | Lou Berberet | C |
| 3 | Karl Olson | CF |
| 36 | José Valdivielso | SS |
| 27 | Camilo Pascual | P |
Roster
| 1956 Washington Senators | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
| Outfielders
Other batters
| Manager Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS | José Valdivielso | 90 | 246 | 58 | .236 | 4 | 29 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Olson | 106 | 313 | 77 | .246 | 4 | 22 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Abernathy | 5 | 30.1 | 1 | 3 | 4.15 | 18 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Brodowski | 7 | 17.2 | 0 | 3 | 9.17 | 8 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tex Clevenger | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 17 |
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Louisville Colonels | American Association | Red Marion and Max Carey |
| AA | Chattanooga Lookouts | Southern Association | Cal Ermer |
| A | Charlotte Hornets | Sally League | Rollie Hemsley |
| B | Hobbs Sports | Southwestern League | Pat Stasey |
| C | Thibodaux Senators | Evangeline League | Bill Dossey |
| D | Fort Walton Beach Jets | Alabama–Florida League | Bill Brightwell |
| D | Superior Senators | Nebraska State League | Ray Baker |
| D | Erie Senators | PONY League | Johnny Welaj |
LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS: Thibodaux[4]
Notes
- ^ Mickey Vernon page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Whitey Herzog page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 43, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007