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 1933 World Series Photo Gallery
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Let’s Revisit the 1933 World Series!

“What had unfolded in the ’33 Series was no mystery. Clearly good pitching had stopped good hitting.” –The Sporting News, 1933

With the 2019 World Series now in full swing, let’s take a quick look back at the last time the city of Washington had a team in the Fall Classic. As we’re continually reminded, the year was 1933 when the heavily-favored Washington Senators faced off against the New York Giants. The Series was played from October 3-7, 1933.

Of course this was the original Washington franchise which later became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. The current team is “Washington Version Number Three,” the incarnation of the franchise that moved to D.C. from Montreal in 2005.

In the featured photo below, we see the 1933 American League champion Washington Senators. (I did the IDs on this photo a few years ago. The names are at the bottom of the post. See how many you can pick out before looking at the IDs.)

Both the Senators and the Giants had first-year player-managers who later became Hall-of-Famers. The 1933 Giants went 91-61 (.599), finishing five games ahead of the Pirates under player-manager Bill Terry, the last National Leaguer to hit .400. This was their first taste of October baseball since winning four straight pennants from 1921-’24. Long-time Giants manager John McGraw had retired in 1932 after 30 years at the Giants’ helm.  Mac was on hand for the series watching from the stands; and then, unfortunately, he passed away just four months later.

Similarly, the Senators also had a first-year player-manager in shortstop Joe Cronin, taking over from the retiring Walter “Big Train” Johnson. The Senators went 99-53 (.651), winning their third pennant in nine years, while finishing seven games ahead of the Yankees.

Some highlights from the 1933 Season and World Series:

• The Giants outstanding pitching easily defeated the hard-hitting Senators in five games behind aces “King” Carl Hubbell and “Prince Hal” Schumacher. Hubbell led the National League in victories (23), shutouts (10), and ERA (1.66). Their pitching staff also included standouts Freddie Fitzsimmons, Roy Parmelee and 43-year old reliever Dolf Luque.
• The Senators lineup was loaded with stars, including Heinie Manush (.336, 95 RBI), Buddy Myer (.302), Joe Kuhel (.322, 107 RBI), Goose Goslin (.297), and Fred Schulte (.295). Their pitching staff include stars Alvin Crowder (24-15), Earl Whitehill (22-8), and Lefty Stewart (15-6).
• In contrast to Senators’ loaded lineup, the Giants had only one .300 hitter in Bill Terry and one 100 RBI man in Mel Ott.
• For the Series, the Giants batted .267 (slightly above their season average of .263) and the Senators hit only .214 after leading the majors in the 1933 season with a .287 mark.
• Forty-three year old future Hall-of-Famer Sam Rice was in his last year with the Senators. Sam had only one at-bat during the Series, a pinch-hit single in the second game.
• The umpires for the Series were Charley Moran, George Moriarity, Cy Pfirman, and Red Ormsby.
• The games were broadcast on CBS and NBC radio, with Hal Totten and Graham McNamee at the mikes.
• President Roosevelt threw out the first pitch before Game Three, October 5, 1933
• There were eight future Hall-of-Famers in the Series: Giants Carl Hubbell, Mel Ott, Travis Jackson, and Bill Terry; Senators Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, Joe Cronin, and Heine Manush.

Game Summaries

• Game One: Hubbell did not permit an earned run while allowing only five hits and striking out ten in a 4-2 opening victory that featured a Mel Ott two-run homer.
• Game Two: Hal Schumacher gave up only one run (a Goslin homer), and wound up a 6-1 winner after erupting for six runs in the sixth.
• Game Three: Earl Whitehill pitched a five-hit shutout as the Senators won 4-0, bringing the Senators back into the Series.
• Game Four: Hubbell returned for Game 4 and did not allow an earned run for nine innings in a 1-1 tie. The Giants pushed across a run in the tenth and held on for a 2-1 victory.
• Game Five: Schumacher pitched six strong innings and left in a 3-3 tie. Mel Ott won the game and the Series with a homer in the tenth, with Dolf Luque pitching strong in relief.

1933 Washington Senators

Top Row, L-R; Emil Yde, Dave Harris, Bob Burke, Bob Boken, Al Thomas, Cliff Bolton, Moe Berg, Monte Weaver. Middle Row, L-R: Jack Russell, Leon “Goose” Goslin, Johnny Kerr, Heine Manush, Earl Whitehall, Nick Altrock, Cecil Travis, Fred Schulte. Front Row, L-R: Sam Rice, Joe Kuhel, Luke Sewell, Alvin  “General” Crowder, Joe Cronin (Mgr.), Buddy Myer, Lefty Stewart, Ossie Bluege. Batboy: Mahoney

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Gary Livacari 

Photo Credits: All from Google search

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