Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-29

most brilliant campaign enjoyed
by a Washington base ball club
since the last pennant-winning
year of 1925. Never credited as
factor in the fight for the flag at
the outset of the season, the band
led by Walter Johnson leaped into
the thick of the struggle at the
beginning of championship play,
and down to the last two weeks of
the campaign was a pennant pos
Sibility. Though it bowed to the
Athletics, repeating champions,
finally, Washington fandom has
every right to be proud of its club
Of 1880.
Twice during the season the Nation
ais were at the top of the league, and
never in the last half of it were they
below second place. Under the able
guidance of man who in his playing
days had given so much of himself to
the club the Nationals astounded the
critics of the game by their determined
battling. To the fine performances CT
the mixture of veterans and youngsters
wearing the washington livery, of
course, great credit is due for the clubs
surprising success, but greater credit, it
seems, is due johnson for landing in
the runner-up position an outfit rele-
gated to q loWly second division berth
In the preseason reckoning of virtually
every base ball critic of the country.
In his second year as manager john
son took up club that had barely
fought its way to fifth place in the
league in 1929, made a change here
and there to start the season, then
partially rebuilt it at almost the half
way point Of the campaign. Under his
inspiring leadership the Nationals early
developed into a winning outfit, and,
despite several setbacks that might
have totally wrecked q less game lot,
Johnson's club carried the fight TO the
one aggregation that beat it out all the
way.
EOR the first time in three seasons q
- Washington club finishes with a
winning percentage above 500. In
fact, in 1928 and 1929 the Nationals
were unable to rise as high as 500 in
victory rating. This year 1t shows q
rating of gil and finishes an even
eight games behind the flag winning
Athletics and as many games ahead of
a
over one season.
In scoring 81 victories the Nationals
bettered by two games the number they
won in 1924 to capture the American
League championship. And this time
they finished with only two less wins
than they registered in 1925, when they
again won the flag.
WHILE the Nationals held the lead
w for brief time after May 30, it
was on that day in PHILADELPHIA
their pennant chance really began to
fade. Then they started a four-game
series with their nearest rivals. the
Athletics. AS the Nationals went into
the morning game on Memorial 6ay
they were in first place with a lead Of
Tour games. The AS, though, pulled up
70 even terms by sweeping the three
games played in Philadelphia. then
came TO washington and went into the
Lead by trimming the Nationals In a
Sunday tilt
There followed for the Nationals an
unsatisfactory invasion Of the West and
Snongn they performed remarkably on
Gneir own lot later in June and early
July the lead was not regained until
just before the second Western invasion
started and then they were first only
ny slim margin. The second tour of
tne West proved more disastrous than
the frst for the Nationals and when
they got back to their own lot they met
tne Athletics, who had regained first
place, and were thrust farther back
The Nationals August home stand
was fairly successful, but when they
neaoeu West early this month for the
last time their chance to overhaul the
Athletics was threadlike. At that. the
johnson band managed to stick at the
neeis OF Connie Mack's world champhs
ana finished the season no farther back
o. tnem tnan when the last Western
tour started.
a T home the Nationals played re-
"A markable base ball. OF the n
games in Grifith Stadium they
won So. Abroad they were not even a
.0OO CLUB OF the n games on foreign
nelos they won but ss. The Nationals
were strong on the lots of their Eastern
rivals, taking 30 of 80 games. In the
west, however they lost IS of A games.
It vas the second trip West that did
fnuch to hurt the Nationals. Then thev
took only Of 10 games played.
just before the start of this trip a leg
INJURY put out of commission Heinie
Manush, the clubs main punch in at
tack at the time, and his loss undoubt-
edly had a great deal to do with the
Nationals weak showing. Other mis-
maps, though, were felt Sam Jones.
before that a dependable veteran
pitcher, had his arm go back on him
temporarily and some of the younger
pitchers of whom much had been ex-
pected suddenly became ineffective.
Although the Nationals struggled
back into the nag fight for time later
they again were handicapped by the
loss Of their right-hand pitching ace.
Fred Marberry. A wrist-break sus-
tanned by him in a game in New York
early in August kept Marberry out of
action for month and after his return
to the game he failed to show his former
effectiveness.
TN nid-June there was considerable
4 remaking of the Nationals through
the medium Of trades. First Red
Barnes, an outfielder who had been
with the club several seasons, was given
20 the White Sox in exchange for Dave
Harris, rieht-hand swinging outflelder.
Next came a trade that startled the base
BAH world Goose Goslin, long regarded
a fixture with Washington and an OUT
fielder who only two years ago won the
American League batting championship,
was given to the Browns in exchange
for Manush, a former league batting
leader and always highly rated hitter,
and Al Crowder, regarded as one OF the
cIeyerest rigilt-hand hurlers in the cir
cIiit. Right on the heels Of this trade
came the one that sent to Chicago
Benny Tate, catcher, and Garland
Hraxton. southpaw pitcher, for Art
shires. ulayboy Of base ball, but never
theless held q promising first baseman
ana hitter.
unloubtedly the Nationals were
~ sFeasAy ~ the Goslin for AAnusn