Evening star., 1936-12-20
SPURT
FEATURE OF YEAR
Attendance Records Mark
Games This Year-LeWis
Proves Prize Rookie.

r Up FROM the depths of seventh
place bounced the Washing
ton ball club in 1886 to finish
~ as spirited first-division
team in the American League and,
thereby, furnish piece de resistance
of the Capitals sports year.
Remodeled by trades and bolstered
by rockies from Chattanooga, Presi-
dent Clark Grifith's accent-on-youth
outfit made up with spirit and dash
what it lacked in power and rang
down the season by finishing less than
a percentage point behind the third
place White Sox and less than full
game behind the second-place Detroit
Tigers.
How keenly interested was Washing
ton in its fiery young club was evi-
denced by a sharp turn in attendance.
At the close of the season it was re-
vealed that 33 per cent more people
paid to watch the 1886 Nationals than
watched the 1885 edition.
Greatest Season Game Crowd.
THE largest opening day crowd IN
Washington history-3l 600
watched Washingtons inaugural at
Griffith Stadium against the. Yankees.
On July A. when the Yanks played
double header here, an overflow throng
jammed its way on the field to estab-
lish an all-time local crowd record Tor
q nOn-World series game.
On the road the Nationals also did
well, on one occasion attracting up
ward of 1000 for a game with the
Yanks in New York. 1t set an
American League attendance record
for the year.
Chiefly instrumental in the surpris-
ing showing of Manager Bucky Harris
club were John Buddy Lewis. l9-
year-old rookie third baseman; First
Baseman Joe Kuhel. who staged a
grand comeback after poor seasons IN
1884 and 1885; Outflelder Johnny
Stone, who led the team in hitting
with a .34l average; Outfielder Ben
Chapman, who played his head off
after coming from New York in
trade for Jake Powell in June. and
Pitchers Pete Appleton and Jimmy De
Shong, both newcomers to the Wash
ington staff last year.
Appleton Great Help.
A PPLETON, picked up in the 1888
= draft for the waiver price Of ST.
500. won IA games and lost 9. despite
not getting starting chances until
nearly midseason. He wound up with
the best earned-run average on the
Griffmen's staff and ranked fifth in
the American League. De Shong, who
came to Washington with Outflelder
Jesse Hill in exchange for Bump Had
ley and Outfielder Roy johnson,
stepped into a regular job and won
18 games to lead the National hurlers
in victories.
Lewis, brought up from the Chat
tanooga farm" stepped into the third
base Job and proved sensation from
the start, earning rank as the prize
rookie infielder Of the American
League. Kuhel topped the club in
driving across runs, lib. and in ad-
dition to Hitting at 1921 pace, he
maintained his high standard of field
ing. Stone, overlooked as a regular
early in the season. quickly won a job
and held it by his steady hitting, while
Chapman batted at terrific clip.
once in a Washington uniform. and
showed the way as the Griffmen raced
to the base-stealing championship Of
the league with los thefts.
Myers Illness Hurts.
THE Nationals might have been even
greater surprises had it not been
for the illness of Capt. Buddy Myer,
1885 batting champion Of the Ameri-
can League. Myer was out for nearly
the entire season and his absence cost
the Griffmen considerable punch.
Ossie Bluege. Red Kress and. later,
Johnny Mihalic filled the breach as
acceptably as could be expected,
however.
The Nationals jinx club was Chi
cago, which won 16 of 81 games from
Washington. This was more than
evened, however, by the Nationals
trimming of the st. Louis Browns
in 10 of % games.
The year 1886 marked the return
of the Washington club to a Florida
Spring training site. After six years
at Biloxi, Miss, the Griffs moved to
Orlando, Fla, for their conditioning
and from that base engaged in one
of the most pretentious exhibition
game schedules in the history of