The 1969 Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing fourth in the newly established American League East with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.
Offseason
- January 8, 1969: John Orsino was purchased from the Senators by the New York Yankees.
Regular season
The year 1969 was a turning point in Washington sports history. The Senators named Ted Williams as manager. The Washington Redskins hired Vince Lombardi as Head Coach and he had brought a winning attitude to the nation's capital. In the same year, the nearby University of Maryland had hired Lefty Driesell to coach basketball. It marked a renaissance in sports interest in America's most transient of cities.
The hiring of Ted Williams sparked at least increased curiosity in the team. Williams' fanatical approach to hitting helped improve the Senators offense considerably, and inspired the team to its one and only winning season during its 11-year stay in Washington. The Senators won 86 games, 21 more than in 1968, and improved from last place in the ten-team 1968 American League to one game out of third in the new AL East division. For this remarkable turnaround, Williams was voted American League Manager of the Year. As a result, attendance at RFK Stadium improved to over 900,000, the highest attendance for the "new" Senators and, at the time, the highest in Washington's baseball history.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Opening Day starters
- CF Del Unser
- RF Ed Stroud
- LF Frank Howard
- 1B Mike Epstein
- 3B Ken McMullen
- SS Ed Brinkman
- 2B Tim Cullen
- C Paul Casanova
- P Camilo Pascual
Notable transactions
- June 5, 1969: 1969 Major League Baseball draft
- Dave Moates was drafted by the Senators in the 4th round.
- Dave Criscione was drafted by the Senators in the 5th round.
- June 20, 1969: Bill Denehy and cash was traded by the Senators to the Cleveland Indians for Lee Maye.
Roster
Game log
Regular season
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Awards and honors
- Del Unser, American League Leader, Triples (8)
- Del Unser, American League Record, Fewest Triples in One Season by an American League Leader (8)
- Ted Williams, Associated Press AL Manager of the Year
All-Star Game
- Frank Howard, starting LF
- Darold Knowles, reserve
Farm system
Savannah affiliation shared with Houston Astros
Notes
References
- 1969 Washington Senators at Baseball Reference
- 1969 Washington Senators at Baseball Almanac
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (3rd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-1-932391-17-6.
