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The 1969 Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing 4th in the newly established American League East with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.
Contents
Offseason
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' fanatic approach to hitting helped improve the Senators offense considerably, and inspired the team to its one and only winning season during its 10-year stay in Washington. For this remarkable turnaround, Williams was voted American League Manager of the Year. (Note: This was the only award that Ted Williams had ever won, but Joe DiMaggio had not.) As a result, attendance at RFK Stadium improved to over 900,000, the best attendance record the "new" Senators ever had.
Opening Day starters
Notable transactions
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
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
All-Star Game
Farm system
Savannah affiliation shared with Houston Astros