The World Series is over and likely to be remembered in few places beyond St. Louis and Detroit.
While many now concentrate on the game’s second season — the Hot Stove League — I’m contemplating an approaching milestone at RFK Stadium.
RFK — then called District of Columbia Stadium — opened for baseball on Monday, April 9, 1962. The second-year expansion Senators hosted the Detroit Tigers in the Presidential opener, with President John F. Kennedy on hand to throw out the first ball. The Nats won that day, 4-1, behind the five-hit pitching of Bennie Daniels and a three-hit performance by shortstop Bob Johnson, including the stadium’s first home run. Attendance that day was either 44,383 (reported by The Sporting News) or 42,143 (announced by the team).
That was major league game No. 1 on East Capitol Street. Barring any rainouts or natural disasters, RFK will host major league game number 1,000 (not counting exhibition games) on Wednesday night, June 20, when the Nationals will host — how’s this for planning — those same Tigers in an interleague matchup.
I don’t know about you, but if that’s not an event screaming for a promotion, I don’t know what is. Reuniting the players who performed in that first game seems like a no-brainer and the hitting star of that contest is ready to roll.
Bob Johnson was in Baltimore earlier this month for a reunion of the 1966 World Champion Orioles. I spoke with him about that spring day 44 years ago.
“It was a tremendous thrill to play in front of the president,” he said. “I still keep a photo in my wallet of me coming back to the dugout afterthe home run, with [JFK] standing and applauding in the background.”
Johnson said he hopes to get invited back to Washington before RFK falls to the wrecking ball. “I really wanted to come back last year when baseball returned,” he said. “[1962] was the only season I played regularly, and I loved coming to the new park every day.”
Johnson also found it amusing the ballpark was labeled such a difficult home run venue. “I hit 12 home runs in 1962 (a career high), and eight were at home,” Johnson said. “It was a good hitter’s park, I always thought and I guess Soriano proved I was right.”
Finding the players from the first game wouldn’t be that hard. Only a few are deceased, and a couple will be close by: Senators’ right fielder Chuck Hinton lives in town and his Tigers’ counterpart, Hall of Famer Al Kaline, travels with Detroit. Johnson lives in St. Paul, Minn., Rocky Colavito lives near Reading, Pa. A few others are scouts or retired.
Jim Bunning, the Hall of Fame pitcher who pinch ran in the game, has been around D.C. for a number of years, representing Kentucky in the U.S. Senate.
Allowing the players from the stadium’s first game to return for another cheer from the locals seems altogether fitting. That the schedule maker brought the first opponent back for number 1,000 is providence. Let’s hope the Nationals make the most of it.
Phil Wood has covered sports in the Washington-Baltimore market for more than 30 years.
