If Your Birthday is November 6th


...you share it with Washington's most revered baseball figure, Walter Johnson. The first of the game's legendary fireballers, he won 417 games over his 21-season career while his 3509 strikeouts set the standard for decades until the arrival of Ryan, Carlton and Clemens. And his 110 career shutouts remain the most ever!

More importantly, his was the name most associated with DC baseball success -- in 1924 and '25, he went a combined 43 & 14, as the Senators won their first two pennants (they also won in 1933, when Johnson was managing in the Indians). That makes it easy to understand why Johnson was one of the first five players named to the Hall of Fame in 1936 -- along with Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb.

This somewhat abstract statue of Walter Johnson is prominently diplayed on the outfield concourse, just past the main entrance of Nationals Park.

Among the others who share Walter Johnson's birthday is a Washington player of more recent vintage: Adam LaRoche, who spent four seasons (2011-'14) as the Nationals 1st baseman.

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