On September 30, 1971, professional baseball left Washington, DC., leaving the nation’s capitol without a baseball team until the Washington Nationals in 2005. This Reach Official America League ball was used during that final Senators game.
For Washington fans, the coming abandonment was too much to handle - this would be the second time in a decade that the team would abandon town. The first time was in 1960 when the Senators moved to Minneapolis to become the Twins, and now the expansion Senators that replaced them in ’61 were being sent to Texas to become the Rangers. During the team’s final game in DC against the Yankees, 25,000 bitter fans converged on RFK Stadium, many of them walking in without paying after security abandoned their posts. Despite protest banners being unfurled and an overall atmosphere of danger, the game continued into the top of the 9th inning when the Senators were one out away from a 7-5 win over the Damn Yankees. Then, with no security guards to stop them, fans began charging the field. When one swiped first base, the umpires called the game a forfeit 9-0 in the Yankees favor. This ball was used during that last, bittersweet game.
A blue ballpoint inscription reads: “This ball used Sept. 30, 1971 in last game of Washington Senators Yankees-9 Senators-0 By Default.” A side panel reads: “Ball sent to Larry Jones by Dave Nelson and Horacio Pina.” Dave Nelson has the distinction of scoring the last run in the history of the Senators franchise and Pina pitched the 6th inning for the Senators that final game. The ball shows game use with overall toning and it appears a very light coat of shellack has been applied. A unique artifact from the last big league game played in Washington until the Nationals arrived in 2005.