History
October 10, 1924: Walter Johnson’s relief work delivers Washington’s first championship
Four scoreless relief innings kept Game 7 alive before the Senators defeated the Giants in the 12th.
Walter Johnson entered the ninth inning of Game 7 on October 10, 1924, with the World Series tied and two earlier losses behind him. Four scoreless innings later, Washington had its first championship.1
The Senators defeated the New York Giants 4–3 in 12 innings at Griffith Stadium. Johnson allowed three hits and three walks in relief but kept New York from breaking a 3–3 tie.
Washington had drawn level in the eighth when Bucky Harris’ grounder took a bad hop over third baseman Fred Lindstrom and brought home two runs.
Another fortunate sequence decided the 12th. Catcher Hank Gowdy tripped over his mask and dropped Muddy Ruel’s foul pop. Ruel then doubled. Johnson reached on an error before Earl McNeely hit a grounder that bounced over Lindstrom, scoring Ruel.
The familiar story attributes the final bad hop to a pebble, but the Hall of Fame identifies that explanation as legend rather than a verified cause.
Johnson’s relief appearance gave Washington time to benefit from that sequence. The decisive hit belongs to McNeely; the four scoreless innings explain why the opportunity was still there.
