September 8, 1950: Ottawa Nationals clinch third Border League pennant in four seasons

The Ottawa Nationals were the most successful team in the Border League during their brief four-year existence.1 After running away with the pennant in 1947 and 1948, Ottawa took a small step backward the next season and finished second to the Geneva Robins, a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate. In 1950 the Nationals were determined to reclaim the top spot in the Class-C circuit.2

Despite not being as strong as the 1947-48 teams, the Nationals treated their fans to a spine-tingling 1950 pennant race that was one of the most dramatic in Ottawa’s storied baseball history. Pivotal events that summer included the tragic midseason death of a key pitcher, the recruitment of the first two Black players to play professionally in Ottawa, and a back-and-forth battle for first place with the Ogdensburg Maples that wasn’t decided until the final day of the season. Few were surprised when Ottawa led the league in attendance for the third consecutive season.3

The Nationals looked as though they might run away with the pennant in the early going, and at the end of June they had a 6½-game cushion. But the Nationals took their foot off the gas in July, and Ogdensburg got back into the race by winning 22 games that month.4

Ottawa’s lead was just 2½ games over Ogdensburg after it swept a doubleheader in Watertown, New York on Sunday, July 30. The season took a sudden, shocking twist on the drive back to Ottawa. Around 12:30 A.M., a United States Army truck veered onto the wrong side of the highway just outside of Watertown and collided with an oncoming car carrying five Ottawa players.5 Pitcher Bob Larkin, a 24-year-old native of Toronto, Ohio, was killed in the crash.6 The four other Nationals in the vehicle were badly injured.7

The stunned and depleted Nationals lost their next six games, dropping them two games out of first place. Ottawa snapped the losing skid in Ogdensburg on August 6 when player-manager Bill Metzig slammed a game-winning homer in the ninth inning.8

The Nationals got an even bigger lift on August 12 when Negro Leagues legend Willard Brown joined the team from the Kansas City Monarchs.9 The 35-year-old outfielder, nicknamed “Home Run” Brown by renowned slugger Josh Gibson, had been the Negro American League’s RBI leader for eight seasons and its home-run leader six times.10 Buck O’Neil, Brown’s teammate on the Monarchs for nine seasons, called him “the most natural ballplayer I ever saw.”11

In July 1947—just two weeks after Larry Doby had integrated the American League—Brown and Hank Thompson briefly integrated the St. Louis Browns.12 Brown became the first Black player to hit a home run in the AL when he tagged Hal Newhouser for a pinch-hit homer on August 13.13

But Brown was not the first Black player to play professionally for Ottawa. Less than a month earlier, 21-year-old outfielder Jim “Bo” Wallace, who had an eight-game stint with the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League in 1948, debuted with the Nationals. News of Wallace’s signing was splashed across the front page of both Ottawa dailies on July 18, with a local scribe classifying the team’s move as a “dramatic change in policy.”14 Wallace soon settled into a role as a backup outfielder, hitting .278 in 90 at-bats for the season.

Ottawa and Ogdensburg remained locked in a tight struggle as the calendar flipped to September. On the season’s penultimate day, Ottawa clinched a tie for first place by sweeping a doubleheader from Geneva, raising its record to 74-53. Don Bryant tossed a seven-inning no-hitter in the opener.15 In the second game, Brown paced the attack with three hits, four RBIs, and a stolen base in a 15-3 blowout victory.16

Ogdensburg’s last hope was to sweep a twin bill in Watertown on September 8 and have fifth-place Geneva upset Ottawa in the finale of their four-game series. Both Ottawa and Ogdensburg entered the last day of the season on a four-game winning streak. Metzig took no chances against Geneva, starting the league’s top pitcher, Ed Flanagan (15-10, 2.00 ERA), on two days’ rest.17

The Robins countered with another 26-year-old righty, Norman Gosselin. He had lasted just five innings in his start the previous evening, giving up 10 runs (3 earned) in the nightcap.18 Gosselin had a 19-11 record a 3.20 ERA.

Ottawa got off to a fast start with six singles and three walks in the first two innings, although Gosselin minimized the damage by escaping with the bases loaded both times.

The Nationals opened the scoring in the first on a two-out RBI single by first baseman Vernon “Moose” Shetler.19 After third baseman Johnny Russian walked to load the bases, left fielder Carl Hodson drew another walk to force in a run and give Ottawa a 2-0 lead. Gosselin recorded the third out before Ottawa could extend its lead any further.

Flanagan started the second by loading the bases on a pair of walks sandwiched around a single by Geneva backstop Tony Mlynarek.20 Don Newman grounded the ball over second base, only to have shortstop Mike Pontarelli range to his left and make a diving stop; the runner from third scored as Pontarelli threw Newman out at first, cutting Ottawa’s lead to 2-1.21

Ottawa loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning on singles by Pete Karpuk and Brown and an intentional walk to the dangerous Shetler.22 The free pass worked like a charm, as Gosselin wiggled out of the jam.

The game turned into a pitchers’ duel over in the final seven frames. Gosselin moved away from his fastball and began relying on his knuckleball and slow curve, limiting Ottawa to one single and one walk the rest of the way.23

Geneva threatened to tie the game in the fourth on singles by Mlynarek and Newman before “neat Ottawa fielding spoiled the uprising.”24 Hodson made the best defensive play of the night when he made a long running catch to retire the side in the eighth with the potential tying run on base.

The tense atmosphere at Lansdowne Park ratcheted up further when it was announced that Ogdensburg had won in extra innings in the first game of its twin bill.25

After getting the first out of the ninth on a long fly ball, Flanagan surrendered a single to Bob Toole, and Bryant began to quickly warm up in the bullpen. But Newman hit a slow roller to the right side; the second baseman Metzig came charging in, tagged Toole, and threw to first to complete the game-ending double play. “The crowd of more than 4,000 raised the roof with a terrific roar of applause and relief,” wrote Jack Kinsella in the Ottawa Citizen.26

Flanagan finished with a five-hitter, picking up his 16th win of the season. His victory proved critical to clinching the pennant, as Ogdensburg also won the second game of its doubleheader.

Brown played in the final 30 games of the season, hitting .352 and saving several games with his electrifying defense.27 The Nationals went 21-9 (.700) with Brown in the lineup. “The acquisition of Moose Shetler and Willard Brown has been like money from home,” wrote the Citizen’s Jack Koffman.28 “Willard has been a favorite since he hit the capital.”29

Brown returned to the Monarchs in 1951, winning the NAL batting title, and he continued to play professionally until 1958. In 2006 Brown and six other former Negro League players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.30 “I’m sorry we couldn’t do this 30 or 40 years ago when some of our candidates were alive,” said former commissioner Fay Vincent. “But we’re here now to make this right.”31

Two Ottawa stalwarts, Metzig and Russian, were named to the All-Star team in 1950. Both players had been regulars on the team since it joined the Border League, with Metzig named the league’s All-Star second baseman in all four seasons.32 Russian earned All-Star honors at third base three times.

In the first round of the Shaughnessy playoffs, Flanagan tossed a pair of shutouts against the Kingston Ponies, running his streak of scoreless innings to 25.33 After defeating Kingston four games to one, the Nationals faced Ogdensburg in the final round. The Maples won the best-of-seven series in six games despite Flanagan’s best efforts. He finished the playoffs with a 3-1 record and a 0.79 ERA.34 The disappointing loss left Ottawa with only one playoff championship (1947) in four Border League seasons.

Less than three months after the playoffs ended, Nationals owner T.P “Tommy” Gorman announced that the New York Giants were relocating their International League affiliate from Jersey City to Ottawa for the 1951 season.35 Under the deal engineered by Gorman, the Triple-A team remained under the ownership of its parent club, while the Nationals were shifted to Cornwall, Ontario. Ottawa returned to the highest level of the minor leagues for the first time since the Eastern League’s Rochester Patriots were moved to Canada’s capital for the last half of the 1898 season.36

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, the SABR biography of Willard Brown, and The Sporting News contract cards. Unless otherwise noted, all play-by-play information for this game was taken from the article “Nats Take Pennant by Shading Robins 2-1,” on page 20 of the September 9, 1950, edition of the Ottawa Citizen. League standings were taken from the Ottawa Citizen.

Photo credit: Willard Brown, SABR-Rucker Archive.

Notes

1 As of June 2024, Baseball-Reference.com incorrectly listed the Ottawa team’s nickname as Senators. The author conducted a thorough search of articles on newspapers.com and the team was consistently referred to as the Nationals from 1947 to 1950.

2 The minor leagues were organized into six levels in 1950: Triple A, Double A, Single A, B, C, and D.

3 The Ottawa Nationals drew 97,091 fans in 1950, almost 50 percent more than the second-best attendance mark in the league. The Watertown Athletics were second with a total attendance of 65,329.

4 Ottawa went 16-18 in July, while Ogdensburg went 22-13.

5 “Bob Larkin’s Tragic Death Big Shock to Baseball Fans,” Ottawa Citizen, July 31, 1950: 1.

6 Larkin had a record of 12-6 and a 3.51 ERA with Ottawa in 1950. The southpaw had gone 12-10 in 1949 pitching for both Watertown and Ottawa.

7 The four other players in the car were pitchers Otto Kossuth, Jim St. Clair, and Frank Schwartz, along with outfielder Pete Karpuk. Kossuth spent significant time in a Watertown hospital. According to his Sporting News contract card, Schwartz later played under the surname Howlan. “Ogdensburg Here Tonight; Help Promised for Nats,” Ottawa Citizen, August 4, 1950: 22.

8 “Metzig’s Homer in 9th Payoff for Flanagan,” Ottawa Citizen, August 7, 1950: 14.

9 “Nats Using New Pitcher; Brown Due?” Ottawa Citizen, August 12, 1950: 14; Michael Birchwood, “Nats Defeat Auburn, 5-2, on Hot Fielding Show,” Ottawa Citizen, August 14, 1950: 22.

10 According to Baseball-Reference.com, Brown led the Negro American League in both homers and RBIs in 1937-38, ’41, ’43, ’46, and ’48. Brown missed most of the 1944 season and all of 1945 because of his military service. He tied Turkey Stearnes for the league lead in RBIs in 1939 and led all Negro League players in RBIs in 1947.

11 “Willard Brown,” Baseball Hall of Fame, https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/brown-willard, accessed February 23, 2024.

12 Brown and Thompson were released by the Browns on August 23. It was almost four years before the next Black player, Satchel Paige, appeared in a game for the team.

13 During Brown’s stint in the AL, the team did not supply him with suitable bats; he preferred to use 40-ounce bats and the rest of the team used lighter ones. Brown hit the home run off Newhouser using a bat with a broken knob that had been discarded by Jeff Heath, who used the heaviest bats on the team. Heath destroyed the bat in a fit of rage after Brown’s home run. Jake Bell, “August 13, 1947: Willard Brown Hits First American League Home Run by a Black Player,” SABR Games Project, https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-13-1947-willard-brown-hits-first-american-league-home-run-by-a-black-player/, accessed February 23, 2024.

14 “Nationals Sign Negro,” Ottawa Citizen, July 18, 1950: 1.

15 “Ottawa’s Bryant Hurls No-Hitter,” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, September 9, 1950: 20.

16 Clare McDermott, “Two Wins Over Geneva Robins Clinches First Place Tie,” Ottawa Journal, September 8, 1950: 21.

17 Flanagan finished the season with a 1.96 ERA, tops in the league. Ottawa’s Don Bryant was next with a 2.52 ERA. Flanagan’s previous appearance was on September 5 in Watertown. He gave up six hits and three runs (two earned) in a complete-game victory. “Flanagan Hurls Ottawa to Important Win,” Ottawa Citizen, September 6, 1950: 18.

18 Gosselin was easily Geneva’s best pitcher. He was likely starting his second consecutive game in an attempt to earn his 20th victory of the season more than to prevent Ottawa from winning the pennant. McDermott, “Two Wins Over Geneva Robins Clinches First Place Tie.”

19 After Pete Karpuk singled to open the inning, Mike Pontarelli reached base on a bunt single. Brown followed by lining into a double play. Clare McDermott, “Nationals Win Third Border Pennant in Four Years,” Ottawa Journal, September 9, 1950: 17.

20 McDermott, “Nationals Win Third Border Pennant in Four Years.”

21 McDermott, “Nationals Win Third Border Pennant in Four Years.”

22 McDermott, “Nationals Win Third Border Pennant in Four Years.”

23 McDermott, “Nationals Win Third Border Pennant in Four Years.”

24 McDermott, “Nationals Win Third Border Pennant in Four Years.”

25 Jack Kinsella, “Nats Take Pennant by Shading Robins 2-1,” Ottawa Citizen, September 9, 1950: 20.

26 Kinsella, “Nats Take Pennant by Shading Robins 2-1.”

27 Brown had the highest batting average in the Border League, although he did not have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. “Ottawa Nationals Win Border Title,” Montreal Gazette, September 9, 1950: 8.

28 Shetler was also a late-season acquisition. He played in his first game for Ottawa on August 9. Clare McDermott, “Don Bryant Stops Ottawa Losing Streak; Hurls Nats to 5-2 Victory; Shetler Impresses in Debut,” Ottawa Journal, August 10, 1950: 18.

29 Jack Koffman, “Along Sports Row,” Ottawa Citizen, September 9, 1950: 20.

30 The other former Negro Leagues players elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006 were Ray Brown, Andy Cooper, Biz Mackey, Mule Suttles, Cristóbal Torriente, and Jud Wilson. Five pre-Negro Leagues players were also inducted. They were Frank Grant, Pete Hill, José Méndez, Louis Santop, and Ben Taylor.

31 Craig Muder, “Historic 2006 Election Honors Negro Leagues Legends,” Baseball Hall of Fame, https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/historic-2006-election-brings-negro-leagues-legends-to-cooperstown, accessed February 23, 2024.

32 With the exception of the 1948 season, the Border League All-Star teams are listed in The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. “Gerken Voted Most Valuable; Three Nats on All-Star Team,” Ottawa Journal, September 15, 1948: 18.

33 Flanagan’s streak started with the final seven innings of his September 8 start. He then tossed complete-game shutouts against Kingston on September 12 and 18. His streak was snapped when he gave up an unearned run in the first inning of his September 21 start against Ogdensburg. Clare McDermott, “Flanagan Raises Ottawa’s Playoff Chances,” Ottawa Journal, September 13, 1950: 20; Clare McDermott, “Flanagan’s Second Shutout Eliminates Ponies,” Ottawa Journal, September 19, 1950: 15; Edward MacCabe, Ottawa Journal, “Flanagan Gets Ottawa’s First Series Win,” September 22, 1950: 20.

34 Flanagan’s playoff statistics were calculated by the author using the box scores in the Ottawa newspapers. His final playoff appearance was on September 25 against Ogdensburg.

35 Gary Belleville, “April 26, 1951: Ottawa Giants Bring Triple-A Baseball Back to Canada’s Capital,” SABR Games Project, https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-26-1951-ottawa-giants-bring-triple-a-baseball-back-to-canadas-capital/, accessed February 23, 2024.

36 Gary Belleville, “July 19, 1898: Jimmy ‘Gussie’ Gannon Leads Ottawa to Its First Home Victory in Professional Baseball,” SABR Games Project, https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-19-1898-jimmy-gussie-gannon-leads-ottawa-to-its-first-home-victory-in-professional-baseball/, accessed February 23, 2024.