Griffith Stadium was a
sports stadium that stood in
Washington, D.C. from 1911 to 1965, between
Georgia Avenue and 5th Street, and between W Street and Florida Avenue, NW. An earlier wooden
baseball park had been built on the same site in 1891. It was called
Boundary Field or National Park, as its occupants were then known primarily by the nickname "Nationals." This park was destroyed by a fire in March 1911, and replaced by a steel and concrete structure, also at first called National Park; it was renamed for
Washington Senators owner
Clark Griffith in 1920. The stadium was home to the
American League Senators from
1911 through
1960, and to an
expansion team of the same name for their
first season in
1961. The venue hosted the
1937 and 1956
Major League Baseball All-Star Games. It served as a part-time home for the
Negro League team called the
Homestead Grays during the 1930s and 1940s. It was also home to the
Washington Redskins of the
National Football League for 24 seasons, from the time they transferred from
Boston in 1937 through the 1960 season.
In 1911,
William Howard Taft began the tradition of
presidents throwing out the
ceremonial first pitch of the baseball season at Griffith Stadium.
Harry Truman, being
ambidextrous, enjoyed showing off by throwing the baseball with either hand. According to some reports, he would alternate from year to year.
Early History
On March 17, 1911,
Boundary Field, also known as National Park and American League Park...
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