Twins honor legacy of Washington Senators, retire 'W' at Target Field

The Minnesota Twins announced on Sunday that they have officially retired the Washington Senators "W," honoring the franchise origins and celebrating the great players and teams that comprised the first 60 seasons of Twins/Senators history. The announcement was made Sunday during an on-field ceremony at Target Field honoring the 100th anniversary of the Senators’ 1924 World Series championship, the franchise’s first title.

“The Washington Senators ‘W’ is a reminder of our legacy as a charter member of the American League,” said Minnesota Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad. “The ‘W’ symbolizes the Hall of Fame players, historical achievements, three pennants, 1924 World Series championship and 60 seasons that formed our foundation in our nation’s capital. Washington Senators history is Minnesota Twins history, and we are proud to celebrate that legacy – now and for all future generations – by permanently displaying the ‘W’ alongside our retired numbers at Target Field.”

The ‘W’, revealed during Sunday’s ceremony, is displayed alongside the retired numbers on the leftfield façade of Target Field’s 200 level. The ‘W’ is the 10th entity retired by the Twins, joining uniformed personnel Harmon Killebrew (No. 3 – 1975), Rod Carew (No. 29 – 1987), Tony Oliva (No. 6 – 1991), Kent Hrbek (No. 14 – 1995), Kirby Puckett (No. 34 – 1997), Bert Blyleven (No. 28 – 2011), Tom Kelly (No. 10 – 2012), Joe Mauer (No. 7 – 2019) and Jim Kaat (No. 36 – 2022). The Twins, in conjunction with all of Major League Baseball, retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 in 1997.

A charter member of the American League in 1901, the original Washington Senators played 60 seasons from 1901-60, during which time the ‘W’ was worn by legendary players, managers and executives, many of whom are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The Senators won AL pennants in 1924, 1925 and 1933, and won the 1924 World Series four games to three over the New York Giants with a roster that included Hall of Famers Walter Johnson, Sam Rice, Goose Goslin and player-manager Bucky Harris; the team was owned by another Hall of Famer in former player/manager Clark Griffith. The 1933 pennant-winning squad featured Rice and fellow Senators Hall of Famer Heinie Manush. Additionally, inaugural National Baseball Hall of Famer Johnson debuted for the Senators in 1907, spent his entire 21-season playing career wearing the ‘W’ and managed the team from 1929-32; his 110 career shutouts remain a major league record, while his 417 wins are second most all-time and his 3,509 strikeouts are ninth most.

The Senators also made their mark on the Twins when the franchise began its next chapter in Minnesota in 1961. Several Twins legends wore the Senators’ ‘W’ including Hall of Famers Harmon Killebrew (debuted in 1954) and Jim Kaat (debuted in 1959), and Twins Hall of Famers Bob Allison (debuted in 1958), Earl Battey (debuted for the Chicago White Sox in 1955, played for the Senators in 1960), Camilo Pascual (debuted in 1954) and Zoilo Versalles (debuted in 1959).