In 1894 Big Ed Delahanty, Sam Thompson, and Sliding Billy Hamilton made history. Each of the trio hit over .400, the only time in big league history three outfielders from the same team reached the mythical mark.

All three men were posthumously received a plaque in Cooperstown. Thompson got his in 1974, Delahanty in 1945  and Hamilton 1961

This is the lifetime pass that Billy Hamilton received in 1934, the 19th ever issued as evidenced by the numbering in the top right corner. The original passes are the only of the lifetime variety that were paper. Later incarnations of the passes were issued on solid gold, sterling silver, metal, and leather.

The Washington Senators were a charter member of the American League in 1901.  Their stay in DC lasted through the 1961 season before the became the Minnesota Twins.

In the 60-year history, the team boasted four batting champions. Ed Delahanty became the first when he hit .376 in 1902. The Washington faithful waited more than a quarter century for their next champ.

Leon “Goose” Goslin is the second Senators batting leader. In 1928 he set the Washington record with a .379 clip.

Seven years later second baseman Buddy Myer joined the pair by reigning supreme with a .349 average. The next two Senators crowns were worn by Mickey Vernon who topped all Juinor Circuit batters by hitting .353 in 1946 and a .337 in 1953.

Goslin’s flowing signature is on display in the autographed picture above.

Ed Delahanty reached Cooperstown in 1945 when the Hall of Fame inducted him into its newest Veterans Committee class. His election joined nine other pioneers and expanded Hall membership to 38 total inductees. The committee honored overlooked stars from baseball’s earliest professional decades and restored several foundational careers to prominence.

Delahanty dominated pitchers with one of the purest bats of the 19th century. The powerful outfielder hit above .400 three different times and terrorized opposing staffs for years. His combination of average, power and run production made him one of baseball’s earliest offensive superstars.

A seven-man panel guided the voting process behind the historic election. Hall of Fame president Stephen C. Clark chaired the committee with firm leadership. Treasurer Paul S. Kerr handled official correspondence and served as secretary throughout deliberations. Yankees executive Ed Barrow, joined Connie Mack, Braves president Bob Quinn and veteran writers Sid Mercer and Mel Webb on the panel.

A surviving letter connects directly to that 1945 selection process. Barrow signed the document and sent it to Kerr during committee discussions. In the letter, Barrow urged inclusion of Pirates great Fred Clarke among the Cooperstown candidates. Clarke later gained unanimous election alongside Boston third baseman Jimmy Collins and legendary Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson.

The remarkable 10-man class also featured Dan Brouthers, Roger Bresnahan, Hugh Duffy, Hughie Jennings, King Kelly and Jim O’Rourke.

Ed Delahanty’s daughter Florence Delahanty Randall wrote to the Hall of Fame on May 16, 1946 offering to donate her father’s, “…Silver Plated Baseball Bad (sic), which was presented to my Father the late Ed Delehanty, by Baseball Fans at Philadelphia during the height of his baseball career.”

Note her spelling of her father’s last name “D e l e h a n t y” with the second “e”. We’ve never seen it spelled that way in any reputable baseball publication. She also closes the letter spelling the game the same way.

Delahanty was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.

The curator of the Hall of Fame during this time was Ernest Lanigan. In this offering of May 21, 1946, Lanigan states, “It was very thoughtful of you to think of the Baseball Museum in connection with the bat and we will be very proud to have it and to see that it is prominently displayed.”

Later in the letter, Lanigan mentions all the ball-playing Delahanty brothers, writing, “When I was living in Philadelphia, I saw your father play often. Knew Joe well, Frank and Jim slightly.”

In the correspondence dated June 9, 1946, Ernest Lanigan writes, “Enclosed find your father’s playing record. Shortly I will send you copies of the box scores of his first minor league game and his first major league game.

“I am enclosing some press releases on Jesse Burkett,Dan Brouthers, Jim O’Rourke, and Mike Kelly. I think you saw some of these men play.”

The mention of the four 19th century players and the allusion to Delahanty makes this a highly desirable letter on National Baseball Museum letterhead.

Quite an interesting piece here as runs batted in is not listed. They were not kept as an official statistic during Delahanty’s career. Lanigan was instrumental in getting the stat into the mainstream and eventually into every Major League box score. Delahanty died a mysterious death. A drunken Delahanty was kicked off of a train traveling over Niagara Falls. A few minutes later, he fell to his death. Exact circumstances are unknown.

By June 26, 1946 Ernest Lanigan and the Hall received the bat. Lanigan writes, “Some stories of the Hall of Famers are enclosed and some pictures.”

Lanigan enclosed a story about Ed Delahanty and of his daughter’s generous donation.

Lanigan wrote an article about Delahanty and sent it to Big Ed’s daughter. The article reads, “Another admirer…gave the great hitter a silver bat… Ed’s daughter — Mrs. J.K. Randall of Mobile, Ala. — has presented it to the National Baseball Museum.”

A box score of Delahanty’s first minor league game also adorns the article.