The Highlanders' First Game in Washington

April 22, 1903. Washington, D.C. The New York Highlanders -- a franchise that hadn't existed three months earlier -- took the field for the first time in American League history. Jack Chesbro stood on the mound. Wee Willie Keeler stepped into the batter's box. The Washington Senators scored two runs in the fifth inning and won 3-1. It was an inauspicious beginning for what would become the most successful franchise in professional sports. The next day, the Highlanders won 7-2, and the franchise's competitive life began in earnest.

The Road Opener

The Highlanders couldn't open at home. Hilltop Park was still under construction in Washington Heights, with 500 workers scrambling to finish a ballpark that wouldn't be ready for another eight days. So Clark Griffith took his team to Washington for a two-game series that would serve as the franchise's introduction to major-league baseball.

Chesbro got the Opening Day assignment, and the symbolism was deliberate. He'd been signed the previous September -- before the franchise had a name, a home, or even formal American League approval -- and his talent was the foundation the Highlanders intended to build on. He'd won 28 games for Pittsburgh in the National League two years earlier. Griffith considered him the ace from day one.

The game itself was unremarkable by any standard except historical significance. Keeler drew a walk early. Jimmy Williams drove in the Highlanders' first run on a fly out -- a sacrifice fly before the term existed. Washington came back with two runs in the fifth, and the Senators held on for a 3-1 victory. Chesbro took the loss. The first game in the history of the franchise that would become the Yankees ended with a defeat.

April 23: The First Win

The Highlanders didn't wallow. The next day they beat Washington 7-2, and the mood shifted entirely. The offense showed life, the pitching held, and a young franchise that had been assembled from spare parts and aggressive signings proved it could play. Two games into their existence, the Highlanders had a loss and a win, which felt like a reasonable introduction to the American League.

The back-to-back games in Washington served as a stress test. Could this roster -- pulled together from trades, purchases, and the remnants of the Baltimore Orioles -- compete at the major-league level? The answer, after 18 innings of baseball, was yes. Not brilliantly. Not dominantly. But competitively.

The Roster That Took the Field

Griffith's lineup for Opening Day reflected the realities of building a franchise from scratch. Keeler was the star -- a future Hall of Famer whose .313 average would lead all regulars in 1903. His "hit 'em where they ain't" philosophy was the offensive identity of the early Highlanders: contact, placement, baserunning.

Kid Elberfeld played shortstop, having arrived from Detroit in a trade for Ernie Courtney and Herman Long. Williams manned the infield and provided the lineup's most consistent run production. Dave Fultz patrolled the outfield.

On the mound, Chesbro was the clear number one, with Jesse Tannehill and Griffith himself rounding out a rotation that would prove deeper than expected. Griffith's willingness to pitch -- he'd go 14-11 with a 2.70 ERA -- showed the player-manager model still had life in it, even as the game evolved past that era.

What the Games Meant

The April 22-23 series in Washington didn't generate enormous press coverage at the time. The Highlanders were a new team in a city that already had the Giants. But the games established three things that mattered:

First, the American League had a functioning franchise in New York. After years of trying -- and failing -- to crack the market, Ban Johnson's league finally had boots on the ground in Manhattan. The Highlanders' existence was no longer theoretical.

Second, the roster could compete. A 3-1 loss followed by a 7-2 win was neither embarrassing nor spectacular. It was competent. For a franchise assembled in three months, competent was exactly what Griffith needed.

Third, Chesbro was the real thing. He took the loss in the opener, but his stuff was good enough to keep the game close against an established AL team. His 21-win season was already in motion.

The Beginning of Everything

Nobody in Washington on April 22, 1903, understood what they were watching. A new franchise losing 3-1 to the Senators wasn't front-page material. It was a Tuesday in the dead-ball era. But the franchise that lost that game would go on to win 27 World Series championships, build two iconic stadiums, and produce a roster of legends that stretches from Keeler to the present day.

The 3-1 loss was the first entry in a record book that now runs to thousands of pages. The 7-2 win the next day was the second. And eight days later, 16,243 fans at Hilltop Park would write the third. Every dynasty has a first game. This one started with a loss in Washington and a pitcher named Chesbro who'd make up for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the New York Highlanders play their first game?

The Highlanders played their first game on April 22, 1903, losing 3-1 to the Washington Senators on the road. Jack Chesbro started and took the loss. The franchise won its first game the following day, beating Washington 7-2.

Who pitched the first game in Highlanders history?

Jack Chesbro started the franchise's first game on April 22, 1903, against the Washington Senators. He took the loss in a 3-1 defeat. Chesbro redeemed himself on April 30 by winning the home opener at Hilltop Park 6-2, and he went on to finish the season 21-15 with a 2.77 ERA.

Who scored the first run in Highlanders history?

The Highlanders scored their first run on a Jimmy Williams fly out during the April 22 opener in Washington. Willie Keeler had drawn a walk earlier in the game, marking the franchise's first base on balls.