As a 20-year-old, Masterson lost 12 games in a row for the 1940 Senators, finishing 3-13. His 5-9 record in 1942 included four shutouts. The bespectacled hurler spent almost three years in the military, mostly playing for naval teams. He won a career-high 12 games in 1947. As the AL's starting pitcher in the 1948 All-Star Game, he gave up a first-inning, two-run homer to Stan Musial, but the AL won 5-2. He finished the year 8-15. Masterson struck out Mickey Mantle five straight times in 1951, which contributed to Mantle's being sent back down. The Senators later made Masterson their pitching coach. (NLM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 29, 1941: Joe DiMaggio singles against Washington knuckleballer Dutch Leonard in the sixth inning in the first game of a doubleheader to tie George Sisler's AL consecutive-game hit record of 41. In game two he collects a seventh-inning single off of Walt Masterson to set the record at 42 games. » May 17, 1946: In the first of two at Cleveland, Bob Feller fans 14 in shutting out the Senators, 4–0. Feller allows five hits while the Tribe manages just six off Mickey Haefner. The nitecap is stopped after eight innings because of darkness with Walt Masterson the winner for Washington, 6–4. » July 2, 1948: The Senators beat the Yankees, 2–1, in 12 innings as Walt Masterson allows three hits and goes all the way for the win. Tom McBride makes 12 putouts to set the American League record for PO in LF in extra innings. The Yanks drop two games behind 1st-place Cleveland and one 1/2 games behind the A's. » April 18, 1950: At Fenway, Happy Chandler gives Ted Williams his MVP Award, and then Governor Paul Dever tosses out the first ball. To the delight of 31,822 fans, Boston rips starter Allie Reynolds with a five-run 4th inning to drive the Chief from the game and take a 9–0 over the Yankees. But the Yanks score four in the 6th off Mel Parnell and then, down 10–4, New York unloads for nine runs in the 8th. 2B Billy Martin (2-for-2) becomes the first player in history to get two base hits in one inning in his first ML game. He doubles against Mel Parnell on his first at bat in the 8th inning, and singles off Al Papai. Walt Masterson gives up Tommy Henrich's 2nd triple of the game before giving way to four more Sox hurlers. Boo Ferriss, pitching in his last game, allows the last two runs in the 9th inning as the Yanks chalk up a 15–10 win, the biggest blown lead the Sox have ever had at Fenway (June 4, 1989, they'll blow a 10-run lad at home). DiMaggio, Berra, Vern Stephens, and Doerr each have three hits. Don Johnson is the winner, his last one for New York, with Joe Page pitching a perfect 8th and 9th in relief. » August 10, 1950: In the second game of a twinbill, Washington pitcher Gene Bearden bats eighth with batterymate Len Okie in the ninth spot. Bearden picks up a hit but loses the game, 4–3, to Boston's Walt Masterson. Masterson swipes a base, the first stolen base by a Red Sox pitcher this year. » September 9, 1950: The Red Sox advance to within a half-game of the second place Yankees by walloping the A's, 8–3 and 11–3. All the Boston runs in the opener are unearned. In game two, a 7-run second inning allows Walt Masterson to coast home as Zarilla, Stephens, and Doerr all homer. Dom DiMaggio steals his 15th: his 15 stolen bases will lead the AL, the lowest total in history. » July 15, 1952: Walt Dropo continues his streak in game one going 4-for-4 against the Senators' Walt Masterson. In game 2 he gets 3 hits in his first 3 at bats to run his streak to 12 straight hits. He goes 4-for-5 with 5 RBI, but Washington wins both games 8-2 and 9-8.