Joe Judge
Joe Judge played 18 seasons for the Washington Senators, 15 as their starting first baseman. A product of the deadball era, and playing half his games in cavernous Griffith Park, Judge reached double figures in homers just twice, but he hit at or near .300 every season, ending his productive career with a .298 average. Rusty at first base when he first came into the AL, Judge worked hard to become one of the finest defensive first sackers in the game. He hit .385 with ten hits in the 1924 World Series, helping the Nats to their only title.
Played For
Washington Senators (1915-1932)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1933)
Boston Red Sox (1933-1934)
Best Season: 1920
Hit .333 with 103 runs scored in 126 games, with 19 doubles, 15 triples, and five homers. His .416 OBP was a career-high. A June injury and an injury in early September, kept him out of the lineup for a few weeks.
Born
Joseph Ignatius Judge was born on May 25, 1894, in Brooklyn, NY.
Died
March 11, 1963, Washington, DC
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Primary Position: 1B
Primary Team: WS1
Major League Debut
September 20, 1915
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1915
Sam Rice
Rogers Hornsby
Joe Judge
George Sisler
Dave Bancroft
Dazzy Vance
Charlie Jamieson
George Kelly
Baby Doll Jacobson
Similar Players
Offensively, John Kruk. Defensively, Mike Hargrove.
Related Players
Joe Kuhel and Mickey Vernon, the two other long-time Senator first basemen... His infield mates for several years were Bucky Harris (2B), Ossie Bluege (3B), Roger Peckinpaugh (SS), and catcher Muddy Ruel.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1937 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.5% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.7% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
9 |
3.4% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
15 |
5.6% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1924 World Series
1925 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Along with Peckinpaugh, Judge was Washington's hitting star in the '24 World Series. He struggled (four hits in seven games) against the Pirates staff in the '25 Fall Classic.
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Early in June of 1920, Judge was spiked during a play at first, by Babe Ruth. Judge had hit in his last seven games and was near the top in the AL in batting, having become the first in the loop to collect 50 hits.
Transactions
Judge was signed as a free agent by the Dodgers in the spring of 1933. He hit miserably in Flatbush, was released, and latched on with the Red Sox, where he hit a little better, but was through in short order.
Replaced
Chick Gandil
Replaced By
Joe Kuhel, in 1931. From 1916 to 1937, the Senators had just two starting first basemen: first Judge, and then Kuhel, who was a magnificent defender. In Fact, except for a few seasons of interruption due to World War II, Washington had three first basemen over a nearly 40-year period (1916-1955): Judge, Kuhel, and Mickey Vernon.
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting the ball to all fields, and his throwing arm. Many overeager runners in the 1920s could tell the tale of being gunned down at third by an across-the-diamond peg from Judge at first.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Had he played in Fenway or Yankee Stadium, Judge could have hit 15-25 homers a season, like other first basemen. But he was strapped with the large expanses of Griffith Park. But he wasn't a punch-and-judy hitter: he hit as many as 30 doubles six times, and driving in 80-90 runs regularly despite hitting fifth-to-seventh in the order much of his career.
Learn More about Joe Judge
Search Amazon.com for Books about Joe Judge ⇒
Search for Joe Judge at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
