Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press is reporting that former Washington Senators slugger Frank Howard will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the start of Thursday's Game 4 of the National League Division Series between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Howard spent seven years of his 16-year Major League career with the second incarnation of the Washington Senators, who moved to Arlington, Texas after the 1971 season to become the Texas Rangers.
The 6'7" Howard, mainly known to Washington fans as "Hondo," was sent to the Senators from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a six-player trade prior to the start of the 1965 season. In his seven seasons in Washington, Howard hit 237 home runs and drove in 670 runs while playing 1,077 games. His slash stats (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage/OPS) for that period of his career are .279/.369/.513/.882.
Following the franchise's move to Texas, Howard played 95 games for the Texas Rangers before being placed on waivers. He was picked up by the Detroit Tigers, with whom he finished his career. He retired following the 1973 season.