Los Angeles starter Tom Seaver only allowed hits in 2 of the 8 innings he pitched, but Houston took advantage of those opportunities to top the Dynamos 4-3 and split the opening series. Arky Vaughan hit a home run in the 3rd with 2 outs for the Hoots’ 1st hit of the game. Tim Raines and Rogers Hornsby hit singles, and Oscar Charleston followed with a 2-run triple to give Houston a 3-0 lead. Seaver allowed 3 more hits in the 7th, including a Jeff Bagwell double and an RBI single from Eddie Mathews. Meanwhile, Pete Alexander kept LA hitters off-balance, allowing just one hit in hist 1st 5 innings. in the 6th, the Dynamos put together 4 singles, including an RBI single by Cristóbal Torriente. Alexander exited with just 1 earned run and 5 hits allowed in 8 innings. Bruce Sutter nearly had a perfect 9th, but Vaughan bobbled the 3rd out. Ralph Kiner followed with a 2-run homer to make it a 4-3 game, but that was all LA would get.

Dynamos @ Hoots – 4/2/23

The Oakland Jacks took a 4-0 lead into the 5th inning against the Boston Splinters when a leadoff error by Lou Boudreau kicked off a big inning. Boudreau couldn’t get the Goose Goslin grounder out of his glove. Bobby Doerr grounded out to third before Iván Rodríguez doubled. But Tris Speaker grounded the next pitch to Jimmie Foxx for what should have been the final out of the inning. Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle followed with base hits before Reggie Jackson couldn’t get a glove on Frank Thomas flyball. That was followed by a walk and two more hits, including a 2-run double by Goslin, before the Jacks could record the 3rd out. All told, the Splinters scored 7 unearned runs in the inning. Thomas added a 2-run home run the following inning, and an RBI double in the 8th off reliever Whitey Ford. Bert Blyleven settled down after allowing those 4 runs in 4 innings to the Jacks. He allowed just 6 hits in 8 innings to pick up the win, as the Splinters took the game 12-4.

Splinters @ Jacks – 4/2/23

Sammy Sosa showed that he deserves the clean-up spot, going 3 for 4 with a double, triple, and 3 RBI to lead the Chicago Docs over the St. Louis Wizards 6-5. Sosa had just one double and one triple in all of last season, including 37 games. Wizards starter Robin Roberts couldn’t figure Chicago out all game, allowing 6 runs and 10 hits in 7 innings. Willie Mays did his best to put the Wizards in a position to win, hitting a solo home run in the 2nd and a 2-run triple in the 3rd off Rick Reuschel, but St. Louis couldn’t keep the lead. Billy Wagner entered the 9th with a 6-3 lead, but Mike Piazza hit a 2-run homer to make it close. Joe Morgan followed with a single, but Stan Musial grounded into a double-play, and Larry Walker struck out to end the game, giving Wagner his 2nd save. St. Louis went to the World Series last season but has started 0-2. Meanwhile, the Docs ended last season in last place.

Wizards @ Docs – 4/2/23

Rockets starter Frank Tanana scattered 7 hits in 8 innings, allowing just one run, as Detroit topped the New York Swats 6-1 to improve to 2-0 this season. Detroit scored in each of the first 4 innings against Mike Mussina, who allowed 4 home runs. Dick Allen got the Rockets offense going with a 2-run homer in the 1st. Allen and Miguel Cabrera hit back-to-back solo shots in the 3rd. Lou Whitaker hit a solo jack of his own in the 4th. Whitaker also had a sacrifice fly in the 2nd. Cal Ripken Jr. drove in the sole New York run with an RBI triple in the 8th. Red Ruffing pitched well in relief for New York, allowing just 2 hits in 3 innings.

Swats @ Rockets – 4/2/23

Chicago Docs starter Dwight Gooden allowed 8 hits, but walked 5 more in 8 innings, but still picked up the win against the reigning National League champs, the St. Louis Wizards. Wizards ace Steve Carlton allowed just 1 hit in the 1st 4 innings on his way to a 3-0 lead. But in the 5th, the Docs finally broke through. Jim Edmonds hit a 2-out RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2. In the 7th, it was Edmonds again, this time with a game-tying RBI double that started a 3-run inning. Sammy Sosa hit his 2nd double of the game to drive in the 5th run. Facing closer Billy Wagner, Larry Walker hit an RBI double to pull to within a run with 1 out. Duke Snider followed with a single to left, but Barry Bonds gunned down Walker at the plate to save the game. Willie Mays flew out to Bonds to end it, as the Docs took game 1 5-4.

Wizards @ Docs – 4/1/23