Greg Maddux allowed just 3 hits against his former team, shutting out the Los Angeles Dynamos to give the St. Louis Wizards a 7-0 win. It was their first win of the season. LA’s Randy Johnson struck out 11 in 6 innings, but also allowed 7 hits, walked 5, and hit a batter. St. Louis was able to capitalize, scoring 3 runs off Johnson. Mike Schmidt hit a 3-run home run off reliever Jim Bunning to really put the game out of reach. But the Wizards didn’t need it. After a Ron Santo triple in the 1st, Maddux didn’t allow another hit until the 7th inning. It’s also an inning that he struck out the side. He finished with 7 strikeouts. After dropping two games to the Chicago Docs to start the season, the Wizards really needed the win. Larry Walker and Ozzie Smith both went 3 for 4 in the game. Maddux was just 2-3 last year with Los Angeles, and didn’t pitch a shutout.

Dynamos @ Wizards – 4/3/23

Pedro Martínez couldn’t stop the New York Swats from an 0-3 start. Martínez allowed 7 hits and 2 earned runs in 6 innings, and another unearned run thanks to his error. All three runs were in the 2nd inning. Jim Palmer pitched 5 scoreless innings for the Splinters before walking in a run in the 6th. Cal Ripken Jr. followed with a sacrifice fly that got New York to within a run. But George Brett homered off reliever Ted Lyons in the 7th, and drove in another run in the 8th when Boston put up 4 to increase their lead to 8-3. Brett finished 4 for 5. Jim Kaat pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the Splinters. New York’s Babe Ruth also homered in the game.

Splinters @ Swats – 4/3/23

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

Making their first appearance in the league might have caused some nerves for Joe Mauer and Miguel Cabrera. But neither one showed it, and both made an immediate impact in the home opener between the New York Swats and the defending champion Detroit Rockets. Down 3-0 against Roger Clemens, Joe Mauer hit a solo home run to put New York on the board. Dick Allen’s 2-run homer in the 7th off Bob Feller gave Detroit a 5-2 lead. A 2-out. 2 run double by Joe DiMaggio cut the Rockets lead to 5-4. Tom Henke came in to close in the 9th, but Mauer hit his 2nd solo shot of the game to blow the save and tie things up, leading to extra innings. It was the bottom of the 11th when Cabrera came up with 2 outs and Álex Rodríguez on 2nd. Facing Bullet Rogan, Cabrera drilled one down the line for the walk-off 6-5 win. With the win, the Rockets pick up where they left off, as heavy favorites to repeat with a team of non-Hall of Famers.

Swats @ Rockets – 4/1/23

Bob Gibson gave up 5 home runs, but the Los Angeles Dynamos still had to hold off a Houston Hoots comeback to win on opening day 9-7. Cristóbal Torriente got things started with a solo shot in the 1st. Ralph Kiner and Tony Gwynn added a 2-run homer each in the 2nd, and Todd Helton hit his own solo shot in the 3rd to put LA up 6-0 early. But Houston chipped away at the lead against Sandy Koufax, including a 2-run homer from Eddie Mathews to cut the lead to 6-5 in the 6th. Gibson left after serving up another solo shot, this time to Gary Carter, in the 7th. But a pair of triples from Rogers Hornsby and Chuck Klein tied things up at 7. But Kiner wasn’t done, hitting another 2-run jack off reliever Jesse Haines to put the Dynamos up 9-7. Lee Smith pitched a perfect 9th for the save, as LA took the 1st game of the season. Kiner was 2 for 4 with 4 RBI, making the most of his start. Last season, he didn’t hit a homer as he spent the season on the bench behind starter Frank Robinson. Robinson finished last year hitting just .239, leading LA to try something new this season. Gibson allowed just 8 home runs all of last season.

Dynamos @ Hoots – 4/1/23

Oakland Jacks ace Nolan Ryan started the POPs Season 2 off great. Ryan struck out 8 and walked 4 in a 3-hit shutout. Ryan only hurled one shutout all of last season when he finished 7-5 with a 4.19 ERA for the New York Swats. Meanwhile, the Oakland offense pummeled Gaylord Perry. Mickey Cochrane got the Jacks on the board in the 2nd with an RBI double. They added 3 more runs in the 3rd and then broke things open with a big 6th inning. Eddie Collins hit a bases-loaded double en route to a 5-run inning. Perry finished with 9 hits and 9 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Oakland finished 1 game behind Boston last season at 26-28, so it was just the start they needed.

Splinters @ Jacks – 4/1/23