Boston’s offensive woes continued. For the 3rd straight game, Splinters sluggers couldn’t score more than 2 runs. This time it was Detroit’s Bret Saberhagen who held them down. Saberhagen walked 7 and allowed 6 hits, but Boston could only muster 2 runs, and that was in the 8th as Saberhagen was tiring. Meanwhile, the Detroit Rockets pounded Catfish Hunter. Hunter lasted just 5 innings, allowing 12 hits and 9 runs. Four of those runs were unearned, thanks to rare errors by Cal Ripken Jr. and Charlie Gehringer. Bill Freehan led the Rockets’ offense from the #9 spot, going 4 for 5 with 2 HR and 7 RBI, a single-game record. Freehan needed just a double for the cycle in the 6th but lifted a 3-run blast instead. The Rockets improved to 9-6 with their 13-2 win as they look to sweep the Splinters at Fenway tomorrow. Boston has now lost 3 straight and leads the American League by just one game.

Detroit @ Boston – 4/17/22

The Chicago Docs Dwight Gooden pitched another complete game, striking out a season-high 10 batters and allowing just 6 hits. Unfortunately, half of them were homeruns. LA’s Joe Morgan hit a 2-run shot with 2 outs in the 3rd, and Cristóbal Torriente and Eddie Mathews hit back-to-back jacks in the 4th for the Dynamos only runs. LA’s Don Drysdale picked up his 1st win of the season, outdueling Gooden. Drysdale allowed 5 hits and 5 walks in 7 innings, but the Docs could only muster 2 runs. Goose Gossage was shaky in the 9th, walking Pete Rose with 2 outs. Barry Bonds followed with his 3rd hit of the game, a single. But Sammy Sosa flew out to Willie Mays to end the game. Gossage picked up his 4th save. Chicago has now lost 7 straight and fall to 4-11. The Los Angelos Dynamos improve to 7-8.

Chicago @ Los Angeles 4/16/22

Pedro Martínez made his 1st start for the Boston Splinters after 5 2/3 innings of scoreless 1-hit relief work. Martínez struck out 11 in 7 innings, but Dick Allen and Adrián Beltré hit solo homers, and 2 more runs scored thanks to a Charlie Blackwell triple as Pedro was outdueled by Detroit Rockets starter Roger Clemens. For the 2nd straight game, the Splinters hitters were silent. Clemens allowed just one earned run on 5 hits in 7 innings. Clemens improved to 3-1, while Martínez picked up his 1st loss. Dick Allen hit 2 homers to tie Ted Williams for the league lead. Detroit improved to 8-7, while Boston fell to 10-5.

Detroit @ Boston

The Wizards didn’t need their league-leading pitching to top the Houston Hoots. Instead, their bats set the tone against Hoots starter Bob Gibson. Stan Musial was 4 for 6, and Tony Gwynn and Larry Walker had 3 hits each to lead the Wizards to a 14-2 win. St. Louis starter Carl Hubbell left the game after 5 shutout innings with a strained hamstring. Bob Gibson had another rough outing. He took a 5-0 deficit into the 6th inning and was chased after allowing 4 straight hits. Overall, Gibson allowed 10 hits and 9 ER in 5 innings. The Wizards improved to 13-2 with the win, snapping the Houston winning streak at 5 games. Houston is now 6-9.

St. Louis @ Houston

Bob Feller may be slated as the Oakland Jacks ace, but he’s still searching for that elusive 1st win. That didn’t change as he allowed four New York Swats homers. Wade Boggs set the tone with a leadoff HR in the 1st, but it was in the 5th when the power was really on display, as Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Ken Griffey Jr. hit back-to-back-to-back homers. Feller struck out Lou Boudreau to end the inning, but it was also the end of his night. Meanwhile, New York’s Hal Newhouser picked up his 1st win, allowing just 2 earned runs in 7 innings. New York turned 3 double-plays in the game. Both New York and Oakland now stand at 6-9 after the Swats’ 8-3 win.

New York @ Oakland

Steve Carlton’s dominance of Maelstrom hitters continued. The St. Louis Wizards ace hurled another 5-hitter, this time against the LA Dynamos, for his 2nd straight shutout. Carlton hasn’t allowed a run in his last 21 innings. He did walk 7. In the 6th, he got out of a bases-loaded jam when LA’s Barry Larkin grounded into a home-to-1st double-play against a drawn-in Chipper Jones at third. Meanwhile, LA ace Sandy Koufax had one bad inning, allowing 2-run homers to Oscar Charleston and Stan Musial en route to a 5-run 3rd inning. St. Louis improved to 12-2 with the 5-0 win. LA fell to 6-8, and Koufax is just 2-2 despite his 3.86 ERA. Carlton is now 3-0 and has dropped his ERA to 0.77.

St. Louis @ Los Angeles

The New York Swats avoided the sweep against the Boston Splinters and their league-leading offense. Nolan Ryan finally showed his potential, allowing just a run on 2 hits over 8 innings at Fenway Park. Ryan walked 7, but only struck out 5. Ted Williams was held hitless in 3 AB, dropping his average to .463. Meanwhile, Splinters starter Gaylord Perry allowed 7 of his 9 hits in the first 2 innings. The Swats scored 4 runs early, but it could have been even more. Babe Ruth tagged up on a flyout to left, but Ted Williams gunned him down at home to end the 1st inning. It was Ryan’s 1st win and Perry’s 1st loss as the Swats won 4-1. Satchel Paige picked up his 1st save for the Swats. Boston is 10-4, while New York improved to 5-9.

New York @ Boston

When Albert Pujols signed his retirement papers, the Chicago Docs were waiting anxiously. Today, Albert Pujols officially joined the Docs, the Baseball Maelstrom team of National Leaguers who aren’t in the Hall of Fame. The Maelstrom Non-Hall teams are comprised of players who aren’t in the Hall of Fame, regardless of the reason. While teammate Pete Rose still faces a lifetime ban, and Barry Bonds contends with the taint of steroids, Pujols will undoubtedly enter the Hall of Fame when eligible, finishing his career with 703 homeruns. Until that day, the Docs hope he’ll spark the team to overcome a 4-9 start.

Unfortunately for Pujols and the Chicago Docs, Houston Hoots starter Phil Niekro had other plans. Docs’ hitter Todd Helton led off with a single, and Pete Rose followed with a double. Helton scored later in the inning on a Sammy Sosa groundout. After that, Niekro allowed just one more hit in the next 7 innings. Niekro ended with 9 Ks in 8 innings of work, allowing just 3 hits and one run. Chicago’s starter Rick Reuschel was also sharp, but Hank Aaron broke a 1-1 tie in the 6th inning with a solo shot. Jeff Bagwell added an insurance run in the 9th with a homer off Chicago’s Billy Wagner. Chicago threatened against Houston reliever Burleigh Grimes, with Sammy Sosa hitting a solo homerun of his own to cut the lead to 3-2. But Albert Pujols made the final out of the game, flying out to center. Pujols was 0-4 with a strikeout in his debut. It was Chicago’s 6th straight loss, dropping them to 4-10. Houston improved to 6-8 with their 5th straight win and a sweep of their Windy City rivals.

Houston @ Chicago

The Oakland Jacks’ Rod Carew did everything he could, but it wasn’t enough, as the Jacks fell to the Detroit Rockets 7-5. Carew had RBI singles in the 1st and 3rd innings, a double in the 5th, and a solo homerun in the 7th. He accounted for half of the 8 hits Rockets starter David Cone allowed. His homer in the 7th tied the game at 5. Oakland starter Whitey Ford couldn’t hold the Rockets, as Bobby Grich drove in Bobby Veach, who had his 2nd triple of the game that inning. Down by 2 and facing Rockets closer Tom Henke in the 9th with one out and one on, Carew hit another single to put Mickey Cochrane in scoring position. Joe DiMaggio drew a walk to load the bases, but Robin Yount popped the next pitch up, and Reggie Jackson flew out to center to end the game. Detroit improved to 7-7, while Oakland dropped to 6-8.

Oakland @ Detroit

The Los Angeles Dynamos took advantage of two Wizards mistakes, beating them 5-3 and ending the St. Louis winning streak at 7. Dynamos #9 hitter, Dave Bancroft, homered in the 3rd to put LA on the board. Ted Simmons hit a solo shot to tie the game in the 6th. In the bottom of the inning, After a 2-out Johnny Mize single, Wizards starter Juan Marichal struck out Frank Robinson. Simmons couldn’t hold onto the ball, allowing Robinson to reach 1st and extending the inning. Bancroft came up with a clutch RBI single, scoring Mize, and Joe Morgan followed with another single, putting LA up 3-1. St. Louis slugger Rogers Hornsby hit a 2-run homer off LA’s starter Don Sutton to tie things back up. However, Eddie Mathews hit a solo shot in the bottom of the 7th to give the Dynamos the lead again. Oscar Charleston misplayed a WIllie Mays flyball, and Mize hit an RBI single to add an insurance run. Tom Glavine pitched a shaky 8th to hold the lead, and Gossage put up a scoreless 9th for his 3rd save. It was just the 2nd loss this season for the Wizards. LA improved to 6-7.

St. Louis @ Los Angeles