Phil Niekro allowed just one run on 4 hits in 8 innings, helping the Houston Hoots snap a 3-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Docs to reclaim sole possession of 1st place in the National League. Honus Wagner tripled and scored in the 3rd inning off Orel Hershiser to get the Hoots on the board. Back-to-back hits from Rogers Hornsby and Paul Waner in the 6th added two more runs to the lead. Hershiser allowed 4 runs on 10 hits in 6 innings for Chicago. Chase Utley led off the 6th with a double, and scored on a Keith Hernandez base hit for the only Chicago run. Bruce Sutter picked up his 12th save with a perfect 9th. Sutter hasn’t allowed a run this season. With Los Angeles’ loss earlier in the day, Houston now has a one-game lead in the National League.

Hoots @ Docs – 5/16/23

Rafael Palmeiro went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles, a triple, and 3 RBI to lead the Detroit Rockets to a 10-5 win over the Oakland Jacks. Stan Coveleski struggled through 6 innings, allowing 8 runs on 13 hits. Meanwhile, Kevin Appier turned in a solid outing for Detroit. Appier allowed 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 7 to earn his 2nd win of the season. The Rockets took a 10-2 lead into the 9th. John Hiller allowed 3 runs, including a Reggie Jackson solo home run, before getting Ken Griffey Jr. to fly out to end the game. Kenny Lofton also had 4 hits for Detroit, going 4 for 5 in the leadoff spot.

Oakland @ Detroit – 5/16/23

Greg Maddux turned in a masterful performance, and the St. Louis Wizards punished Carl Hubbell, as they topped the Los Angeles Dynamos 8-1. Maddux allowed just one baserunner in the 1st 6 innings, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 8. The only run allowed was the result of a fumbled ball in front of the plate by Mike Piazza. It was also Piazza who gave St. Louis a 3-0 lead with a solo home run in the 3rd inning. Willie Wells, in the leadoff spot for the 1st time, hit a grand slam in the 6th to make it 8-0. Wells finished 3 for 5, and was just a double short of the cycle, leading the Wizards offense. It was just the 3rd loss of the season for Hubbell, who allowed all 8 runs on 11 hits in just 6 innings. There are now just 5 1/2 games separating 1st and last place in the National League.

Wizards @ Dynamos – 5/16/23

Roy Halladay held the New York Swats to a run on 6 hits over 7 innings, striking out 6 to earn his 2nd win of the season. It was also the 3rd straight win for the Boston Splinters, who have now extended their lead in the American League to 6 games. Ichiro Suzuki doubled in two runs in the 2nd, and Frank Thomas added a home run in the 3rd off Pedro Martínez to provide the offense. The Splinters scored two more off reliever Bullet Rogan, winning it 5-1. It was the Big Hurt’s 12th homer of the season. Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers provided Boston two scoreless innings of relief.

Swats @ Splinters – 5/16/23

The Chicago Docs were behind most of the game against the Houston Hoots. But Buster Posey’s grand slam was part of a 5-run inning that capped an amazing comeback. A long rain delay ended the night for Cy Young and Jerry Koosman. Koosman had given up 4 runs, as Houston took a 4-0 lead after the delay. It seemed that every time Chicago edged closer, Houston would pull away again. Chicago scored two runs against Warren Spahn in the 4th, but Houston got them right back against Kevin Brown in the 5th. The teams traded runs over the next few innings before Oscar Charleston hit a 2-run homer off Curt Schilling in the 8th, giving Houston a 9-5 lead. That’s when Jesse Haines allowed a double to Barry Bonds, a single to Troy Tulowitzki, and a walk to Keith Hernandez. Posey followed with a monster drive that tied the game. Fergie Jenkins tried to stop the comeback, but Sammy Sosa singled in the go-ahead run. Tug McGraw pitched a perfect 9th against a demoralized Hoots team to pick up the save. Sosa finished 4 for 5 with 4 RBI. Ted Simmons was 4 for 5 with 3 RBI for the Hoots. Houston’s loss drops them back into a tie for 1st place with Los Angeles.

Hoots @ Docs – 5/15/23

Coming out of a 5-game losing streak that had them worried about dropping out of 1st place, the Boston Splinters have now won 4 of their last 5 games. Today, they topped 2nd-place New York 13-3 to extend their lead in the American League to 5 games. An RBI double by Joe DiMaggio in the 1st gave New York an early lead, but Bob Feller had no answer for the Boston lineup. Tris Speaker and Alan Trammell hit back-to-back home runs to start the 4th, and Ichiro Suzuki added his 1st homer of the year to give Boston a 6-1 lead after 4. Mule Suttles smacked a 2-run shot in the 5th, and Carlton Fisk added a 3-run homer off reliever Ted Lyons later in the game. Suttles finished 2 for 4 and drove in 4 runs to lead the Splinters. Bert Blyleven allowed 3 runs on just 6 hits in 8 innings to improve to an AL-best 8-1.

Swats @ Splinters – 5/15/23

Randy Johnson allowed just 7 hits over 8 innings while striking out 14 St. Louis batters. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as the Wizards came back from a 4-1 deficit to top the Los Angeles Dynamos 5-4. LA jumped out to an early lead off Steve Carlton when Turkey Stearnes doubled in a run, and Orlando Cepeda followed with a 2-run single to make it 3-0. After St. Louis scored on a Johnson wild pitch in the 2nd, the Dynamos added another run on a double-play with runners on the corners. The Big Unit allowed a leadoff single to Larry Walker in the 8th, but struck out Mike Schmidt and Johnny Mize. But Willie Wells fought off a 1-2 pitch for another base hit to keep the inning alive. That’s when Dave Winfield took Johnson deep to tie the game 4-4. Tom Glavine came in to relieve Johnson in the 9th. A single, a hit-by-pitch, and a passed ball set up a Ryne Sandberg sacrifice fly that put St. Louis ahead. Rich Gossage pitched a perfect 9th for his 5th save, as the Dynamos fell back out of a 1st-place tie in the National League. LA was hitless after the 3rd inning. In fact, the Wizards’ pitching staff retired the final 16 hitters of the game. The loss ended LA’s 4-game winning streak.

Wizards @ Dynamos – 5/15/23

The 1st six hitters that Dave Stieb faced reached base, and three of them hit home runs, as the Oakland Jacks topped the Detroit Rockets 10-2 at Tiger Stadium. Lou Boudreau started things off by slapping a double after falling behind to an 0-2 count. Lou Gehrig singled him home before Hank Greenberg took Stieb deep to make it 3-0. Ken Griffey Jr. walked, and Josh Gibson followed with a homer of his own. Then, Jimmie Foxx followed with another to give Oakland back-to-back homers. Stieb settled for a few innings, allowing a run on a groundout in the 4th, but in the 5th Foxx connected again for a 2-run shot. Gibson was forced to leave the game after taking a foul tip in the 1st. With Mickey Cochrane already on the injured list, Boudreau was forced behind the plate. Whitey Ford was great on the mound for the Jacks. Miguel Cabrera hit two solo shots for the only Detroit runs. Ford allowed just 6 hits while striking out 9 in a complete game.

Jacks @ Rockets – 5/15/23