Schmidt Walkoff Breaks Pitcher’s Duel

St. Louis Wizards starter, Greg Maddux, turned in another amazing performance, while Houston’s Phil Niekro dropped another heartbreaker thanks to a 10th inning walk-off home run by Mike Schmidt. Coming off a 3-hit shutout, Maddux took a no-hitter into the 6th before allowing his 1st hit, and an RBI single to Oscar Charleston that tied the game 1-1. But Maddux held that score through 10 innings. Meanwhile, in his last start, Niekro retired the first 17 batters he faced before allowing 4 earned runs and losing to the Chicago Docs. This time, Pop Lloyd hit an RBI triple in the 4th before Niekro retired 16 straight batters to send the game against the Wizards to extra innings. That’s when Schmidt led things off with the walk-off shot to give St. Louis the 2-1 win. Maddux now accounts for both Wizards wins, as they are just 2-6 to start the season. Houston falls to 4-4, and Niekro is 0-2 despite his flashes of greatness.

Hoots @ Wizards – 4/8/23