United League Baseball

Newcomers Blanked on Opening Day
Two Shutouts Don't Spoil Inaugural Day Festivities
LOS ANGELES (Apr. 5) --
Morning showers and a shutout performance by Louisville's Herm Wehmeier couldn't dampen the excitement of opening day in Los Angeles, which welcome the United League with open arms today.
   Nellie Fox tripled down the right field line to lead off the first major league game played on the West Coast. It was an inauspicious beginning for the expansion Outlaws, who together with the San Francisco Spiders began their first season today in front of an lively crowd of 49,274 at the Memorial Coliseum. The Colonels scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back, as Herm Wehmeier pitched a three-hit shutout en route to an easy 7-0 win. Hank Aaron slapped a two-run triple in the fifth and made several electrifying catches in right field in his UL debut.
   Meanwhile, in Seals Stadium, New York's Mike Fornieles kept the expansion Spiders at bay with a five-hit shutout. The game was scoreless until the fifth, when Jackie Robinson and Pat Mullin each doubled in a four-run inning. The Gothams went on to win, also 7-0. Ewell Blackwell took the loss against his former team.
   The two expansion clubs had very similar opening series. Both were shut out on opening day, lost but scored a run in game two, and won their third game. In Los Angeles on Thursday, the Outlaws snapped "Toothpick" Sam Jones and grabbed the lead with a four-run eighth inning. Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones and Harry "Suitcase" Simpson homered, and Gene Hermanski doubled home the go-ahead run, and Ray Narleski nailed down the 8-7 win. In San Francisco, the Spiders got their first win, 9-3, behind Hal "Skinny" Brown's complete game effort. Willard Marshall and Frank Thomas each homered off Bubba Church.

Spiders Win First 'Expansion Series'
After the excitement of their opening series, the two expansion clubs went head-to-head in Los Angeles for the first three games of what promises to be a long and bitter rivalry. The Outlaws strung together four hits and four walks in a five-run sixth that broke the game open. Roy Campanella homered and drove in three runs in the 7-5 win.
   But the series win went to San Francisco, who rallied to win the next two games 10-6 and 4-2. Jerry Priddy had 3 RBI as the Spiders chased Don Newcombe after just 3.2 innings, then Blackwell turned in the Spiders' finest pitching performance of the week with a 4-2 win over Ray Herbert.

EXPANSION TEAM FIRSTS
	LOS ANGELES	SAN FRANCISCO
First At Bat	Cal Abrams (4/5)	Solly Hemus (4/5)
First Hit	Del Ennis (single, 4/5)	Tom Umphlett (4/5)
First Home Run	Willie Jones (4/7)	Eddie Robinson (4/6)
First RBI	Roy Campanella (4/6)	Eddie Robinson (4/6)
First strikeout	Ray Herbert (Jackie Jensen, 4/5)	Ewell Blackwell (Pat Mullin, 4/5)
First win	Bob Miller (4/7)	Hal Brown (4/7)
First save	Ray Narleski (4/7)	Steve Ridzik (4/10)

Dick Kokos Wins Player of the Week
ST. LOUIS (April 11) -- St. Louis GM Timothy J. Smith entertained several offers for slugging prospect Dick Kokos this off season, but despite the outfielder's dismal performance in 1954, Smith stuck with his man, a decision that is already paying dividends one week into the season. Kokos, 27, batted 9-for-18 (.500), with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs to win the first PoW of the year. The Chicago native, who was drafted by Louisville as the fourth overall pick in the 1953 reentry draft, has been rated among the best power hitting prospects. He hit 11 home runs in 205 at-bats with Louisville in 1953 and was traded to the Maroons a year ago in the "Toothpick Sam" deal. Kokos' playing time was reduced in St. Louis, and he had a terrible year (.171-2-11 in 50 games) with the big club, though he hit .307 with 19 HR and 72 RBI with AAA Indianapolis.
Smith is looking to Kokos to fill the gap in the lineup created by Roy Campanella's departure. The Maroons were 3-3 in the opening week, including two losses for new arrival Steve Gromek, for whom Campanella was traded.

1955 PREVIEW

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS 5-1 --	OPENING DAY: Beat Boston at Fenway 4-3. Tom Gorman won, despite a four-hitter by Boston's Warren Spahn. Gil Hodges had two of the four hits, including a homer, and Eddie Yost also homered. Lew Burdette threw a four-hit complete game in a 3-1 win over Detroit Sunday. Gil Hodges is off to a rousing start, with 11 hits in 23 at-bats (.478) and three doubles in his first six games.
NEW YORK GOTHAMS 5-1 --	OPENING DAY: Mike Fornieles shut out the Spiders 7-0 in San Francisco with a 5-hitter. Larry Doby homered and drove in a pair, and Pat Mullin added 2 RBI. Fornieles was 2-0, 0.52 in two starts. Pat Mullin was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI in a 7-6, 10-inning win over Washington Sunday.
CHICAGO COLTS 4-2 1	OPENING DAY: Yogi Berra drove in four runs and CF Bill Virdon was 3-for-4 with a double and a homer in his UL debut, as Whitey Ford beat Robin Roberts 6-5 at Wrigley Field. Chicago scored 13 runs twice in three days. Andy Seminick homered twice with 6 RBI in Saturday's 13-1 blowout at Boston. League's most prolific offense with .290 average, 8 HR, and 42 runs in first six games.
BOSTON BEACONS 3-3 2	OPENING DAY: Lost at home to Brooklyn, 3-4. Warren Spahn threw a 4-hit complete game, but the Beacons scattered 8 hits, including three by Earl Torgeson. Frank Hiller's four-hitter beat Chicago 10-1 Friday night. Bruce Edwards doubled twice with 5 RBI in the blowout. Typical slow start for Warren Spahn, who was 0-2, 9.82 in his first two starts.
LOUISVILLE COLONELS 3-3 2	OPENING DAY: Herm Wehmeier threw a three-hit shutout in a 7-0 win. Sid Gordon, Hank Aaron, and Bill "Moose" Skowron had 2 RBI each. Hank Aaron and Jackie Jensen are co-league leaders in RBI with St. Louis' Dick Kokos. Aaron drove in a run in each of his first three games, hitting 6-13 in the three games in L.A. Hit his first UL home run off Billy Pierce in 9-6 loss at St. Louis on Saturday.
ST. LOUIS MAROONS 3-3 2	OPENING DAY: Vern Stephens doubled home Gil Coan in the ninth to cap a two-run rally in a 3-2 win at D.C. Billy Pierce fanned nine and pitched eight shutout innings after a two-run first. Dick Kokos homered twice with 4 RBI in 9-6 win over Louisville Saturday. Billy Pierce was 2-0, 3.18 for the week, but Steve Gromek struggled in his first week as a Maroon, going 0-2, 10.03. Roy Face will miss six weeks after a shoulder injury Sunday. He had two saves and a 3.38 ERA in three appearances.
SAN FRANCISCO SPIDERS 3-3 2	OPENING DAY: Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell lost to his former team, 7-0, at Seals Stadium. Tom Umphlett singled in his first career at-bat, which was the first hit in S.F. history. Blackwell held the Outlaws to five hits in Sunday's 4-2 in Los Angeles. Solly Hemus (.435) and Tom Umphlett (.417) each had 10 hits to co-lead the team.
LOS ANGELES OUTLAWS 2-4 3	OPENING DAY: Ray Herbert was roughed up in the first UL game in California, allowing 8 hits and 6 runs in seven innings. Del Ennis got the first Outlaw hit. Roy Campanella was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI in L.A.'s 7-5 win over San Francisco on Friday. Ace Ray Herbert lost both of his starts (0-2, 5.17), but closer Ray Narleski picked up two saves in two appearances.
WASHINGTON MONUMENTS 2-4 3	OPENING DAY: Stu Miller was bested by Cy Young winner Billy Pierce 3-2. Sherm Lollar collected two hits and got an RBI. Joe Adcock drove in three runs Sunday in 7-6, 10-inning loss at New York. The club ranks 9th in runs scored and dead last with just three home runs in six games (Adcock, Ginsberg, Lollar). Ace Stu Miller (0-2, 1.65) was victimized by four unearned runs in 4-3 loss at New York Saturday.
DETROIT SOUND 0-6 5	OPENING DAY: Ralph Kiner's 3-for-3 with a home run wasn't enough, as Robin Roberts lost a 6-5 nailbiter at Chicago. Dusty Rhodes homered and drove in four runs Thursday, but the Sound lost 13-12 in 11 innings at Chicago. Club is last in batting (.229), runs (4.2 per game), 9th in runs allowed (6.5 per games), and 8th in ERA (5.54). Robin Roberts (0-2, 4.30) pitched well in Brooklyn Sunday, but still lost 3-1.