W E S T   D I V I S I O N

E A S T   D I V I S I O N

Spiders Sweep Colonels
San Francisco started the season with three wins over Louisville, all by one run.  Ed Fitz Gerald and Ken Boyer had ninth-inning game-winning hits . . .  #1-2 starters Ruben Gomez (2-0, 2.52) and Ewell Blackwell (2-1, 2.86) are off to good starts . . .  Chico Carrasquel is setting the table nicely.  He has reached base 18 times (.417 OBP) and has scored eight runs in 10 games.
  - Rocky Colavito hit two homers against Chicago Apr. 16
  - S.F. leads the league in doubles (23: Carrasquel 5) and walks (40: Colavito 8, Boyer 6), and is second in runs (5.7 runs/game)
  - Ruben Gomez is 2-0, 2.52 with league-high 17 strikeouts
 

Rookie Jay Dominant in First Two Starts
Rookie starter Joey Jay, 22, made is UL debut this week, holding St. Louis to seven hits and one run, then pitching 8.1 innings of shutout ball to lead the league with a 0.57 ERA.  Jay had a long and successful minor league career, posting four seasons with ERAs under 4.00 at Triple-A Milwaukee (15-8, 3.02) before earning promotion to the big club this spring.
  - Tom Umphlett had four hits against St. Louis Apr. 15
  - Frank Malzone's solo HR beat SF 12-11 in 13 innings Apr. 13
  - Team ranks 2nd in ERA (3.60) and 1st in RA (4.0 per game)

Homer Happy Outlaws Getting Some Pitching Help
The Outlaws belted 17 home runs in their first 11 games, including 11 in a seven-game season-opening homestand in supposedly 'pitcher-friendly' Arroyo Seco Park.  "We have power up and down this lineup," GM Chris McCreight said.  The Outlaws hit four round-trippers in an 8-1 win at Louisville Apr. 14, including two by cleanup hitter Dale Long.  But then Los Angeles has always had a knack for scoring runs.
   What's different this season is they are a middle-of-the-pack pitching team, with starters Ray Herbert, Jim Bunning, and Bob Rush all under 4.00 in ERA.
  - Johnny Groth had 4 RBI in a 9-5 loss at Louisville Apr. 15
 

Conley Sharp, but Some Bullpen Worries
Gene Conley authored a six-hit shutout as Brooklyn blanked Washington 7-0 on Apr. 12.  Irv Noren hit a three-run homer, and Ashburn, Amoros, and Landrith each had three hits in the win.  Brooklyn lost the opener, but went on the win the series between last season's top two teams.  Brooklyn lost two of three at Boston as Bob Miller and Jackie Collum allowed late rallies in one-run defeats.
  - Sandy Amoros (12-30) and Richie Ashburn (10-25) are both hitting .400
  - Ranks 1st in ERA (3.46), and fewest HR (4) and walks (19)

New York Gothams
Shawn Martin

Pierce Pounded
Billy Pierce was roughed up in his first two starts, allowing 18 hits and 9 runs in 14.0 innings.  'Naugatuck' Spec Shea has been the most effective starter (1-1, 3.12, 8.3 Ratio).
  - Dick Kokos had two home runs in the first four games, but is batting just .167 (3-18) since.
  - New first baseman Steve Bilko was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI in a 9-5 win at Los Angeles on Apr. 12.
  - Danny O'Connell had four hits against Los Angeles Apr. 13
  - The team ranks first in opponents average (.228), but dead last in runs scored (3.6 runs/game)

Cepeda, Collins Red Hot Start
The Gothams' first base platoon is of to a good start.  Rookie Orlando Cepeda hit .381 in his first 8 games.  He mostly platooning vs. lefties, but is 3-for-5 with a double against righties.  Platoon-mate Joe Collins hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning Apr. 12, which Vern Stephens followed up with a two-run homer for a 6-5 win over Boston.  Three days later Collins hit two homers, driving in four runs in a 14-10 win over Washington.
  - Russ Nixon went 4-for-4 in his UL debut, setting a record.  He is 0-for-11 since.
  - Bubba Church threw a five-hitter as New York edged Washington 2-1 on Apr. 16.  Church is 3-0, 1.40 in 3 starts.
 

Boston Beacons
Charlie Qualls

Colts Still Packin' Power
Chicago beat Los Angeles 4-3 on opening day, on six-hitter anchored by Whitey Ford, then lost four straight.  Rookie catcher Johnny Roseboro went 2-for-4 with a home run in his UL debut.  The Colts have allowed more runs than any team in baseball (5.6 runs/game), almost half of which have come off Don Drysdale (0-2, 10.38) and Art Ditmar (0-2, 7.54).  The Colts led the league in home runs the last three seasons, and hit 15 in their first 10 games (2 behind San Francisco).  Gus Zernial, who set the single season home run record last year with 46, had two home runs against Louisville on Apr. 13.  Two days later, Gil Hodges homered twice against San Francisco.
  - Second baseman Jim Finigan is hitless in 16 at-bats.
  - Whitey Ford is 2-0, 2.16 in two starts.
 

Susce Makes His Mark
New Beacons closer George Susce is surely putting his stamp on the early part of the season.  The St. Louis Maroon castoff was 0-3 just five days into the season, with a 24.00 ERA.  On Tuesday, Susce gave up Hank Thompson's game winning single in the 10th inning.  On Friday, Susce's implosion led to four Gotham runs in the ninth inning.  George retired just one of eight batters faced, allowing two hits and five walks as a 6-3 Beacons lead evaporated.  And the next night it happened all over again, as New York won 6-5 by virtue of a five-run ninth inning.
  - Hank Aguirre is 2-0, 2.59 in 3 starts
  - Roger Maris leads the league with 13 RBI
 

Washington Monuments
Steven Giovanelli

Cheap Tricks: McDermott is Back
The Colonels salvaged a 2-6 start with a pair of wins over Los Angeles to pull within two games of first place San Francisco in the early going.  Ed Bailey homered twice with 4 RBI in a 9-5 win on Apr. 15, and the next day Herm Wehmeier out-dueled Ray Herbert in a 2-1 nail-biter.  The decisive run scored on a Dale Long error in the sixth.  The club is 8th in batting (.237) and last in walks (24), which accounts for a league low .299 OBP.
   Mickey McDermott stuck out a career high 11 on Apr. 13, but still lost his first two starts, improving his career record to 20-49.  Since 1954, Maury has won a grand total of four games, over which time he earned $30 million, making him the UL equivalent of a $2,000 DOD hammer.
 

Mays Off to Explosive Start
Willie Mays hit seven extra base hits in his first nine games, and leads the league with a .469 batting average and 1.521 OPS.  Mays won the season's first Player of the Week award.  The 'Say Hey Kid' opened the season 0-for-3 against Boston on Apr. 8, but the next day homered and drove in and scored three runs, leading the Mons to a 12-11 win in 10 innings.
  - Carl Erkine (27-6 last year), is 0-2 in his first two starts despite a 2.50 ERA.  He lost 4-2 to Boston's Hank Aguirre on Apr. 7 and 5-1 to Brooklyn' Don Mossi on Apr. 13.
  - WAS leads the league with five triples by five different players