OPENING DAY 1969
Gray Sox Open Title Defense
Anderson, Torre Pace Manhattan
MANHATTAN (Apr. 16) -- The defending UL champion Manhattan Gray Sox bolted out of the box, winning their first five games and 9 of their first 11 to jump atop the East Division.  Bob Anderson got the dingy hose off to a good start by anchoring the season's first shutout in a 4-0 Opening Day win over Washington.  1968 MVP Joe Torre was 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs in the win and newcomer Ron Santo drove in a run.  The Sox went on to sweep the Monuments and win their first two at Detroit convincingly before finally losing their sixth game 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth.  Anderson, who fell two games short of 20 wins last year, leads the UL's best pitching staff with a 3-0 record and 2.17 ERA in four starts, and new closer Russ Kemmerer has two saves and has yet to allow a run in four appearances.  Offensively, Joe Torre leads the league with a .479 average and Willie Stargell is tied for second in homers (5) and tied for third in RBI (13).

Maroons Ride Bullpen Atop West
ST. LOUIS (Apr. 7) -- The St. Louis Maroons upgraded their batting order with the addition of Roberto Clemente, but did little this offseason to shore up their middle-of-the-pack pitching.  The Maroons bullpen ranked 5th last year, and with the departure of Steve Ridzik and Ken Sanders, and the demotion of injured Luke Walker, the conventional wisdom was that St. Louis relievers would be a liability.  But if the first two weeks are any indication, the Maroon bullpen may be the best its been in years.   Through 14 games, St. Louis relievers have compiled an eye-popping 1.19 ERA, led by Sparky Lyle and Ray Crone, who together have won six games and
allowed one solitary ERA in 16 appearances.

Lyle was on the hill on Apr. 3 when Jimmie Hall hit a two-run homer to give the Dark Blues a 4-2 lead over San Francisco, and shut down the Outlaws for two innings while St. Louis rallied three days later.  Crone pitched a perfect eighth ahead of Roy White's game-winning homer on Opening day and pitched a perfect ninth in a tie game Apr. 10 to set up Reggie Smith's game-winning single.  And on on Apr. 7 after Chicago chased Lew Burdette with five runs in five innings, Lyle and Crone combined for 4.1 shutout innings, allowing just one hit as St. Louis rallied to a 10-5 win.

And the Maroon starters have needed all the help they can get, ranking 10th in the league with a 4.50 ERA and just three of the club's 10 wins.  Oldster Lew Burdette, who turned into a surprise ace last year, has been positively stinky in 1969, managing just 12 innings of work in three starts, and a 10.50 ERA.  Fifth-starter Joe Niekro hasn't fared much better, going 0-1 with a 7.88 ERA in a pair of starts.  But despite their woes, St. Louis starters have only lost 5 of 14 starts, thanks in large part to healthy run support and timely hitting.  Clemente ranks fifth in batting (.364) and has already crossed the plate 13 times, and Joe Morgan was hitting .362 before an Apr. 15 injury that will sideline him for two months.  But the Maroons will have to keep an eye on defending West Division champions Los Angeles, who lead the league in offense so far this year, after leading in pitching a year ago.

OPENING DAY COAST TO COAST (*home teams)
The 1969 season kicked off with two simultaneous games in New York City.  Manhattan opened their title defense with a convincing 4-0 shutout of Washington, while refurbished Brooklyn was the only home team to lose on Opening Day, 8-3 to Cleveland.

Cleveland 8, *Brooklyn 3 --  Bernie Allen singled, doubled, and triples, scoring three times, and Don Blasingame hit a three-run homer as Cleveland beat their former teammate Bob Friend 8-3 in Brooklyn. Mickey Mante homered from Brooklyn and Hank Aaron was 3-for-4 in his Superbas debut.
*Manhattan 4, Washington 0 -- Bob Anderson spoiled Andy Messersmith's UL debut with eight shutout innings, and Joe Torre was 3-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBIs as Manhattan roleld to a 4-0 win.
*Dallas 4, Los Angeles 1 -- Jim Merritt pitched eight shutout innings and Boog Powell was 3-for-4 with a homer, as the Dallas Texans won their season opener at home 4-1. Lenny Green's solo homer with two outs in the ninth was the Outlaws only run, as Fritz Peterson took the loss
*Detroit 3, Boston 2 -- Charlie Lau flipped a 2-1 deficit with a bases loaded double in the eighth, and Tex Clevenger held on for his first save in a 3-2 Detroit win at Kiner Field. Lau's double chased Boston ace Chris Short, who took the loss. Dick Allen and Reggie Jackson each had two hits and Joey Jay got the win, allowing just one run in seven innings, and striking out seven.
*Atlanta 2, Chicago 1 -- Roger Maris' ninth inning double broke a 1-1 tie and gave Atlanta the victory in their season opener against the Chicago Colts at Fulton County Stadium. Ron Reed pitched seven shutout innings, but reliever Dooley Womack let in a run in the eighth on Don Pavletich's RBI single and took the loss after dishing up back-to-back double to Bill Robinson and Maris in the ninth. Steve Carlton went the distance for a five-hitter and Bob Allison hit three singles.
*St. Louis 2, San Francisco 1 -- Fergie Jenkins took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but turned out the loser on Opening Day in St. Louis after Roy White clouted a game-winning pinch homer. Don Sutton pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, but newcomer Ray Crone got the win, and Bob Locker the save. Granny Hamner was 2-for-4 but committed an error in his Maroons debut.