William Howard Taft, one of 16 presidents to throw out a first pitch before the opening game in D.C.
After President Taft threw out a first pitch, followed by President Wilson, then President Harding and so on …. we were finally ready for baseball between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the D.C. Grays.
Both teams seemed nervous in front of the assembled dignitaries and the sellout crowd. Four errors were committed in the first three innings, and six in the game. But one man who rose to the occasion was West Virginia’s Bill Mazeroski.
Maz homered his first time up in the second inning, accounting for the first homer and RBI in league play. After the Grays built a 3-1 lead through three, West Virginia went to work. George Brett and Andy Seminick homered off Nip Winters in the fourth to tie it. Jack Glasscock’s double put the Mountaineers ahead to stay in the fifth, and in the sixth, Mazeroski hit a three-run shot to put the game out of reach.
Wilbur Cooper recovered from a slow start (partly caused by his defense) and went the distance, giving up just four hits. West Virginia becomes the first team to post a victory. Congratulations to the Mountaineers!
Next we visit Ohio, where Cy Young will face Bert Blyleven and the Europeans.
Mountaineers.. 0 1 0 2 1 3 0 1 3 – 11 14 3
Grays……………. 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 3 4 3
W: Cooper L: Winters
HR: Mazeroski 2, Brett, Seminick, Neale
Base instincts 