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Opening Day, 1903

April 16, 1903 was opening day for major league baseball in the first year that an official World Series was played between the National League and American League champions. There were two games on opening day: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, and Chicago at St. Louis. The accounts of the game reproduced below were taken from the New York Times of April 17, 1903.

 

Pittsburg, 7; Cincinnati, 1.

Cincinnati, April 16. -- The National League baseball season of 1903 was inaugurated here to-day, when 12,000 persons saw the Pittsburg team give the Cincinnatis a decisive defeat. Phillippi let Cincinnati down with only two hits, but, combined with a wild throw, these enabled them to escape a shut-out. Harper allowed eight bases on balls, once forcing a man over the plate. Wagner made the sensational play of the day, taking down a line hit of Kelley's by jumping in the air, and then being compelled to juggle the ball before finally holding it. This was the first day that the Cincinnati baseball enthusiasts had a chance of seeing the improvements that have been added to their park. It is now one of the finest in the country, and has a seating capacity of 15,000. Score:

Cincinnati
|
Pittsburgh
 
R
1B
PO
A
E
|
 
R
1B
PO
A
E
Kelley, lf
0
0
4
0
0
|
Beaum't cf
2
1
3
0
0
Seymour, cf
1
1
1
0
0
|
Clarke, lf
0
2
3
0
0
Donlin, rf
0
0
2
1
0
|
Leach, 3b
1
1
2
1
0
Beckley, 1b
0
0
5
0
0
|
Wagner, ss
0
2
1
1
0
Morris'y, 2b
0
0
1
1
0
|
Branaf'd, 1b
1
1
9
0
0
Corcoran, ss
0
1
1
4
1
|
Sebring, rf
1
0
3
0
0
Steinfeld, 3b
0
0
3
4
1
|
Ritchey, 2b
0
1
0
4
0
Peitz, c
0
0
7
2
0
|
Phelps, c
0
3
7
0
0
Harper, p
0
0
0
4
0
|
Phillippi, p
2
0
0
2
1
 
-
-
-
-
-
   
-
-
-
-
-
Total .........................
1
2
27
16
2
  Total .........................
7
11
27
8
1
 
Cincinnati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
-
1
Pittsburg  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0
1
0
3
0
0
0
2
1
-
7
 

  Two-base hits - Bransfield, Ritchey, and Phelps. Three-base hits- Clarke and Leach. Stolen bases - Clarke, Leach, and Wagner. First base on balls -by Phillippi, 1 ; by Harper, 8. Struck out - by Phillippi, 5; by Harper, 3. Wild pitches - Phillippi, 1 ; by Harper, 1. Time of game- One hour and fifty minutes. Umpire - Mr. Emalie.


St. Louis, 2: Chicago, 1.

St. Louis, April 16. - The St. Louis National League baseball team to-day defeated the Chicagoans in a hotly contested game by a score of 2 to 1. Currie and Ryan were in the points for St. Louis, while Taylor and Kling did battery service for Chicago. The local pitcher had slightly the better of a pitchers' battle, allowing the visitors only four hits, In the field St. Louis also excelled the Chicago club, the locals having only two errors against three for Chicago. The feature of the game was Brain's one-hand stop of Lowe's hot liner, doubling Evers at second base. Attendance, 4,676. Score:

St. Louis
|
Chicago
 
R
1B
PO
A
E
|
 
R
1B
PO
A
E
Farrell, 2b
1
3
4
2
0
|
Jones, rf
0
0
0
0
0
Smoot, cf
0
1
2
0
0
|
Slagle, lf
0
0
2
0
0
Brain, 3b
0
0
2
3
1
|
Kling, c
0
0
4
4
0
Barclay, lf
0
1
0
0
0
|
Dobbs, cf
0
1
1
1
0
Donovan, rf
0
0
1
0
0
|
Tucker, 3b
1
1
0
2
2
Nichols, 1b
0
0
9
1
0
|
Evers, ss
0
2
2
3
1
Willia's, 22
1
1
3
4
0
|
Lowe, 2b
0
0
1
0
0
Ryan, c
0
0
5
3
0
|
Hanlon, 1b
0
0
13
2
0
Currie, p
0
0
1
2
1
|
Taylor, p
0
0
1
6
0
 
-
-
-
-
-
   
-
-
-
-
-
Total .........................
2
6
27
15
2
  Total .........................
1
4
24
18
3
 
St. Louis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
. .
-
2
Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
-
1
 

  Earned run - St. Louis. Three-base hit- Barclay. Sacrifice hits - Smoot, Brain, Currie. Double plays - Currie and Nichols ; Hanlon and Evers. Bases on balls - off Currie, 2. Struck out - by Taylor, 2; by Currie, 4. Left on bases - Chicago, 3; by St. Louis, 4. Time- 1.58. Umpire - Johnstone.