With SS Richard Takada nursing an injured knee, the Philadelphia Flash didn't exactly trot out their ideal opening day lineup. That said, however, the role players inserted into the lineup produced admirably en route to a 4-3 win over the Washington D.C. Senators to get the season off on the right foot.
SS Weldon Reed, the direct fill-in for Takada, hit out of the 8-hole but led the way in terms of RBIs. He opened the scoring in the 2nd inning after the Flash loaded the bases with no outs. His grounder to 3rd was sent home by 3B Greg Ramirez, but C Mark Chen couldn't record the force out in time, and LF Lefty Hodges scored. Reed came up with the bases loaded again in the 3rd inning, this time with 2 outs. He drew a key walk to plate 3B Ramon Martin, which enabled SP Donovan Leiter to contribute a base hit and RBI of his own.
The Flash never trailed, but staff-ace Leiter had a wild 4th inning. After surrendering back-to-back HRs to RF Johnny Costello and Chen, CF Charlie Swann singled and worked his way around the bases via a passed ball, a steal, and a wild pitch. But that was the end of the scoring for the home Senators, and the Flash moved into the division lead already at 1-0.
New Faces: There were 6 players making their Flash and/or major-league debut today. Here is a summary of some of their days:
RF Javier Moya, brought in to replace Jerome Clontz, had a forgettable day at the plate, going 0-for-5. He was hitting from the 2-hole today, but with the entire lineup being liquid at this point, he certainly won't remain there with repeat performances.
1B Gabby Trujillo reached base one time, on a walk, going 0-for-3 otherwise. He did come around to score in the 2nd inning on a walk by 2B William Saitou.
RP Felipe Martin took the ball out of Leiter's hand in the 8th inning. He worked a scoreless inning of relief, inducing 2 groundouts and a flyout from the Senators 2-, 3-, and 4-hitters.
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