BUCS WIN TRADITIONAL OPENER
Reds Waste Blackwell's Effort

CINCINNATI, Apr. 16 (AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the tenth and went on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds in the traditional major league opener before a sellout crowd at Crosley Field on a picture perfect afternoon in the Queen City.  The Pirates blew a 3-0 lead before coming back to win in extra innings.

Cincinnati's Ewell Blackwell was nicked for three runs--only two earned--in the first inning before finding his footing and retiring 22 consecutive Pirates at one point.  Blackwell ultimately worked nine innings but received no decision.  Pittsburgh opened the scoring when Ralph Kiner's one-out fly to right field scored Catfish Metkovtch from third.  Wally Westlake followed with a base hit, putting runners on first and second and George's Strickland's single through the box plated Gus Bell with the second run of the frame.  Monty Bagsall's single to center loaded the bases but when the ball was misplayed by Bob Usher Westlake scored the third run.

Bagsall was the last Pittsburgh baserunner until the eighth inning.

Meanwhile, Pirates starter Lefty Chambers held the Reds scoreless until the sixth.  Virgil Stallcup started the inning with a single and Blackwell chased him to third with a base hit of his own.  One out later, third baseman Bob Dillinger kicked Usher's potential double play grounder, allowing Stallcup to score and leaving runners on first and second.  Johnny Wyrotsek's single scored Blackwell and the Reds were within a run.

Cincinnati then tied the game in the seventh when Stallcup singled home Joe Adcock, who had led off the frame with a walk.

With Bud Byerly on the hill for the Reds, Pete Reiser, who had entered earlier in the game as part of a double switch, singled.  Then, in a key moment in the game, Bobby Adams, who had moved to third base as part of a defensive shuffling by Cincinnati, fielded Metkovich's would-be double play grounder and fired the ball into right field, leaving runners at first and third.  Gus Bell's slow roller to second scored Reiser with the tie-breaking run and a triple to center field off the bat of Jack Phillips capped the scoring. 

Vern Law came on and cruised through a 1-2-3 bottom half of the tenth to nail down the victory.

4/16/1951, Pit51-Cin51, Crosley Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10     R  H  E   LOB DP
1951 Pirates           3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2     5  8  1     6  2
1951 Reds              0  0  0  0  0  2  1  0  0  0     3  4  2     4  0
 
Pirates              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Reds                 AB  R  H BI   AVG
Dillinger         3b  4  0  0  0  .000    Adams             2b  5  0  0  0  .000
 Reiser           lf  1  1  1  0 1.000    Usher             cf  4  0  0  1  .000
Metkovich         cf  5  2  1  0  .200    Wyrostek          rf  4  0  1  1  .250
 Law              p   0  0  0  0  .000    Kluszewski        1b  4  0  0  0  .000
Bell              rf  5  1  2  1  .400    Adcock            lf  1  0  0  0  .000
Kiner             1b  3  0  0  1  .000     Merriman         pr  1  1  0  0  .000
 Phillips         pr  1  0  1  1 1.000    Scheffing         c   1  0  0  0  .000
Westlake          lf  3  1  1  0  .333     Ryan             ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Castiglione      ph  1  0  0  0  .000    Hatton            3b  3  0  0  0  .000
Strickland        ss  4  0  1  1  .250     Howell           c   1  0  0  0  .000
Basgall           2b  3  0  1  0  .333    Stallcup          ss  4  1  2  1  .500
McCullough        c   4  0  0  0  .000    Blackwell         p   3  1  1  0  .333
Chambers          p   2  0  0  0  .000     Byerly           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Long             ph  1  0  0  0  .000     Post             ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Friend           p   0  0  0  0  .000                         33  3  4  3
 Beard            ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                     38  5  8  4
 
Pirates                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Chambers                         7.0  4  3  2  3  1  87  44  2.57
Friend           W 1-0           2.0  0  0  0  1  0  28  18  0.00
Law              S 1             1.0  0  0  0  0  0   7   4  0.00
                                10.0  4  3  2  4  1 122  66
 
Reds                             INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Blackwell                        9.0  6  3  2  2  8 134  91  2.00
Byerly           L 0-1           1.0  2  2  0  0  0  19  13  0.00
                                10.0  8  5  2  2  8 153 104
 
Pit: Long batted for Chambers in the 8th
     Phillips ran for Kiner in the 9th
     Castiglione batted for Westlake in the 9th
     Reiser inserted at lf in the 9th
     Phillips moved to 1b in the 9th
     Castiglione moved to 3b in the 9th
     Beard batted for Friend in the 10th
     Beard moved to cf in the 10th
Cin: Merriman ran for Adcock in the 7th
     Ryan batted for Scheffing in the 7th
     Adams moved to 3b in the 8th
     Usher moved to lf in the 8th
     Merriman moved to cf in the 8th
     Ryan moved to 2b in the 8th
     Howell inserted at c in the 8th
     Post batted for Byerly in the 10th
 
E-Dillinger, Adams, Usher. 3B-Phillips(1). RBI-Bell(1), Kiner(1),
Strickland(1), Phillips(1), Usher(1), Wyrostek(1), Stallcup(1).
SB-Merriman(1). K-Dillinger 2, Bell, Westlake 2, Strickland 2, McCullough,
Ryan. BB-Kiner, Basgall, Adcock 2, Scheffing, Ryan. SH-Castiglione.
GWRBI: Bell
Temperature: 73, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 11 MPH.
Attendance: 29,762
Game Time: 2:12