IN THE NEWS: Future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell, weakened by a heroic effort to help contain a winter flood in Kentucky, dies at 37 of tuberculosis in a San Antonio sanitarium.
IN THE NEWS: After building eight new ballparks in three months, the Federal League opens with the Baltimore Terrapins beating Buffalo 3–2 before 27,140. Winning P Jack Quinn will win 26 and lose 14. Indianapolis will win the pennant, led by rookie Benny Kauff's league-leading .370 batting average. Ex-Pirate Claude Hendrix will be 29–11.
IN THE NEWS: At Fenway Park, 24,741 fans are on hand as the Red Sox open the season against Washington. Walter Johnson doesn't allow a hit till the 6th inning as he shuts out the Sox 3–0. Johnson walks none and strikes out 8. Ray Collins takes the loss.
At Brooklyn, Wilbert Robinson wins his first game as manager, defeating the Braves, 8–2.
At Philadelphia, the Giants open the season with the Phillies, losing 10–1 to Pete Alexander. Rube Marquard takes the loss. The Phils are led by Sherry Magee's two homers.
Before 22,000 at the Polo Grounds, the Yankees rock the World Champion Athletics, 8–2, driving Joe Bush from the mound after two innings. With only one starter, Roy Hartzell, back from last year's opening lineup, New York scores four in the first and would have scored another in the 2nd inning but Jeff Sweeney falls rounding 3B. When the burly catcher is helped to his feet by coach and manager Frank Chance, he is declared out by Billy Evans: a new rule prohibits coaches from helping runners. Sweeney redeems himself when he and pitcher Marty McHale pull off a double steal. New York has seven steals, including two by Sweeney and Fritz Maisel, who steals 2B and 3B in the 4th inning. Maisel will swipe 74 bases on the year, while Sweeney will pick up 19, tops for Yankee catchers.
Reds pitcher Rube Benton twirls a 2-hitter against visiting Chicago to win, 10–1.
IN THE NEWS: Pittsburgh rookie Erv Kantlehner makes his first start and beats the Cardinals, 2–0.
In the Federal League, Buffalo's Ed Porray makes his debut with a 4–3 win over Baltimore. Porray, born "somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean," will have one more decision, a loss, before being set adrift.
IN THE NEWS: The 25-player limit is suspended in the AL and NL. With uncertainty over who has signed with what teams, it is almost impossible to know how many players may be on the roster at any one time.
IN THE NEWS: At age 19, Babe Ruth's first professional game (as a pitcher) is a 6-hit 6–0 win for Baltimore (International League) over Buffalo. The 2nd batter he faces is Joe McCarthy, the manager he will play for 17 years later with New York. Ruth is 2-for-4.
The Chicago Whales (FL) host the Kansas City Packers at newly built Weegham Park, on Chicago's North Side. With two homers by Art Wilson, and a 5-hitter by Claude Hendrix, the Chifeds coast to a 9–1 before a crowd of 21,000.
IN THE NEWS: Browns catcher Frank Crossin throws out Detroit's Sam Crawford at 2B, and the return throw from Del Pratt nips Ty Cobb at home, for a rare double play on a double steal. The Tigers win anyway 4–0.
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