Saturday – April 18th

Bob Buhl (1-0) handed the Phillies their first loss of the season with a 7-0 whitewashing in the second game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field. The veteran right-hander gave up three hits while striking out seven and walking three.

Play Ball

The Cubs got the only runs they needed in the bottom of the first:

• Jimmy Stewart led off with a double.
• Lou Brock walked to put two on with nobody out.
• Billy Williams singled to plate Stewart and make it 1-0 Cubs.
• Ernie Banks followed with a double to make it 2-0 Cubs.

Billy Williams (#4) hit the game’s only home run in the fourth inning. His third in the first two games of the series.

Ray Culp (0-1) was over-matched and lasted just three-and-a-third innings.

Ray Culp, 22, was a second-year pitcher, a right-hander from Elgin, Texas, who the Phillies signed right out of high school. He went 14-11 in his rookie year, with a 2.97 ERA, and placed third in Rookie of the Year voting:

Pete Rose – 17 votes … Ron Hunt – 2 votes … Ray Culp – 1 vote

Gene Mauch used four pitchers in relief of Culp:

1. Dallas Green
2. Chris Short
3. Rick Wise
4. Ryne Duren

Around the League

Jim Maloney (1-1) one-hit the Dodgers 3-0 to best Sandy Koufax (1-1). And the Pirates banged out 15 hits in beating the Mets 9-5.

Those victories boosted the Dodgers and Pirates into a three-way tie for first place with the Phillies. All three teams boasting 3-1 records.

Barry Bowe is also the author of Born to Be Wild and 21 Years.

21 Years follows the footsteps of Blacklist, Sons of Anarchy, Narcos, House of Cards, and Breaking Bad. If you like those shows, good chance you’ll like 21 Years. “Where’s Beth?” Available in all digital formats – $2.99 at Kindle – $1.77 at Smashwords.