[Joy in Mudville]

All four playoff teams from last season hold down first place in their respective divisions as the 1973 Joy in Mudville League concluded its first month.

Baltimore, winners of 10 straight games, lead the American League East with an 18-2 record.

Texas, fresh off a sweep of Minnesota, stands atop the AL West at 14-6.

Pittsburgh, two-time National League East champions, hold the top spot in its division with a 15-5 mark.

Thanks for a 12-game winning streak, Houston has surged ahead of Cincinnati in the NL West. The Astros (18-6) leads the Reds (16-6) by one game.

Diamond JIM Notes: Texas catcher Darrell Porter won the AL Player of the Month Award while Baltimore left-hander Ken Holtzman took home the AL Pitcher of the Month honors. Detroit first baseman Dave Kingman swatted his way to the AL Rookie award . . . Cincinnati's Pete Rose was honored as the NL's Player of the Month; Reds' teammate Gary Nolan grabbed the pitching award. Houston catcher Steve Yeager won the NL Rookie plaque . . . St. Louis left-hander Steve Carlton one-hit Los Angeles April 25 in a 5-0 Cardinal victory. Dodger first baseman Wes Parker had the lone LA hit, a fifth-inning single . . . Montreal's Mack Jones and Houston's Cesar Cedeno each had five-hit games.

Major League 1970 05-01-1973 Standings Report

American Standings

Eastern Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Baltimore Orioles 18 2 .900 - 17-3 1 8-1 10-1 2-0 3-1 140 W10 10-0 New York Yankees 15 5 .750 3.0 17-3 -2 10-1 5-4 0-1 3-2 W8 8-2 Detroit Tigers 9 11 .450 9.0 11-9 -2 5-3 4-8 1-0 0-3 L1 3-7 Boston Red Sox 8 12 .400 10.0 8-12 0 5-7 3-5 1-3 4-3 L3 5-5 Cleveland Indians 7 14 .333 11.5 8-13 -1 4-5 3-9 0-2 3-3 W1 3-7 Milwaukee Brewers 6 15 .286 12.5 5-16 1 3-6 3-9 1-2 1-4 L4 3-7 Western Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Texas Rangers 14 6 .700 - 14-6 0 8-4 6-2 0-1 3-0 140 W3 7-3 California Angels 10 9 .526 3.5 7-12 3 5-5 5-4 0-0 3-2 L1 5-5 Kansas City Royals 10 12 .455 5.0 11-11 -1 5-8 5-4 0-1 2-3 W1 5-5 Chicago White Sox 8 11 .421 5.5 7-12 1 2-5 6-6 3-0 4-3 W3 5-5 Minnesota Twins 8 11 .421 5.5 10-9 -2 4-4 4-7 0-0 2-5 L5 2-8 Oakland Athletics 8 13 .381 6.5 7-14 1 6-7 2-6 2-0 4-3 L4 4-6

National Standings

Eastern Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Pittsburgh Pirates 15 5 .750 - 14-6 1 9-2 6-3 1-0 4-2 142 L1 7-3 Philadelphia Phillies 13 6 .684 1.5 14-5 -1 6-2 7-4 1-1 3-1 L2 7-3 St. Louis Cardinals 9 10 .474 5.5 11-8 -2 9-4 0-6 0-1 1-3 W5 6-4 New York Mets 9 12 .429 6.5 9-12 0 6-4 3-8 0-1 3-3 W1 4-6 Chicago Cubs 9 13 .409 7.0 9-13 0 5-7 4-6 1-1 3-2 L1 4-6 Montreal Expos 6 13 .316 8.5 7-12 -1 2-4 4-9 1-1 3-4 L3 3-7 Western Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Houston Astros 18 6 .750 - 17-7 1 11-1 7-5 3-0 9-3 139 W12 10-0 Cincinnati Reds 16 6 .727 1.0 13-9 3 7-4 9-2 2-1 4-2 W2 7-3 Los Angeles Dodgers 10 12 .455 7.0 10-12 0 6-6 4-6 1-2 5-4 W1 3-7 San Francisco Giants 10 14 .417 8.0 11-13 -1 4-7 6-7 1-1 0-4 L3 4-6 San Diego Padres 9 14 .391 8.5 10-13 -1 6-6 3-8 0-1 2-5 W1 2-8 Atlanta Braves 4 17 .190 12.5 4-17 0 2-8 2-9 0-1 1-5 L1 2-8