[BoilerRocketScientist]

After a 3-3 start, the team came together to go 14-4 for the remainder of the month and finish April at 17-7 with a 2-game lead over the White Sox in the AL West.

Surprisingly, the pitching has been at the forefront of the April surge. Our team ERA is 2nd in the AL and our staff leads the AL in strikeouts while being 3rd in allowing the fewest walks – a great combo. The starting rotation of Don Gullet (3-1, 4.84), Mike Witt (2-2, 4.20 after joining the team via a trade prior to opening day), Floyd Bannister (2-2, 3.49), Burt Hooton (2-2, 1.89), and Bruce Kison (3-0, 4.10) have performed better than expected. Gullet has posted a 14-strikeout game while Bannister has pitched the gem of the season so far – a 2-hit shutout with 7 K’s and 0 walks. The relief corps has the second best ERA in the AL with every member having a sub 2.00 ERA with the exception of Rich Gossage.

The offense has done well being near the top of the AL in runs scored and home runs despite a disappointing start from starters Richie Zisk (.216), John Stearns (.224), and Ruppert Jones (.250). On the positive side, Andre Thornton (.319, 2 HR’s, 11 RBI’s) and Paul Molitor (.305, 21 runs, 11 SB’s) have played well to lead the way. However, the heavy lifting has been done by Bill Buckner (6 HR’s, 22 RBI’s) and Dave Stapleton (4 HR’s, 18 RBI’s). Al Woods (.293, 1 HR, 11 RBI’s) has been a pleasant surprise as he’s another player coaxed out of early retirement by GM Woody Tobias.