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GRAFF THE HERO AS MERCURY BEATS MUTUAL
1B FINISHES WITH FOUR HITS, HOMER, & FIVE RBI; MERCURY WINS WITH TWO LATE RALLIES

NEW YORK CITY (May 12, 1880) - It was Opening Day in the N.B.B.O., and while the game of the day was Bedford’s 13-12 home win over Star in Brooklyn the comeback of the day took place in New York City, where Mercury hosted Mutual:

Mercury drew first blood in B1, when a Single by veteran 1B Wilbur Graff put them ahead 1-0. That lead was short-lived, however, as Mutual tied the game in T2 on a Single by new 2B Roy Beattie before taking the lead (2-1) in T5 on a run-scoring Error and then extending the lead (3-1) in T6 on a Double by C Horace Ballard.

After B6 & T7 went by scoreless, Mercury took their bats for B7 and put up a four-run rally to take a 5-3 lead, with the runs scoring on a Single by Graff, a two-run Single by new 3B Dallas Campanelli, and a Double by 2B Walter Musson. Mutual responded with a three-run rally in T8 to take the lead back (6-5), with the big hit there a two-run Home Run by Ballard. However, Mercury responded in B8 with another four-run rally in which a three-run Home Run over the short porch in Right Field by Graff gave Mercury a 9-6 lead after a single by CF John Kinder had tied the game. Mutual scored once in T9, but that was all and Mercury had a season-opening win at Hunt’s Point.

For Graff, his big hits were part of an excellent afternoon to open the 1880 season:

• B1: 1-run Single to CF off E. Wyatt
• B3: Reached via Base on Balls by E. Wyatt
• B5: Single to CF off E. Wyatt
• B7: 1-run Single past 2B off E. Wyatt (R)
• B8: 3-RUN HOME RUN TO RF off E. Wyatt
• TOTAL: 4/4 (HR), 2 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 7 TB, GW HR – 91 GMSC

Graff, a 7x N.B.B.O. All-Star, joined Mercury over the winter after having spent three years with Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club. His performance on Opening Day was the perfect way to introduce himself to his new team and its fans.

The series continues tomorrow, with First Pitch scheduled for just after 1:00 P.M.