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GOTHAM BESTS AMERICAN WITH LONE RUN NEEDED
HOSTS WIN FIRST 1-0 GAME OF APBL SEASON; WARD LIMITS VISITORS TO THREE HITS

NEW YORK CITY (June 6, 1880) - Gotham & American finished up their series at the St. George Cricket Grounds on Sunday afternoon, and the result was the first 1-0 game of the 1880 A.P.B.L. season to date:

The game’s lone Run was scored during the bottom of the third inning, when All-Star 2B Babe Johnson came up to bat after RF Walter McGovern had hit a Double and proceeded to drive him home with a Single to Right-Center Field. Fellow All-Star Royal Altman followed with a Double, but Johnson was thrown out at Home Plate trying to extend Gotham’s lead to 2-0.

From there, second-year Gotham #2 Alex Ward had only one notable issue with the American attack, and that was in the top of the ninth when RF Harold Heffron hit a Double off him. However, Ward was able to strand him at Third Base, and Gotham had a rare 1-0 victory.

Here is how the Pitchers in the game performed:

• AME P Charles Griffith: L (0-4, 3.25), 8.0 IP, 12 HA, 1 R/1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• GOT P Alex Ward: SHO (12-2, 2.37), 9.0 IP, 3 HA, 3 BB, 2 K

The 30-year-old Ward is off to a fantastic start to his second year in league baseball. While Gotham’s #2 as a Greenhorn last year, Ward was 14-25 with a 4.30 ERA, 65 Strikeouts, and 4.8 WAR over 341.0 innings. Through one-third of the 1880 season, Ward is 12-2 with a 2.37 ERA, 28 Strikeouts, and 1.9 WAR over 132.2 innings, which has him on pace to significantly improve over the statistical output from his debut season.

The win moved Gotham two games clear atop the Metropolitan Conference standings at 19-11, while American is in seventh place at 13-17 (6 GB).