59,893 turned up for Opening Day, the 107 that didn't turn up will be kicking themselves in missing not only a shut out victory for Detroit but one of the best pitching displays on Opening Day in Diesel history.
Jud Robertson got the ball on Opening Day and repaid the confidence the management team had put in him, the first two innings he faced the minimum
Lowell Knights hitters. Even when it came to the top of the 3rd when
Mario Martínez got on base with a single after
John Dawson and
Brit Sullivan both returned after 1st pitch ground outs, Robertson threw only 5 pitches the 5th when
Clarence Parkinson hit a 1st pitch line drive into the mitt of right fielder
Willie Scott to end the inning.
Into the top of the 4th went Robertson and sent the requisite number of hitters back to the bench, the game moved into the top of the 5th still scoreless.
Tony Ortíz and
John Dawson got on with singles but were sandwiched between two outs, on the second out
Tony Ortíz got greedy going for home plate only to be gunned down by
Gene Stewart in centre. In the top of the 6th the Knights got greedy again, with one on and just the one out
Clarence Parkinson reached third on a
Pete Payton single but tried for home and was thrown out by right fielder. Payton was then thrown out trying to steal second on the next at bat.
Into the 7th and Robertson's final inning,
Reynaldo Medine got on with a 1 out single but that's all she wrote for the Knights, first
Wes Blundell popped out to
Gene Stewart in centre then
Tony Ortíz popped out to
Willie Scott in right
In the 8th & 9th
Doug Moss swept up the remaining Knights in the same manner that Robertson had, in the 8th he faced the minimum as he did so in the 9th but have up a single to
Clarence Parkinson however a 4-6-3 ground out to a double play ended the game 3-0 to the hometown Detroit Diesel.