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BOS 3, DET 0
Roger Clemens was almost unhittable, blanking the visiting Griffins in a three-hit shutout, including nine strikeouts.  Mickey Morandini was 2-4 with an RBI and Barry Bonds had a pair of hits.

KEY 5, WAS 4
A scoreless game in the first half turned into a punch-counterpunch affair from the bottom of the fifth on. Keystone landed the last punch, a walkoff solo homer by Cecil Fielder off Ed Nunez. Jerome Walton also homered for the Murmuration, and Rich Gedman and Ryne Sandberg homered for the visitors in a losing effort.

TOR 3, CLE 1
The best starter-closer combo in the league went to work and shut down the visiting Barons. Dwight Gooden allowed just one run and struck out seven, and Michael Jackson struck out three for the save in a 3-1 Toronto win. The Opening Day crowd was treated to a pregame ceremony, as the "1990 World Champions" banner was revealed before the first pitch.

HAV 5, MAN 2
Shane Mack was 4-for-4 and the 1-5 hitters produced 10 hits as the Leones overpowered Kelly Downs and Manhattan. Mark Langston fanned 10 across seven inning and Calvin Schiraldi got a two-inning save. Scott Fletcher, 3-4 with a homer, was the only highlight for the Dingy Hose.

MON 8, STL 5
St. Louis blew an early 5-2 lead as  the hosts exploded for a 19-hit, 8-run outburst.  Bip Roberts was 4-for-4, Larry Walker 3-for-5, and  four other batters contributed two hits, as the Voyageurs destroyed  Maroons ace Dave Schmidt and  three relievers. Chris Bosio cruised to the win and escaped with a 0.00 ERA after allowing five unearned runs in the third.

ATL  11, FLO 4
In their last opening day at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Hilltoppers scored the most runs of the day, plating 11 of Flamingos rookie ace and first overall pick Mike Mussina. Mark McGwire was 3-for-4 with a homer, and Phil Plantier, Luis Aguayo, and Mike Stanley added dingers. Fernando Valenzuela was touched for  11 hits and four runs, but struck out 10 and cruised to an easy win. Mussina left the game with two outs in the third and a 20.25 ERA.

CHI 5, SEA 3
Everything was going well for Seattle and Bruce Ruffin. The visitors took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth at Comiskey, but the hosts put up a five-spot and rode it to a 5-3 win. Benito Santiago was 3-for-4 and Erik Hanson notched the win with a 10-K performance in seven innings.

BRO 4, DEN 2
Denver was the only home team to lose on Opening Day, but it was a festive occasion nonetheless. The 14ers opened their new downtown stadium, Frank Carr Field, and  Mark McLemore set the stadium alight with a leadoff homer, starting the stadium's legacy in storybook fashion. However, All-Decade Team member Ken Landreaux and Andres Galarraga spoiled the rest of the afternoon, with a pair of RBIs each en route to a 4-2 Superbas win.

LA 3, SF 1
Floyd Youmans struck out 11 and allowed a single unearned run, and the L.A. offense got solo homers from Tom Brunansky, Kirby Puckett, and Darrell Porter en route to a 3-1 win over their Golden State rivals. Puckett struck out in his first Outlaws at-bat, but finished the game 2-for-3 with a sixth inning homer off Jose DeLeon.

The Brooklyn Superbas meteoric rise continues. Fresh off three straight 100-loss seasons, the Bas went 81-79 last year, and are now the head of the class in a crowded East Division.

Brooklyn went 19-9 in the season's opening month, behind the best pitching staff in the league. The Superbas have allowed just 3.3 runs per game, and their top two starters have a combined 9-2 record and 2.62 ERA. Britt Burns, a 30-year-old southpaw, was 5-1, 2.49 in April after going 13-31 with a 4.50 ERA the last two years. Burns was the 22nd overall pick in 1978 and has spent his entire career in Red Hook. Since entering the rotation rull time in 1985, he has not missed a start and has surpassed 200 innings in five of the last six seasons.

Iron Man and innings-eater that he is, Burns was never considered a top-of-the-rotation guy. Coming into this season, his career record was 55-88 with a 4.05 ERA (in a pitcher's park). So far this year, Burns has trimmed his WHIP, struck out more, and gone deeper into game.

#2 starter Kevin Brown has seen a comparable transformation this year. The 25-year-old righthander from Milledgeville, Georgia is 4-1, 2.77 in his third year, after going 19-27 with a 4.73 ERA in his first two seasons.

Brooklyn's pitching was at its most dominant during an nine-day stretch in late April. From the 21st to the 29th, Brooklyn went 7-1, including four shutouts, two each by Burns and Ramon Martinez, a 22-year-old Dominican in his second year.

Another third-year pitcher, Randy Johnson, is adapting well to his bullpen role. In 13 appearances, the Big Unit has 5 saves and a 1.38 ERA.