'DOC' : OPENING-DAY GUNSLINGER

'Doc' Halladay blew away his former teammates, twirling a six-hit shutout, Ichiro Suzuki had three hits, and Ryan Raburn (in the DH slot) hit a key two-run double in the 4th to frustrate the host Firebirds.

Former Rebels utility man Martin Prado had two of Yuma's six hits in his first game with his new club, but neither he nor his fellows were able to reach second base against Halladay through the first eight innings. The former Yuma ace was simply dominant, walking none while fanning eight Firebirds. The closest thing Yuma had to a rally was in the ninth, when Joey Votto reached on an error by Asdrubal Cabrera to push Ryan Zimmerman to second. Meanwhile, Raburn and company had put up a four-spot against Yuma ace C.C. Sabathia (0-1, 6.00).

Halladay had already thrown 116 pitches, so the Rebels braintrust might've been forgiven for going to their bullpen, but 'Doc' simply dialed up: Halladay (1-0, 0.00) struck out Ryan Braun on a 1-2 pitch for the first out, got Guerrero to tap into a force play, and challenged Buster Posey with a fastball on a 1-1 count. Posey's drive settled a few feet short of the warning track into Adam Jones's mitt.

Ball game, a shutout for Halladay, and a 4-0 Opening Day win for the retooled Rebels over their sibling rivals in Yuma!

In other BARB action:

SIN CITY 5, FROSTBITE FALLS 4


WP: Jaime Garcia (1-0, 3.24)

LP: Felix Hernandez (0-1, 3.86)

SV: Rodriguez (1)

Sin City starter Jaime Garcia drove in three runs with a pair of hits and took a shutout into the ninth in his BARB debut, before needing help in surviving a wild four-run comeback in the ninth, sending the host Squirrels down in defeat on Opening Day at Frostbite Falls.

The new-look Squirrels, no longer using a DH, elected to bat 'King' Felix eighth as GM Andrew Haynes decided to channel his inner La Russa, but came away with a sour taste in their mouth as the visiting Cowboys got big hits off Hernandez. Hayne's Crew made a game of it in the ninth when Rickie Weeks hit a three-run bomb to knock out Garcia, and Victor Martinez made it very interesting when he yanked the second pitch he saw from Francisco Rodriguez, Sin City's new closer. Back-to-back jacks made it a one-run game with one out, and the great Albert Pujols at bat! Pujols singled sharply and Longoria walked to put the tying run in scoring position, but pinch-hitter Adam Lind struck out and Jose Reyes grounded to third to end the threat.

BROOKLYN 2, WORCESTER 1


WP: Jon Lester (1-0, 1.50)

LP: Wandy Rodriguez (0-1, 3.00)

SV: Feliz (1)

New Moabs 3B Adrian Beltre hit a go-ahead double in the sixth, his third hit of the game, and the Brooklyn pen of Ryan Madson and Neftali Feliz combined for three innings of shutout ball to help Eric Caskey's club edge the world champion Eliminators, just as Worcester had edged out their sibling rival in the final days of the 2010 season, when three Eastern Division juggernauts vied for two playoff spots.

New Elims lefty Wandy Rodriguez pitched reasonably well for six frames, and even briefly gave his club the lead by opening the third with a double off Jon Lester, eventually scoring his team's sole run on a Mark Teixeira single.


AC/BC 6, CASSELTON 5


WP: Peter Moylan (1-0, 4.50)

LP: Joe Nathan (0-1, 27.00)

Carlos Zambrano started for the defending Central champs, and Josh Johnson for "Alex Coffman's Baseball Club", but neither figured in the decision, as the former Finches cashed in a Gordon Beckham error in the ninth to hang a loss on Joe Nathan, the new Horned Toads closer.
Nathan was handed a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth, and got Placido Polanco to line sharply right at 3B Casey McGeehee. This was the last out he recorded, however. Chipper Jones reached second on Beckham's throwing error, Maiser Izturis walked and Howie Kendrick took a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. New AC/BC shortstop Alex Gonzalez then singled sharply to right to score Jones, and Izturis.


CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 5, ST. FRANCIS 2


WP: Jered Weaver (1-0, 2.00)

LP: Roy Oswalt (0-1, 7.50)

Jered Weaver went all the way and added a sac fly to cap a three-run sixth against Roy Oswalt, as the Friars ace allowed four straight singles to open the frame after allowing only one run through five innings. New .45's SS Marco Scutaro collected a pair of RBI singles in the affair to back Weaver, who made only one mistake, a second-inning pitch to A.J. Pierzynski that St. Francis's backstop hit out of the park for a two-run homer.