Heading into the 2043 Opening Day it looked like the expansion Libyan Generals would be heavy underdogs. The home team Baghdad Kings won a Burt League best 99 games in 2042 and led the Burt with 5.7 runs per game. Well, someone for got to tell the Generals and starting pitcher Adam Simons.
Simons pitched 6.1 up and down innings but managed to not give up a single run to the Kings in a 4-0 Libya victory, the first in franchise history! He outdueled Baghdad ace Jose Zamora who won 16 games last year and posted a 3.25 ERA over a UMEBA best 216 innings. Simons game was far from a masterpiece but the Kings just couldn't hit in clutch situations leaving on six base runners as a team. Three times Simons hit a Baghdad batter to lead off an inning and none scored. Simons exited with one out in the sixth where Generals' long man, Kevin Graham retired all eight batters he faced to finish the game and pick up a save.
At the plate the Generals slapped 12 hits and managed to score four runs. Three players finished the day with multiple hits including Arief Alatas who hit an exciting lead off, inside the park home run in the top of the third inning to give the Generals a 2-0 lead. Alatas, who was brought in for his glove, managed two more singles to finish the day 3-4 with two runs and two RBI.
