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The Whites opened the season at home against Milwaukee on Saturday, April 28 at Sportsman's Park. The game was close at 2-1 after five innings before the Whites scored 6 runs in the sixth to open up an 8-1 lead. The final score was 14-1. The star of the game was the starter, Harry Staley. Staley was 21 years old in his second professional season. On opening day of the inaugural season of the Western Association, he allowed just one unearned run and only six hits while striking out five. He walked one and hit one batter. As a hitter he was 2-4 with a double and a triple with one run scored. Jack Crooks was 3-5 with a double, a triple and two runs scored. Ernie Burch was 2-5 with a triple and 3 runs scored. Overall, the Whites scored 14 runs on 14 hits with one walk. Only six of the runs were earned, though, as Milwaukee made 9 errors. (Note that in 1888, walks were counted as errors.) The entire game lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes. Prior to the game, Jerry McCormick slipped and hurt his shoulder while warming up. He was expected to miss a month. Team owner Cris Von der Ahe arranged for and paid for 'one of the best surgeons in the city' to attend him, but he was still cut from the club a few days later, on May 3, along with Pete Somers. Jake Kenyon started in center field in place of McCormick. Kenyon was originally signed to be a catcher for the club, but he ended up playing only in the outfield.
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Top of the first inning:
Beckley walked, stole second, and scored from second on a wild pitch
1 run
Whites 1, Milwaukee 0
Top of the fourth inning:
Burch tripled and scored on an error by Cusick on Hines' grounder
1 run
Whites 2, Milwaukee 0
Bottom of the fourth inning:
Strauss singled
Davin reached on an error by Crooks, Strauss advancing to second
Strauss stole third
Maskrey sacrificed, scoring Strauss
1 run
Whites 2, Milwaukee 1
Top of the sixth inning:
Crooks singled
Burch singled, Crooks to third, Burch to second on throw
Crooks scored when Foster fumbled Herr's hit, Burch to third
Herr stole second
Hines singled, Burch and Herr scored
Kenyon tripled, Hines scored
Dolan hit to Cusick, who threw Kenyon out at the plate
Staley tripled, scoring Dolan
Nicholson fouled out to Cusick
Beckley singled, scoring Staley
Beckley caught stealing to end the inning
6 runs
Whites 8, Milwaukee 1
Top of the seventh inning:
Errors by Foster (2), Strauss and Cusick, plus hits by Hines and Crooks, resulted in four runs
Whites 12, Milwaukee 1
Top of the eighth inning:
Beckley doubled
Crooks tripled, scoring Beckley
Herr singled, scoring Crooks
2 runs
Whites 14, Milwaukee 1