With a possible double play in sight, Roger Metzger booted a grounder by Ed Kirkpatrick with the bases loaded in the ninth inning and Gene Clines scored to bring the Pirates a 4-3 victory over the Astros. Bob Watson put the Astros ahead, 3-2, with a two-run homer in the eighth, but the Pirates rallied to win in the ninth.

Willie Stargell was hit by a pitch to open the stanza. Mario Mendoza, running for Stargell, counted the tying run on singles by Clines and Manny Sanguillen. An intentional pass to Paul Popovich then loaded the bases before Metzger committed his error. [The Sporting News]



Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Houston Astros 3
Game Played on Friday, April     26, 1974 (Night game) at Three Rivers Stadium
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  0    1  2  0  -   3 11  1
Pirates      0  0  0    0  1  1    0  0  2  -   4  8  2


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Pirates              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Metzger ss            5   0   2   0     0   1   .293      Stennett 2b           4   0   1   1     0   0   .289
Brown rf              3   0   0   0     0   1   .233      Hebner 3b             4   0   1   0     0   1   .368
  Gross ph,rf,lf      1   0   0   0     0   1   .333      Oliver 1b             4   1   1   0     0   0   .307
Cedeno cf             4   1   2   0     0   0   .338      Stargell lf           1   0   0   1     1   0   .262
Watson lf,1b          4   1   3   2     0   0   .329        Mendoza pr          0   1   0   0     0   0   .000
L. May 1b             4   0   0   0     0   1   .268      Parker cf,rf          4   0   1   0     0   1   .317
  Gallagher rf        0   0   0   0     0   0   .111      Zisk rf               3   0   0   0     0   1   .200
Rader 3b              4   1   1   0     0   0   .246        Clines cf           1   1   1   0     0   0   .167
Helms 2b              4   0   0   0     0   0   .338      Sanguillen c          4   0   1   1     0   0   .278
Edwards c             3   0   1   1     0   0   .219      Taveras ss            3   1   1   0     0   0   .406
Dierker p             2   0   1   0     0   1   .273        Popovich ph         0   0   0   0     1   0   .286
  C. Johnson ph       1   0   1   0     0   0   .167      Rooker p              2   0   1   0     0   0   .429
  Milbourne pr        0   0   0   0     0   0   .200        Giusti p            1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Scherman p          1   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Kirkpatrick ph      1   0   0   0     0   0   .412
  Forsch p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               36   3  11   3     0   6             Totals               32   4   8   3     2   3

Time of Game: 2:20   Attendance: 11,145
Left on Base: Astros 7, Pirates 7
DP: Astros 1, Pirates 1
Errors: Metzger, Stennett, Zisk
Doubles: Rader (4), Metzger (5)
Triples: Oliver (2)
Home Runs: Watson (3)
Caught Stealing: Edwards (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Edwards (1), Stargell (3)
GIDP: Zisk (1)
Hit by Pitch: Stargell (1,by Scherman)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dierker                 6     6   2   2   1   2   0  24   2.17
Scherman L(0-1)         2.1   1   2   1   0   1   0   9   1.50
Forsch                  0     1   0   0   1   0   0   3   1.00
Totals                  8.1   8   4   3   2   3   0  36

Pirates                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Rooker                  6.2   9   1   1   0   4   0  28   1.25
Giusti W(1-1)           2.1   2   2   2   0   2   1   9   5.94
Totals                  9    11   3   3   0   6   1  37

Hit by Pitch: Scherman (3)
Wild Pitches: Dierker (2)

Umpires: HP - Chris Pelekoudas, 1B - Paul Pryor, 2B - Bob Engel, 3B - Jerry Dale


ASTROS 1ST: Metzger struck out; Brown flied out to right; Cedeno
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0,
Pirates 0.

PIRATES 1ST: Stennett flied out to right; Hebner struck out;
Oliver flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0,
Pirates 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson flied out to center; L. May was called out on
strikes; Rader popped to third in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Astros 0, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 2ND: Stargell grounded out (first unassisted); Parker
singled to right; Zisk grounded into a double play (third to
second to first) [Parker out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 0, Pirates 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Helms reached on an error by Zisk [Helms to first];
Edwards lined into a double play (shortstop to first) [Helms out
at first]; Dierker singled to left; Metzger singled to left
[Dierker to second]; Brown was called out on strikes; 0 R, 2 H,
1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 3RD: Sanguillen grounded out (first to pitcher); Taveras
grounded out (shortstop to first); Rooker flied out to right; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Pirates 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cedeno grounded out (shortstop to first); Watson
singled to center; L. May flied out to right; Rader grounded out
(pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 0, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 4TH: Stennett grounded out (third to first); Hebner
singled to center; Oliver forced Hebner (second to shortstop);
Dierker threw a wild pitch [Oliver to second]; Stargell was
walked intentionally; Parker lined to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Astros 0, Pirates 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Helms flied out to center; Edwards singled to right;
Edwards was caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); On a
bunt Dierker struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0,
Pirates 0.

PIRATES 5TH: Zisk struck out; Sanguillen grounded out (second to
first); Taveras singled to pitcher; Rooker singled to left
[Taveras to second]; Stennett singled to left [Taveras scored,
Rooker to second]; Hebner grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 3
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Pirates 1.

ASTROS 6TH: Metzger grounded out (shortstop to first); Brown
flied out to left; Cedeno singled to left; Watson singled to
right [Cedeno to second]; L. May made an out to second; 0 R, 2
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Pirates 1.

PIRATES 6TH: Oliver tripled to right; Stargell hit a sacrifice
fly to center [Oliver scored]; Parker flied out to left; Zisk
grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
0, Pirates 2.

ASTROS 7TH: Rader doubled to left; Helms lined to second [Rader
to third (error by Stennett)]; Edwards hit a sacrifice fly to
center [Rader scored]; C. JOHNSON BATTED FOR DIERKER; C. Johnson
singled to shortstop; MILBOURNE RAN FOR C. JOHNSON; Metzger
doubled to right [Milbourne to third]; GIUSTI REPLACED ROOKER
(PITCHING); GROSS BATTED FOR BROWN; Gross was called out on
strikes; 1 R, 3 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 1, Pirates 2.

PIRATES 7TH: GROSS STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); SCHERMAN
REPLACED MILBOURNE (PITCHING); Sanguillen flied out to left;
Taveras grounded out (first unassisted); Giusti grounded out
(catcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 1, Pirates 2.

ASTROS 8TH: PARKER CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING RF); CLINES
REPLACED ZISK (PLAYING CF); Cedeno singled to center; Watson
homered [Cedeno scored]; L. May grounded out (catcher to first);
Rader made an out to second; Helms flied out to right; 2 R, 2 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Pirates 2.

PIRATES 8TH: GROSS CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); WATSON
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING 1B); GALLAGHER REPLACED L. MAY
(PLAYING RF); Stennett grounded out (shortstop to first); Hebner
grounded out (third to first); Oliver grounded out (third to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Pirates 2.

ASTROS 9TH: Edwards grounded out (first unassisted); Scherman
struck out; Metzger lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
3, Pirates 2.

PIRATES 9TH: Stargell was hit by a pitch; MENDOZA RAN FOR
STARGELL; Parker struck out; Willie Stargell hit on the head;
left with injury above his left eye Debut game for Mario
Mendoza; Clines singled to center [Mendoza to second];
FORSCH REPLACED SCHERMAN (PITCHING); Sanguillen singled [Mendoza
scored, Clines to third, Sanguillen to second (on throw)];
POPOVICH BATTED FOR TAVERAS; Popovich was walked intentionally;
KIRKPATRICK BATTED FOR GIUSTI; Kirkpatrick reached on an error
by Metzger [Clines scored (unearned) (no RBI), Sanguillen to
third, Popovich to second]; 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 3 LOB.  Astros
3, Pirates 4.