The Giants won the first game of a twi-night doubleheader, 4-3, although Jim Barr, Randy Moffitt and Gary Lavelle gave up 13 hits, but they had easier sailing in the second game when Bob Knepper pitched a four-hitter to shut out the Astros, 5-0. The Giants collected 11 hits in the opener, with a single by Willie McCovey accounting for two RBIs. Bob Watson also drove in two runs for the Astros with a double and single.

Knepper had a no-hitter going in the nightcap until Joe Ferguson doubled with two out in the sixth inning. The Giants scored two runs off Gene Pentz in the first on a bases-loaded walk to Jack Clark and single by Terry Whitfield. Pentz also handed the Giants their final run in the third by committing a balk with the bases loaded. [The Sporting News]



San Francisco Giants 4, Houston Astros 3 (Game 1)
Game Played on Tuesday, August    9, 1977 (Night game) at Candlestick Park
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  1    0  1  1  -   3 13  0
Giants       0  0  2    1  1  0    0  0  x  -   4 11  0


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Giants               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Puhl lf               4   0   3   0     0   0   .262      Thomas cf             4   2   3   0     0   0   .249
  Sperring ph         1   0   1   0     0   0   .164      Andrews 2b            3   1   2   0     1   0   .264
Cabell 3b             5   1   1   1     0   0   .267      Madlock 3b            4   0   1   0     0   0   .291
Cedeno cf             5   1   1   0     0   0   .233      McCovey 1b            4   0   2   2     0   1   .284
Watson 1b             4   0   2   2     0   0   .289      Thomasson rf          3   1   1   0     1   0   .265
Cruz rf               3   0   0   0     1   0   .290      Evans lf              3   0   0   0     0   0   .253
Howe 2b               4   0   2   0     0   0   .264      Foli ss               3   0   1   0     0   0   .232
Herrmann c            3   0   3   0     0   0   .264      Hill c                3   0   1   1     0   1   .251
  Gonzalez pr,ss      0   1   0   0     1   0   .257      Barr p                3   0   0   0     0   2   .143
Metzger ss            2   0   0   0     0   0   .175        Moffitt p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Boswell ph          1   0   0   0     0   1   .215        Lavelle p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  McLaughlin p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Howard ph           1   0   0   0     0   1   .227
Niekro p              2   0   0   0     0   1   .136
  Ferguson ph,c       2   0   0   0     0   0   .252

Totals               37   3  13   3     2   3             Totals               30   4  11   3     2   4

Time of Game: 2:19
Left on Base: Astros 9, Giants 4
DP: Astros 2, Giants 2
Doubles: Puhl (6), Watson (28), Foli (18)
Stolen Bases: Thomas (11), Thomasson (8)
Caught Stealing: Cruz (14), Howe (1), Thomas (8)
GIDP: Evans (6), Madlock (21)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro L(7-4)           6     9   4   4   2   4   0  25   2.78
McLaughlin              2     2   0   0   0   0   0   7   4.57
Totals                  8    11   4   4   2   4   0  32

Giants                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Barr W(11-8)            7.1  10   2   2   1   2   0  30   4.45
Moffitt                 0     1   0   0   0   0   0   1   3.57
Lavelle SV(16)          1.2   2   1   1   1   1   0   8   1.47
Totals                  9    13   3   3   2   3   0  39

Balks: Niekro (1)

Umpires: HP - Satch Davidson, 1B - Terry Tata, 2B - Ed Vargo, 3B - Harry Wendelstedt


ASTROS 1ST: Puhl flied out to center; Cabell flied out to right;
Cedeno grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 0, Giants 0.

GIANTS 1ST: Thomas flied out to left; Andrews singled to center;
Madlock flied out to left; McCovey struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 0, Giants 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson grounded out (second to first); Cruz walked;
Cruz was caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); Howe
singled to center; Herrmann singled to right [Howe to third];
Metzger grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 0, Giants 0.

GIANTS 2ND: Thomasson walked; Evans grounded into a double play
(pitcher to shortstop to first) [Thomasson out at second]; Foli
doubled to left; Hill struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros
0, Giants 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Niekro struck out; Puhl doubled to right; Cabell
grounded out (pitcher to first); Cedeno flied out to center; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 0, Giants 0.

GIANTS 3RD: Barr was called out on strikes; Thomas singled to
left; Thomas stole second; Andrews walked; Madlock grounded out
(third to first) [Thomas to third, Andrews to second]; McCovey
singled to center [Thomas scored, Andrews scored, McCovey out at
second (center to catcher to shortstop)]; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 0, Giants 2.

ASTROS 4TH: Watson grounded out (second to first); Cruz grounded
out (shortstop to first); Howe flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Giants 2.

GIANTS 4TH: Thomasson singled to center; Evans flied out to
right; Thomasson stole second; Foli flied out to left; Hill
singled to center [Thomasson scored]; Barr was called out on
strikes; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 0, Giants 3.

ASTROS 5TH: Herrmann singled to right; Metzger lined into a
double play (shortstop to first) [Herrmann out at first]; Niekro
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
0, Giants 3.

GIANTS 5TH: Thomas singled to first; Niekro balked [Thomas to
second]; Andrews singled to right [Thomas to third]; Madlock
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Thomas scored (no RBI), Andrews out at second]; McCovey singled
to right [McCovey out at second (second to shortstop)]; 1 R, 3
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Giants 4.

ASTROS 6TH: Puhl singled to pitcher; Cabell made an out to
third; Cedeno forced Puhl (shortstop to second); Watson doubled
to left [Cedeno scored]; Cruz grounded out (shortstop to first);
1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 1, Giants 4.

GIANTS 6TH: Thomasson popped to third in foul territory; Evans
flied out to center; Foli grounded out (shortstop to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 1, Giants 4.

ASTROS 7TH: Howe singled to second; Herrmann singled to right
[Howe to second]; GONZALEZ RAN FOR HERRMANN; BOSWELL BATTED FOR
METZGER; Boswell struck out while Howe was caught stealing third
(catcher to third) [Gonzalez to second]; FERGUSON BATTED FOR
NIEKRO; Ferguson grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Astros 1, Giants 4.

GIANTS 7TH: GONZALEZ STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); FERGUSON
STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING C ); MCLAUGHLIN REPLACED BOSWELL
(PITCHING); Hill grounded out (second to first); Barr grounded
out (shortstop to first); Thomas singled to center; Thomas was
caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Astros 1, Giants 4.

ASTROS 8TH: Puhl singled to left; Cabell forced Puhl (second to
shortstop); Cedeno singled to right [Cabell to third]; MOFFITT
REPLACED BARR (PITCHING); Watson singled to center [Cabell
scored, Cedeno to second]; LAVELLE REPLACED MOFFITT (PITCHING);
Cruz forced Watson (shortstop to second) [Cedeno to third]; Howe
flied out to left; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 2, Giants 4.

GIANTS 8TH: Andrews flied out to left; Madlock singled to right;
McCovey flied out to center; Thomasson flied out to right; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Giants 4.

ASTROS 9TH: Gonzalez walked; HOWARD BATTED FOR MCLAUGHLIN;
Howard was called out on strikes; Ferguson flied out to center;
SPERRING BATTED FOR PUHL; Sperring singled to center [Gonzalez
to third]; Cabell singled to center [Gonzalez scored, Sperring
to second]; Cedeno flied out to center; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 3, Giants 4.