Although needing relief help, Joe Niekro became the first 15-game winner in the majors as the Astros posted a 6-4 triumph over the Giants. The Astros scored three runs in each of the first two innings. Craig Reynolds and Terry Puhl stroked consecutive doubles in the first inning and Enas Cabell and Jeff Leonard followed with consecutive singles for the Astros' first three markers. Reynolds knocked in a pair of runs in the second frame with a triple and scored on a groundout by Puhl. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 6, San Francisco Giants 4
Game Played on Tuesday, July      31, 1979 (Night game) at Astrodome
Giants       0  0  0    0  0  0    3  0  1  -   4 10  1
Astros       3  3  0    0  0  0    0  0  x  -   6  7  2


Giants               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
North cf              4   1   1   0     1   2   .275      Cedeno 1b             3   1   0   0     1   2   .270
Strain 2b             5   1   2   0     0   0   .293      Reynolds ss           4   2   2   2     0   1   .282
Clark rf,3b           4   0   2   2     1   0   .265      Puhl cf               4   1   1   2     0   0   .282
McCovey 1b            5   0   2   1     0   1   .268      Cruz lf               3   0   0   0     1   2   .301
  Montefusco pr       0   0   0   0     0   0   .200      Cabell 3b             4   1   1   1     0   0   .270
Evans 3b              2   0   0   0     2   1   .249      Leonard rf            4   0   2   1     0   2   .284
  Griffin p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .083      Howe 2b               3   0   1   0     0   0   .252
  Ivie ph             1   0   0   0     0   0   .308        Landestoy 2b        1   0   0   0     0   0   .182
Whitfield lf          4   0   2   0     1   2   .293      Ashby c               2   1   0   0     1   1   .218
Metzger ss            3   1   1   0     0   1   .227      Niekro p              2   0   0   0     0   0   .105
  LeMaster ph,ss      2   0   0   0     0   0   .262        Sambito p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .200
Littlejohn c          4   0   0   0     0   3   .200        Roberge p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Whitson p             1   0   0   0     0   0   .080
  Nastu p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .043
  Johnston ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .000
  Halicki p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .185
  Herndon ph,rf       1   1   0   1     1   0   .273

Totals               37   4  10   4     6  11             Totals               30   6   7   6     3   8

Time of Game: 2:49   Attendance: 18,047
Left on Base: Giants 12, Astros 4
DP: Giants 0, Astros 1
Errors: Littlejohn, Cedeno, Reynolds
Doubles: Strain 2 (6), Reynolds (14), Puhl (15), Howe (13), Leonard (8)
Triples: Reynolds (7)
Stolen Bases: Cabell (24), Cruz (28)
Sacrifice Hits: Niekro (8)
GIDP: Clark (8)


Giants                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Whitson L(4-6)          1.1   5   6   6   2   0   0  11   5.25
Nastu                   1.2   1   0   0   0   2   0   6   3.99
Halicki                 3     1   0   0   0   3   0  10   4.36
Griffin                 2     0   0   0   1   3   0   7   3.68
Totals                  8     7   6   6   3   8   0  34

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro W(15-6)          6.2   5   3   0   5   7   0  30   3.25
Sambito                 1.1   5   1   1   1   3   0  10   1.29
Roberge SV(3)           1     0   0   0   0   1   0   3   1.19
Totals                  9    10   4   1   6  11   0  43

Wild Pitches: Niekro (7), Roberge (2)

Umpires: HP - John Kibler, 1B - Terry Tata, 2B - Jerry Crawford, 3B - Charlie Williams


GIANTS 1ST: North was called out on strikes (catcher to first);
Strain grounded out (shortstop to first); Clark walked; McCovey
grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants
0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Cedeno flied out to left; Reynolds doubled to left;
Puhl doubled to left [Reynolds scored]; Cruz grounded out
(shortstop to first) [Puhl to third]; Cabell singled to right
[Puhl scored]; Cabell stole second; Leonard singled to right
[Cabell scored, Leonard to second (error by Littlejohn)]; Howe
made an out to first; 3 R, 4 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 3.

GIANTS 2ND: Cedeno dropped a foul fly hit by Evans for an error;
Evans walked; Whitfield walked [Evans to second]; Metzger struck
out; Littlejohn struck out; Whitson made an out to first; 0 R, 0
H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 3.

ASTROS 2ND: Ashby walked; Niekro out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Ashby to second]; Cedeno walked; Reynolds
tripled to right [Ashby scored, Cedeno scored]; NASTU REPLACED
WHITSON (PITCHING); Puhl grounded out (shortstop to first)
[Reynolds scored]; Cruz was called out on strikes; 3 R, 1 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 6.

GIANTS 3RD: North lined to shortstop; Strain doubled to left;
Clark grounded out (third to first); McCovey was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 6.

ASTROS 3RD: Cabell flied out to right; Leonard struck out; Howe
doubled to right; Ashby grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 6.

GIANTS 4TH: Evans walked; Whitfield singled to center [Evans to
second]; Metzger forced Whitfield (second to shortstop) [Evans
to third]; Littlejohn struck out; JOHNSTON BATTED FOR NASTU;
Niekro threw a wild pitch [Metzger to second]; Johnston struck
out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 6.

ASTROS 4TH: HALICKI REPLACED JOHNSTON (PITCHING); Niekro made an
out to shortstop; Cedeno struck out; Reynolds made an out to
shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 6.

GIANTS 5TH: North walked; Strain forced North (shortstop to
second); Clark grounded into a double play (shortstop to second
to first) [Strain out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants
0, Astros 6.

ASTROS 5TH: Puhl flied out to right; Cruz struck out; Cabell
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 6.

GIANTS 6TH: McCovey flied out to center; Evans flied out to
right; Whitfield struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 0,
Astros 6.

ASTROS 6TH: Leonard doubled to right; Howe grounded out (third
to first); Ashby struck out; Niekro made an out to second; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 6.

GIANTS 7TH: LANDESTOY REPLACED HOWE (PLAYING 2B); Metzger
singled to right; Littlejohn reached on an error by Reynolds
[Metzger to third, Littlejohn to first]; HERNDON BATTED FOR
HALICKI; Herndon forced Littlejohn (second to shortstop)
[Metzger scored (unearned)]; North singled to center [Herndon to
second]; Strain lined to left; Clark singled to left [Herndon
scored (unearned), North to second]; SAMBITO REPLACED NIEKRO
(PITCHING); McCovey singled to left [North scored (unearned),
Clark to second]; Evans struck out; 3 R (0 ER), 4 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
 Giants 3, Astros 6.

ASTROS 7TH: CLARK CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING 3B); HERNDON STAYED
IN GAME (PLAYING RF); GRIFFIN REPLACED EVANS (PITCHING); Cedeno
struck out; Reynolds struck out; Puhl popped to third in foul
territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 3, Astros 6.

GIANTS 8TH: Whitfield singled to left; LEMASTER BATTED FOR
METZGER; LeMaster flied out to right; Littlejohn struck out;
Herndon walked [Whitfield to second]; North struck out; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 3, Astros 6.

ASTROS 8TH: LEMASTER STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); Cruz walked;
Cruz stole second; Cabell grounded out (second to first) [Cruz
to third]; Leonard struck out; Landestoy flied out to center; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 3, Astros 6.

GIANTS 9TH: Strain doubled to left; Clark singled to left
[Strain scored]; McCovey singled to center [Clark to second];
MONTEFUSCO RAN FOR MCCOVEY; IVIE BATTED FOR GRIFFIN; ROBERGE
REPLACED SAMBITO (PITCHING); Roberge threw a wild pitch [Clark
to third, Montefusco to second]; Ivie popped to third in foul
territory; Whitfield struck out (catcher to first); LeMaster
grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants
4, Astros 6.