Moving back into first place in the see-saw battle in the West division, the Reds shaded the Astros, 9-8. After the Astros went ahead, 7-6, in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Jose Cruz, run-scoring double by Enos Cabell and pinch-hit sacrifice fly by Danny Heep, the Reds retaliated with three markers in the bottom of the frame.

Hector Cruz led off with a walk and Dave Collins followed with a bunt that Astro hurler Joe Sambito threw wildly to second and both runners were safe. Catcher Bruce Bochy then picked Cruz off second and Joe Morgan popped out, but Dave Concepcion blasted a homer and George Foster followed with a round-tripper that proved to be the necessary winning run. [The Sporting News]



Cincinnati Reds 9, Houston Astros 8
Game Played on Tuesday, September 11, 1979 (Night game) at Riverfront Stadium
Astros       0  0  0    0  2  2    3  0  1  -   8 17  3
Reds         0  0  0    4  0  2    3  0  x  -   9 11  0


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Cedeno 1b             5   0   1   0     0   0   .270      Collins rf            4   2   1   0     0   1   .317
Reynolds ss           3   0   1   0     2   0   .260        Blair cf            1   0   0   0     0   0   .155
Puhl cf               5   1   1   1     0   2   .283      Morgan 2b             4   1   1   0     0   0   .252
Cruz lf               5   2   2   0     0   2   .290      Concepcion ss         3   3   2   2     1   0   .293
Cabell 3b             5   1   2   1     0   0   .268      Foster lf             3   2   1   2     1   1   .313
Leonard rf            4   0   1   0     1   1   .289      Bench c               4   1   2   2     0   0   .272
Pujols c              3   2   2   0     0   0   .321      Driessen 1b           3   0   1   1     0   0   .247
  Heep ph             0   0   0   1     0   0   .200      Knight 3b             4   0   2   1     0   0   .314
  Bochy c             0   0   0   0     0   0   .210      Geronimo cf           3   0   0   0     0   2   .245
  Alou ph             1   0   1   0     0   0   .263        Hume p              1   0   1   0     0   0   .182
  Sexton pr           0   0   0   0     0   0   .171      Seaver p              1   0   0   0     1   1   .167
Landestoy 2b          5   2   5   2     0   0   .256        Bair p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Richard p             2   0   0   0     0   1   .125        Cruz cf,rf          1   0   0   0     1   0   .226
  Walling ph          1   0   1   2     0   0   .315
  Andujar p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .088
  Niemann p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .133
  Bergman ph          1   0   0   0     0   1   .333
  Sambito p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .286
  Pladson p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Howe ph             1   0   0   0     0   1   .251

Totals               41   8  17   7     3   8             Totals               32   9  11   8     4   5

Time of Game: 3:14   Attendance: 40,574
Left on Base: Astros 10, Reds 4
DP: Astros 2, Reds 1
Errors: Leonard, Andujar, Sambito
Doubles: Landestoy (6), Puhl (19), Leonard (13), Walling (7), Cabell (25), Alou (4), Morgan (23), Bench (16), Concepcion (23), Knight (32)
Home Runs: Concepcion (15), Foster (27)
Caught Stealing: Leonard (9)
Sacrifice Flies: Heep (1), Driessen (6)
GIDP: Leonard (11), Collins (6), Blair (4)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Richard                 5     4   4   4   3   5   0  20   2.94
Andujar                 0.2   2   2   0   0   0   0   5   3.22
Niemann                 0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   3.76
Sambito L(7-6)          0.2   4   3   3   1   0   2   7   1.78
Pladson                 1.1   1   0   0   0   0   0   4   0.00
Totals                  8    11   9   7   4   5   2  37

Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Seaver                  5.2  10   4   4   1   6   0  27   3.43
Bair                    0.2   2   3   3   1   0   0   5   4.14
Hume W(10-8)            2.2   5   1   1   1   2   0  13   2.79
Totals                  9    17   8   8   3   8   0  45

Passed Balls: Bench (5)

Umpires: HP - Steve Fields, 1B - Doug Harvey, 2B - Frank Pulli, 3B - Andy Olsen


ASTROS 1ST: Cedeno singled to center; Reynolds singled to left
[Cedeno to second]; Bench allowed a passed ball [Cedeno to
third, Reynolds to second]; Puhl struck out; Cruz struck out;
Cabell popped to first; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Reds 0.

REDS 1ST: Collins struck out; Morgan flied out to right;
Concepcion grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Astros 0, Reds 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Leonard struck out; Pujols flied out to left;
Landestoy singled to right; Richard forced Landestoy (shortstop
unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 0, Reds 0.

REDS 2ND: Foster struck out; Bench popped to shortstop; Driessen
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
0, Reds 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Cedeno flied out to center; Reynolds flied out to
center; Puhl struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Reds 0.

REDS 3RD: Knight popped to third in foul territory; Geronimo
struck out; Seaver struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0,
Reds 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cruz struck out; Cabell grounded out (shortstop to
first); Leonard grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Astros 0, Reds 0.

REDS 4TH: Collins singled to center; Morgan doubled to right
[Collins to third]; Concepcion walked; Foster walked [Collins
scored, Morgan to third, Concepcion to second]; Bench doubled to
left [Morgan scored, Concepcion scored, Foster out at home (left
to shortstop to catcher), Bench to third (on throw to home)];
Driessen hit a sacrifice fly to center [Bench scored]; Knight
singled to left; Geronimo struck out; 4 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 0, Reds 4.

ASTROS 5TH: Pujols singled to left; Landestoy doubled to center
[Pujols scored]; Richard struck out; Cedeno grounded out
(shortstop to first); Reynolds walked; Puhl doubled to left
[Landestoy scored, Reynolds to third]; Cruz flied out to center;
2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 2, Reds 4.

REDS 5TH: Seaver walked; Collins grounded into a double play
(second to shortstop to first) [Seaver out at second]; Morgan
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2,
Reds 4.

ASTROS 6TH: Cabell flied out to center; Leonard doubled to
center; Leonard was caught stealing third (catcher to third);
Pujols singled to center; Landestoy singled to right [Pujols to
second]; WALLING BATTED FOR RICHARD; Walling doubled to right
[Pujols scored, Landestoy scored]; BAIR REPLACED SEAVER
(PITCHING); Cedeno lined to right; 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros
4, Reds 4.

REDS 6TH: ANDUJAR REPLACED WALLING (PITCHING); Concepcion
doubled to center [Concepcion to third (error by Leonard)];
Foster reached on a fielder's choice [Concepcion scored (error
by Andujar; assists by Cabell, Pujols, Cabell, Andujar and
Reynolds) (unearned) (no RBI), Foster to second]; Joaquin
Andujar called for obstruction; Bench grounded out (pitcher
to first); Driessen flied out to center; Knight doubled to left
[Foster scored (unearned)]; NIEMANN REPLACED ANDUJAR (PITCHING);
Geronimo grounded out (second to first); 2 R (0 ER), 2 H, 2 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 4, Reds 6.

ASTROS 7TH: Reynolds walked; Puhl forced Reynolds (shortstop to
second); Cruz singled to center [Puhl to third]; Cabell doubled
to center [Puhl scored, Cruz to third]; HUME REPLACED GERONIMO
(PITCHING); CRUZ REPLACED BAIR (PLAYING CF); Leonard was walked
intentionally; HEEP BATTED FOR PUJOLS; Heep hit a sacrifice fly
to left [Cruz scored]; Landestoy singled to left [Cabell scored,
Leonard to third, Landestoy to second (on throw)]; BERGMAN
BATTED FOR NIEMANN; Bergman struck out; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 7, Reds 6.

REDS 7TH: SAMBITO REPLACED BERGMAN (PITCHING); BOCHY REPLACED
HEEP (PLAYING C ); Cruz walked; Collins reached on an error by
Sambito [Cruz to second, Collins to first]; Cruz was picked off
second (catcher to shortstop); Morgan popped to third;
Concepcion homered [Collins scored]; Foster homered; Bench
singled to left; Driessen singled to right [Bench to third];
PLADSON REPLACED SAMBITO (PITCHING); Knight flied out to right;
3 R, 4 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 9.

ASTROS 8TH: BLAIR REPLACED COLLINS (PLAYING CF); CRUZ CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING RF); Cedeno flied out to right; Reynolds
grounded out (first unassisted); Puhl flied out to center; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 9.

REDS 8TH: Hume singled to left; On a bunt Cruz forced Hume
(first to shortstop); Blair grounded into a double play
(shortstop to second to first) [Cruz out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 9.

ASTROS 9TH: Cruz singled to shortstop; Cabell singled to center
[Cruz to third]; Leonard grounded into a double play (shortstop
to first) [Cruz scored (no RBI), Cabell out at second]; ALOU
BATTED FOR BOCHY; Alou doubled to right; SEXTON RAN FOR ALOU;
Landestoy singled to shortstop [Sexton to third]; HOWE BATTED
FOR PLADSON; Howe was called out on strikes; 1 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Astros 8, Reds 9.