Joe Niekro became the first 20-game winner in the N. L., pitching the Astros to a 4-1 victory to cut the Reds' lead in the West division to one-half game. Niekro was wild with his knuckleball at the start, hitting one batter, walking two and giving up a run on an infield out by Johnny Bench. The Astros tied the score in the fourth inning with singles by Jeff Leonard and Luis Pujols and an infield out by Rafael Landestoy.

The Astros then pinned defeat on Mike LaCoss with two runs in the fifth. Craig Reynolds doubled and scored on a single by Cesar Cedeno, who took second on the throw. After an intentional pass to Jose Cruz, Enos Cabell singled to drive in Cedeno. Cruz tripled in the eighth and counted the last run on a strikeout-wild pitch by reliever Doug Bair. Niekro ran into trouble in the ninth, loading the bases with none out, but Joe Sambito came in to save the game. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 4, Cincinnati Reds 1
Game Played on Saturday, September 22, 1979 (Night game) at Astrodome
Reds         1  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  5  1
Astros       0  0  0    1  2  0    0  1  x  -   4  9  0


Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Collins rf            3   1   2   0     0   0   .317      Puhl cf,lf            5   0   2   0     0   0   .284
Morgan 2b             3   0   0   0     1   0   .248      Reynolds ss           2   1   1   0     1   0   .263
Concepcion ss         3   0   1   0     1   0   .288      Cedeno 1b,cf          4   1   1   1     0   1   .267
Foster lf             3   0   1   0     1   0   .303      Cruz lf               3   1   1   0     1   0   .287
Bench c               3   0   0   1     1   0   .277        Bergman 1b          0   0   0   0     0   0   .500
Knight 3b             4   0   1   0     0   1   .316      Cabell 3b             4   0   1   1     0   1   .265
  Blair pr            0   0   0   0     0   0   .154      Leonard rf            3   1   1   0     1   0   .292
Spilman 1b            3   0   0   0     0   0   .226      Pujols c              3   0   1   0     0   1   .264
  Cruz ph             1   0   0   0     0   1   .229      Landestoy 2b          3   0   1   1     1   0   .269
Geronimo cf           3   0   0   0     0   1   .238      Niekro p              4   0   0   0     0   1   .125
  Auerbach ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .215        Sambito p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .286
LaCoss p              2   0   0   0     0   1   .129
  Santo Domingo ph    1   0   0   0     0   1   .000
  Bair p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Soto p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .571
  Tomlin p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .500
  Kennedy ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .262

Totals               31   1   5   1     4   6             Totals               31   4   9   3     4   4

Time of Game: 2:50   Attendance: 46,037
Left on Base: Reds 8, Astros 9
DP: Reds 1, Astros 1
Errors: Concepcion
Doubles: Collins (16), Reynolds (19)
Triples: Cruz (7)
Stolen Bases: Morgan (26), Cabell (36)
Caught Stealing: Puhl (21)
Sacrifice Hits: Reynolds (34), Pujols (1)
GIDP: Foster (11)
Hit by Pitch: Collins (2,by Niekro)


Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
LaCoss L(14-8)          7     8   3   3   2   3   0  30   3.56
Bair                    0     1   1   1   1   1   0   3   4.09
Soto                    0.2   0   0   0   1   0   0   3   4.37
Tomlin                  0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2.78
Totals                  8     9   4   4   4   4   0  37

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro W(20-10)         8     5   1   1   4   4   0  33   2.90
Sambito SV(20)          1     0   0   0   0   2   0   3   1.75
Totals                  9     5   1   1   4   6   0  36

Hit by Pitch: Niekro (7)
Wild Pitches: Bair (3)

Umpires: HP - Bruce Froemming, 1B - Joe West, 2B - Bill Williams, 3B - Jerry Dale


REDS 1ST: Collins was hit by a pitch; Morgan walked [Collins to
second]; Concepcion flied out to right [Collins to third];
Morgan stole second; Foster walked; Bench forced Foster
(shortstop to second) [Collins scored, Morgan to third]; Knight
flied out to right; 1 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Puhl lined to third; Reynolds walked; Cedeno
grounded out (second to first) [Reynolds to second]; Cruz
reached on an error by Concepcion [Cruz to first]; Cabell
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Reds
1, Astros 0.

REDS 2ND: Spilman grounded out (second to first); Geronimo was
called out on strikes; LaCoss struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Leonard grounded out (shortstop to first); Pujols
popped to shortstop in foul territory; Landestoy singled to
left; Niekro popped to second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 1,
Astros 0.

REDS 3RD: Collins grounded out (first unassisted); Morgan flied
out to right; Concepcion singled to right; Foster forced
Concepcion (third to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 1,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Puhl singled to right; Reynolds out on a sacrifice
bunt (first unassisted) [Puhl to second]; Cedeno grounded out
(third to first); Cruz flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 4TH: Bench grounded out (shortstop to first); Knight
grounded out (shortstop to first); Spilman flied out to left; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cabell flied out to right; Leonard singled to right;
Pujols singled to right [Leonard to third]; Landestoy grounded
out (second to first) [Leonard scored, Pujols to second]; Niekro
popped to catcher in foul territory; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds
1, Astros 1.

REDS 5TH: Geronimo popped to first; LaCoss grounded out
(shortstop to first); Collins singled to right; Morgan grounded
out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 1.

ASTROS 5TH: Puhl flied out to right; Reynolds doubled to right;
Cedeno singled to right [Reynolds scored, Cedeno to second (on
throw to home)]; Cruz was walked intentionally; Cabell singled
to center [Cedeno scored, Cruz out at third (center to second to
third to second)]; Leonard flied out to center; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 3.

REDS 6TH: Concepcion walked; Foster grounded into a double play
(shortstop to first) [Concepcion out at second]; Bench popped to
first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 3.

ASTROS 6TH: Pujols struck out; Landestoy grounded out (first to
pitcher); Niekro struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1,
Astros 3.

REDS 7TH: Knight struck out; Spilman flied out to left; Geronimo
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds
1, Astros 3.

ASTROS 7TH: Puhl singled to second; On a bunt Reynolds popped to
catcher in foul territory; Cedeno struck out while Puhl was
caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 3.

REDS 8TH: SANTO DOMINGO BATTED FOR LACOSS; Santo Domingo was
called out on strikes; Collins doubled to left; Morgan grounded
out (first unassisted) [Collins to third]; Concepcion grounded
out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros
3.

ASTROS 8TH: BAIR REPLACED SANTO DOMINGO (PITCHING); Cruz
tripled; Cabell struck out but Cruz advanced to home and Cabell
advanced to first on a wild pitch; Cabell stole second; Leonard
walked; SOTO REPLACED BAIR (PITCHING); Pujols out on a sacrifice
bunt (catcher to second) [Cabell to third, Leonard to second];
Landestoy was walked intentionally; Niekro lined to shortstop;
TOMLIN REPLACED SOTO (PITCHING); Puhl grounded out (first
unassisted); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 4.

REDS 9TH: BERGMAN REPLACED CRUZ (PLAYING 1B); CEDENO CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING CF); PUHL CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF);
Foster singled to left; Bench walked [Foster to second]; Knight
singled to right [Foster to third, Bench to second]; SAMBITO
REPLACED NIEKRO (PITCHING); BLAIR RAN FOR KNIGHT; CRUZ BATTED
FOR SPILMAN; Cruz struck out; AUERBACH BATTED FOR GERONIMO;
Auerbach struck out; KENNEDY BATTED FOR TOMLIN; Kennedy flied
out to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 4.