Bob Watson and Denis Menke batted in three runs apiece and Jim Wynn accounted for two to provide the Astros with an 8-4 victory over the Pirates. Larry Dierker, making his first relief appearance of the season for the Astros, pitched the last 3 1/3 innings and saved the game for Ron Cook.

Menke knocked in two runs with a single in the first and Watson plated a tally with a sacrifice fly in the second. Wynn and Menke singled and Watson doubled for RBIs in the fourth. Wynn and Watson capped the attack with back-to-hack homers in the sixth. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 4
Game Played on Saturday, July      25, 1970 (Day game) at Three Rivers Stadium
Astros       2  1  0    3  0  2    0  0  0  -   8 16  1
Pirates      0  0  0    0  2  2    0  0  0  -   4 12  2


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Pirates              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Alou rf               5   1   2   0     1   0   .292      Alou cf               5   0   0   0     0   1   .288
Morgan 2b             4   2   1   0     0   0   .274      Cash 2b               5   0   3   0     0   0   .325
Wynn lf               3   2   2   2     2   0   .283      Clemente rf           3   0   1   0     0   1   .356
Watson 1b             4   2   2   3     0   1   .286        Alley 3b            1   0   0   0     0   1   .246
Menke ss              5   0   3   3     0   2   .317      Sanguillen c          5   1   2   0     0   0   .318
Rader 3b              5   0   0   0     0   0   .240      Robertson 1b          5   0   0   0     0   3   .277
Cedeno cf             3   0   3   0     2   0   .240      Oliver lf             3   0   0   1     0   2   .267
Edwards c             5   0   2   0     0   0   .193      Pagan 3b,rf           4   2   3   0     0   0   .252
Cook p                3   1   1   0     0   1   .375      Patek ss              3   1   1   0     1   0   .260
  Dierker p           1   0   0   0     0   1   .143      Veale p               1   0   0   0     0   0   .122
                                                            Pena p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Mazeroski ph        1   0   1   1     0   0   .209
                                                            Colpaert p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Jeter ph            1   0   1   1     0   0   .234
                                                            Gibbon p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Stargell ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .240
                                                            Walker p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .118

Totals               38   8  16   8     5   5             Totals               38   4  12   3     1   8

Time of Game: 2:49   Attendance: 14,069
Left on Base: Astros 12, Pirates 10
DP: Astros 1, Pirates 1
Errors: Menke, Clemente, Veale
Doubles: Alou (18), Watson (13), Sanguillen (10), Pagan (6)
Home Runs: Wynn (15), Watson (5)
Stolen Bases: Wynn (17), Cedeno (4)
Caught Stealing: Cedeno (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Morgan 2 (3), Dierker (4)
Sacrifice Flies: Watson (3), Oliver (5)
GIDP: Sanguillen (10)
Hit by Pitch: Clemente (2,by Dierker)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Cook W(2-0)             5.2   9   4   3   1   4   0  27   3.22
Dierker SV(1)           3.1   3   0   0   0   4   0  14   3.99
Totals                  9    12   4   3   1   8   0  41

Pirates                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Veale L(6-11)           3.2   8   6   5   3   3   0  22   3.81
Pena                    1.1   3   0   0   0   0   0   6   1.93
Colpaert                1     2   2   2   0   1   2   5   4.50
Gibbon                  2     2   0   0   1   0   0   9   5.49
Walker                  1     1   0   0   1   1   0   5   3.91
Totals                  9    16   8   7   5   5   2  47

Hit by Pitch: Dierker (1)
Wild Pitches: Veale (7)

Umpires: HP - Harry Wendelstedt, 1B - Dick Tremblay, 2B - Al Barlick, 3B - Ed Vargo


ASTROS 1ST: Alou doubled to right; Morgan reached on an error by
Veale on a sacrifice bunt [Alou to third, Morgan to first]; Wynn
walked [Morgan to second]; Watson struck out; Menke singled to
left [Alou scored, Morgan scored (unearned), Wynn to second];
Wynn stole third; Rader flied out to center [Menke to second];
Cedeno was walked intentionally; Edwards grounded out (second to
first); 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 3 LOB.  Astros 2, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 1ST: Alou grounded out (second to first); Cash singled
to center; Clemente singled to center [Cash to second];
Sanguillen grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to
first) [Clemente out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros
2, Pirates 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Cook singled to pitcher; Alou singled to center
[Cook to second]; Morgan out on a sacrifice bunt (third to
second) [Cook to third, Alou to second]; Wynn was walked
intentionally; Watson hit a sacrifice fly to center [Cook
scored, Alou to third]; Veale threw a wild pitch [Wynn to
second]; Menke struck out; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 3,
Pirates 0.

PIRATES 2ND: Robertson struck out; Oliver struck out; Pagan
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3,
Pirates 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Rader grounded out (pitcher to first); On a bunt
Cedeno singled to first; Cedeno was picked off and caught
stealing second (pitcher to first to shortstop); Edwards made an
out to shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 3RD: Patek grounded out (second to first); Veale
grounded out (first unassisted); Alou grounded out (second to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Pirates 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cook struck out (catcher to first); Alou grounded
out (second to first); Morgan singled to right [Morgan to second
(error by Clemente)]; Wynn singled to left [Morgan scored];
Watson doubled to right [Wynn scored, Watson to third (on throw
to home)]; PENA REPLACED VEALE (PITCHING); Menke singled to
center [Watson scored]; Rader grounded out (third to first); 3
R, 4 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 6, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 4TH: Cash singled to third; Clemente forced Cash
(shortstop unassisted); Sanguillen flied out to right; Robertson
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros
6, Pirates 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Cedeno singled to right; Edwards singled to left
[Cedeno to second]; Cook forced Edwards (first to shortstop)
[Cedeno to third, Cook to first]; Alou hit into a double play
(shortstop to second) [Cedeno out at home (second to catcher),
Cook out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 6, Pirates 0.

PIRATES 5TH: Oliver was called out on strikes; Pagan singled to
shortstop; Patek walked [Pagan to second]; MAZEROSKI BATTED FOR
PENA; Mazeroski singled to right [Pagan scored, Patek to
second]; Alou grounded out (second to first) [Patek to third,
Mazeroski to second]; Cash reached on an error by Menke [Patek
scored (unearned) (no RBI), Mazeroski to third, Cash to first];
Clemente was called out on strikes; 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
 Astros 6, Pirates 2.

ASTROS 6TH: COLPAERT REPLACED MAZEROSKI (PITCHING); Morgan
grounded out (catcher to first); Wynn homered; Watson homered;
Menke struck out; Rader grounded out (first unassisted); 2 R, 2
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 8, Pirates 2.

PIRATES 6TH: Sanguillen doubled to left; Robertson flied out to
right [Sanguillen to third]; Oliver hit a sacrifice fly to
center [Sanguillen scored]; Pagan singled to right; Patek
singled to left [Pagan to second]; JETER BATTED FOR COLPAERT;
Jeter singled to center [Pagan scored, Patek to third, Jeter to
second (on throw)]; DIERKER REPLACED COOK (PITCHING); Alou
grounded out (second to first); 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 8,
Pirates 4.

ASTROS 7TH: GIBBON REPLACED JETER (PITCHING); Cedeno singled to
right; Edwards flied out to left; Dierker out on a sacrifice
bunt (catcher unassisted) [Cedeno to second]; Alou was walked
intentionally; Morgan made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Astros 8, Pirates 4.

PIRATES 7TH: Cash made an out to first; Clemente was hit by a
pitch; Sanguillen forced Clemente (second to shortstop);
Robertson struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 8, Pirates 4.

ASTROS 8TH: ALLEY REPLACED CLEMENTE (PLAYING 3B); PAGAN CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING RF); Wynn lined to third; Watson grounded out
(second to first); Menke singled to right; Rader lined to
second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 8, Pirates 4.

PIRATES 8TH: Oliver grounded out (second to first); Pagan
doubled to center; Patek grounded out (first unassisted) [Pagan
to third]; STARGELL BATTED FOR GIBBON; Stargell flied out to
left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 8, Pirates 4.

ASTROS 9TH: WALKER REPLACED STARGELL (PITCHING); Cedeno walked;
Edwards singled to left [Cedeno to second]; Cedeno stole third;
On a bunt Dierker struck out; Alou grounded out (pitcher to
first) [Edwards to second, Cedeno stayed at third]; Morgan
grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros
8, Pirates 4.

PIRATES 9TH: Alou struck out; Cash singled to right; Alley
struck out; Sanguillen singled to center [Cash to second];
Robertson struck out; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 8, Pirates 4.