The Mets built up a 6-0 lead and then shook off a five-run rally by the Cardinals to emerge with an 11-5 victory that tightened the East division race. The third-place Mets were 1½ games behind the Pirates and one-half game behind the Cubs, both of whom were idle. The Mets knocked out Nelson Briles in the first inning when Donn Clendenon drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single. A grounder by Ken Boswell added another counter after Mike Torrez relieved. Tommie Agee homered in the second and Art Shamsky batted in two more runs with a single in the fifth.

The Cardinals struck for their runs in the sixth when Joe Torre homered with two men on base and Ted Simmons hit for the circuit with one aboard, but the Mets pulled away to their comfortable lead in the last three innings. Vic Davalillo set an N. L. record as a Cardinal pinch-hitter with a single in the ninth for his 23rd hit in a substitute role. [The Sporting News]



New York Mets 11, St. Louis Cardinals 5
Game Played on Monday, August    31, 1970 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Mets         3  1  0    0  2  0    2  1  2  -  11 12  0
Cardinals    0  0  0    0  0  5    0  0  0  -   5  7  0


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Agee cf               4   3   3   1     1   1   .291      Brock lf              4   0   1   0     1   0   .318
Garrett 3b            3   2   1   0     1   0   .240      Javier 2b             2   0   0   0     0   1   .258
Jones lf              5   2   2   2     0   0   .266        Beauchamp ph        1   1   0   0     0   0   .239
Shamsky rf            3   1   1   2     1   0   .298        Chuck Taylor p      0   0   0   0     0   0   .120
  McGraw p            1   1   1   1     0   0   .429        Cleveland p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Taylor p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        DaVanon ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .154
Clendenon 1b          5   1   2   2     0   1   .300        Hilgendorf p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Boswell 2b            4   0   1   1     0   0   .255        Davalillo ph        1   0   1   0     0   0   .338
Grote c               4   0   1   1     0   1   .256      Carl Taylor rf        4   0   0   0     1   0   .244
Harrelson ss          4   0   0   0     0   0   .243      Torre 3b              4   1   2   3     0   1   .318
Koosman p             1   1   0   0     1   0   .107      Cardenal cf           4   1   2   0     0   0   .297
  Marshall ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .258      Simmons c             3   1   1   2     1   1   .225
  Swoboda rf          1   0   0   0     0   1   .241      Hague 1b              4   0   0   0     0   1   .272
                                                          Maxvill ss,2b         3   0   0   0     1   0   .208
                                                          Briles p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .200
                                                            Torrez p            1   0   0   0     0   0   .273
                                                            Ramirez ph,ss       2   1   0   0     1   0   .184

Totals               36  11  12  10     4   5             Totals               34   5   7   5     5   4

Time of Game: 2:34   Attendance: 17,284
Left on Base: Mets 3, Cardinals 7
DP: Mets 0, Cardinals 1
Doubles: Jones (18), Agee (27), McGraw (1), Cardenal (27)
Home Runs: Agee (22), Torre (18), Simmons (2)
Stolen Bases: Beauchamp (2)
Sacrifice Hits: Garrett (3)
GIDP: Shamsky (9)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Koosman W(9-6)          6     5   5   5   2   3   2  25   3.29
McGraw                  2.2   2   0   0   3   1   0  13   4.02
Taylor SV(13)           0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   3.79
Totals                  9     7   5   5   5   4   2  39

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Briles L(5-5)           0.1   3   3   3   1   0   0   5   7.41
Torrez                  5.2   3   3   3   2   2   1  21   3.78
Chuck Taylor            1     5   3   3   0   1   0   7   3.15
Cleveland               1     0   0   0   0   1   0   3  10.61
Hilgendorf              1     1   2   2   1   1   0   5   3.86
Totals                  9    12  11  11   4   5   1  41

Passed Balls: Simmons (9)
Wild Pitches: Hilgendorf (2)
Balks: Hilgendorf (1)

Umpires: HP - Doug Harvey, 1B - Bob Engel, 2B - Harry Wendelstedt, 3B - Shag Crawford


METS 1ST: Agee singled to left; Garrett forced Agee (shortstop
to second); Jones doubled to left [Garrett to third]; Shamsky
walked; Clendenon singled to center [Shamsky to third, Jones
scored, Garrett scored]; TORREZ REPLACED BRILES (PITCHING);
Boswell forced Clendenon (second to shortstop) [Shamsky scored];
Grote forced Boswell (shortstop to second); 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: Brock grounded out (shortstop to first); Javier
was called out on strikes; Carl Taylor grounded out (shortstop
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 0.

METS 2ND: Harrelson grounded out (shortstop to first); Koosman
grounded out (second to first); Agee homered; Garrett popped to
shortstop; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Torre grounded out (second to first); Cardenal
lined to first; Simmons was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 0.

METS 3RD: Jones grounded out (second to first); Shamsky grounded
out (second to first); Clendenon struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 3RD: Hague grounded out (second to first); Maxvill
grounded out (shortstop to first); Torrez flied to right; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 0.

METS 4TH: Boswell popped to shortstop; Grote was called out on
strikes; Harrelson popped to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets
4, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 4TH: Brock singled; Javier forced Brock (second to
shortstop); Carl Taylor forced Javier (shortstop to second);
Torre singled to center [Carl Taylor to third]; Cardenal flied
to left; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 0.

METS 5TH: Koosman walked; Simmons allowed a passed ball [Koosman
to second]; Agee walked; Garrett out on a sacrifice bunt (third
to second) [Agee to second, Koosman to third]; Jones lined to
center; Shamsky singled to left [Agee scored, Koosman scored,
Shamsky out at second (left to third to second)]; 2 R, 1 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 5TH: Simmons flied to right; Hague grounded out (first
unassisted); Maxvill flied to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets
6, Cardinals 0.

METS 6TH: Clendenon popped to second; Boswell grounded out
(second to first); Grote singled to left; Harrelson flied to
center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 6TH: RAMIREZ BATTED FOR TORREZ; Ramirez walked; Brock
walked [Ramirez to second]; BEAUCHAMP BATTED FOR JAVIER;
Beauchamp forced Brock (shortstop to second) [Ramirez to third];
Carl Taylor popped to first in foul territory; Beauchamp stole
second; Torre homered [Ramirez scored, Beauchamp scored];
Cardenal singled to left; Simmons homered [Cardenal scored];
Hague struck out; 5 R, 3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 5.

METS 7TH: CHUCK TAYLOR REPLACED BEAUCHAMP (PITCHING); RAMIREZ
STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); MAXVILL CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING
2B); MARSHALL BATTED FOR KOOSMAN; Marshall struck out; Agee
doubled to left; Garrett singled to center [Agee to third,
Garrett to second (on throw to home)]; Jones singled to right
[Garrett scored, Agee scored]; Shamsky grounded into a double
play (second to shortstop to first) [Jones out at second]; 2 R,
3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 8, Cardinals 5.

CARDINALS 7TH: MCGRAW REPLACED SHAMSKY (PITCHING); SWOBODA
REPLACED MARSHALL (PLAYING RF); Maxvill grounded out (pitcher to
first); Ramirez popped to first; Brock flied to left; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 8, Cardinals 5.

METS 8TH: Clendenon singled to left; Boswell singled to right
[Clendenon to third]; CLEVELAND REPLACED CHUCK TAYLOR
(PITCHING); Grote forced Boswell (second to shortstop)
[Clendenon scored]; Harrelson grounded out (second to first)
[Grote to second]; Swoboda was called out on strikes; 1 R, 2 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 9, Cardinals 5.

CARDINALS 8TH: DAVANON BATTED FOR CLEVELAND; DaVanon grounded
out (first to pitcher); Carl Taylor walked; Torre struck out;
Cardenal doubled to left [Carl Taylor to third]; Simmons walked;
Hague grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.
Mets 9, Cardinals 5.

METS 9TH: HILGENDORF REPLACED DAVANON (PITCHING); Agee struck
out; Garrett walked; Jones forced Garrett (shortstop to second);
McGraw doubled to center [Jones scored]; Hilgendorf threw a wild
pitch [McGraw to third]; Hilgendorf balked [McGraw scored];
Clendenon lined to center; 2 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 11,
Cardinals 5.

CARDINALS 9TH: Maxvill walked; Ramirez forced Maxvill (third to
second); Brock forced Ramirez (second to shortstop); DAVALILLO
BATTED FOR HILGENDORF; Davalillo singled to right [Brock to
third]; TAYLOR REPLACED MCGRAW (PITCHING); Carl Taylor grounded
out (third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 11, Cardinals
5.