Getting a lift from the terrific relief pitching of Tug McGraw, who allowed only one hit in six scoreless innings, the Mets ended their six-game losing streak by defeating the Astros, 9-4. The Mets, after falling behind, 4-0, whittled the Astros' lead to 4-3 and then went ahead with two out in the seventh when Tommie Agee singled and Cleon Jones homered. Four more runs in the eighth broke the game wide open and doomed the Astros to their sixth straight setback. [The Sporting News]



New York Mets 9, Houston Astros 4
Game Played on Thursday, July      15, 1971 (Night game) at Astrodome
Mets         0  0  0    2  0  1    2  4  0  -   9 13  0
Astros       2  2  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   4  6  3


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Martinez ss           5   0   1   0     0   2   .235      Metzger ss            3   1   1   1     0   1   .213
Boswell 2b            5   1   1   1     0   0   .235      Morgan 2b             4   1   1   1     0   2   .261
Agee cf               5   1   3   2     0   0   .292      Cedeno cf             4   0   1   1     0   3   .246
Jones lf              4   2   1   2     1   1   .311      Watson lf             4   0   0   0     0   1   .288
Kranepool 1b          5   1   1   0     0   0   .281      Rader 3b              3   0   0   0     1   1   .234
Singleton rf          5   2   3   1     0   2   .257      Wynn rf               4   0   1   0     0   0   .221
Aspromonte 3b         4   0   2   1     0   0   .243      Menke 1b              3   1   1   0     1   1   .248
  Foli pr,3b          1   0   0   0     0   0   .232      Edwards c             3   1   1   1     0   1   .240
Grote c               4   1   1   1     0   0   .295        Hiatt ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .311
Gentry p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .079      Forsch p              2   0   0   0     0   2   .038
  Jorgensen ph        1   0   0   0     0   0   .250        Ray p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .222
  Sadecki p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .278        Alou ph             1   0   0   0     0   0   .311
  Marshall ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .237        Culver p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  McGraw p            2   1   0   1     0   1   .222        Gladding p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Harris p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               42   9  13   9     1   7             Totals               32   4   6   4     2  12

Time of Game: 2:33   Attendance: 20,412
Left on Base: Mets 7, Astros 4
DP: Mets 0, Astros 1
Errors: Metzger, Menke, Culver
Doubles: Singleton (2), Boswell (14), Morgan (16), Wynn (10)
Triples: Metzger (7), Edwards (4)
Home Runs: Jones (8)
Stolen Bases: Agee (15)
Sacrifice Hits: Metzger (4)
GIDP: Boswell (8)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Gentry                  2     5   4   4   0   3   0  11   3.38
Sadecki                 1     0   0   0   0   1   0   3   2.78
McGraw W(6-3)           6     1   0   0   2   8   0  21   1.90
Totals                  9     6   4   4   2  12   0  35

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Forsch L(5-3)           6.2   9   5   5   1   5   1  31   2.60
Ray                     0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2.85
Culver                  0.2   3   4   1   0   1   0   6   2.28
Gladding                0.1   1   0   0   0   0   0   2   1.72
Harris                  1     0   0   0   0   1   0   3   6.59
Totals                  9    13   9   6   1   7   1  43

Umpires: HP - Al Barlick, 1B - Paul Pryor, 2B - John Kibler, 3B - Bruce Froemming


METS 1ST: Martinez singled; Boswell grounded into a double play
(second to shortstop to first) [Martinez out at second]; Agee
singled to right; Jones forced Agee (shortstop to second); 0 R,
2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Metzger tripled to right; Morgan doubled to left
[Metzger scored]; Cedeno singled to left [Morgan scored]; Watson
forced Cedeno (shortstop to second); Rader struck out; Wynn
flied to center; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 2.

METS 2ND: Kranepool reached on an error by Menke [Kranepool to
second]; Singleton was called out on strikes; Aspromonte flied
to right; Grote grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1
LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 2.

ASTROS 2ND: Menke singled to left; Edwards tripled to right
[Menke scored]; Forsch struck out; Metzger out on a sacrifice
bunt (third to first) [Edwards scored]; Morgan struck out; 2 R,
2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 4.

METS 3RD: JORGENSEN BATTED FOR GENTRY; Jorgensen grounded out
(second to first); Martinez grounded out (third to first);
Boswell flied to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 4.

ASTROS 3RD: SADECKI REPLACED JORGENSEN (PITCHING); Cedeno struck
out; Watson grounded out (second to first); Rader grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 4.

METS 4TH: Agee flied to left; Jones walked; Kranepool singled to
left [Jones to second]; Singleton singled to right [Kranepool to
second, Jones scored]; Aspromonte singled to center [Singleton
to second, Kranepool scored]; Grote flied to left; MARSHALL
BATTED FOR SADECKI; Marshall struck out; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Mets 2, Astros 4.

ASTROS 4TH: MCGRAW REPLACED MARSHALL (PITCHING); Wynn popped to
second; Menke struck out; Edwards flied to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Mets 2, Astros 4.

METS 5TH: Martinez was called out on strikes; Boswell popped to
first; Agee reached on an error by Metzger; Agee stole second;
Jones struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 2, Astros 4.

ASTROS 5TH: Forsch struck out; Metzger grounded out (second to
first); Morgan struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 2, Astros
4.

METS 6TH: Kranepool grounded out (second to first); Singleton
singled to right; Aspromonte grounded out (pitcher to first)
[Singleton to second]; Grote singled to center [Singleton
scored]; McGraw was called out on strikes; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
 Mets 3, Astros 4.

ASTROS 6TH: Cedeno struck out; Watson struck out; Rader walked;
Wynn doubled to left [Rader to third]; Menke was walked
intentionally; Edwards was called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
3 LOB.  Mets 3, Astros 4.

METS 7TH: Martinez grounded out (second to first); Boswell
popped to shortstop; Agee singled to center; Jones homered [Agee
scored]; RAY REPLACED FORSCH (PITCHING); Kranepool grounded out
(shortstop to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 5, Astros 4.

ASTROS 7TH: ALOU BATTED FOR RAY; Alou flied to left; Metzger
struck out; Morgan popped to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Mets 5, Astros 4.

METS 8TH: CULVER REPLACED ALOU (PITCHING); Singleton doubled to
right; On a bunt Aspromonte singled [Singleton to third]; FOLI
RAN FOR ASPROMONTE; Grote forced Foli (shortstop to second);
McGraw reached on an error by Culver [Grote to second, Singleton
scored]; Martinez struck out; Boswell doubled to left [McGraw to
third, Grote scored (unearned)]; GLADDING REPLACED CULVER
(PITCHING); Agee singled to left [Boswell scored (unearned),
McGraw scored (unearned)]; Jones forced Agee (shortstop to
second); 4 R (1 ER), 4 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 9, Astros 4.

ASTROS 8TH: FOLI STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 3B); Cedeno struck out;
Watson grounded out (second to first); Rader grounded out (third
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 9, Astros 4.

METS 9TH: HARRIS REPLACED GLADDING (PITCHING); Kranepool flied
to center; Singleton was called out on strikes; Foli grounded
out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 9, Astros 4.

ASTROS 9TH: Wynn flied to center; Menke grounded out (third to
first); HIATT BATTED FOR EDWARDS; Hiatt grounded out (shortstop
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 9, Astros 4.