Marking his 28th birthday, Joe Morgan homered in the 11th inning to give the Astros a 5-4 victory over the Reds. A homer by Johnny Bench with two men on base in the third helped the Reds take a 4-0 lead, but the Astros picked up a run in the sixth and rallied to tie the score in the seventh. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 5, Cincinnati Reds 4
Game Played on Sunday, September 19, 1971 (Night game) at Astrodome
Reds         0  1  3    0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  -   4  6  1
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  1    3  0  0    0  1  -   5 14  0


Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Rose rf               4   1   0   0     1   0   .298      Metzger ss            6   1   2   1     0   0   .240
Concepcion 2b         4   0   0   0     0   1   .204      Morgan 2b             4   1   1   2     0   1   .260
May 1b                5   0   1   0     0   3   .276      Cedeno cf             4   1   4   0     1   0   .268
Perez 3b              3   2   1   0     2   0   .267      Watson lf             4   0   2   1     1   0   .293
Bench c               4   1   1   3     1   0   .237      Wynn rf               4   0   0   1     0   0   .207
Carbo lf              5   0   1   0     0   1   .222      Menke 3b,1b           5   0   1   0     0   0   .256
McRae cf              4   0   2   1     0   0   .261      Howard c              4   1   1   0     1   1   .220
  Bradford pr,cf      0   0   0   0     0   0   .191      Mayberry 1b           4   0   1   0     1   1   .188
Chaney ss             3   0   0   0     0   1   .150        Thomas pr           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Stewart ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .232        Martinez 3b         0   0   0   0     0   0   .200
  Woodward ss         1   0   0   0     0   0   .249      Spinks p              2   0   0   0     0   2   .143
Merritt p             3   0   0   0     0   3   .138        Alou ph             1   1   1   0     0   0   .275
  Sprague p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Ray p               1   0   0   0     0   0   .167
  Smith ph            1   0   0   0     0   1   .173        Chiles ph           1   0   1   0     0   0   .231
  Carroll p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .100        Gladding p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               38   4   6   4     4  10             Totals               40   5  14   5     4   5

Time of Game: 2:31   Attendance:  9,260
Left on Base: Reds 7, Astros 12
DP: Reds 2, Astros 0
Errors: Concepcion
Doubles: McRae (24), Howard (2)
Home Runs: Bench (25), Morgan (13)
Sacrifice Hits: Concepcion (8), Morgan (10)
Sacrifice Flies: Wynn (2), Morgan (7)
GIDP: Menke (14)
Hit by Pitch: Bradford (3,by Gladding)


Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Merritt                 6.1   7   2   2   1   5   0  26   4.39
Sprague                 1.2   3   2   0   1   0   0  10   0.00
Carroll L(9-4)          2     4   1   1   2   0   1  11   2.41
Totals                 10    14   5   3   4   5   1  47

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Spinks                  7     4   4   4   2   7   1  27   3.04
Ray                     3     2   0   0   1   3   0  12   2.25
Gladding W(4-4)         1     0   0   0   1   0   0   5   1.99
Totals                 11     6   4   4   4  10   1  44

Hit by Pitch: Gladding (7)

Umpires: HP - Ed Sudol, 1B - Bill Williams, 2B - Nick Colosi, 3B - Dick Stello


REDS 1ST: Rose grounded out (second to first); Concepcion
grounded out (shortstop to first); May struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Metzger singled; Morgan flied out to right; Cedeno
singled [Metzger to second]; Watson grounded out (second to
first) [Metzger to third, Cedeno to second]; Wynn flied out to
left; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 0.

REDS 2ND: Perez singled; Bench popped to third in foul
territory; Carbo singled [Perez to second]; McRae singled [Perez
scored, Carbo to second]; Chaney struck out; Merritt struck out;
1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Menke grounded out (second to first); Howard struck
out; Mayberry made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 3RD: Rose walked; Concepcion out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Rose to second]; May grounded out
(shortstop to first); Perez walked; Bench homered [Rose scored,
Perez scored]; Carbo made an out to third; 3 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Reds 4, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Spinks struck out; Metzger grounded out (pitcher to
first); Morgan struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros
0.

REDS 4TH: McRae made an out to first; Chaney flied out to
center; Merritt struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cedeno singled; Watson forced Cedeno (shortstop to
second); Wynn flied out to center; Menke singled [Watson to
second]; Howard walked [Watson to third, Menke to second];
Mayberry made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Reds
4, Astros 0.

REDS 5TH: Rose flied out to right; Concepcion flied out to
center; May was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Reds 4, Astros 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Spinks was called out on strikes; Metzger flied out
to center; Morgan grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 0.

REDS 6TH: Perez grounded out (shortstop to first); Bench flied
to left in foul territory; Carbo struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 0.

ASTROS 6TH: Cedeno singled; Watson singled [Cedeno to third];
Wynn hit a sacrifice fly to center [Cedeno scored]; Menke
grounded into a double play (second to first) [Watson out at
second]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 1.

REDS 7TH: McRae grounded out (shortstop to first); Chaney
grounded out (second to first); Merritt struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 1.

ASTROS 7TH: Howard doubled; Mayberry struck out; ALOU BATTED FOR
SPINKS; SPRAGUE REPLACED MERRITT (PITCHING); Alou singled
[Howard to third]; Metzger reached on an error by Concepcion
[Howard scored (RBI), Alou to third, Metzger to first]; Morgan
hit a sacrifice fly to left [Alou scored (unearned)]; Cedeno
singled [Metzger to second]; Watson singled [Metzger scored
(unearned), Cedeno to third]; Wynn forced Watson (shortstop to
second); 3 R (1 ER), 4 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 4.

REDS 8TH: RAY REPLACED ALOU (PITCHING); Rose grounded out
(second to first); Concepcion grounded out (pitcher to first);
May singled; Perez walked [May to second]; Bench flied out to
center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 4.

ASTROS 8TH: Menke grounded out (shortstop to first); Howard
grounded out (second to first); Mayberry walked; Ray forced
Mayberry (shortstop unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 4,
Astros 4.

REDS 9TH: Carbo flied out to center; McRae doubled; BRADFORD RAN
FOR MCRAE; STEWART BATTED FOR CHANEY; Stewart grounded out
(second to first); SMITH BATTED FOR SPRAGUE; Smith struck out; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 4.

ASTROS 9TH: BRADFORD STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING CF); WOODWARD
REPLACED STEWART (PLAYING SS); CARROLL REPLACED SMITH
(PITCHING); Metzger singled; Morgan out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to first) [Metzger to second]; Cedeno was walked
intentionally; Watson walked [Metzger to third, Cedeno to
second]; Wynn hit into a double play (center to catcher)
[Metzger out at home]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 4.

REDS 10TH: Rose flied out to center; Concepcion struck out; May
struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 4.

ASTROS 10TH: Menke flied out to center; Howard grounded out
(shortstop to first); Mayberry singled; THOMAS RAN FOR MAYBERRY;
CHILES BATTED FOR RAY; Chiles singled [Thomas to third]; Metzger
forced Chiles (second unassisted); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds
4, Astros 4.

REDS 11TH: MARTINEZ REPLACED THOMAS (PLAYING 3B); MENKE CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING 1B); GLADDING REPLACED CHILES (PITCHING);
Perez grounded out (shortstop to first); Bench walked; Carbo
made an out to shortstop; Bradford was hit by a pitch [Bench to
second]; Woodward grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
2 LOB.  Reds 4, Astros 4.

ASTROS 11TH: Morgan homered; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 4,
Astros 5.