After building up a 7-0 lead in the first three innings, the Astros defeated the Reds, 7-5, with credit for the victory going to ex-Cardinal Jerry Reuss in his first appearance in a Houston uniform. Cesar Cedeno hit two doubles and a single in the Astros' attack, driving in two runs and scoring one. Reuss gave up nine of the Reds' hits, including a homer by Tony Perez, before being lifted in the seventh. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 7, Cincinnati Reds 5
Game Played on Wednesday, April     19, 1972 (Night game) at Riverfront Stadium
Astros       2  1  4    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   7  7  2
Reds         0  0  0    1  1  2    1  0  0  -   5 10  1


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Metzger ss            4   1   1   1     1   0   .111      Rose lf               5   1   4   0     0   0   .412
Cedeno cf             5   1   3   2     0   0   .400      Morgan 2b             4   0   1   0     1   0   .200
Wynn rf               4   0   1   1     1   0   .300      Tolan cf              3   1   1   1     0   0   .467
May 1b                4   1   0   0     1   4   .300      Bench c               3   0   0   1     0   1   .077
Watson lf             2   1   0   0     1   1   .353      Perez 1b              4   1   1   1     0   1   .267
Rader 3b              3   1   1   1     1   0   .316      Menke 3b              3   1   1   0     1   0   .385
Helms 2b              4   0   0   0     0   0   .150      Foster rf             4   0   1   0     0   2   .333
Edwards c             3   2   1   0     1   0   .214      Concepcion ss         3   0   0   1     0   0   .154
Reuss p               2   0   0   1     1   2   .000        Carbo ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Blasingame p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Billingham p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Culver p            1   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Borbon p            1   0   0   0     0   1   .000
                                                            Javier ph           1   1   1   0     0   0   .500
                                                            Sprague p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            McRae ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Hall p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Uhlaender ph        1   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               32   7   7   6     7   8             Totals               34   5  10   4     2   5

Time of Game: 2:28   Attendance:  6,217
Left on Base: Astros 6, Reds 6
DP: Astros 1, Reds 2
Errors: Wynn, Reuss, Borbon
Doubles: Cedeno 2 (3), Edwards (1), Javier (1), Foster (2)
Triples: Tolan (2)
Home Runs: Perez (2)
Stolen Bases: Morgan (4)
Sacrifice Flies: Bench (1), Tolan (1)
GIDP: Helms (1), Bench (2)
Hit by Pitch: Watson (1,by Billingham)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Reuss W(1-0)            6     9   5   4   2   4   1  29   6.00
Blasingame              0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   7.36
Culver SV(1)            2.2   1   0   0   0   1   0   8   2.25
Totals                  9    10   5   4   2   5   1  38

Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Billingham L(0-2)       2     6   6   6   3   2   0  15   9.39
Borbon                  3     1   1   1   2   2   0  12   2.25
Sprague                 1     0   0   0   1   0   0   3   0.00
Hall                    3     0   0   0   1   4   0  10   1.69
Totals                  9     7   7   7   7   8   0  40

Hit by Pitch: Billingham (1)
Wild Pitches: Billingham 2 (2)

Umpires: HP - Shag Crawford, 1B - Chris Pelekoudas, 2B - Mel Steiner, 3B - Jerry Dale


ASTROS 1ST: Metzger singled to center; Cedeno doubled to left
[Metzger to third]; Wynn singled to center [Metzger scored,
Cedeno to third]; Billingham threw a wild pitch [Cedeno scored,
Wynn to second]; May struck out; Watson walked; Billingham threw
a wild pitch [Wynn to third, Watson to second]; Rader walked;
Helms grounded into a double play (third to second to first)
[Rader out at second]; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 2, Reds 0.

REDS 1ST: Rose grounded out (second to first); Morgan walked;
Morgan stole second; Tolan grounded out (first unassisted)
[Morgan to third]; Bench struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 2, Reds 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Edwards doubled; Reuss was called out on strikes;
Metzger grounded out (second to first) [Edwards to third];
Cedeno singled to third [Edwards scored]; Wynn grounded out
(first unassisted); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 3, Reds 0.

REDS 2ND: Perez popped to shortstop; Menke popped to center;
Foster struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Reds 0.

ASTROS 3RD: May walked; Watson was hit by a pitch [May to
second]; Rader singled to center [May scored, Watson to second];
BORBON REPLACED BILLINGHAM (PITCHING); Watson was picked off
second but was safe on an error by Borbon [Watson to third,
Rader to second]; Helms popped to second; Edwards was walked
intentionally; Reuss walked [Watson scored, Rader to third,
Edwards to second]; Metzger forced Reuss (second to shortstop)
[Rader scored, Edwards to third]; Cedeno doubled to right
[Edwards scored, Metzger to third]; Wynn flied out to right; 4
R, 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 0.

REDS 3RD: Concepcion flied out to right; Borbon struck out; Rose
singled to center; Morgan popped to catcher in foul territory; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 0.

ASTROS 4TH: May was called out on strikes; Watson grounded out
(shortstop to first); Rader grounded out (shortstop to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 0.

REDS 4TH: Tolan tripled to center; Bench hit a sacrifice fly to
center [Tolan scored]; Perez grounded out (third to first);
Menke walked; Foster was called out on strikes; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 1.

ASTROS 5TH: Helms flied out to center; Edwards flied out to
right; Reuss struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 1.

REDS 5TH: Concepcion grounded out (third to first); JAVIER
BATTED FOR BORBON; Javier doubled to right; On a bunt Rose
singled to pitcher [Javier scored (error by Reuss) (unearned)
(no RBI), Rose to third (error by Wynn)]; Morgan popped to
shortstop; Tolan grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R (0 ER),
2 H, 2 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 2.

ASTROS 6TH: SPRAGUE REPLACED JAVIER (PITCHING); Metzger walked;
Cedeno lined into a double play (first unassisted) [Metzger out
at first]; Wynn grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 2.

REDS 6TH: Bench popped to catcher in foul territory; Perez
homered; Menke singled to center; Foster doubled to left [Menke
to third]; Concepcion grounded out (shortstop to first) [Menke
scored]; MCRAE BATTED FOR SPRAGUE; McRae flied out to right; 2
R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 4.

ASTROS 7TH: HALL REPLACED MCRAE (PITCHING); May was called out
on strikes; Watson struck out; Rader popped to second; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 4.

REDS 7TH: Rose singled to right; Morgan singled to right [Rose
to third]; BLASINGAME REPLACED REUSS (PITCHING); Tolan hit a
sacrifice fly to right [Rose scored]; CULVER REPLACED BLASINGAME
(PITCHING); Bench grounded into a double play (shortstop to
second to first) [Morgan out at second]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 7, Reds 5.

ASTROS 8TH: Helms flied out to left; Edwards grounded out (first
unassisted); Culver struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7,
Reds 5.

REDS 8TH: Perez struck out; Menke popped to catcher in foul
territory; Foster grounded out (catcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 5.

ASTROS 9TH: Metzger flied out to right; Cedeno grounded out
(shortstop to first); Wynn walked; May struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 5.

REDS 9TH: CARBO BATTED FOR CONCEPCION; Carbo grounded out (first
to pitcher); UHLAENDER BATTED FOR HALL; Uhlaender grounded out
(second to first); Rose singled to center; Morgan popped to
shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 5.