Coming through with his first hit of the season, Milt May drove in the tie-breaking run with a pinch-single in the ninth inning to enable the Pirates to defeat the Astros, 4-2. With the score tied, 2-2, Manny Sanguillen singled for the Pirates in the ninth and Bob Robertson walked.

May, hitless in eight previous trips this year, then came up with two out and delivered his deciding single. Robertson took third and counted an extra run on a wild pitch. [The Sporting News]



Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Houston Astros 2
Game Played on Friday, May       12, 1972 (Night game) at Astrodome
Pirates      0  0  0    0  0  0    2  0  2  -   4  9  2
Astros       0  1  0    1  0  0    0  0  0  -   2  8  1


Pirates              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Cash 2b               5   0   1   0     0   1   .290      Metzger ss            4   0   0   0     0   2   .156
Oliver cf             4   0   1   0     0   0   .341      Cedeno cf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .375
Clemente rf           4   0   0   0     0   3   .313      Wynn rf               4   0   0   0     0   1   .314
Stargell lf           4   0   0   0     0   1   .257      May 1b                4   2   4   1     0   0   .348
Hebner 3b             4   1   1   1     0   0   .312      Watson lf             4   0   1   0     0   0   .256
Sanguillen c          4   2   3   0     0   0   .375      Rader 3b              4   0   0   0     0   0   .235
Robertson 1b          3   1   2   0     1   0   .141      Helms 2b              3   0   1   0     0   0   .195
Alley ss              2   0   0   0     0   1   .300      Edwards c             3   0   2   0     0   0   .309
  Davalillo ph        0   0   0   1     0   0   .333      Dierker p             2   0   0   0     0   1   .100
  J. Hernandez ss     1   0   0   0     0   0   .185        Ray p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .333
Blass p               3   0   0   0     0   0   .200
  May ph              1   0   1   1     0   0   .111
  Ellis pr            0   0   0   0     0   0   .111
  Miller p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               35   4   9   3     1   6             Totals               32   2   8   1     0   4

Time of Game: 2:15   Attendance: 17,863
Left on Base: Pirates 6, Astros 4
DP: Pirates 2, Astros 1
Errors: Alley, Blass, Helms
Doubles: Robertson (3), May (3)
Triples: Sanguillen (3)
Home Runs: Hebner (4), May (6)
Caught Stealing: Helms (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Dierker (3)
Sacrifice Flies: Davalillo (1)
GIDP: Stargell (2), Rader 2 (4)


Pirates                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Blass W(3-1)            8     7   2   1   0   4   1  30   3.46
Miller SV(1)            1     1   0   0   0   0   0   3   1.69
Totals                  9     8   2   1   0   4   1  33

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dierker L(2-2)          8.2   9   4   4   1   6   1  36   4.10
Ray                     0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2.41
Totals                  9     9   4   4   1   6   1  37

Wild Pitches: Dierker (2), Ray (2)

Umpires: HP - Satch Davidson, 1B - Ed Sudol, 2B - John Kibler, 3B - Nick Colosi


PIRATES 1ST: Cash singled to center; Oliver forced Cash
(shortstop to second); Clemente made an out to shortstop;
Stargell was called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Pirates 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Metzger grounded out (second to first); Cedeno
grounded out (shortstop to first); Wynn flied out to center; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 0.

PIRATES 2ND: Hebner flied out to right; Sanguillen tripled to
center; Robertson made an out to catcher; Alley struck out; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: May doubled to left; Watson grounded out (pitcher to
first); Rader flied out to left; Helms reached on an error by
Alley [May scored (unearned) (no RBI), Helms to first]; Edwards
singled to center [Helms to third]; Dierker grounded out (second
to first); 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 1.

PIRATES 3RD: Blass grounded out (shortstop to first); Cash flied
out to center; Oliver grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 1.

ASTROS 3RD: Metzger struck out; Cedeno grounded out (third to
first); Wynn made an out to first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Pirates 0, Astros 1.

PIRATES 4TH: Clemente was called out on strikes; Stargell
grounded out (second to first); Hebner made an out to first; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 1.

ASTROS 4TH: May homered; Watson grounded out (second to first);
Rader flied out to right; Helms grounded out (third to first); 1
R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 2.

PIRATES 5TH: Sanguillen flied out to center; Robertson singled
to left; Alley flied out to right; Blass forced Robertson
(second unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 2.

ASTROS 5TH: Edwards singled to center; Dierker out on a
sacrifice bunt (third to second) [Edwards to second]; Metzger
struck out; Cedeno grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros 2.

PIRATES 6TH: Cash reached on an error by Helms [Cash to first];
Oliver singled to left [Cash to third]; Clemente struck out;
Stargell grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to
first) [Oliver out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0,
Astros 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Wynn struck out; May singled to third; Watson
singled to pitcher [May to third (error by Blass)]; Rader
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Watson out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0, Astros
2.

PIRATES 7TH: Hebner homered; Sanguillen singled to right;
Robertson doubled to left [Sanguillen to third]; DAVALILLO
BATTED FOR ALLEY; Davalillo hit a sacrifice fly to right
[Sanguillen scored]; Blass grounded out (pitcher to first); Cash
struck out; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 2, Astros 2.

ASTROS 7TH: J. HERNANDEZ REPLACED DAVALILLO (PLAYING SS); Helms
singled to center; Helms was caught stealing second (catcher to
shortstop); Edwards grounded out (second to first); Dierker was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 2, Astros
2.

PIRATES 8TH: Oliver grounded out (second to first); Clemente
struck out; Stargell grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 2, Astros 2.

ASTROS 8TH: Metzger made an out to shortstop; Cedeno grounded
out (shortstop to first); Wynn grounded out (shortstop to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 2, Astros 2.

PIRATES 9TH: Hebner flied out to center; Sanguillen singled to
pitcher; Robertson walked [Sanguillen to second]; Dierker threw
a wild pitch [Sanguillen to third, Robertson to second]; J.
Hernandez made an out to catcher; MAY BATTED FOR BLASS; May
singled to right [Sanguillen scored, Robertson to third]; ELLIS
RAN FOR MAY; RAY REPLACED DIERKER (PITCHING); Ray threw a wild
pitch [Robertson scored, Ellis to second]; Cash grounded out
(third to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 4, Astros 2.

ASTROS 9TH: MILLER REPLACED ELLIS (PITCHING); May singled to
left; Watson forced May (shortstop to second); Rader grounded
into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Watson out at
second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 4, Astros 2.