Coming to bat as a pinch-hitter, Hal McRae walloped a grand-slam homer in the sixth inning to spark the Reds to a 10-3 victory over the Astros. Homers by Cesar Cedeno and Doug Rader helped the Astros take a 3-0 lead before the Reds counted twice in the fifth.

Johnny Bench and Tony Perez singled in the sixth. Bench was thrown out at the plate on a grounder by Denis Menke, but Dave Concepcion walked to load the bases before McRae batted for Ed Sprague. Bench hit his fourth homer in three games in the seventh and Perez rapped a round-tripper with a man on base in the ninth. [The Sporting News]



Cincinnati Reds 10, Houston Astros 3
Game Played on Thursday, June      1, 1972 (Night game) at Astrodome
Reds         0  0  0    0  2  4    1  0  3  -  10 11  0
Astros       1  1  1    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   3  7  2


Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Rose lf               5   1   1   1     0   1   .254      Metzger ss            5   0   0   0     0   1   .198
Morgan 2b             3   1   0   1     1   0   .283      Cedeno cf             3   2   2   1     2   0   .302
Tolan cf              5   1   2   1     0   2   .313      Wynn rf               4   0   1   0     0   0   .281
  Geronimo cf         0   0   0   0     0   0   .196        Alou rf             1   0   0   0     0   0   .360
Bench c               3   1   2   1     2   0   .299      May 1b                2   0   1   0     2   0   .279
Perez 1b              4   2   3   2     1   1   .284      Watson lf             4   0   0   0     0   3   .310
Foster rf             5   0   0   0     0   3   .196      Rader 3b              4   1   2   2     0   0   .213
Menke 3b              5   1   1   0     0   2   .233      Howard c              4   0   1   0     0   0   .200
Concepcion ss         3   2   1   0     1   1   .246      Fenwick 2b            3   0   0   0     1   0   .269
McGlothlin p          1   0   0   0     0   1   .188      Reuss p               1   0   0   0     1   1   .105
  Javier ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .231        Griffin p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .333
  Sprague p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Miller ph           1   0   0   0     0   1   .212
  McRae ph            1   1   1   4     0   0   .241        Gibbon p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Borbon p            1   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Ray p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .200
                                                            Stewart ph          1   0   0   0     0   1   .237

Totals               37  10  11  10     5  11             Totals               33   3   7   3     6   7

Time of Game: 2:36   Attendance: 14,466
Left on Base: Reds 6, Astros 9
DP: Reds 0, Astros 0
Errors: Metzger, Reuss
Doubles: Concepcion (4), Rose (8), Tolan (10), Wynn (9)
Home Runs: McRae (1), Bench (10), Perez (7), Cedeno (2), Rader (7)
Stolen Bases: May (1)
Caught Stealing: Fenwick (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Morgan (1)


Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
McGlothlin              4     4   3   3   4   4   2  19   4.32
Sprague W(1-0)          1     0   0   0   1   0   0   4   3.79
Borbon SV(3)            4     3   0   0   1   3   0  16   3.77
Totals                  9     7   3   3   6   7   2  39

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Reuss L(3-4)            5.2   7   6   5   3   8   1  27   4.44
Griffin                 0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0.43
Gibbon                  0.2   1   1   1   1   0   1   4  16.88
Ray                     2.1   3   3   3   1   3   1  11   4.40
Totals                  9    11  10   9   5  11   3  43

Wild Pitches: Sprague (1)

Umpires: HP - Lee Weyer, 1B - Andy Olsen, 2B - Dick Stello, 3B - Ken Burkhart


REDS 1ST: Rose grounded out (second to first); Morgan grounded
out (second to first); On a bunt Tolan singled to pitcher [Tolan
to second (error by Reuss)]; Bench walked; Perez struck out; 0
R, 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Metzger grounded out (shortstop to first); Cedeno
homered; Wynn grounded out (shortstop to first); May walked;
Watson struck out; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 1.

REDS 2ND: Foster struck out; Menke lined to right; Concepcion
struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 1.

ASTROS 2ND: Rader homered; Howard grounded out (third to first);
Fenwick walked; Fenwick was caught stealing second (catcher to
shortstop); Reuss walked; Metzger forced Reuss (shortstop
unassisted); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 2.

REDS 3RD: McGlothlin struck out; Rose flied out to right; Morgan
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 0,
Astros 2.

ASTROS 3RD: Cedeno walked; Wynn flied out to center; May singled
to left [Cedeno to second]; Watson struck out; Rader singled to
center [Cedeno scored, May to second]; Howard forced Rader
(shortstop to second); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 3.

REDS 4TH: Tolan struck out; Bench walked; Perez singled to
second [Bench to second]; Foster struck out; Menke struck out; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 0, Astros 3.

ASTROS 4TH: Fenwick flied out to right; Reuss was called out on
strikes; Metzger struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 0,
Astros 3.

REDS 5TH: Concepcion doubled to left; JAVIER BATTED FOR
MCGLOTHLIN; Javier grounded out (shortstop to first) [Concepcion
to third]; Rose doubled to right [Concepcion scored, Rose to
third (error by Metzger)]; Morgan hit a sacrifice fly to center
[Rose scored (unearned)]; Tolan struck out; 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 1
E, 0 LOB.  Reds 2, Astros 3.

ASTROS 5TH: SPRAGUE REPLACED JAVIER (PITCHING); Cedeno grounded
out (first to pitcher); Wynn lined to shortstop; May walked; May
stole second; Sprague threw a wild pitch [May to third]; Watson
grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 2,
Astros 3.

REDS 6TH: Bench singled to center; Perez singled to right [Bench
to second]; Foster grounded out (second to first) [Bench to
third, Perez to second]; Menke reached on a fielder's choice
[Bench out at home (third to catcher), Perez to third];
Concepcion walked [Menke to second]; MCRAE BATTED FOR SPRAGUE;
McRae homered [Perez scored, Menke scored, Concepcion scored];
GRIFFIN REPLACED REUSS (PITCHING); Rose flied out to left; 4 R,
3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 6, Astros 3.

ASTROS 6TH: BORBON REPLACED MCRAE (PITCHING); Rader grounded out
(third to first); Howard singled to right; Fenwick forced Howard
(shortstop to second); MILLER BATTED FOR GRIFFIN; Miller was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 6, Astros 3.

REDS 7TH: GIBBON REPLACED MILLER (PITCHING); Morgan flied out to
left; Tolan lined to right; Bench homered; Perez walked; RAY
REPLACED GIBBON (PITCHING); Foster was called out on strikes; 1
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 7, Astros 3.

ASTROS 7TH: Metzger flied out to left; Cedeno singled to left;
Wynn doubled to right [Cedeno to third]; May popped to catcher
in foul territory; Watson was called out on strikes; 0 R, 2 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Reds 7, Astros 3.

REDS 8TH: ALOU REPLACED WYNN (PLAYING RF); Menke singled to
left; Concepcion grounded out (catcher to first) [Menke to
second]; Borbon grounded out (third to first); Rose was called
out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 7, Astros 3.

ASTROS 8TH: Rader grounded out (shortstop to first); Howard
popped to second; Fenwick grounded out (shortstop to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 7, Astros 3.

REDS 9TH: Morgan walked; Tolan doubled to right [Morgan scored];
Bench grounded out (shortstop to first); Perez homered [Tolan
scored]; Foster popped to first; Menke struck out; 3 R, 2 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Reds 10, Astros 3.

ASTROS 9TH: GERONIMO REPLACED TOLAN (PLAYING CF); STEWART BATTED
FOR RAY; Stewart was called out on strikes; Metzger grounded out
(pitcher to first); Cedeno walked; ball four almost hit Cesar
Cedeno, charged mound with his bat; Alou grounded out
(pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 10, Astros 3.