The Cubs held off the rallying Mets and gained a 6-4 victory to pull 4½ games ahead in their contest for second place in the East Division. Bill Hands, who started for the Cubs, allowed only two hits and left the game with a 4-0 lead after six innings.

The Mets fell on Rick Reuschel and Jack Aker for five straight singles and three runs in the seventh. After a sacrifice and a walk loaded the bases, Aker retired Tommie Agee and Duffy Dyer on pop-ups. The Cubs then came back with two runs in their half for the winning margin. [The Sporting News]



Chicago Cubs 6, New York Mets 4
Game Played on Sunday, September 17, 1972 (Day game) at Wrigley Field
Mets         0  0  0    0  0  0    0  3  1  -   4  8  1
Cubs         2  0  0    0  0  0    2  2  x  -   6  9  2


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cubs                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Garrett 3b            3   1   1   2     1   1   .218      Kessinger ss          4   1   1   0     0   0   .284
Boswell 2b            5   0   1   1     0   1   .200      Cardenal rf           3   1   2   0     1   0   .296
  Martinez pr         0   0   0   0     0   0   .217        North rf            0   0   0   0     0   0   .167
Milner lf             5   0   1   1     0   2   .258      Williams lf           3   1   1   1     0   2   .334
Jones rf              3   0   0   0     0   1   .256      Hickman 1b            4   1   0   0     0   0   .275
Kranepool 1b          3   0   2   0     1   0   .265      Santo 3b              3   1   2   1     1   1   .309
Agee cf               3   0   0   0     1   1   .222      Monday cf             3   0   0   0     0   2   .250
  McGraw p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .111      Beckert 2b            4   1   2   3     0   0   .256
Dyer c                4   0   0   0     0   0   .246      Hundley c             3   0   1   1     0   0   .221
Harrelson ss          3   2   2   0     1   0   .223      Hands p               2   0   0   0     0   1   .000
McAndrew p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .051        Reuschel p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .128
  Barnes ph           1   0   0   0     0   1   .246        Aker p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Sadecki p           1   0   0   0     0   1   .167
  Marshall ph,cf      2   1   1   0     0   0   .258

Totals               33   4   8   4     4   8             Totals               29   6   9   6     2   6

Time of Game: 2:27   Attendance: 24,445
Left on Base: Mets 8, Cubs 4
DP: Mets 1, Cubs 1
Errors: Harrelson, Hickman, Hundley
Doubles: Cardenal (24)
Stolen Bases: Harrelson (12), Cardenal (23)
Sacrifice Hits: Jones (1), Monday (3), Reuschel (5)
Sacrifice Flies: Garrett (3), Williams (8)
GIDP: Agee (17)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
McAndrew L(11-6)        2     3   2   2   0   0   0   9   2.34
Sadecki                 5     4   2   2   0   5   0  19   2.84
McGraw                  1     2   2   2   2   1   0   6   1.86
Totals                  8     9   6   6   2   6   0  34

Cubs                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hands W(11-8)           6     2   0   0   2   7   0  21   3.21
Reuschel                1     3   2   2   0   1   0   6   3.27
Aker SV(16)             2     3   2   1   2   0   0  12   3.16
Totals                  9     8   4   3   4   8   0  39

Umpires: HP - Andy Olsen, 1B - Tom Gorman, 2B - Chris Pelekoudas, 3B - Nick Colosi


METS 1ST: Garrett struck out; Boswell was called out on strikes;
Milner grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Mets 0, Cubs 0.

CUBS 1ST: Kessinger singled to center; Cardenal singled to right
[Kessinger to third]; Cardenal stole second; Williams hit a
sacrifice fly to right [Kessinger scored]; Hickman grounded out
(third to first); Santo singled to left [Cardenal scored];
Monday grounded out (second to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Mets 0, Cubs 2.

METS 2ND: Jones flied out to center; Kranepool singled to
center; Agee grounded into a double play (shortstop to first)
[Kranepool out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

CUBS 2ND: Beckert flied out to center; Hundley grounded out
(third to first); Hands grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

METS 3RD: Dyer popped to center; Harrelson singled to center;
BARNES BATTED FOR MCANDREW; Barnes struck out; Garrett grounded
out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

CUBS 3RD: SADECKI REPLACED BARNES (PITCHING); Kessinger grounded
out (third to first); Jim McAndrew left with rib injury;
Cardenal grounded out (third to first); Williams struck out; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

METS 4TH: Boswell lined to right; Milner struck out; Jones was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

CUBS 4TH: Hickman grounded out (pitcher to first); Santo struck
out; Monday was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Mets 0, Cubs 2.

METS 5TH: Kranepool flied out to center; Agee walked; Dyer
forced Agee (shortstop to second); Harrelson grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

CUBS 5TH: Beckert reached on an error by Harrelson [Beckert to
first]; Hundley hit into a double play (right to shortstop to
first) [Beckert out at second]; Hands was called out on strikes;
0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

METS 6TH: Sadecki struck out; Garrett walked; Boswell grounded
out (first unassisted) [Garrett to second]; Milner struck out; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

CUBS 6TH: Kessinger flied out to right; Cardenal doubled to
right; Williams struck out; Hickman flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 2.

METS 7TH: REUSCHEL REPLACED HANDS (PITCHING); Jones grounded out
(shortstop to first); Kranepool singled to center; Agee struck
out; Dyer made an out to second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0,
Cubs 2.

CUBS 7TH: Santo singled to left; Monday out on a sacrifice bunt
(catcher to second) [Santo to second]; Beckert singled to center
[Santo scored, Beckert to second (on throw)]; Hundley singled to
left [Beckert scored]; Reuschel out on a sacrifice bunt (catcher
to second) [Hundley to second]; Kessinger flied out to center; 2
R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cubs 4.

METS 8TH: Harrelson singled to center; MARSHALL BATTED FOR
SADECKI; Marshall singled to center [Harrelson to second]; AKER
REPLACED REUSCHEL (PITCHING); Garrett singled to right
[Harrelson scored, Marshall to third]; Boswell singled to right
[Marshall scored, Garrett to third]; Milner singled to center
[Garrett scored, Boswell to second]; Jones out on a sacrifice
bunt (pitcher to second) [Boswell to third, Milner to second];
Kranepool was walked intentionally; Agee flied out to right;
Dyer flied out to left; 3 R, 5 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Mets 3, Cubs 4.

CUBS 8TH: MARSHALL STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING CF); MCGRAW REPLACED
AGEE (PITCHING); Cardenal walked; Williams singled to center
[Cardenal to third]; Hickman reached on a fielder's choice
[Cardenal out at home (third to catcher to third to pitcher),
Williams to third, Hickman to second]; Santo was walked
intentionally; Monday struck out; Beckert singled to left
[Williams scored, Hickman scored, Santo to third, Beckert out at
second (left to shortstop)]; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 3, Cubs
6.

METS 9TH: NORTH REPLACED CARDENAL (PLAYING RF); Harrelson
walked; Harrelson stole second [Harrelson to third (error by
Hundley)]; Marshall popped to left; Garrett hit a sacrifice fly
to left [Harrelson scored (unearned)]; Boswell reached on an
error by Hickman [Boswell to second]; MARTINEZ RAN FOR BOSWELL;
Milner flied out to left; 1 R (0 ER), 0 H, 2 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 4,
Cubs 6.