The Eastern Division-leading Cardinals, returning to action after the All-Star break, romped over the Mets, 13-1, in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader and then completed the sweep with a 2-1 victory in the second game. Bob Gibson, the winner of the opener, also distinguished himself at bat with a grand-slam homer and single that accounted for a fifth RBI.

In the nightcap, after the Cardinals scored on singles by Luis Melendez and Ken Reitz and a double by Bernie Carbo in the second inning, Joe Torre homered in the eighth for what proved to be the winning run. The Mets' lone tally counted in the ninth on singles by Cleon Jones and John Milner and an infield out by Jerry Grote. [The Sporting News]



St. Louis Cardinals 13, New York Mets 1 (Game 1)
Game Played on Thursday, July      26, 1973 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Mets         0  1  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  6  1
Cardinals    0  5  0    1  4  2    0  1  x  -  13 19  3


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Garrett 3b            4   0   2   0     0   0   .247      Brock lf              3   1   0   0     1   1   .282
Millan 2b             2   0   1   0     1   0   .303        McBride lf          2   0   1   1     0   0   .500
  Boswell 2b          1   0   0   0     0   0   .208      Sizemore 2b           4   2   2   1     0   0   .288
Staub rf              4   0   0   0     0   0   .276        Campbell 2b         2   0   0   0     0   0   .190
Jones cf              4   0   2   0     0   1   .260      Torre 1b              5   1   3   1     0   1   .302
Milner lf             4   1   1   0     0   0   .232      Simmons c             4   0   3   1     0   0   .289
Kranepool 1b          3   0   0   1     0   0   .253        McCarver c          1   0   1   0     0   0   .243
Hodges c              3   0   0   0     0   2   .241      Melendez cf           4   0   1   1     0   1   .260
  McAndrew p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .143        J. Cruz ph,cf       1   0   0   0     0   0   .223
  Beauchamp ph        1   0   0   0     0   1   .289      Reitz 3b              4   4   3   0     0   0   .238
Harrelson ss          2   0   0   0     0   0   .251      Carbo rf              4   3   2   1     1   0   .270
  Martinez ss         1   0   0   0     0   0   .225      Tyson ss              2   1   1   1     2   0   .244
Matlack p             1   0   0   0     0   1   .108      Gibson p              5   1   2   5     0   1   .186
  Hahn ph             1   0   0   0     0   1   .250
  Strohmayer p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Dyer c              1   0   0   0     0   1   .187

Totals               32   1   6   1     1   7             Totals               41  13  19  12     4   4

Time of Game: 2:20
Left on Base: Mets 6, Cardinals 10
DP: Mets 1, Cardinals 2
Errors: Garrett, Brock, McBride, Tyson
Doubles: Milner (6), Jones (6), Reitz 2 (12), Carbo (7)
Triples: McCarver (4)
Home Runs: Gibson (2)
Sacrifice Flies: Kranepool (2)
GIDP: Jones (6), Staub (7), Gibson (1)
Hit by Pitch: Reitz (2,by McAndrew), Tyson (2,by McAndrew)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Matlack L(7-13)         4    10   6   5   3   4   0  23   3.66
Strohmayer              2     7   6   6   1   0   1  14   6.05
McAndrew                2     2   1   1   0   0   0  10   5.62
Totals                  8    19  13  12   4   4   1  47

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Gibson W(11-9)          9     6   1   0   1   7   0  34   2.82
Totals                  9     6   1   0   1   7   0  34

Hit by Pitch: McAndrew 2 (3)
Wild Pitches: Strohmayer (1)

Umpires: HP - Dick Stello, 1B - Jerry Dale, 2B - Tom Gorman, 3B - Bill Williams


METS 1ST: Garrett flied to center; Millan walked; Staub reached
on a fielder's choice [Millan to second (error by Tyson)]; Jones
grounded into a double play (shortstop to first) [Staub out at
second]; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: Brock grounded out (pitcher to first); Sizemore
popped to first in foul territory; Torre singled to center;
Simmons singled to center [Torre to second]; Melendez struck
out; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 0, Cardinals 0.

METS 2ND: Milner reached on an error by Brock [Milner to third];
Kranepool hit a sacrifice fly to left [Milner scored
(unearned)]; Hodges grounded out (shortstop to first); Harrelson
flied to left; 1 R (0 ER), 0 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Reitz doubled to right; Carbo walked; Tyson
singled to center [Carbo to second, Reitz scored]; Gibson
grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first)
[Carbo to third, Tyson out at second]; Brock walked; Sizemore
singled to center [Brock to third, Carbo scored]; Torre singled
to center [Sizemore to third, Brock scored]; Simmons singled to
center [Sizemore scored, Torre scored (error by Garrett)
(unearned), Simmons to third]; Melendez flied to right; 5 R (4
ER), 5 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 5.

METS 3RD: Matlack was called out on strikes; Garrett singled to
left; Millan flied to center; Staub grounded out (second to
first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 5.

CARDINALS 3RD: Reitz flied to left; Carbo grounded out (second
to first); Tyson walked; Gibson struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 5.

METS 4TH: Jones struck out; Milner doubled to right; Kranepool
popped to third in foul territory; Hodges struck out; 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 5.

CARDINALS 4TH: Brock struck out; On a bunt Sizemore singled;
Torre struck out; Simmons singled to center [Sizemore to third];
Melendez singled to right [Sizemore scored, Simmons out at
second (right to third to second)]; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets
1, Cardinals 6.

METS 5TH: Harrelson grounded out (second to first); HAHN BATTED
FOR MATLACK; Hahn struck out; Garrett flied to center; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 5TH: STROHMAYER REPLACED HAHN (PITCHING); Reitz
singled to right; Carbo singled to left [Reitz to second];
Strohmayer threw a wild pitch [Carbo to second, Reitz to third];
Tyson walked; Gibson homered [Reitz scored, Carbo scored, Tyson
scored]; Brock grounded out (first to pitcher); Sizemore flied
to right; Torre singled to left; Simmons flied to right; 4 R, 4
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 10.

METS 6TH: MCBRIDE REPLACED BROCK (PLAYING LF); Millan singled to
left; Debut game for Bake McBride; Staub grounded into a
double play (first to second) [Millan out at second]; Jones
doubled to left; Milner grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 2
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 10.

CARDINALS 6TH: BOSWELL REPLACED MILLAN (PLAYING 2B); MARTINEZ
REPLACED HARRELSON (PLAYING SS); Melendez grounded out (second
to first); Reitz doubled to right; Carbo doubled to left [Reitz
scored]; Tyson grounded out (shortstop to first); Gibson singled
to right [Carbo scored]; McBride grounded out (pitcher to
first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 12.

METS 7TH: CAMPBELL REPLACED SIZEMORE (PLAYING 2B); MCCARVER
REPLACED SIMMONS (PLAYING C ); Kranepool grounded out (second to
first); Hodges struck out; Martinez popped to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 12.

CARDINALS 7TH: MCANDREW REPLACED HODGES (PITCHING); DYER
REPLACED STROHMAYER (PLAYING C ); Campbell popped to second;
Torre grounded out (third to first); McCarver tripled to right;
J. CRUZ BATTED FOR MELENDEZ; J. Cruz grounded out (first to
pitcher); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 12.

METS 8TH: J. CRUZ STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING CF); Dyer struck out;
Garrett singled to left; Boswell grounded out (second to first)
[Garrett to second]; Staub grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 1, Cardinals 12.

CARDINALS 8TH: Reitz was hit by a pitch; Carbo flied to right;
Tyson was hit by a pitch [Reitz to second]; Gibson popped to
first; McBride singled to right [Reitz scored, Tyson to third];
Campbell grounded out (third to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Mets 1, Cardinals 13.

METS 9TH: Jones singled to left [Jones to second (error by
McBride)]; Milner grounded out (second to first) [Jones to
third]; Kranepool grounded out (pitcher to first); BEAUCHAMP
BATTED FOR MCANDREW; Beauchamp struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.
 Mets 1, Cardinals 13.