Larry Dierker, who was on the disabled list for all but one month last season, started his comeback by pitching seven innings to receive credit for the Astros' 9-5 victory over the Padres. The largest home opening crowd in San Diego history, 39,083, saw the Astros settle the issue quickly with three-run bursts in the first and second innings. Cesar Cedeno and Greg Gross each the finished game with three hits for the Astros. Cedeno drove in four runs. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 9, San Diego Padres 5
Game Played on Tuesday, April     9, 1974 (Night game) at San Diego Stadium
Astros       3  3  0    0  1  0    0  2  0  -   9 15  2
Padres       0  1  1    0  0  0    0  3  0  -   5  8  3


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Padres               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Gross rf,lf           5   3   3   0     0   2   .714      Tolan rf              4   1   0   0     1   0   .188
Metzger ss            3   0   0   0     1   0   .267      Beckert 2b            5   0   3   0     0   0   .583
Cedeno cf             5   3   3   4     0   1   .294      Colbert lf            3   1   0   1     1   2   .000
Watson lf,1b          4   0   1   2     0   0   .200      McCovey 1b            4   1   1   0     0   2   .214
L. May 1b             3   1   0   0     1   1   .214      Grubb cf              4   0   0   0     0   1   .357
  Gallagher rf        1   0   1   0     0   0   .200      Kendall c             4   1   1   0     0   0   .357
Rader 3b              5   0   2   1     0   0   .250      Thomas 3b             3   1   2   1     1   0   .375
Edwards c             4   0   1   0     1   1   .250      Hernandez ss          3   0   0   0     0   2   .083
Helms 2b              4   1   2   1     0   0   .429        Gaston ph           1   0   1   2     0   0   .333
  Milbourne 2b        1   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Morales ss          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Dierker p             3   1   2   0     0   0   .667      Arlin p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Scherman p          1   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Garcia p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Troedson p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Roberts ph          1   0   0   0     0   1   .000
                                                            McIntosh p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Alou ph             0   0   0   0     1   0   .200
                                                            McAndrew p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Hilton ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Corkins p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Williams ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Romo p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               39   9  15   8     3   6             Totals               34   5   8   4     4   8

Time of Game: 2:55   Attendance: 39,083
Left on Base: Astros 9, Padres 7
DP: Astros 2, Padres 1
Errors: Rader, Dierker, Beckert, McCovey, Thomas
Doubles: Cedeno (3), Rader (1), Edwards (1), Gaston (1)
Stolen Bases: Metzger (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Dierker (1), Metzger (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Watson (1), Colbert (1)
GIDP: Colbert (2)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dierker W(1-0)          7     6   2   1   3   5   0  29   1.29
Scherman                2     2   3   0   1   3   0  10   0.00
Totals                  9     8   5   1   4   8   0  39

Padres                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Arlin L(0-1)            1     6   5   5   2   0   0  10  45.00
Garcia                  0.1   2   1   1   0   0   0   3   7.71
Troedson                0.2   1   0   0   0   2   0   3   2.45
McIntosh                2     1   0   0   1   2   0   9   2.84
McAndrew                3     2   1   0   0   1   0  11   6.35
Corkins                 1     3   2   1   0   0   0   6  12.27
Romo                    1     0   0   0   0   1   0   3   0.00
Totals                  9    15   9   7   3   6   0  45

Passed Balls: Edwards (1)
Wild Pitches: Dierker (1), Garcia (1)

Umpires: HP - Art Williams, 1B - Doug Harvey, 2B - Harry Wendelstedt, 3B - Nick Colosi


ASTROS 1ST: Gross singled to left; Metzger flied out to left;
Cedeno doubled [Gross scored]; Watson flied out to center
[Cedeno to third]; L. May walked; Rader doubled to left [Cedeno
scored, L. May to third]; Edwards was walked intentionally;
Helms singled to left [L. May scored, Rader out at home (left to
catcher), Edwards to second]; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 3,
Padres 0.

PADRES 1ST: Tolan grounded out (second to first); Beckert
singled to left; Colbert grounded into a double play (second to
first) [Beckert out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3,
Padres 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Dierker singled to left; Gross singled to right
[Dierker to second]; GARCIA REPLACED ARLIN (PITCHING); Garcia
threw a wild pitch [Dierker to third, Gross to second]; Metzger
flied out to left; Cedeno singled to left [Dierker scored, Gross
scored, Cedeno to second (on throw to home)]; Watson singled to
right [Cedeno scored]; TROEDSON REPLACED GARCIA (PITCHING); L.
May was called out on strikes; Rader singled to center [Watson
to second]; Edwards struck out; 3 R, 5 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 6,
Padres 0.

PADRES 2ND: McCovey singled; Dierker threw a wild pitch [McCovey
to second]; Grubb grounded out (first to pitcher) [McCovey to
third]; Kendall reached on a fielder's choice [McCovey scored
(error by Dierker) (unearned), Kendall to second]; Thomas
walked; Edwards allowed a passed ball [Kendall to third, Thomas
to second]; Hernandez struck out; ROBERTS BATTED FOR TROEDSON;
Roberts struck out; 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 6,
Padres 1.

ASTROS 3RD: MCINTOSH REPLACED ROBERTS (PITCHING); Helms grounded
out (shortstop to first); Dierker singled; Gross struck out;
Metzger walked [Dierker to second]; Cedeno was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 6, Padres 1.

PADRES 3RD: Tolan walked; Beckert singled to right [Tolan to
third]; Colbert hit a sacrifice fly to second [Tolan scored];
McCovey struck out; Grubb flied out to center; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 6, Padres 2.

ASTROS 4TH: Watson reached on an error by Thomas [Watson to
first]; L. May popped to catcher in foul territory; Rader lined
to right; Edwards flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 6, Padres 2.

PADRES 4TH: Kendall singled; Thomas singled to center [Kendall
to second]; Hernandez grounded out (pitcher to first) [Kendall
to third, Thomas to second]; ALOU BATTED FOR MCINTOSH; Alou
walked; Tolan hit into a double play (catcher to second) [Alou
out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 6, Padres 2.

ASTROS 5TH: MCANDREW REPLACED ALOU (PITCHING); Helms singled to
center; Dierker out on a sacrifice bunt (third to second) [Helms
to second]; Gross was called out on strikes; Metzger reached on
an error by Beckert [Helms scored (unearned) (no RBI), Metzger
to first]; Metzger stole second; Cedeno lined to left; 1 R (0
ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Padres 2.

PADRES 5TH: Beckert singled to center; Colbert struck out;
McCovey flied out to left; Grubb grounded out (third to first);
0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Padres 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Watson flied out to right; L. May grounded out
(third to first); Rader grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Padres 2.

PADRES 6TH: GROSS CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); WATSON CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING 1B); GALLAGHER REPLACED L. MAY (PLAYING RF);
Kendall flied out to center; Thomas flied out to center;
Hernandez was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 7, Padres 2.

ASTROS 7TH: Edwards doubled; Helms grounded out (third to first)
[Edwards to third]; On a bunt Dierker hit into a double play
(catcher to third) [Edwards out at home]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 7, Padres 2.

PADRES 7TH: MILBOURNE REPLACED HELMS (PLAYING 2B); HILTON BATTED
FOR MCANDREW; Hilton grounded out (shortstop to first); Tolan
popped to third in foul territory; Beckert made an out to
second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Padres 2.

ASTROS 8TH: CORKINS REPLACED HILTON (PITCHING); Gross singled to
center; Metzger out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to first)
[Gross to second]; Cedeno singled to left [Gross scored]; Cedeno
was picked off first but was safe on an error by McCovey [Cedeno
to third]; Watson hit a sacrifice fly to center [Cedeno scored
(unearned)]; Gallagher singled to right; Rader grounded out
(shortstop to first); 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9,
Padres 2.

PADRES 8TH: SCHERMAN REPLACED DIERKER (PITCHING); Colbert
walked; McCovey struck out; Grubb struck out; Kendall reached on
an error by Rader [Colbert to second, Kendall to first]; Thomas
singled to center [Colbert scored (unearned), Kendall to
second]; GASTON BATTED FOR HERNANDEZ; Gaston doubled to right
[Kendall scored (unearned), Thomas scored (unearned)]; WILLIAMS
BATTED FOR CORKINS; Williams grounded out (shortstop to first);
3 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 5.

ASTROS 9TH: MORALES REPLACED GASTON (PLAYING SS); ROMO REPLACED
WILLIAMS (PITCHING); Edwards grounded out (second to first);
Milbourne struck out; Scherman grounded out (third to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 5.

PADRES 9TH: Tolan grounded out (pitcher to first); Beckert
grounded out (third to first); Colbert was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 5.