Larry Dierker, who had not pitched a complete game since 1972, after being out most of last season with a variety of arm ailments, pitched the Astros to a 3-1 victory over the Giants. Dierker gave up the Giants' run in the first inning on a single to Bobby Bonds, a hit batsman and single by Gary Matthews, but yielded only one hit the rest of the way.

The Astros tied the score with a single by Roger Metzger, double by Ollie Brown and infield out in the third. Lee May broke the deadlock with a homer in the sixth and Brown clinched the decision with another round-tripper in the seventh. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 3, San Francisco Giants 1
Game Played on Monday, April     15, 1974 (Night game) at Astrodome
Giants       1  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  3  0
Astros       0  0  1    0  0  1    1  0  x  -   3 10  0


Giants               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Bonds rf              3   1   1   0     1   1   .289      Metzger ss            4   1   2   0     0   0   .308
Speier ss             2   0   0   0     1   0   .182      Brown rf              4   1   2   1     0   0   .300
Maddox cf             4   0   0   0     0   1   .295        Gross lf            0   0   0   0     0   0   .478
Matthews lf           4   0   1   1     0   0   .231      Cedeno cf             4   0   1   1     0   0   .357
Ontiveros 1b          3   0   0   0     1   1   .267      Watson lf             3   0   1   0     1   0   .308
Kingman 3b            4   0   0   0     0   3   .265        Gallagher pr,rf     0   0   0   0     0   0   .100
Phillips 2b           3   0   1   0     0   1   .355      L. May 1b             4   1   1   1     0   1   .273
Boccabella c          3   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Rader 3b              4   0   1   0     0   1   .278
  Williams p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Edwards c             3   0   1   0     1   0   .222
Caldwell p            2   0   0   0     0   1   .000      Helms 2b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .313
  Rader c             1   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Milbourne pr,2b     0   0   0   0     0   0   .125
                                                          Dierker p             4   0   0   0     0   2   .286

Totals               29   1   3   1     3   8             Totals               34   3  10   3     2   4

Time of Game: 2:03   Attendance:  8,713
Left on Base: Giants 5, Astros 9
DP: Giants 0, Astros 1
Doubles: Rader (2), Brown (1), Metzger (3), Cedeno (6)
Home Runs: L. May (2), Brown (1)
GIDP: Maddox (2)
Hit by Pitch: Speier (2,by Dierker)


Giants                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Caldwell L(2-1)         6.2   9   3   3   1   3   2  30   2.25
Williams                1.1   1   0   0   1   1   0   6   0.00
Totals                  8    10   3   3   2   4   2  36

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dierker W(2-0)          9     3   1   1   3   8   0  33   1.13
Totals                  9     3   1   1   3   8   0  33

Hit by Pitch: Dierker (1)
Balks: Dierker (1)

Umpires: HP - Bill Williams, 1B - Dick Stello, 2B - Terry Tata, 3B - Tom Gorman


GIANTS 1ST: Bonds singled; Speier was hit by a pitch [Bonds to
second]; Maddox grounded into a double play (shortstop to second
to first) [Bonds to third, Speier out at second]; Matthews
singled to right [Bonds scored]; Ontiveros walked [Matthews to
second]; Kingman flied out to left; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Giants 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Metzger grounded out (shortstop to first); Brown
lined to left; Cedeno grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 0.

GIANTS 2ND: Phillips struck out; Boccabella grounded out (third
to first); Caldwell struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 1,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson grounded out (second to first); L. May lined
to right; Rader doubled to right; Edwards walked; Helms forced
Rader (third unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 1,
Astros 0.

GIANTS 3RD: Bonds struck out; Speier grounded out (first to
pitcher); Maddox grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Dierker grounded out (shortstop to first); Metzger
singled to right; Brown doubled to left [Metzger to third];
Cedeno grounded out (shortstop to first) [Metzger scored];
Watson singled [Brown to third]; L. May was called out on
strikes; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 1.

GIANTS 4TH: Matthews flied out to right; Ontiveros struck out;
Kingman struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 1.

ASTROS 4TH: Rader grounded out (third to first); Edwards
grounded out (first to pitcher); Helms flied out to left; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 1.

GIANTS 5TH: Phillips singled to right; Boccabella grounded out
(catcher to first) [Phillips to second]; Caldwell grounded out
(catcher to first) [Phillips to third]; Bonds made an out to
second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 1.

ASTROS 5TH: Dierker grounded out (pitcher to first); Metzger
doubled to left; Brown flied out to center; Cedeno flied out to
left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 1.

GIANTS 6TH: Speier walked; Dierker balked [Speier to second];
Maddox struck out; Matthews made an out to second; Ontiveros
popped to catcher in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Giants 1, Astros 1.

ASTROS 6TH: Watson grounded out (third to first); L. May
homered; Rader struck out; Edwards singled to right; Helms flied
out to left; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 2.

GIANTS 7TH: Kingman struck out; Phillips flied out to center;
Boccabella grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Giants 1, Astros 2.

ASTROS 7TH: Dierker struck out; Metzger flied out to left; Brown
homered; Cedeno doubled to left; WILLIAMS REPLACED BOCCABELLA
(PITCHING); RADER REPLACED CALDWELL (PLAYING C ); Watson walked;
GALLAGHER RAN FOR WATSON; L. May flied out to left; 1 R, 2 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 3.

GIANTS 8TH: GROSS REPLACED BROWN (PLAYING LF); GALLAGHER STAYED
IN GAME (PLAYING RF); Rader grounded out (shortstop to first);
Bonds walked; Speier flied out to center; Maddox grounded out
(pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 3.

ASTROS 8TH: Rader grounded out (pitcher to first); Edwards
grounded out (second to first); Helms singled; MILBOURNE RAN FOR
HELMS; Dierker struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 1,
Astros 3.

GIANTS 9TH: MILBOURNE STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); Matthews
grounded out (shortstop to first); Ontiveros grounded out
(second to first); Kingman was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 1, Astros 3.