Alan Foster's three-hitter, resulting in a 4-1 victory, enabled the Cardinals to complete a doubleheader sweep over the Mets after reliever Jack Aker hit Jerry DaVanon with the bases loaded in the tenth, forcing in a run and giving the Redbirds a 4-3 decision in the opener. Foster lost the shutout in the seventh when Ed Kranepool, batting for losing pitcher Jon Matlack, hit the Mets' first pinch-homer of the year. Lou Brock gave the Cards an early lead, reaching first on an error, stealing second for his 61st theft of the year and advancing on catcher Ron Hodges' throw into center field. Lou later dashed home on a passed ball. The Birds added a pair in the fourth on Bake McBride's single, Reggie Smith's double and Marc Hill's single and his first major league RBI. Mike Tyson added the final St. Louis run in the seventh on a single, passed ball, sacrifice and infield out.

In the opener, the Mets took advantage of Bob Gibson's wildness to score three runs in the second inning, but the Cards, fighting an uphill battle, finally tied the score in the ninth on Joe Torre's two-out single that drove in Jose Cruz, running for Ted Sizemore who had singled. In the tenth, the Cards loaded the bases on a double by Ken Reitz and passes to pinch-hitter Jim Dwyer and Luis Melendez, setting the scene for Aker's errant pitch that nicked DaVanon. [The Sporting News]



St. Louis Cardinals 4, New York Mets 3 (Game 1)
Game Played on Thursday, July      25, 1974 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Mets         0  3  0    0  0  0    0  0  0    0  -   3  9  1
Cardinals    0  0  0    0  2  0    0  0  1    1  -   4 14  1


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Harrelson ss          3   0   0   0     1   0   .246      Brock lf              3   0   1   0     0   0   .316
Boswell 2b            3   0   1   1     0   0   .248        Melendez lf         1   0   0   0     1   0   .242
  Martinez ph,2b      1   0   0   0     0   1   .208      Sizemore 2b           4   1   2   0     1   0   .262
Jones cf,lf           4   0   2   0     1   0   .279        Cruz pr             0   1   0   0     0   0   .254
Staub rf              5   0   0   0     0   0   .263        DaVanon 2b          0   0   0   1     0   0   .211
Milner 1b             3   1   2   0     2   0   .251      McBride cf            4   0   1   1     0   1   .291
Kranepool lf          2   1   1   0     2   0   .373      Smith rf              4   0   2   1     0   0   .324
  Hahn cf             1   0   0   0     0   1   .286      Torre 1b              5   0   3   1     0   1   .294
Garrett 3b            4   1   1   1     1   1   .204      Simmons c             5   0   1   0     0   0   .259
Grote c               4   0   2   1     1   0   .290      Reitz 3b              5   0   2   0     0   1   .294
Koosman p             3   0   0   0     0   2   .164        Hrabosky pr         0   0   0   0     0   0   .333
  McGraw p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Tyson ss              3   0   0   0     0   1   .204
  Theodore ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .191        McCarver ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .217
  Aker p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .500        Folkers p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Dwyer ph            0   1   0   0     1   0   .325
                                                          Gibson p              3   1   2   0     0   0   .192
                                                            Heidemann ph,ss     2   0   0   0     0   0   .241

Totals               34   3   9   3     8   6             Totals               40   4  14   4     3   4

Time of Game: 2:47
Left on Base: Mets 12, Cardinals 15
DP: Mets 1, Cardinals 2
Errors: Harrelson, Sizemore
Doubles: Milner (10), Brock (20), Gibson (2), Reitz (18)
Stolen Bases: Milner 2 (6)
Sacrifice Hits: Koosman (9), Harrelson (6), Melendez (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Boswell (1), Smith (8)
GIDP: Staub 2 (14), McBride (5)
Hit by Pitch: McBride (6,by Koosman), DaVanon (1,by Aker)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Koosman                 8.1  12   3   3   1   4   0  39   3.36
McGraw                  0.2   1   0   0   0   0   0   3   5.56
Aker L(1-2)             0.1   1   1   1   2   0   0   5   3.09
Totals                  9.1  14   4   4   3   4   0  47

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Gibson                  8     7   3   3   7   2   0  37   4.25
Folkers W(3-1)          2     2   0   0   1   4   0   8   3.00
Totals                 10     9   3   3   8   6   0  45

Hit by Pitch: Koosman (5), Aker (1)

Umpires: HP - Tom Gorman, 1B - Nick Colosi, 2B - Bill Williams, 3B - Satch Davidson


METS 1ST: Harrelson grounded out (shortstop to first); Boswell
singled to right; Jones forced Boswell (shortstop to second);
Staub grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Mets 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: Brock grounded out (second to first); Sizemore
singled to left; McBride flied to right; Smith forced Sizemore
(shortstop unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cardinals
0.

METS 2ND: Milner walked; Milner stole second; Kranepool walked;
Garrett singled to right [Milner scored, Kranepool to third];
Grote singled to center [Kranepool scored, Garrett to second];
Koosman out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second) [Garrett to
third, Grote to second]; Harrelson walked; Boswell hit a
sacrifice fly to right [Garrett scored, Grote to third]; Jones
grounded out (second to first); 3 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 3,
Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Torre was called out on strikes; Simmons lined to
shortstop; Reitz singled to center; Tyson forced Reitz (second
unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 0.

METS 3RD: Staub grounded out (second to first); Milner grounded
out (first unassisted); Kranepool singled to right; Garrett
walked [Kranepool to second]; Grote grounded out (shortstop to
first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 3RD: Gibson flied to right; Brock doubled to left;
Sizemore popped to shortstop; McBride struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 0.

METS 4TH: Koosman struck out; Harrelson grounded out (shortstop
to first); Boswell flied to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 3,
Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 4TH: Smith singled to right; Torre singled to left
[Smith to third]; Simmons reached on a fielder's choice [Smith
out at home (third to catcher to third), Torre to second]; Reitz
flied to center; Tyson forced Simmons (shortstop to second); 0
R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 0.

METS 5TH: Jones walked; Staub grounded into a double play
(pitcher to shortstop to first) [Jones out at second]; Milner
walked; Milner stole second; Kranepool walked; Garrett flied to
right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 5TH: Gibson doubled to left; Brock flied to center;
Lou Brock ejected by HP umpire Tom Gorman; Sizemore walked;
McBride singled to right [Gibson scored, Sizemore to third];
Smith hit a sacrifice fly to center [Sizemore scored]; Torre
forced McBride (shortstop to second); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Mets 3, Cardinals 2.

METS 6TH: MELENDEZ REPLACED BROCK (PLAYING LF); Sizemore dropped
a foul fly hit by Grote for an error; Grote singled to third; On
a bunt Koosman forced Grote (catcher to shortstop); Harrelson
out on a sacrifice bunt (third to first) [Koosman to second];
Boswell flied to center; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 3,
Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 6TH: Simmons grounded out (shortstop to first); Reitz
flied to right; Tyson struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 3,
Cardinals 2.

METS 7TH: Jones singled to center; Staub flied to center; Milner
singled to right [Jones to third]; Kranepool popped to catcher
in foul territory; Garrett flied to center; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 7TH: HAHN REPLACED KRANEPOOL (PLAYING CF); JONES
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); Gibson singled to center;
Melendez out on a sacrifice bunt (first to second) [Gibson to
second]; Sizemore reached on an error by Harrelson; McBride
grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first)
[Sizemore out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 3,
Cardinals 2.

METS 8TH: Grote popped to second; Koosman was called out on
strikes; Harrelson lined to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Mets 3, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 8TH: Smith singled to right; Torre singled to center
[Smith to second]; On a bunt Simmons singled to third [Smith to
third, Torre to second]; Reitz struck out; MCCARVER BATTED FOR
TYSON; McCarver flied to center; HEIDEMANN BATTED FOR GIBSON;
Heidemann flied to center; 0 R, 3 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Mets 3,
Cardinals 2.

METS 9TH: HEIDEMANN STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); FOLKERS
REPLACED MCCARVER (PITCHING); MARTINEZ BATTED FOR BOSWELL;
Martinez struck out; Jones singled to left; Staub grounded into
a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Jones out at
second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 9TH: MARTINEZ STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); Melendez
grounded out (second to first); Sizemore singled to left;
McBride was hit by a pitch [Sizemore to second]; CRUZ RAN FOR
SIZEMORE; MCGRAW REPLACED KOOSMAN (PITCHING); Smith flied to
left; Torre singled to left [Cruz scored, McBride to third];
Simmons flied to right; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals
3.

METS 10TH: DAVANON REPLACED CRUZ (PLAYING 2B); Milner doubled to
right; Hahn struck out; Garrett was called out on strikes; Grote
was walked intentionally; THEODORE BATTED FOR MCGRAW; Theodore
struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 3.

CARDINALS 10TH: AKER REPLACED THEODORE (PITCHING); Reitz doubled
to left; HRABOSKY RAN FOR REITZ; DWYER BATTED FOR FOLKERS; Dwyer
was walked intentionally; On a bunt Heidemann forced Hrabosky
(catcher to third) [Dwyer to second]; Melendez walked [Dwyer to
third, Heidemann to second]; DaVanon was hit by a pitch [Dwyer
scored, Heidemann to third, Melendez to second]; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E,
3 LOB.  Mets 3, Cardinals 4.