Rising to the occasion, Bob Apodaca turned in his first complete game of the season and allowed only three hits in pitching the Mets to a 7-2 victory over the Pirates, who dropped into a tie with the Cardinals for first place in the East Division. The Mets' largest crowd of the season, 50,653, turned out for the game on Fan Appreciation Day.

Apodaca held the Pirates hitless until Gene Clines, batting for Larry Demery, singled with one out in the sixth inning. Clines came around to score when Benny Ayala dropped a fly by Richie Hebner for a two-base error. Richie Hebner singled to open the ninth, took second on a passed ball, advanced to third on an infield out by Al Oliver and scored on a sacrifice fly by Willie Stargell. Richie Zisk followed with a single, but Manny Sanguillen popped up to end the game.

The Mets gave Apodaca more than enough to win with four runs in the second inning. Ted Martinez tripled and scored on a single by Duffy Dyer. After a double by Wayne Garrett and pass to Apodaca, Don Hahn singled to drive in two runs. Demery relieved Ken Brett and got out of the inning with one more run scoring on a sacrifice fly by Ayala. The Mets added a marker on singles by Ayala and Martinez around a walk to George Theodore in the fifth and ended their production with two runs on successive singles by Hahn, Felix Millan, Rusty Staub and Ayala in the sixth. [The Sporting News]



New York Mets 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Game Played on Sunday, September 29, 1974 (Day game) at Shea Stadium
Pirates      0  0  0    0  0  1    0  0  1  -   2  3  0
Mets         0  4  0    0  1  2    0  0  x  -   7 11  2


Pirates              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Stennett 2b           4   0   0   0     0   1   .293      Hahn cf               5   1   2   2     0   0   .247
Hebner 3b             3   1   1   0     1   0   .297      Millan 2b             4   1   2   0     0   0   .270
Oliver cf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .318      Staub rf              3   0   1   1     2   0   .261
Stargell lf           1   0   0   1     2   1   .307      Ayala lf              3   1   2   2     0   0   .233
Zisk rf               4   0   1   0     0   1   .312      Theodore 1b           3   0   0   0     1   0   .162
Sanguillen c          4   0   0   0     0   1   .282      Martinez ss           4   1   2   1     0   0   .215
Kirkpatrick 1b        2   0   0   0     1   0   .252      Dyer c                4   1   1   1     0   0   .210
Taveras ss            1   0   0   0     0   0   .247      Garrett 3b            2   1   1   0     2   0   .227
  Popovich ph,ss      2   0   0   0     0   0   .210      Apodaca p             3   1   0   0     1   0   .120
Brett p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .310
  Demery p            1   0   0   0     0   1   .152
  Clines ph           1   1   1   0     0   0   .225
  Morlan p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Minshall p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Dilone ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Jimenez p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               28   2   3   1     4   5             Totals               31   7  11   7     6   0

Time of Game: 2:12   Attendance: 50,653
Left on Base: Pirates 4, Mets 8
DP: Pirates 2, Mets 3
Errors: Ayala, Martinez
Doubles: Millan (15), Garrett (14)
Triples: Martinez (6)
Sacrifice Hits: Millan (24)
Sacrifice Flies: Stargell (4), Ayala (2)
GIDP: Oliver (20), Sanguillen (18), Dyer (5), Theodore (7)


Pirates                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Brett L(13-9)           1     5   4   4   2   0   0  10   3.30
Demery                  4     2   1   1   4   0   0  17   4.25
Morlan                  0     4   2   2   0   0   0   4   4.29
Minshall                2     0   0   0   0   0   0   5   0.00
Jimenez                 1     0   0   0   0   0   0   3   6.75
Totals                  8    11   7   7   6   0   0  39

Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Apodaca W(6-6)          9     3   2   1   4   5   0  33   3.50
Totals                  9     3   2   1   4   5   0  33

Passed Balls: Dyer (5)

Umpires: HP - Doug Harvey, 1B - Jerry Dale, 2B - Art Williams, 3B - Harry Wendelstedt


PIRATES 1ST: Stennett grounded out (second to first); Hebner
walked; Oliver grounded into a double play (pitcher to shortstop
to first) [Hebner out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates
0, Mets 0.

METS 1ST: Hahn popped to third; Millan doubled to left; Staub
walked; Ayala popped to second; Theodore lined to left; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Pirates 0, Mets 0.

PIRATES 2ND: Stargell walked; Zisk was called out on strikes;
Sanguillen lined into a double play (third to third to first)
[Stargell out at first]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Mets
0.

METS 2ND: Martinez tripled to center; Dyer singled to left
[Martinez scored]; Garrett doubled to right [Dyer to third];
Apodaca walked; Hahn singled to center [Dyer scored, Garrett
scored, Apodaca to second]; DEMERY REPLACED BRETT (PITCHING);
Millan out on a sacrifice bunt (third to second) [Apodaca to
third, Hahn to second]; Staub was walked intentionally; Ayala
hit a sacrifice fly to right [Apodaca scored, Hahn to third];
Theodore grounded out (second to first); 4 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Pirates 0, Mets 4.

PIRATES 3RD: Kirkpatrick popped to second; Taveras lined to
shortstop; Demery struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0,
Mets 4.

METS 3RD: Martinez grounded out (second to first); Dyer grounded
out (shortstop to first); Garrett walked; Apodaca grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0, Mets 4.

PIRATES 4TH: Stennett struck out; Hebner grounded out (first
unassisted); Oliver grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Mets 4.

METS 4TH: Hahn flied to right; Millan lined to second; Staub
lined to first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Mets 4.

PIRATES 5TH: Stargell walked; Zisk flied to center; Sanguillen
struck out; Kirkpatrick grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0, Mets 4.

METS 5TH: Ayala singled to right; Theodore walked [Ayala to
second]; Martinez singled to center [Ayala scored, Theodore to
second]; Dyer grounded into a double play (second to second to
first) [Theodore to third, Martinez out at second]; Garrett was
walked intentionally; Apodaca forced Garrett (third to second);
1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Pirates 0, Mets 5.

PIRATES 6TH: POPOVICH BATTED FOR TAVERAS; Popovich popped to
third; CLINES BATTED FOR DEMERY; Clines singled to right;
Stennett lined to second; Hebner reached on an error by Ayala
[Clines scored (unearned) (no RBI), Hebner to second]; Oliver
grounded out (second to first); 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.
Pirates 1, Mets 5.

METS 6TH: MORLAN REPLACED CLINES (PITCHING); POPOVICH STAYED IN
GAME (PLAYING SS); Hahn singled to right; Millan singled to left
[Hahn to second]; Staub singled to left [Hahn scored, Millan to
third]; Ayala singled to center [Millan scored, Staub to
second]; MINSHALL REPLACED MORLAN (PITCHING); Theodore grounded
into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Staub to
third, Ayala out at second]; Martinez grounded out (shortstop to
first); 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 1, Mets 7.

PIRATES 7TH: Stargell was called out on strikes; Zisk reached on
an error by Martinez; Sanguillen grounded into a double play
(second to shortstop to first) [Zisk out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 1
E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 1, Mets 7.

METS 7TH: Dyer grounded out (shortstop to first); Garrett flied
to left; Apodaca lined to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates
1, Mets 7.

PIRATES 8TH: Kirkpatrick walked; Popovich forced Kirkpatrick
(second to shortstop); DILONE BATTED FOR MINSHALL; Dilone flied
to left; Stennett flied to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Pirates 1, Mets 7.

METS 8TH: JIMENEZ REPLACED DILONE (PITCHING); Hahn grounded out
(third to first); Millan grounded out (third to first); Staub
lined to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 1, Mets 7.

PIRATES 9TH: Hebner singled to right; Dyer allowed a passed ball
[Hebner to second]; Oliver grounded out (first unassisted)
[Hebner to third]; Stargell hit a sacrifice fly to left [Hebner
scored]; Zisk singled to center; Sanguillen popped to second; 1
R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 2, Mets 7.