The Mets hit three homers in the first two innings, each with a man on base, and defeated the Cardinals, 8-0, in a game that featured a free-for-all brawl over hit batsmen. Felix Millan and Del Unser homered for the Mets in the first and John Milner in the second.

Lynn McGlothen, pitching for the Cards, hit Unser with a pitch in the third. Jon Matlack, on the mound for the Mets, threw a close pitch over McGlothen's head in the Cardinals' half and drew a warning and an automatic $50 fine. When Matlack led off in the fourth, McGlothen hit the Mets' southpaw, setting off a brawl. McGlothen was ejected from the game. [The Sporting News]



New York Mets 8, St. Louis Cardinals 0
Game Played on Tuesday, April     20, 1976 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Mets         4  2  0    0  0  0    0  1  1  -   8 14  0
Cardinals    0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  6  1


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Garrett 3b            5   1   2   1     1   1   .268      McBride cf            2   0   1   0     0   1   .447
Millan 2b             6   2   3   2     0   0   .348        Wallace p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Milner lf             2   1   1   2     2   0   .472        Clarey ph           1   0   0   0     0   1   .000
  Ayala rf            1   0   0   0     0   0   .250        Proly p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Kranepool 1b          3   1   1   0     0   0   .235        Crawford ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .200
  Torre ph,1b         2   0   1   1     0   0   .278        Curtis p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Kingman rf            3   0   0   0     0   2   .229      Kessinger ss          4   0   1   0     0   0   .176
  Boisclair lf        2   0   0   0     0   0   .250      Anderson lf           3   0   1   0     1   0   .357
Unser cf              4   1   1   2     0   0   .286      Simmons c             3   0   0   0     0   0   .242
Grote c               4   1   3   0     1   0   .500        Rudolph c           1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Phillips ss           5   0   2   0     0   0   .286      Smith rf              3   0   1   0     1   1   .147
Matlack p             4   1   0   0     0   1   .000      Cruz 3b               4   0   1   0     0   0   .189
                                                          Hernandez 1b          4   0   0   0     0   1   .147
                                                          Harris 2b             2   0   1   0     1   1   .276
                                                          McGlothen p           1   0   0   0     0   1   .143
                                                            Frisella p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Melendez ph,cf      2   0   0   0     0   1   .000

Totals               41   8  14   8     4   4             Totals               31   0   6   0     3   7

Time of Game: 2:34   Attendance:  7,260
Left on Base: Mets 12, Cardinals 7
DP: Mets 2, Cardinals 1
Errors: Harris
Doubles: Kranepool (1), Anderson (1), Smith (3)
Triples: Torre (1)
Home Runs: Millan (1), Unser (2), Milner (3)
GIDP: Millan (2), Kessinger (3), Simmons (1)
Hit by Pitch: Unser (1,by McGlothen), Matlack (1,by McGlothen)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Matlack W(2-0)          9     6   0   0   3   7   0  34   2.57
Totals                  9     6   0   0   3   7   0  34

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
McGlothen L(1-2)        3     6   6   4   1   2   3  18   4.24
Frisella                2     1   0   0   1   0   0   8   0.00
Wallace                 1     1   0   0   1   1   0   5   4.76
Proly                   2     3   1   1   1   0   0  10   2.35
Curtis                  1     3   1   1   0   1   0   6   9.00
Totals                  9    14   8   6   4   4   3  47

Hit by Pitch: McGlothen 2 (2)
Wild Pitches: Wallace (1)

Umpires: HP - Bruce Froemming, 1B - Jerry Dale, 2B - Ed Sudol, 3B - Bob Engel


METS 1ST: Garrett singled to left; Millan homered [Garrett
scored]; Milner grounded out (first to pitcher); Kranepool
doubled to right; Kingman struck out; Unser homered [Kranepool
scored]; Grote singled to center; Phillips flied out to center;
4 R, 5 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: McBride singled to left; Kessinger grounded into
a double play (second to shortstop to first) [McBride out at
second]; Anderson doubled to right; Simmons grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 0.

METS 2ND: Matlack reached on an error by Harris; Garrett walked
[Matlack to second]; Millan grounded into a double play (second
to shortstop to first) [Matlack to third, Garrett out at
second]; Milner homered (unearned) [Matlack scored (unearned)];
Kranepool popped to third in foul territory; 2 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1
E, 0 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Smith doubled to left; Cruz popped to first in
foul territory; Hernandez flied out to center; Harris was called
out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

METS 3RD: Kingman struck out; Unser was hit by a pitch; Grote
flied out to left; Phillips popped to third; Jon Matlack
threw a retaliatory pitch near Lynn McGlothen's head; Matlack
was warned by HP umpire Bruce Froemming; Bud Harrelson ran onto
the field to argue the warning and was ejected by Froemming;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 3RD: McGlothen struck out; McBride struck out;
Kessinger flied out to left; Lynn McGlothen threw two pitches
inside to Jon Matlack before hitting him with the third
pitch; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

METS 4TH: Matlack was hit by a pitch; both benches cleared;
Dave Kingman charged pitcher Lynn McGlothen but was tackled by
Keith Hernandez; McGlothen and Cardinals Manager Red
Schoendienst ejected by HP umpire Bruce Froemming; FRISELLA
REPLACED MCGLOTHEN (PITCHING); Garrett popped to third; Millan
popped to second; Milner walked [Matlack to second]; Kranepool
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 4TH: Anderson walked; Simmons grounded into a double
play (third to second to first) [Anderson out at second]; Smith
lined to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

METS 5TH: Kingman popped to first; Unser flied out to left;
Grote singled to left; Phillips grounded out (first unassisted);
0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 5TH: Cruz grounded out (first unassisted); Hernandez
struck out; Harris singled to center; MELENDEZ BATTED FOR
FRISELLA; Melendez struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 6,
Cardinals 0.

METS 6TH: WALLACE REPLACED MCBRIDE (PITCHING); MELENDEZ STAYED
IN GAME (PLAYING CF); Matlack flied out to left; Garrett struck
out; Millan singled to center; Wallace threw a wild pitch
[Millan to second]; Milner walked; TORRE BATTED FOR KRANEPOOL;
Torre flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 6,
Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 6TH: TORRE STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 1B); BOISCLAIR
REPLACED KINGMAN (PLAYING LF); AYALA REPLACED MILNER (PLAYING
RF); CLAREY BATTED FOR WALLACE; Clarey struck out; Debut game
for Doug Clarey; Kessinger singled; Anderson forced
Kessinger (third to second); Simmons forced Anderson (third to
second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

METS 7TH: PROLY REPLACED CLAREY (PITCHING); Boisclair grounded
out (first to pitcher); Unser grounded out (first to pitcher);
Grote walked; Phillips singled to left [Grote to second];
Matlack forced Phillips (first to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 7TH: Smith struck out; Cruz singled to left; Hernandez
forced Cruz (second to shortstop); Harris walked [Hernandez to
second]; Melendez flied out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Mets 6, Cardinals 0.

METS 8TH: Garrett grounded out (second to first); Millan singled
to left; Ayala flied out to center; Torre tripled to center
[Millan scored]; Boisclair flied out to center; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Mets 7, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 8TH: CRAWFORD BATTED FOR PROLY; Crawford grounded out
(shortstop to first); Kessinger grounded out (third to first);
Anderson flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 7,
Cardinals 0.

METS 9TH: RUDOLPH REPLACED SIMMONS (PLAYING C ); CURTIS REPLACED
CRAWFORD (PITCHING); Unser grounded out (shortstop to first);
Grote singled to left; Phillips singled to left [Grote to
second]; Matlack was called out on strikes; Garrett singled to
center [Grote scored, Phillips to third]; Millan forced Garrett
(shortstop to second); 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 8, Cardinals
0.

CARDINALS 9TH: Rudolph grounded out (shortstop to first); Smith
walked; Cruz grounded out (pitcher to first) [Smith to second];
Hernandez grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
 Mets 8, Cardinals 0.