Snapping an 0-for-23 slump, Jerry Grote smashed a homer in the ninth inning to make a winner out of Tom Seaver as the Mets defeated the Cardinals, 5-4. The Cardinals stepped off with three runs in the first inning, but the Mets took a 4-3 lead in the third with the aid of a homer by Del Unser before Joe Ferguson tied the score in the sixth with his first circuit clout for the Cardinals since being obtained from the Dodgers. [The Sporting News]



New York Mets 5, St. Louis Cardinals 4
Game Played on Wednesday, June      23, 1976 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Mets         0  0  4    0  0  0    0  0  1  -   5  7  2
Cardinals    3  0  0    0  0  1    0  0  0  -   4  8  1


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Phillips ss           3   0   0   0     0   2   .207      McBride cf            5   0   1   0     0   2   .346
Millan 2b             4   1   1   0     0   0   .243      Kessinger ss          4   1   1   0     0   1   .246
Torre 1b              4   1   1   1     0   1   .302      Brock lf              4   1   1   1     0   2   .282
Kingman lf            4   0   1   2     0   1   .237      Simmons 1b            3   1   1   0     1   0   .270
Vail rf               3   0   0   0     0   1   .333      Crawford rf           4   0   1   1     0   2   .323
  Brown rf            1   0   0   0     0   1   .212      Ferguson c            4   1   1   1     0   2   .224
Grote c               3   1   1   1     1   1   .243      Cruz 3b               3   0   1   1     0   1   .205
Staiger 3b            4   0   0   0     0   0   .184        Fairly ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .273
Unser cf              4   1   1   1     0   1   .233      Tyson 2b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .275
Seaver p              4   1   2   0     0   0   .098      Falcone p             3   0   0   0     0   0   .043
                                                            Harris ph           1   0   0   0     0   1   .264

Totals               34   5   7   5     1   8             Totals               36   4   8   4     1  11

Time of Game: 2:36   Attendance: 13,922
Left on Base: Mets 4, Cardinals 6
DP: Mets 0, Cardinals 0
Errors: Millan, Torre, Brock
Doubles: Kingman (8), Kessinger (12), Simmons (14)
Home Runs: Unser (5), Grote (3), Ferguson (7)
Stolen Bases: Brock (19)
Sacrifice Hits: Phillips (1)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Seaver W(8-5)           9     8   4   4   1  11   1  37   2.91
Totals                  9     8   4   4   1  11   1  37

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Falcone L(5-6)          9     7   5   4   1   8   2  36   4.08
Totals                  9     7   5   4   1   8   2  36

Umpires: HP - Terry Tata, 1B - Doug Harvey, 2B - Frank Pulli, 3B - John Kibler


METS 1ST: Phillips flied out to left; Millan grounded out
(shortstop to first); Torre struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Mets 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: McBride struck out; Kessinger doubled to left
[Kessinger to third (error by Millan)]; Brock singled to center
[Kessinger scored]; Brock stole second; Simmons was walked
intentionally; Crawford singled to center [Brock scored, Simmons
to second]; Ferguson popped to second; Cruz singled to right
[Simmons scored, Crawford to third]; Tyson popped to second; 3
R, 4 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 0, Cardinals 3.

METS 2ND: Kingman struck out; Vail popped to first in foul
territory; Grote walked; Staiger forced Grote (second to
shortstop); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Cardinals 3.

CARDINALS 2ND: Falcone grounded out (pitcher to first); McBride
singled to right; Kessinger grounded out (catcher to first)
[McBride to second]; Brock struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Mets 0, Cardinals 3.

METS 3RD: Unser homered; Seaver singled to third; Phillips was
called out on strikes; Millan reached on an error by Brock
[Seaver to second]; Torre singled to left [Seaver scored
(unearned), Millan to second]; Kingman doubled to left [Millan
scored, Torre scored]; Vail grounded out (third to first); Grote
was called out on strikes; 4 R (3 ER), 4 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 4,
Cardinals 3.

CARDINALS 3RD: Simmons doubled to right; Crawford struck out;
Ferguson struck out; Cruz struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Mets 4, Cardinals 3.

METS 4TH: Staiger lined to third; Unser was called out on
strikes; Seaver grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 3.

CARDINALS 4TH: Tyson flied out to left; Falcone grounded out
(shortstop to first); McBride grounded out (second to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 3.

METS 5TH: Phillips struck out; Millan singled to left; Torre
grounded out (pitcher to first) [Millan to second]; Kingman
flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 3.

CARDINALS 5TH: Kessinger grounded out (shortstop to first);
Brock struck out; Simmons grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 3.

METS 6TH: Vail was called out on strikes; Grote popped to first
in foul territory; Staiger flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 3.

CARDINALS 6TH: BROWN REPLACED VAIL (PLAYING RF); Crawford struck
out; Ferguson homered; Cruz grounded out (third to first); Tyson
singled to center; Falcone flied out to left; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 4.

METS 7TH: Unser grounded out (catcher to first); Seaver singled
to shortstop; Phillips out on a sacrifice bunt (third to first)
[Seaver to second]; Millan flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 4.

CARDINALS 7TH: McBride popped to shortstop; Kessinger struck
out; Brock lined to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4,
Cardinals 4.

METS 8TH: Torre flied out to center; Kingman popped to second;
Brown struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 4, Cardinals 4.

CARDINALS 8TH: Simmons flied out to left; Crawford flied out to
left; Ferguson was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Mets 4, Cardinals 4.

METS 9TH: Grote homered; Staiger lined to shortstop; Unser
grounded out (pitcher to first); Seaver grounded out (third to
first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 5, Cardinals 4.

CARDINALS 9TH: FAIRLY BATTED FOR CRUZ; Fairly popped to first in
foul territory; Tyson reached on an error by Torre; HARRIS
BATTED FOR FALCONE; Harris struck out; McBride struck out; 0 R,
0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 5, Cardinals 4.