The Cardinals, who compiled a a 5-1 record on the road before coming home, disappointed their opening night crowd of 41,226 at Busch Stadium by bowing to the Pirates, 7-0. Jim Rooker, who lost to the Redbirds, 8-7, in Pittsburgh April 10, pitched a three-hitter to regain his mastery of the Cardinals, whom he beat five straight times in 1976.

The Pirates backed their lefthander with three homers. Duffy Dyer started the scoring with a shot in the third inning. Dave Parker and Rennie Stennett each hit for the circuit with a man on base in the sixth. Stennett raced around the bases on an inside-the-park drive when Hector Cruz fell down going after the ball in right field. [The Sporting News]



Pittsburgh Pirates 7, St. Louis Cardinals 0
Game Played on Friday, April     15, 1977 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Pirates      0  0  1    0  0  4    0  1  1  -   7 11  1
Cardinals    0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  3  0


Pirates              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Taveras ss            4   0   2   0     1   0   .273      Brock lf              4   0   1   0     0   1   .308
Garner 3b             5   1   1   0     0   1   .273        Youngblood lf       0   0   0   0     0   0   .500
Parker rf             3   2   2   2     1   1   .458      Templeton ss          4   0   0   0     0   1   .290
Oliver lf             4   0   1   1     0   1   .182      McBride cf            4   0   0   0     0   1   .250
Robinson 1b           3   1   1   0     1   0   .350      Cruz rf               4   0   0   0     0   1   .148
Stennett 2b           4   2   2   2     0   1   .364      Simmons c             3   0   0   0     0   0   .407
Dilone cf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .071      Hernandez 1b          2   0   0   0     1   0   .308
Dyer c                3   1   1   2     0   0   .267      Reitz 3b              3   0   0   0     0   0   .111
Rooker p              4   0   1   0     0   1   .200      Kessinger 2b          3   0   1   0     0   0   .250
                                                          Falcone p             1   0   0   0     0   1   .000
                                                            Tyson ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .500
                                                            Sutton p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Anderson ph         1   0   1   0     0   0   .500
                                                            Hrabosky p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               34   7  11   7     3   5             Totals               30   0   3   0     1   5

Time of Game: 2:05   Attendance: 41,226
Left on Base: Pirates 4, Cardinals 4
DP: Pirates 1, Cardinals 0
Errors: Taveras
Doubles: Garner (2), Parker (3)
Home Runs: Dyer (2), Parker (1), Stennett (1)
Stolen Bases: Stennett (2), Brock (1)
Caught Stealing: Taveras (2), Robinson (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Dyer (1)
GIDP: Kessinger (1)


Pirates                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Rooker W(1-1)           9     3   0   0   1   5   0  31   5.73
Totals                  9     3   0   0   1   5   0  31

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Falcone L(0-1)          6     6   5   5   3   4   3  25  11.57
Sutton                  2     2   1   1   0   1   0   7   5.40
Hrabosky                1     3   1   1   0   0   0   6   5.40
Totals                  9    11   7   7   3   5   3  38

Umpires: HP - Jerry Dale, 1B - John McSherry, 2B - Bill Williams, 3B - Bob Engel


PIRATES 1ST: Taveras singled to center; Taveras was picked off
and caught stealing second (pitcher to first to shortstop);
Garner grounded out (pitcher to first); Parker walked; Oliver
struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: Brock struck out; Templeton struck out; McBride
was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0,
Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 2ND: Robinson grounded out (third to first); Stennett
grounded out (second to first); Dilone grounded out (third to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Cruz grounded out (third to first); Simmons
grounded out (second to first); Hernandez grounded out (second
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 0, Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 3RD: Dyer homered; Rooker popped to first in foul
territory; Taveras walked; Garner struck out; Parker struck out;
1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Pirates 1, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 3RD: Reitz grounded out (third to first); Kessinger
grounded out (shortstop to first); Falcone struck out; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 1, Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 4TH: Oliver grounded out (second to first); Robinson
walked; Robinson was picked off and caught stealing second
(pitcher to first to shortstop); Stennett struck out; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 1, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 4TH: Brock singled to left; Brock stole second;
Templeton reached on an error by Taveras [Brock stayed at
second, Templeton to first]; McBride forced Brock (pitcher to
third) [Templeton to second]; Cruz flied out to right; Simmons
lined to center; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Pirates 1, Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 5TH: Dilone grounded out (shortstop to first); Dyer
grounded out (shortstop to first); Rooker grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 1,
Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 5TH: Hernandez walked; Reitz flied out to left;
Kessinger grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to
first) [Hernandez out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates
1, Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 6TH: Taveras flied out to center; Garner doubled to
left; Parker homered [Garner scored]; Oliver grounded out
(shortstop to first); Robinson singled to center; Stennett hit
an inside the park homer to right [Robinson scored]; Dilone
flied out to center; 4 R, 4 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 5, Cardinals
0.

CARDINALS 6TH: TYSON BATTED FOR FALCONE; Tyson grounded out
(first unassisted); Brock flied out to center; Templeton
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Pirates 5, Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 7TH: SUTTON REPLACED TYSON (PITCHING); Dyer popped to
catcher in foul territory; Rooker was called out on strikes;
Taveras grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Pirates 5, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 7TH: McBride flied out to center; Cruz was called out
on strikes; Simmons flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Pirates 5, Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 8TH: Garner grounded out (third to first); Parker
doubled to left; Oliver singled to center [Parker scored, Oliver
out at second (center to first to shortstop to second)];
Robinson grounded out (third to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Pirates 6, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 8TH: Hernandez flied out to center; Reitz grounded out
(third to first); Kessinger singled to left; ANDERSON BATTED FOR
SUTTON; Anderson singled to center [Kessinger to second]; Brock
forced Anderson (shortstop unassisted); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Pirates 6, Cardinals 0.

PIRATES 9TH: HRABOSKY REPLACED ANDERSON (PITCHING); YOUNGBLOOD
REPLACED BROCK (PLAYING LF); Stennett singled to center;
Stennett stole second; Dilone grounded out (second to first)
[Stennett to third]; Dyer hit a sacrifice fly to right [Stennett
scored]; Rooker singled to center; Taveras singled to center
[Rooker to second]; Garner grounded out (shortstop to first); 1
R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Pirates 7, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 9TH: Templeton popped to first in foul territory;
McBride grounded out (pitcher to first); Cruz flied out to
right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Pirates 7, Cardinals 0.