Hector Cruz doubled home the tying run and the Cardinals scored twice in the 11th inning to down the Astros, 4-3. The Astros had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the frame on Joe Ferguson's sacrifice fly which followed a walk and an error by Card first sacker Keith Hernandez.

The home team rebounded when Ken Reitz opened the Card half of the inning with a double, pinch-runner Mike Phillips moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on Cruz' hit. The Cards took an early lead on Ted Simmons' two-run homer but the Astros tied it in the sixth on Cesar Cedeno's double, a walk to Bob Watson and singles by Jose Cruz and Ed Herrmann. [The Sporting News]



St. Louis Cardinals 4, Houston Astros 3
Game Played on Saturday, July      23, 1977 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  2    0  0  0    0  1  -   3  9  0
Cardinals    0  0  0    2  0  0    0  0  0    0  2  -   4  6  2


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Puhl lf               4   0   1   0     2   1   .167      Mumphrey rf           5   0   1   1     0   0   .305
Cabell 3b             4   0   1   0     0   0   .271      Templeton ss          4   0   0   0     0   0   .313
Cedeno cf             5   1   1   0     0   0   .206      Scott cf              4   1   1   0     0   0   .300
Watson 1b             3   1   2   0     2   0   .286      Simmons c             4   1   1   2     0   0   .327
Cruz rf               5   0   1   1     0   0   .293      Brock lf              3   0   0   0     0   0   .262
Herrmann c            5   0   2   1     0   0   .206        Hrabosky p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Gardner pr          0   1   0   0     0   0   .148        Freed ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .395
  McLaughlin p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Eastwick p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .222
Gonzalez 2b           5   0   1   0     0   0   .258      Hernandez 1b          4   0   1   0     0   1   .310
Metzger ss            4   0   0   0     1   1   .189      Reitz 3b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .292
Larson p              4   0   0   0     0   2   .308        Phillips pr         0   1   0   0     0   0   .183
  Ferguson ph,c       0   0   0   1     0   0   .265      Tyson 2b              3   0   0   0     0   2   .239
                                                            Rader ph            0   0   0   0     0   0   .305
                                                          Urrea p               2   0   0   0     0   0   .100
                                                            Cruz lf             2   1   1   1     0   0   .259

Totals               39   3   9   3     5   4             Totals               36   4   6   4     0   3

Time of Game: 2:46   Attendance: 29,444
Left on Base: Astros 10, Cardinals 2
DP: Astros 0, Cardinals 2
Errors: Hernandez, Reitz
Doubles: Cedeno (12), Watson (19), Hernandez (21), Reitz (27), Cruz (15)
Home Runs: Simmons (14)
Caught Stealing: Cruz (13)
Sacrifice Hits: Cabell (1), Rader (3)
Sacrifice Flies: Ferguson (3)
GIDP: Cedeno (8), Cabell (6)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Larson                 10     3   2   2   0   3   1  33   5.12
McLaughlin L(3-4)       0.1   3   2   2   0   0   0   4   4.35
Totals                 10.1   6   4   4   0   3   1  37

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Urrea                   7.2   8   2   2   2   3   0  31   3.22
Hrabosky                2.1   0   0   0   3   0   0  10   4.39
Eastwick W(5-6)         1     1   1   0   0   1   0   5   3.19
Totals                 11     9   3   2   5   4   0  46

Umpires: HP - Art Williams, 1B - Paul Runge, 2B - Lee Weyer, 3B - John McSherry


ASTROS 1ST: Puhl walked; Cabell reached on an error by Reitz
[Puhl to second, Cabell to first]; Cedeno flied out to left;
Watson flied out to center; Cruz popped to second; 0 R, 0 H, 1
E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: Mumphrey grounded out (first unassisted);
Templeton grounded out (second to first); Scott grounded out
(first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Herrmann grounded out (second to first); Gonzalez
singled to left; Metzger forced Gonzalez (second to shortstop);
Larson grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Simmons grounded out (first unassisted); Brock
grounded out (second to first); Hernandez struck out; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Puhl lined to center; Cabell singled to left; Cedeno
grounded into a double play (second to first) [Cabell out at
second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 3RD: Reitz grounded out (third to first); Tyson was
called out on strikes; Urrea grounded out (first to pitcher); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Watson singled to right; Cruz forced Watson (second
unassisted); Cruz was caught stealing second (catcher to
shortstop); Herrmann popped to third in foul territory; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 4TH: Mumphrey grounded out (second to first);
Templeton grounded out (third to first); Scott singled to
second; Simmons homered [Scott scored]; Brock grounded out
(second to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 5TH: Gonzalez grounded out (pitcher to first); Metzger
struck out; Larson struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0,
Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 5TH: Hernandez doubled to center; Reitz flied out to
left; Tyson grounded out (second to first) [Hernandez to third];
Urrea grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 0, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Puhl singled to left; Cabell grounded into a double
play (shortstop to second to first) [Puhl out at second]; Cedeno
doubled to left; Watson walked; Cruz singled to left [Cedeno
scored, Watson to third]; Herrmann singled to right [Watson
scored, Cruz to third]; Gonzalez popped to third in foul
territory; 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 6TH: Mumphrey flied out to center; Templeton grounded
out (second to first); Scott lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 7TH: On a bunt Metzger made an out to catcher; Roger
Metzger called for interference; Larson struck out; Puhl
grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
2, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 7TH: Simmons lined to first; Brock flied out to left;
Hernandez grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 8TH: Cabell flied out to center; Cedeno popped to third
in foul territory; Watson doubled to left; HRABOSKY REPLACED
BROCK (PITCHING); CRUZ REPLACED URREA (PLAYING LF); Cruz flied
out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 8TH: Reitz grounded out (shortstop to first); Tyson
struck out; Cruz flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 9TH: Herrmann flied out to center; Gonzalez grounded out
(second to first); Metzger walked; Larson popped to first in
foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 9TH: Mumphrey flied out to left; Templeton grounded
out (second to first); Scott lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 10TH: Puhl walked; Cabell out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Puhl to second]; Cedeno flied out to left;
Watson was walked intentionally; Cruz flied out to right; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 2, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 10TH: Simmons popped to first in foul territory; FREED
BATTED FOR HRABOSKY; Freed flied out to left; Hernandez grounded
out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2,
Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 11TH: EASTWICK REPLACED FREED (PITCHING); Herrmann
singled to right; GARDNER RAN FOR HERRMANN; On a bunt Gonzalez
reached on an error by Hernandez [Gardner to third, Gonzalez to
first]; Metzger forced Gonzalez (first to shortstop); FERGUSON
BATTED FOR LARSON; Ferguson hit a sacrifice fly to right
[Gardner scored (unearned)]; Puhl struck out; 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1
E, 1 LOB.  Astros 3, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 11TH: FERGUSON STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING C ); MCLAUGHLIN
REPLACED GARDNER (PITCHING); Reitz doubled to right; PHILLIPS
RAN FOR REITZ; RADER BATTED FOR TYSON; Rader out on a sacrifice
bunt (first unassisted) [Phillips to third]; Cruz doubled to
center [Phillips scored]; Mumphrey singled to center [Cruz
scored]; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 3, Cardinals 4.