Capping their rally with back-to-back homers by Jeff Burroughs and Willie Montanez, the Braves scored eight runs in the sixth inning and defeated the Astros, 9-6. The Astros built up a 6-0 lead before Tom Paciorek doubled and Rowland Office singled for the Braves' first run in the fifth. Then in the sixth, the Braves kayoed both Tom Dixon and Ken Forsch while scoring their first four runs of the rally on singles by Montanez, Gary Matthews, Rod Gilbreath and Pat Rockett and a double by Brian Asselstine.

After Joe Sambito became the Astros' third pitcher of the frame, Barry Bonnell singled to drive in the tying tally. Burroughs then smashed a two-run homer and Montanez followed with another round-tripper. Burroughs' homer was his 31st of the season, surpassing his previous career high of 30 with the Rangers in 1973. [The Sporting News]



Atlanta Braves 9, Houston Astros 6
Game Played on Wednesday, August    17, 1977 (Night game) at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Astros       2  0  3    1  0  0    0  0  0  -   6  9  0
Braves       0  0  0    0  1  8    0  0  x  -   9 14  0


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Braves               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Puhl lf               4   1   2   0     1   0   .270      Office cf             5   0   1   1     0   0   .256
Sperring 2b,ss        3   0   0   0     2   0   .222      Bonnell 3b            4   0   3   1     0   1   .294
Cedeno cf             5   2   1   0     0   0   .240        Moore pr,3b         1   1   0   0     0   0   .250
Watson 1b             5   0   2   1     0   1   .288      Burroughs rf          4   1   2   2     1   0   .278
Cruz rf               1   0   0   1     0   0   .293      Montanez 1b           5   2   3   1     0   0   .283
  Gardner rf          3   1   1   1     0   1   .150      Matthews lf           4   1   1   0     1   1   .282
Ferguson c            3   1   1   0     2   0   .246      Pocoroba c            4   0   0   0     0   0   .273
Howe 3b               3   1   1   2     1   0   .271      Gilbreath 2b          4   1   1   1     0   0   .241
Metzger ss            4   0   1   1     0   0   .183      Rockett ss            3   1   1   1     0   0   .250
  Pentz p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Hanna p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Dixon p               2   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Capra p             1   0   0   0     0   1   .111
  Forsch p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .077        Paciorek ph         1   1   1   0     0   0   .239
  Sambito p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .182        Collins p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Boswell 2b          1   0   0   0     0   0   .217        Asselstine ph       1   1   1   2     0   0   .211
                                                            Campbell p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               34   6   9   6     6   3             Totals               37   9  14   9     2   3

Time of Game: 2:49   Attendance:  3,287
Left on Base: Astros 9, Braves 8
DP: Astros 0, Braves 1
Doubles: Puhl (7), Cedeno (24), Bonnell (9), Montanez (21), Paciorek (8), Asselstine (3)
Triples: Howe (3)
Home Runs: Burroughs (31), Montanez (16)
Sacrifice Hits: Dixon (3), Campbell (2)
GIDP: Gardner (2)
Hit by Pitch: Gardner (1,by Hanna), Rockett (2,by Pentz)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dixon                   5.1   8   4   4   1   3   0  25   3.86
Forsch                  0     2   2   2   0   0   0   2   2.94
Sambito L(5-4)          0.2   3   3   3   1   0   2   6   2.52
Pentz                   2     1   0   0   0   0   0   8   4.77
Totals                  8    14   9   9   2   3   2  41

Braves                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hanna                   2.1   5   5   5   4   0   0  17   3.78
Capra                   2.2   3   1   1   1   2   0  12   5.52
Collins W(2-9)          1     1   0   0   0   0   0   3   4.91
Campbell SV(3)          3     0   0   0   1   1   0  10   3.83
Totals                  9     9   6   6   6   3   0  42

Hit by Pitch: Pentz (1), Hanna (1)

Umpires: HP - John Kibler, 1B - Nick Colosi, 2B - Frank Pulli, 3B - Ed Montague


ASTROS 1ST: Puhl doubled; Sperring walked; Cedeno forced
Sperring (second to shortstop) [Puhl to third]; Watson singled
[Puhl scored, Cedeno to third]; Cruz grounded out (second to
first) [Cedeno scored, Watson to second]; Ferguson walked; Howe
walked [Watson to third, Ferguson to second]; Metzger flied out
to right; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Astros 2, Braves 0.

BRAVES 1ST: GARDNER REPLACED CRUZ (PLAYING RF); Office grounded
out (catcher to first); Bonnell was called out on strikes;
Burroughs walked; Montanez grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Braves 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Dixon grounded out (second to first); Puhl grounded
out (pitcher to first); Sperring walked; Cedeno forced Sperring
(shortstop to second); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Braves 0.

BRAVES 2ND: Matthews flied out to right; Pocoroba grounded out
(first unassisted); Gilbreath grounded out (pitcher to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2, Braves 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Watson flied out to left; Gardner was hit by a
pitch; Ferguson singled [Gardner to second]; Howe tripled
[Gardner scored, Ferguson scored]; Metzger singled [Howe
scored]; CAPRA REPLACED HANNA (PITCHING); Dixon out on a
sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second) [Metzger to second]; Puhl
made an out to shortstop; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 5,
Braves 0.

BRAVES 3RD: Rockett grounded out (third to first); Capra struck
out; Office made an out to first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
5, Braves 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Sperring flied out to right; Cedeno doubled; Watson
struck out (catcher to first); Gardner singled [Cedeno scored];
Ferguson walked [Gardner to second]; Howe forced Ferguson
(shortstop to second); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 0.

BRAVES 4TH: Bonnell doubled; Burroughs grounded out (third to
first); Montanez doubled [Bonnell to third]; Matthews struck
out; Pocoroba grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Metzger grounded out (first unassisted); Dixon
struck out; Puhl singled; Sperring grounded out (third to
first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 0.

BRAVES 5TH: Gilbreath made an out to first; Rockett flied out to
left; PACIOREK BATTED FOR CAPRA; Paciorek doubled; Office
singled [Paciorek scored]; Bonnell singled [Office to second];
Burroughs forced Bonnell (shortstop to second); 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 1.

ASTROS 6TH: COLLINS REPLACED PACIOREK (PITCHING); Cedeno made an
out to third; Watson singled; Gardner grounded into a double
play (second to shortstop to first) [Watson out at second]; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 1.

BRAVES 6TH: Montanez singled; Matthews singled [Montanez to
second]; Pocoroba flied out to center; Gilbreath singled
[Montanez scored, Matthews to second]; FORSCH REPLACED DIXON
(PITCHING); Rockett singled [Matthews scored, Gilbreath to
second]; ASSELSTINE BATTED FOR COLLINS; Asselstine doubled
[Gilbreath scored, Rockett scored]; SAMBITO REPLACED FORSCH
(PITCHING); Office grounded out (first unassisted) [Asselstine
to third]; Bonnell singled [Asselstine scored]; MOORE RAN FOR
BONNELL; Burroughs homered [Moore scored]; Montanez homered;
Matthews walked; Pocoroba made an out to first; 8 R, 8 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 9.

ASTROS 7TH: MOORE STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 3B); CAMPBELL REPLACED
ASSELSTINE (PITCHING); Ferguson flied out to center; Howe
grounded out (shortstop to first); Metzger grounded out (second
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 9.

BRAVES 7TH: PENTZ REPLACED METZGER (PITCHING); BOSWELL REPLACED
SAMBITO (PLAYING 2B); SPERRING CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING SS);
Gilbreath grounded out (shortstop to first); Rockett was hit by
a pitch; Campbell out on a sacrifice bunt (first to second)
[Rockett to second]; Office grounded out (second to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 9.

ASTROS 8TH: Boswell grounded out (second to first); Puhl walked;
Sperring flied out to center; Cedeno flied out to center; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 9.

BRAVES 8TH: Moore grounded out (shortstop to first); Burroughs
singled; Montanez flied out to left; Matthews flied out to
center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 9.

ASTROS 9TH: Watson grounded out (shortstop to first); Gardner
struck out; Ferguson made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Astros 6, Braves 9.