The first pitcher in Expos' history to win four games in the month of April, Ross Grimsley achieved that feat by beating the Astros, 6-3. Tony Perez drove in two of the Expos' runs with a double and two others scored on consecutive balks called on Astro reliever Tom Dixon by first base umpire Joe West. Wilbur Howard hit a triple and homer to produce two of the Astros' tallies. [The Sporting News]



Montreal Expos 6, Houston Astros 3
Game Played on Friday, April     28, 1978 (Night game) at Astrodome
Expos        2  0  2    0  2  0    0  0  0  -   6  8  1
Astros       0  0  0    1  0  0    1  0  1  -   3  9  0


Expos                AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Cromartie lf          2   3   1   0     2   1   .220      Puhl rf               4   0   2   1     0   0   .289
  Mejias lf           1   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Cabell 3b             4   0   1   0     0   0   .273
Cash 2b               4   2   3   0     0   0   .338      Cedeno cf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .257
  Unser 1b            0   0   0   0     0   0   .290      Watson 1b             3   0   0   0     1   1   .296
Dawson cf             2   0   0   0     1   1   .250      Howe 2b               4   1   1   0     0   0   .315
Carter c              2   1   0   1     1   0   .270      Howard lf             4   1   2   2     0   0   .350
Perez 1b              4   0   2   2     0   1   .219      Ferguson c            4   0   1   0     0   0   .203
  Frias 2b            0   0   0   0     0   0  1.000      Metzger ss            2   0   0   0     0   0   .217
Valentine rf          4   0   1   0     0   0   .321        Bannister p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Parrish 3b            4   0   1   0     0   0   .317        Walling ph          1   1   0   0     0   0   .300
Speier ss             4   0   0   0     0   0   .293        Pentz p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Grimsley p            4   0   0   0     0   1   .077        Alou ph             1   0   0   0     0   0   .600
                                                          Niekro p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .286
                                                            Gonzalez ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Dixon p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Sexton ph,ss        3   0   2   0     0   0   .500

Totals               31   6   8   3     4   4             Totals               35   3   9   3     1   1

Time of Game: 2:03   Attendance: 11,474
Left on Base: Expos 4, Astros 6
DP: Expos 2, Astros 2
Errors: Cash
Doubles: Perez (4), Parrish (9)
Triples: Howard (1)
Home Runs: Howard (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Dawson (1)
GIDP: Perez (1), Metzger (4), Cabell (3)
Hit by Pitch: Carter (1,by Niekro)


Expos                  IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Grimsley W(4-0)         9     9   3   2   1   1   1  36   1.53
Totals                  9     9   3   2   1   1   1  36

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro L(1-3)           3     3   4   4   4   0   0  15   7.50
Dixon                   2     5   2   2   0   0   0  10   4.70
Bannister               2     0   0   0   0   3   0   6   3.78
Pentz                   2     0   0   0   0   1   0   6   5.79
Totals                  9     8   6   6   4   4   0  37

Hit by Pitch: Niekro (1)
Balks: Dixon 2 (2)

Umpires: HP - Satch Davidson, 1B - Joe West, 2B - John Kibler, 3B - Nick Colosi


EXPOS 1ST: Cromartie walked; Cash singled to center [Cromartie
to second]; Dawson walked [Cromartie to third, Cash to second];
Carter was hit by a pitch [Cromartie scored, Cash to third,
Dawson to second]; Perez grounded into a double play (second to
shortstop to first) [Cash scored (no RBI), Dawson to third,
Carter out at second]; Valentine grounded out (shortstop to
first); 2 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Expos 2, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Puhl singled to right; Cabell flied out to left;
Cedeno forced Puhl (third to second); Watson walked [Cedeno to
second]; Howe popped to catcher in foul territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Expos 2, Astros 0.

EXPOS 2ND: Parrish flied out to center; Speier grounded out
(shortstop to first); Grimsley flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Expos 2, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Howard grounded out (second to first); Ferguson
singled to left; Metzger grounded into a double play (shortstop
to second to first) [Ferguson out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Expos 2, Astros 0.

EXPOS 3RD: Cromartie walked; Cash singled to right [Cromartie to
third, Cash out at second (right to shortstop)]; Dawson grounded
out (pitcher to first); Carter walked; Perez doubled to left
[Cromartie scored, Carter scored]; Valentine grounded out
(shortstop to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Expos 4, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: GONZALEZ BATTED FOR NIEKRO; Gonzalez made an out to
second; Puhl grounded out (third to first); Cabell flied out to
center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Expos 4, Astros 0.

EXPOS 4TH: DIXON REPLACED GONZALEZ (PITCHING); Parrish doubled
to left; Speier hit into a double play (right to third to
second) [Parrish out at third]; Grimsley grounded out (second to
first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Expos 4, Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cedeno grounded out (pitcher to first); Watson
grounded out (second to first); Howe singled to left; Howard
tripled to right [Howe scored]; Ferguson grounded out (shortstop
to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Expos 4, Astros 1.

EXPOS 5TH: Cromartie singled to right; Cash singled to right
[Cromartie to second]; Dawson out on a sacrifice bunt (catcher
to first) [Cromartie to third, Cash to second]; Dixon balked
[Cromartie scored, Cash to third]; Dixon balked [Cash
scored]; Bill Virdon argued the balk called by 1B umpire Joe
West; Carter made an out to third; Perez singled to left;
Valentine singled to left [Perez to second]; Parrish flied out
to left; 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Expos 6, Astros 1.

ASTROS 5TH: Metzger flied out to right; SEXTON BATTED FOR DIXON;
Sexton singled to left; Puhl lined to center; Cabell singled to
second [Sexton to second]; Cedeno popped to shortstop; 0 R, 2 H,
0 E, 2 LOB.  Expos 6, Astros 1.

EXPOS 6TH: BANNISTER REPLACED METZGER (PITCHING); SEXTON STAYED
IN GAME (PLAYING SS); Speier popped to third; Grimsley struck
out; Cromartie struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Expos 6,
Astros 1.

ASTROS 6TH: Watson flied out to center; Howe grounded out (third
to first); Howard flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Expos 6, Astros 1.

EXPOS 7TH: Cash flied out to right; Dawson struck out; Carter
lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Expos 6, Astros 1.

ASTROS 7TH: Ferguson flied out to left; WALLING BATTED FOR
BANNISTER; Walling reached on an error by Cash [Walling to
first]; Sexton singled to left [Walling to second]; Puhl singled
to right [Walling scored (unearned), Sexton to third]; Cabell
grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first) [Puhl
out at second]; 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Expos 6, Astros 2.

EXPOS 8TH: PENTZ REPLACED WALLING (PITCHING); Perez struck out;
Valentine popped to second; Parrish lined to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Expos 6, Astros 2.

ASTROS 8TH: MEJIAS REPLACED CROMARTIE (PLAYING LF); UNSER
REPLACED CASH (PLAYING 1B); FRIAS REPLACED PEREZ (PLAYING 2B);
Cedeno flied out to center; Watson struck out; Howe grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Expos 6, Astros 2.

EXPOS 9TH: Speier lined to right; Grimsley flied out to left;
Mejias popped to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Expos 6,
Astros 2.

ASTROS 9TH: Howard homered; Ferguson flied out to left; ALOU
BATTED FOR PENTZ; Alou flied out to center; Sexton popped to
pitcher; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Expos 6, Astros 3.