Seeking to become the first N.L. righthander to strike out 300 batters in one season, J.R. Richard fanned 12 to raise his total to 279 while pitching the Astros to an 8-4 victory over the Padres. The Astros broke a 2-2 tie with a five-run outburst in the sixth inning. After four hits produced two runs off Eric Rasmussen, Mark Lee relieved and served up a three-run homer by Denny Walling. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 8, San Diego Padres 4
Game Played on Friday, September 15, 1978 (Night game) at San Diego Stadium
Astros       0  2  0    0  0  5    0  1  0  -   8 10  2
Padres       2  0  0    0  0  0    0  1  1  -   4  7  1


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Padres               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Landestoy ss          5   0   1   0     0   0   .268      Richards lf           4   2   1   0     1   2   .299
Drumright 2b          4   0   0   0     1   0   .139      Smith ss              5   1   2   0     0   2   .265
Puhl cf               5   1   1   0     0   0   .299      Perkins 1b            4   0   1   2     0   0   .243
Cruz rf               4   1   1   1     0   0   .309      Winfield cf           4   0   0   1     0   2   .305
Cabell 3b             4   2   2   0     0   2   .298      Turner rf             3   0   0   0     1   0   .271
  Sexton 3b           0   0   0   0     0   0   .188      Gonzalez 2b           3   0   0   0     1   0   .241
Obradovich 1b         4   2   2   1     0   0   .333      Roberts c             2   0   0   0     0   1   .216
Walling lf            3   2   1   3     1   0   .258        Tenace c            1   1   0   0     1   1   .222
Bochy c               4   0   1   1     0   0   .258      Almon 3b              4   0   1   0     0   2   .255
Richard p             4   0   1   2     0   1   .172      Rasmussen p           2   0   1   0     0   1   .148
                                                            Lee p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Sweet ph            1   0   0   0     0   1   .221
                                                            Lolich p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Mura p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Gamble ph           1   0   1   1     0   0   .276
                                                            Beswick pr          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               37   8  10   8     2   3             Totals               34   4   7   4     4  12

Time of Game: 2:27   Attendance:  6,866
Left on Base: Astros 4, Padres 7
DP: Astros 0, Padres 1
Errors: Drumright, Richard, Smith
Doubles: Cabell (27), Puhl (25), Bochy (7)
Home Runs: Walling (3)
Stolen Bases: Landestoy (6), Richards (35), Smith (38)
GIDP: Puhl (11)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Richard W(17-11)        9     7   4   4   4  12   0  38   3.20
Totals                  9     7   4   4   4  12   0  38

Padres                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Rasmussen L(14-13)      5     7   6   5   1   2   0  24   4.09
Lee                     2     1   1   1   0   0   1   7   3.05
Lolich                  1     2   1   1   0   1   0   5   1.65
Mura                    1     0   0   0   1   0   0   3  12.46
Totals                  9    10   8   7   2   3   1  39

Passed Balls: Bochy (3)

Umpires: HP - Bob Engel, 1B - Jerry Dale, 2B - John McSherry, 3B - Paul Runge


ASTROS 1ST: Landestoy singled to center; Landestoy stole second;
Drumright grounded out (shortstop to first); Puhl grounded out
(first unassisted) [Landestoy to third]; Cruz grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 0, Padres 0.

PADRES 1ST: Richards walked; Richards stole second; Smith
singled to right [Richards to third]; Smith stole second;
Perkins singled to left [Richards scored, Smith scored];
Winfield struck out; Turner walked [Perkins to second]; Perkins
was picked off second but was safe on an error by Richard
[Perkins to third]; Gonzalez walked [Turner to second]; Roberts
struck out; Almon was called out on strikes; 2 R, 2 H, 1 E, 3
LOB.  Astros 0, Padres 2.

ASTROS 2ND: Cabell doubled to center; Obradovich made an out to
second; Walling walked; Bochy reached on an error by Smith
(assist by Gonzalez) [Cabell to third, Walling to second, Bochy
to first]; Richard singled to right [Cabell scored, Walling
scored (unearned), Bochy to third, Richard to second (on
throw)]; Landestoy lined to right; Drumright grounded out
(second to first); 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 2,
Padres 2.

PADRES 2ND: Rasmussen singled to second [Rasmussen to second
(error by Drumright)]; Bochy allowed a passed ball [Rasmussen to
third]; Richards grounded out (second to first); Smith was
called out on strikes; Perkins flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 1
E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Padres 2.

ASTROS 3RD: On a bunt Puhl grounded out (pitcher to first); Cruz
grounded out (pitcher to first); Cabell struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2, Padres 2.

PADRES 3RD: Winfield struck out; Turner grounded out (second to
first); Gonzalez flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 2, Padres 2.

ASTROS 4TH: Obradovich grounded out (first to pitcher); Walling
grounded out (second to first); Bochy made an out to shortstop;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2, Padres 2.

PADRES 4TH: Roberts flied out to right; Almon struck out;
Rasmussen struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2, Padres 2.

ASTROS 5TH: Richard struck out; Landestoy grounded out
(shortstop to first); Drumright grounded out (second to first);
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2, Padres 2.

PADRES 5TH: Richards struck out; Smith grounded out (pitcher to
first); Perkins grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Astros 2, Padres 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Puhl doubled to left; Cruz singled to center [Puhl
scored]; Cabell singled to center [Cruz to second]; Obradovich
singled to right [Cruz scored, Cabell to third]; LEE REPLACED
RASMUSSEN (PITCHING); Walling homered [Cabell scored, Obradovich
scored]; Bochy made an out to second; Richard grounded out
(pitcher to first); Landestoy flied out to right; 5 R, 5 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Astros 7, Padres 2.

PADRES 6TH: Winfield flied out to left; Turner made an out to
second; Gonzalez flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 7, Padres 2.

ASTROS 7TH: TENACE REPLACED ROBERTS (PLAYING C ); Drumright
grounded out (shortstop to first); Puhl made an out to first;
Cruz flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Padres
2.

PADRES 7TH: Tenace struck out; Almon made an out to second;
SWEET BATTED FOR LEE; Sweet struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 7, Padres 2.

ASTROS 8TH: LOLICH REPLACED SWEET (PITCHING); Cabell struck out;
Obradovich singled to left; Walling grounded out (second to
first) [Obradovich to second]; Bochy doubled to left [Obradovich
scored]; Richard grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Astros 8, Padres 2.

PADRES 8TH: SEXTON REPLACED CABELL (PLAYING 3B); Richards
singled to left; Smith singled to right [Richards to second];
Perkins grounded out (first unassisted) [Richards to third,
Smith to second]; Winfield grounded out (shortstop to first)
[Richards scored, Smith to third]; Turner grounded out (second
to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 8, Padres 3.

ASTROS 9TH: MURA REPLACED LOLICH (PITCHING); Landestoy grounded
out (shortstop to first); Drumright walked; Puhl grounded into a
double play (second to shortstop to first) [Drumright out at
second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 8, Padres 3.

PADRES 9TH: Gonzalez grounded out (second to first); Tenace
walked; Almon singled to center [Tenace to second]; GAMBLE
BATTED FOR MURA; Gamble singled to right [Tenace scored, Almon
to second]; BESWICK RAN FOR GAMBLE; Richards struck out; Smith
struck out; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 8, Padres 4.