Joe Niekro became the majors' first 11-game winner with assistance from Joe Sambito, who gained his sixth save and worked in his 17th straight game without allowing an earned run, and Denny Walling, who picked up his sixth hit and fourth RBI in his last seven pinch-hit appearances.

After Jeff Leonard doubled home Craig Reynolds with the tying run in the seventh, Walling stroked a single that scored Leonard and gave the Astros a 2-1 victory over the Padres. Sambito worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by fanning Jerry Turner and inducing Gene Tenace to bounce to the mound. [The Sporting News]

Houston Astros 2, San Diego Padres 1

Game Played on Friday, June 22, 1979 (Night game) at Astrodome

Padres       0  1  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  6  0
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  0    2  0  x  -   2  3  1


Padres               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Richards cf           4   0   0   0     0   0   .256      Puhl cf               4   0   0   0     0   1   .281
Dade 3b               4   0   1   0     0   1   .298      Reynolds ss           3   1   0   0     1   0   .292
Winfield rf           2   0   1   0     2   0   .338      Cedeno 1b             2   0   0   0     1   0   .262
Turner lf             4   0   0   0     0   1   .273      Leonard rf            3   1   2   1     0   0   .301
Tenace c              3   1   0   0     1   0   .255      Cabell 3b             3   0   0   0     0   1   .275
Johnstone 1b          4   0   2   0     0   0   .258      Cruz lf               2   0   0   0     1   1   .284
Gonzalez 2b           4   0   0   0     0   1   .244      Gonzalez 2b           2   0   0   0     0   0   .273
Smith ss              3   0   1   1     0   0   .180        Walling ph          1   0   1   1     0   0   .333
  Fingers p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .100        Landestoy 2b        0   0   0   0     0   0   .160
  Bevacqua ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .234      Ashby c               3   0   0   0     0   1   .229
Shirley p             2   0   0   0     0   0   .133      Niekro p              2   0   0   0     0   0   .098
  Almon ss            1   0   1   0     0   0   .238        Sambito p           1   0   0   0     0   0   .250

Totals               32   1   6   1     3   4             Totals               26   2   3   2     3   4

Time of Game: 2:21   Attendance: 30,954
Left on Base: Padres 7, Astros 3
DP: Padres 0, Astros 1
Errors: Cabell
Doubles: Leonard (6)
Triples: Winfield (8)
Stolen Bases: Leonard (6)
Caught Stealing: Winfield (5), Cedeno (3)
GIDP: Gonzalez (7)


Padres                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Shirley L(2-7)          6.1   2   2   2   2   4   0  22   3.09
Fingers                 1.2   1   0   0   1   0   0   7   2.75
Totals                  8     3   2   2   3   4   0  29

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro W(11-3)          7.1   6   1   1   3   1   0  30   2.89
Sambito SV(6)           1.2   0   0   0   0   3   0   5   1.20
Totals                  9     6   1   1   3   4   0  35

Umpires: HP - Fred Brocklander, 1B - Bill Williams, 2B - Joe West, 3B - Bruce Froemming


PADRES 1ST: Richards grounded out (second to first); Dade flied
out to center; Winfield popped to catcher in foul territory; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Puhl made an out to first; Reynolds made an out to
second; Cedeno walked; Cedeno was picked off and caught stealing
second (pitcher to first to second); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Padres 0, Astros 0.

PADRES 2ND: Turner made an out to first; Tenace walked;
Johnstone singled [Tenace to second]; Gonzalez forced Johnstone
(third to second) [Tenace to third]; Smith singled [Tenace
scored, Gonzalez to second]; Shirley flied out to right; 1 R, 2
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Leonard singled; Leonard stole second; Cabell struck
out; Cruz grounded out (shortstop to first); Gonzalez flied out
to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

PADRES 3RD: Richards flied out to left; Dade struck out;
Winfield tripled; Turner flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Ashby struck out; Niekro grounded out (shortstop to
first); Puhl struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros
0.

PADRES 4TH: Tenace reached on an error by Cabell; Johnstone
grounded out (second to first) [Tenace to second]; Gonzalez
flied out to center; Smith made an out to first; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E,
1 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Reynolds grounded out (shortstop to first); Cedeno
flied out to right; Leonard grounded out (second to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

PADRES 5TH: Shirley grounded out (third to first); Richards
flied out to center; Dade grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Cabell made an out to third; Cruz struck out;
Gonzalez made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres
1, Astros 0.

PADRES 6TH: Winfield walked; Winfield was caught stealing second
(catcher to second); Turner flied out to left; Tenace popped to
third in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros
0.

ASTROS 6TH: Ashby grounded out (shortstop to first); Niekro
grounded out (pitcher to first); Puhl made an out to first; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

PADRES 7TH: Johnstone singled; Gonzalez grounded into a double
play (shortstop to first) [Johnstone out at second]; Smith made
an out to first; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 7TH: Reynolds walked; Cedeno flied out to left; Leonard
doubled [Reynolds scored]; FINGERS REPLACED SMITH (PITCHING);
ALMON REPLACED SHIRLEY (PLAYING SS); Cabell grounded out (third
to first); Cruz was walked intentionally; WALLING BATTED FOR
GONZALEZ; Walling singled [Leonard scored, Cruz to second];
Ashby forced Walling (shortstop to second); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 2.

PADRES 8TH: LANDESTOY REPLACED WALLING (PLAYING 2B); Almon
singled; Richards forced Almon (second to shortstop); Dade
singled [Richards to second]; Winfield walked [Richards to
third, Dade to second]; SAMBITO REPLACED NIEKRO (PITCHING);
Turner struck out; Tenace grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R,
2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 2.

ASTROS 8TH: Sambito flied out to left; Puhl grounded out (second
to first); Reynolds flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Padres 1, Astros 2.

PADRES 9TH: Johnstone made an out to second; Gonzalez struck
out; BEVACQUA BATTED FOR FINGERS; Bevacqua struck out; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Padres 1, Astros 2.

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