The Cubs, who had lost their 11 previous meetings, averted being shut out in the season series with the Astros by putting together five singles for three runs in a ninth-inning rally to gain an 8-7 victory. Ivan DeJesus led off with a single and, after one out, scored on singles by Bill Buckner and Cliff Johnson.

Larry Biittner followed with a single, driving in Buckner and tying the score at 7-7. After Jerry Martin was retired for the second out, Tim Blackwell singled to win the game, scoring pinch-runner Scot Thompson. [The Sporting News]



Chicago Cubs 8, Houston Astros 7
Game Played on Sunday, August    31, 1980 (Day game) at Wrigley Field
Astros       2  0  1    0  0  2    0  1  1  -   7 13  2
Cubs         1  0  0    2  0  0    0  2  3  -   8 15  1


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cubs                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Morgan 2b             5   0   0   0     0   0   .232      De Jesus ss           5   1   2   0     0   0   .264
Cabell 3b             5   1   1   1     0   2   .278      Randle 3b             5   0   1   0     0   2   .276
Puhl rf               5   1   3   1     0   0   .281      Buckner lf            5   2   1   0     0   1   .313
Cruz lf               4   1   1   2     1   0   .316      Johnson 1b            3   1   1   1     2   0   .234
Cedeno cf             5   0   2   0     0   1   .303        Thompson pr         0   1   0   0     0   0   .211
Walling 1b            4   2   2   0     0   0   .318      Biittner rf           5   1   3   2     0   0   .260
  Bergman 1b          0   0   0   0     0   0   .233      Martin cf             5   0   0   0     0   2   .231
Ashby c               2   0   0   0     0   0   .245      Blackwell c           5   1   3   1     0   2   .271
  Pujols c            1   1   0   0     1   0   .217      Tyson 2b              3   1   2   1     0   1   .250
Landestoy ss          4   0   1   1     0   0   .245        Kingman ph          1   0   1   2     0   0   .262
  LaCorte p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .167        Kelleher pr,2b      0   0   0   0     0   0   .188
Niekro p              3   0   2   2     0   1   .284      Reuschel p            2   0   1   1     0   1   .183
  Sambito p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Vail ph             1   0   0   0     0   1   .285
  Reynolds ss         1   1   1   0     0   0   .221        Tidrow p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               39   7  13   7     2   4             Totals               40   8  15   8     2  10

Time of Game: 3:00   Attendance: 14,823
Left on Base: Astros 7, Cubs 9
DP: Astros 0, Cubs 1
Errors: Cabell, Cruz, De Jesus
Doubles: Tyson (18), Reuschel (3), Kingman (8)
Home Runs: Cruz (8), Cabell (2)
Stolen Bases: Walling (4)
Sacrifice Hits: Reuschel (10)
GIDP: Cruz (9)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro                  7     8   4   3   2   7   0  31   3.83
Sambito                 0.2   2   1   1   0   1   0   4   2.28
LaCorte L(8-4)          1     5   3   3   0   2   0   8   2.55
Totals                  8.2  15   8   6*  2  10   0  43

Cubs                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Reuschel                8    11   6   4   1   3   2  35   3.27
Tidrow W(6-5)           1     2   1   1   1   1   0   6   2.81
Totals                  9    13   7   5   2   4   2  41

Passed Balls: Ashby (9)
Wild Pitches: Sambito (2)

Umpires: HP - John McSherry, 1B - Joe West, 2B - Lanny Harris, 3B - Paul Pryor


ASTROS 1ST: Morgan flied out to center; Cabell struck out; Puhl
singled to left; Cruz homered [Puhl scored]; Cedeno singled to
left; Walling singled to right [Cedeno to second]; Ashby flied
out to right; 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 2, Cubs 0.

CUBS 1ST: De Jesus singled to shortstop; Randle struck out;
Buckner forced De Jesus (pitcher to shortstop); Johnson walked
[Buckner to second]; Biittner singled to left [Buckner scored,
Johnson to third (error by Cruz)]; Ashby allowed a passed ball
[Biittner to second]; Martin struck out; 1 R, 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 2, Cubs 1.

ASTROS 2ND: Landestoy grounded out (second to first); Niekro was
called out on strikes; Morgan popped to catcher in foul
territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 2, Cubs 1.

CUBS 2ND: Blackwell singled to left; Tyson struck out; Reuschel
out on a sacrifice bunt (catcher to second) [Blackwell to
second]; De Jesus made an out to second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 2, Cubs 1.

ASTROS 3RD: Cabell homered; Puhl grounded out (second to first);
Cruz grounded out (shortstop to first); Cedeno singled to
second; Walling grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 3, Cubs 1.

CUBS 3RD: Randle struck out; Buckner lined to pitcher; Johnson
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Cubs 1.

ASTROS 4TH: Ashby grounded out (second to first); Alan Ashby
ejected by 1B umpire Joe West for bumping the umpire while
arguing the call at 1B; Landestoy grounded out (shortstop to
first); Niekro singled to third; Morgan flied out to center; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 3, Cubs 1.

CUBS 4TH: PUJOLS REPLACED ASHBY (PLAYING C ); Biittner grounded
out (second to first); Martin grounded out (pitcher to first);
Blackwell singled to right; Tyson doubled to left [Blackwell
scored]; Reuschel doubled to left [Tyson scored, Reuschel out at
third (left to third)]; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Cubs 3.

ASTROS 5TH: Cabell flied out to left; Puhl flied out to center;
Cruz grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 3, Cubs 3.

CUBS 5TH: De Jesus grounded out (third to first); Randle singled
to center; Buckner struck out; Johnson walked [Randle to
second]; Biittner forced Johnson (shortstop to second); 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 3, Cubs 3.

ASTROS 6TH: Cedeno grounded out (third to first); Walling
reached on an error by De Jesus [Walling to first]; Walling
stole second; Pujols walked; Landestoy grounded out (first
unassisted) [Walling to third, Pujols to second]; Niekro singled
to left [Walling scored (unearned), Pujols scored (unearned)];
Morgan flied out to right; 2 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Astros
5, Cubs 3.

CUBS 6TH: Martin grounded out (pitcher to first); Blackwell
struck out; Tyson singled to left; Reuschel struck out; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 5, Cubs 3.

ASTROS 7TH: Cabell struck out; Puhl singled to right; Cruz
grounded into a double play (pitcher to shortstop to first)
[Puhl out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 5, Cubs 3.

CUBS 7TH: De Jesus flied out to center; Randle flied out to
right; Buckner lined to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 5,
Cubs 3.

ASTROS 8TH: Cedeno grounded out (third to first); Walling
singled to left; Pujols grounded out (second to first) [Walling
to second]; Landestoy singled to left [Walling scored, Landestoy
out at second (left to second)]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
6, Cubs 3.

CUBS 8TH: BERGMAN REPLACED WALLING (PLAYING 1B); Johnson reached
on an error by Cabell [Johnson to first]; SAMBITO REPLACED
NIEKRO (PITCHING); Biittner singled to left [Johnson to second];
Sambito threw a wild pitch [Johnson to third, Biittner to
second]; Martin flied out to center; Blackwell struck out;
KINGMAN BATTED FOR TYSON; Kingman doubled to left [Johnson
scored (unearned), Biittner scored (unearned, but earned for the
pitcher)]; KELLEHER RAN FOR KINGMAN; VAIL BATTED FOR REUSCHEL;
LACORTE REPLACED LANDESTOY (PITCHING); REYNOLDS REPLACED SAMBITO
(PLAYING SS); Vail struck out; 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 6, Cubs 5.

ASTROS 9TH: TIDROW REPLACED VAIL (PITCHING); KELLEHER STAYED IN
GAME (PLAYING 2B); Reynolds singled to right; Morgan flied out
to right; Cabell grounded out (third to first) [Reynolds to
second]; Puhl singled to center [Reynolds scored, Puhl to second
(on throw to home)]; Cruz was walked intentionally; Cedeno
struck out; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 7, Cubs 5.

CUBS 9TH: De Jesus singled to right; Randle popped to first in
foul territory; Buckner singled to center [De Jesus to second];
Johnson singled to left [De Jesus scored, Buckner to third];
THOMPSON RAN FOR JOHNSON; Biittner singled to right [Buckner
scored, Thompson to third]; Martin struck out; Blackwell singled
to second [Thompson scored, Biittner to second]; 3 R, 5 H, 0 E,
2 LOB.  Astros 7, Cubs 8.