Rick Rhoden, getting ninth-inning help from Grant Jackson and Enrique Romo, pitched the Pirates to a 4-3 decision over the Astros. The Bucs snapped a 1-1 tie in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Vance Law and made it 3-1 in the fifth on an RBI single by Bill Madlock. A sacrifice fly by Dave Parker plated the final Pittsburgh tally in the seventh. [The Sporting News]

Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Houston Astros 3

Game Played on Friday, April 17, 1981 (Night game) at Astrodome

Pirates 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 - 4 9 0 Astros 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 - 3 6 1 Pirates AB R H RBI BB SO AVG Astros AB R H RBI BB SO AVG Moreno cf 5 1 1 0 0 1 .240 Puhl rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .261 Foli ss 3 2 3 0 0 0 .375 Reynolds ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 .310 Parker rf 3 0 1 1 0 0 .240 Cedeno cf 4 1 2 0 0 0 .321 Easler lf 3 0 1 1 0 0 .368 Cruz lf 3 1 2 1 1 1 .107 Madlock 3b 4 1 2 1 0 0 .435 Walling 1b 3 0 0 1 0 0 .250 Thompson 1b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .167 Howe 3b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .280 Nicosia c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .211 Ashby c 2 0 0 0 1 1 .211 Law 2b 3 0 0 1 0 1 .000 Landestoy 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .125 Rhoden p 4 0 1 0 0 2 .200 Leonard ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .200 Jackson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Thon 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Romo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Sutton p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .000 Sambito p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Bergman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200 D. Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 31 4 9 4 1 4 Totals 30 3 6 3 2 6 Time of Game: 2:28 Attendance: 39,119 Left on Base: Pirates 6, Astros 3 DP: Pirates 1, Astros 1 Errors: Landestoy Doubles: Cruz (1), Reynolds (1) Stolen Bases: Moreno (4), Cedeno 2 (3) Caught Stealing: Cruz (1) Sacrifice Hits: Nicosia (1), Foli (1) Sacrifice Flies: Easler (1), Law (1), Parker (1), Walling (1) GIDP: Walling (1) Pirates IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP ERA Rhoden W(2-0) 8 6 3 3 2 5 0 30 3.21 Jackson 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0.00 Romo SV(2) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4.15 Totals 9 6 3 3 2 6 0 33 Astros IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP ERA Sutton L(0-2) 6.1 9 4 4 1 1 0 29 8.71 Sambito 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2.45 D. Smith 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0.00 Totals 9 9 4 4 1 4 0 37 Umpires: HP - Ed Montague, 1B - Lee Weyer, 2B - Harry Wendelstedt, 3B - Dutch Rennert PIRATES 1ST: Moreno grounded out (second to first); Foli singled to right; Parker singled to center [Foli to third]; Easler hit a sacrifice fly to center [Foli scored]; Madlock grounded out (pitcher to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Pirates 1, Astros 0. ASTROS 1ST: Puhl grounded out (pitcher to first); Reynolds flied out to left; Cedeno singled to third; Cedeno stole second; Cruz singled to left [Cedeno scored]; Cruz was caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 1, Astros 1. PIRATES 2ND: Thompson flied out to left; Nicosia flied out to center; Law grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 1, Astros 1. ASTROS 2ND: Walling flied out to center; Howe struck out; Ashby walked; Landestoy forced Ashby (shortstop to second); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Pirates 1, Astros 1. PIRATES 3RD: Rhoden singled to left; Moreno flied out to left; Foli singled to center [Rhoden to second]; Parker grounded out (pitcher to shortstop to first) [Rhoden to third, Foli to second]; Easler flied out to left; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Pirates 1, Astros 1. ASTROS 3RD: Sutton struck out; Puhl flied out to center; Reynolds flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 1, Astros 1. PIRATES 4TH: Madlock singled to center; Thompson walked [Madlock to second]; Nicosia out on a sacrifice bunt (first to second) [Madlock to third, Thompson to second]; Law hit a sacrifice fly to center [Madlock scored]; Rhoden struck out; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Pirates 2, Astros 1. ASTROS 4TH: Cedeno flied out to left; Cruz walked; Walling grounded into a double play (pitcher to shortstop to first) [Cruz out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 2, Astros 1. PIRATES 5TH: Moreno popped to third; Foli singled to right; Parker flied out to center; Easler singled to right [Foli to second]; Madlock singled to center [Foli scored, Easler to third]; Thompson lined to second; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Pirates 3, Astros 1. ASTROS 5TH: Howe singled to center; Ashby struck out; Landestoy flied out to left; Sutton was called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Pirates 3, Astros 1. PIRATES 6TH: Nicosia reached on an error by Landestoy; Law flied to right in foul territory; Rhoden lined into a double play (third to third to first) [Nicosia out at first]; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 3, Astros 1. ASTROS 6TH: Puhl flied out to center; Reynolds grounded out (second to first); Cedeno popped to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 3, Astros 1. PIRATES 7TH: Moreno singled to right; Moreno stole second; Foli out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to first) [Moreno to third]; SAMBITO REPLACED SUTTON (PITCHING); Parker hit a sacrifice fly to right [Moreno scored]; Easler grounded out (first unassisted); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 4, Astros 1. ASTROS 7TH: Cruz doubled to left; Walling flied out to center [Cruz to third]; Howe grounded out (second to first) [Cruz scored]; Ashby grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 4, Astros 2. PIRATES 8TH: Madlock grounded out (second to first); Thompson flied out to left; Nicosia flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 4, Astros 2. ASTROS 8TH: LEONARD BATTED FOR LANDESTOY; Leonard struck out; BERGMAN BATTED FOR SAMBITO; Bergman flied out to right; Puhl grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 4, Astros 2. PIRATES 9TH: THON REPLACED LEONARD (PLAYING 2B); D. SMITH REPLACED BERGMAN (PITCHING); Law struck out; Rhoden was called out on strikes; Moreno struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Pirates 4, Astros 2. ASTROS 9TH: Reynolds doubled to right; Cedeno singled to left [Reynolds to third]; JACKSON REPLACED RHODEN (PITCHING); Cruz struck out while Cedeno stole second; Walling hit a sacrifice fly to right [Reynolds scored, Cedeno to third]; ROMO REPLACED JACKSON (PITCHING); Howe flied out to left; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Pirates 4, Astros 3.

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