Limiting Houston to four hits -- including two infield singles -- Frank Pastore pitched the Reds to a 3-0 blanking of the Astros. The Reds scored in the first inning on a one-out double by Ken Griffey and two-out single by George Foster, and made it 3-0 in the ninth on a run-scoring double by Johnny Bench and RBI single by Pastore. [The Sporting News]



Cincinnati Reds 3, Houston Astros 0
Game Played on Friday, April     24, 1981 (Night game) at Astrodome
Reds         1  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  2  -   3 10  0
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  4  0


Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Collins rf            5   0   2   0     0   1   .451      Puhl rf               4   0   1   0     0   1   .212
  Mejias rf           0   0   0   0     0   0   .500      Reynolds ss           4   0   0   0     0   0   .308
Griffey cf            4   1   1   0     0   1   .228      Cedeno cf             4   0   2   0     0   1   .298
Concepcion ss         4   0   1   0     0   1   .306      Cruz lf               3   0   1   0     0   0   .200
Foster lf             4   0   1   1     0   0   .260      Ivie 1b               3   0   0   0     0   1   .200
Driessen 1b           3   1   1   0     1   0   .227      Howe 3b               3   0   0   0     0   0   .255
Knight 3b             4   0   0   0     0   1   .250      Ashby c               3   0   0   0     0   1   .176
Bench c               4   1   2   1     0   1   .250      Thon 2b               2   0   0   0     0   1   .200
Kennedy 2b            3   0   1   0     0   0   .111        Walling ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .143
  Biittner ph         0   0   0   0     1   0   .200        Landestoy 2b        0   0   0   0     0   0   .190
  Oester pr,2b        0   0   0   0     0   0   .152      Niekro p              3   0   0   0     0   0   .111
Pastore p             4   0   1   1     0   0   .200        Sambito p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               35   3  10   3     2   5             Totals               30   0   4   0     0   5

Time of Game: 2:23   Attendance: 27,087
Left on Base: Reds 7, Astros 3
DP: Reds 0, Astros 1
Doubles: Griffey (2), Bench (2), Puhl (4)
Triples: Collins (1)
Caught Stealing: Collins (5), Cedeno (2)
GIDP: Foster (2)


Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Pastore W(1-0)          9     4   0   0   0   5   0  30   0.56
Totals                  9     4   0   0   0   5   0  30

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro L(1-3)           8.2  10   3   3   2   5   0  36   2.41
Sambito                 0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1.08
Totals                  9    10   3   3   2   5   0  37

Umpires: HP - Nick Colosi, 1B - Frank Pulli, 2B - Eric Gregg, 3B - Doug Harvey


REDS 1ST: Collins singled to shortstop; Collins was caught
stealing second (catcher to shortstop); Griffey doubled to
center; Concepcion struck out; Foster singled to center [Griffey
scored]; Driessen popped to shortstop; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Puhl struck out; Reynolds flied out to left; Cedeno
singled to left; Cedeno was caught stealing second (catcher to
shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 2ND: Knight flied out to center; Bench singled to center;
Kennedy singled to right [Bench to second]; On a bunt Pastore
forced Bench (pitcher to third) [Kennedy to second]; Collins was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Cruz grounded out (second to first); Ivie grounded
out (shortstop to first); Howe grounded out (third to shortstop
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 3RD: Griffey grounded out (first unassisted); Concepcion
singled to shortstop; Foster grounded into a double play
(shortstop to second to first) [Concepcion out at second]; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Ashby struck out; Thon flied out to center; Niekro
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 4TH: Driessen walked; Knight flied out to center; Bench
struck out; Kennedy flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Puhl grounded out (second to first); Reynolds
grounded out (shortstop to first); Cedeno singled to shortstop;
Cruz singled to shortstop [Cedeno to second]; Ivie struck out; 0
R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 5TH: Pastore grounded out (pitcher to first); Collins flied
out to center; Griffey lined to first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Howe flied out to right; Ashby grounded out (pitcher
to first); Thon was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 6TH: Concepcion grounded out (third to first); Foster
grounded out (third to first); Driessen flied out to left; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 6TH: Niekro flied out to right; Puhl doubled to right;
Reynolds grounded out (second to first) [Puhl to third]; Cedeno
was called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros
0.

REDS 7TH: Knight struck out; Bench flied out to left; Kennedy
grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 7TH: Cruz grounded out (shortstop to first); Ivie
grounded out (second to first); Howe popped to third; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 8TH: Pastore grounded out (first unassisted); Collins
tripled to center; Griffey struck out; Concepcion popped to
first; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 8TH: Ashby grounded out (first unassisted); WALLING
BATTED FOR THON; Walling grounded out (second to first); Niekro
flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Reds 1, Astros 0.

REDS 9TH: LANDESTOY REPLACED WALLING (PLAYING 2B); Foster flied
out to left; Driessen singled to left; Knight flied out to left;
Bench doubled to right [Driessen scored]; BIITTNER BATTED FOR
KENNEDY; Biittner was walked intentionally; OESTER RAN FOR
BIITTNER; Pastore singled to center [Bench scored, Oester to
third]; SAMBITO REPLACED NIEKRO (PITCHING); Collins forced
Pastore (third to second); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Reds 3, Astros
0.

ASTROS 9TH: OESTER STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); MEJIAS REPLACED
COLLINS (PLAYING RF); Puhl flied out to center; Reynolds flied
out to right; Cedeno flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Reds 3, Astros 0.