Nolan Ryan pitched a five-hitter and struck out 10 in hurling the Astros to a 3-0 whitewashing of the Mets. The Astros scored in the second inning on a run-scoring single by Luis Pujols, in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Cesar Cedeno and in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Terry Puhl. Ryan moved to the top of the all-time walk list by issuing two bases on balls for a career total of 1,777, two more than Hall of Famer Early Wynn. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 3, New York Mets 0
Game Played on Friday, June      5, 1981 (Night game) at Astrodome
Mets         0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  5  0
Astros       0  1  0    0  0  1    1  0  x  -   3  5  0


Mets                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Wilson cf             4   0   0   0     0   4   .267      Puhl rf               3   0   1   1     0   0   .258
Taveras ss            3   0   1   0     1   1   .248      Reynolds ss           4   1   1   0     0   2   .263
Youngblood rf         4   0   1   0     0   0   .357      Cedeno 1b             2   0   0   1     1   0   .293
Kingman 1b            4   0   0   0     0   2   .221      Cruz lf               3   0   0   0     1   1   .273
Mazzilli lf           3   0   0   0     1   2   .214      Howe 3b               3   1   0   0     1   1   .354
Cubbage 3b            4   0   1   0     0   0   .240      Woods cf              3   0   1   0     0   1   .148
Stearns c             4   0   1   0     0   0   .279      Pujols c              1   1   1   1     2   0   .255
Flynn 2b              2   0   0   0     0   0   .252      Pittman 2b            3   0   1   0     0   0   .300
  Staub ph            1   0   1   0     0   0   .309      Ryan p                1   0   0   0     1   1   .136
  Bailor pr,2b        0   0   0   0     0   0   .229
Jones p               2   0   0   0     0   1   .133
  Jorgensen ph        1   0   0   0     0   0   .239
  Falcone p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               32   0   5   0     2  10             Totals               23   3   5   3     6   6

Time of Game: 2:09   Attendance: 28,085
Left on Base: Mets 7, Astros 5
DP: Mets 2, Astros 0
Triples: Reynolds (9)
Caught Stealing: Puhl (4), Cedeno (5)
Sacrifice Hits: Ryan (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Cedeno (3), Puhl (4)
GIDP: Pittman (2)


Mets                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Jones L(1-6)            6     4   2   2   5   3   0  24   4.20
Falcone                 2     1   1   1   1   3   0   8   2.70
Totals                  8     5   3   3   6   6   0  32

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Ryan W(5-3)             9     5   0   0   2  10   0  34   1.39
Totals                  9     5   0   0   2  10   0  34

Wild Pitches: Ryan (10)
Balks: Ryan (2)

Umpires: HP - Steve Fields, 1B - Bruce Froemming, 2B - John Kibler, 3B - Joe West


METS 1ST: Wilson struck out; Taveras walked; Ryan balked
[Taveras to second]; Youngblood lined to shortstop; Kingman
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 0.

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

METS 2ND: Mazzilli struck out; Cubbage made an out to shortstop;
Stearns singled to left; Flynn flied out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Cruz grounded out (second to first); Howe walked;
Woods singled to left [Howe to third]; Pujols singled to left
[Howe scored, Woods to second]; Pittman grounded out (second to
first) [Woods to third, Pujols to second]; Ryan struck out; 1 R,
2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 1.

METS 3RD: Jones struck out; Wilson struck out; Taveras struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 1.

ASTROS 3RD: Puhl grounded out (third to first); Reynolds flied
out to center; Cedeno lined to pitcher; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Mets 0, Astros 1.

METS 4TH: Youngblood grounded out (pitcher to first); Kingman
was called out on strikes; Mazzilli walked; Ryan threw a wild
pitch [Mazzilli to second]; Cubbage grounded out (second to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 1.

ASTROS 4TH: Cruz flied out to center; Howe grounded out (second
to first); Woods was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 1.

METS 5TH: Stearns grounded out (first unassisted); Flynn
grounded out (second to first); Jones grounded out (shortstop to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 1.

ASTROS 5TH: Pujols walked; Pittman grounded into a double play
(second to shortstop to first) [Pujols out at second]; Ryan
walked; Puhl grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 1.

METS 6TH: Wilson struck out (catcher to first); Taveras singled
to right; Youngblood grounded out (third to first) [Taveras to
third]; Kingman flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets
0, Astros 1.

ASTROS 6TH: Reynolds tripled to right; Cedeno hit a sacrifice
fly to right [Reynolds scored]; Cruz walked; Howe grounded out
(second to first) [Cruz to second]; Woods grounded out
(shortstop to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 2.

METS 7TH: Mazzilli struck out; Cubbage singled to center;
Stearns flied out to center; STAUB BATTED FOR FLYNN; Staub
singled to left [Cubbage to second]; BAILOR RAN FOR STAUB;
JORGENSEN BATTED FOR JONES; Jorgensen flied out to left; 0 R, 2
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 2.

ASTROS 7TH: BAILOR STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); FALCONE REPLACED
JORGENSEN (PITCHING); Pujols walked; Pittman singled to center
[Pujols to second]; Ryan out on a sacrifice bunt (catcher to
second) [Pujols to third, Pittman to second]; Puhl hit a
sacrifice fly to center [Pujols scored]; Reynolds struck out; 1
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 3.

METS 8TH: Wilson was called out on strikes; Taveras grounded out
(pitcher to first); Youngblood singled to center; Kingman struck
out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 3.

ASTROS 8TH: Cedeno flied out to left; Cruz struck out; Howe
struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 3.

METS 9TH: Mazzilli lined to third; Cubbage grounded out (pitcher
unassisted); Stearns grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Mets 0, Astros 3.