The Astros erupted for five runs in the first and routed the Padres, 9-0, behind the five-hit pitching of Joe Niekro. A two-run single by Danny Heep and a triple by Craig Reynolds with the bases filled accounted for the big first inning. Heep also singled to score two runs in the fourth. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 9, San Diego Padres 0
Game Played on Thursday, September 17, 1981 (Night game) at Jack Murphy Stadium
Astros       5  0  0    4  0  0    0  0  0  -   9 14  0
Padres       0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  5  4


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Padres               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Puhl rf               5   1   2   0     0   0   .251      Bonilla 2b            4   0   0   0     0   0   .304
  Knicely ph,lf       1   0   1   0     0   0  1.000        Urrea p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .250
Garner 2b             4   2   2   0     0   0   .249      Smith ss              2   0   0   0     0   1   .238
  Pittman ph,2b       2   0   0   0     0   1   .271        Ramirez ss          2   0   0   0     0   1   .250
Scott cf              4   2   2   1     0   1   .263      Richards lf           4   0   2   0     0   0   .285
  Loucks cf           1   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Wiggins pr          0   0   0   0     0   0   .111
Cruz lf               3   2   0   0     1   0   .264      Jones cf              4   0   0   0     0   0   .246
  Tolman lf,rf        1   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Kennedy c             3   0   1   0     0   0   .308
Heep 1b               5   1   2   4     0   0   .244      Perkins rf            3   0   0   0     0   0   .284
Howe 3b               3   1   2   0     1   0   .314      Salazar 3b            3   0   1   0     0   0   .299
  Thon pr,3b          1   0   0   0     0   1   .227      Bass 1b               3   0   0   0     0   0   .216
xAshby c              3   0   1   1     1   2   .000      Mura p                0   0   0   0     0   0   .119
Reynolds ss           4   0   1   3     0   0   .251        Boone p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .500
  Pena ph,ss          1   0   1   0     0   0  1.000        Swisher ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .154
Niekro p              5   0   0   0     0   0   .188        Littlefield p       0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Moreno ph           1   0   1   0     0   0   .188
                                                            Armstrong p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Flannery ph,2b      1   0   0   0     0   0   .343

Totals               43   9  14   9     3   6             Totals               31   0   5   0     0   2

Time of Game: 2:14   Attendance:  2,428
Left on Base: Astros 11, Padres 4
DP: Astros 1, Padres 0
Errors: Bonilla, Smith, Kennedy, Perkins
Doubles: Scott (15), Puhl (16), Ashby (13), Howe (22)
Triples: Reynolds (11)
GIDP: Jones (5)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro W(9-7)           9     5   0   0   0   2   0  31   2.74
Totals                  9     5   0   0   0   2   0  31

Padres                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Mura L(5-13)            0.2   5   5   5   1   1   0   8   4.41
Boone                   2.1   2   0   0   0   1   0   9   3.07
Littlefield             2     4   4   3   1   0   0  14   4.11
Armstrong               3     1   0   0   1   3   0  11   7.00
Urrea                   1     2   0   0   0   1   0   5   2.60
Totals                  9    14   9   8   3   6   0  47

Umpires: HP - Ed Montague, 1B - Lee Weyer, 2B - Harry Wendelstedt, 3B - Dutch Rennert


ASTROS 1ST: Puhl lined to second; Garner singled to left; Scott
doubled to right [Garner to third]; Cruz walked; Heep singled to
left [Garner scored, Scott scored, Cruz to second]; Howe singled
to right [Cruz to third, Heep to second]; Ashby struck out;
Reynolds tripled to center [Cruz scored, Heep scored, Howe
scored]; BOONE REPLACED MURA (PITCHING); Niekro flied out to
left; 5 R, 5 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 5, Padres 0.

PADRES 1ST: Bonilla flied out to center; Smith struck out;
Richards grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 5, Padres 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Puhl doubled to catcher; Garner grounded out
(pitcher to first) [Puhl to third]; Scott struck out; Cruz flied
out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 5, Padres 0.

PADRES 2ND: Jones flied out to center; Kennedy singled to right;
Perkins grounded out (second to first) [Kennedy to second];
Salazar flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 5,
Padres 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Heep grounded out (second to first); Howe popped to
first in foul territory; Ashby doubled to center; Reynolds made
an out to pitcher; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 5, Padres 0.

PADRES 3RD: Bass flied out to right; SWISHER BATTED FOR BOONE;
Swisher made an out to first; Bonilla grounded out (second to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 5, Padres 0.

ASTROS 4TH: LITTLEFIELD REPLACED SWISHER (PITCHING); Niekro
grounded out (third to first); Puhl singled to right; Garner
singled to shortstop [Puhl to second]; Scott singled to right
[Puhl scored, Garner to second]; Cruz reached on an error by
Bonilla [Garner to third, Scott to second]; Heep singled to left
[Garner scored, Scott scored, Cruz to third (error by Smith),
Heep to second]; Howe was walked intentionally; Ashby reached on
catcher's interference by Kennedy [Cruz scored (unearned), Heep
to third, Howe to second]; Reynolds made an out to second;
Niekro forced Ashby (shortstop to second); 4 R (3 ER), 4 H, 3 E,
3 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 4TH: Smith grounded out (second to first); Richards
singled to center; Jones flied out to left; Kennedy grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 5TH: RAMIREZ REPLACED SMITH (PLAYING SS); Puhl reached on
an error by Perkins [Puhl to second]; Garner grounded out
(shortstop to first); Scott grounded out (shortstop to first);
Cruz grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 5TH: Perkins grounded out (second to first); Salazar
singled to center; Bass flied out to left; MORENO BATTED FOR
LITTLEFIELD; Moreno singled to right [Salazar to second];
Bonilla grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 6TH: ARMSTRONG REPLACED MORENO (PITCHING); Heep grounded
out (second to first); Howe doubled to left; THON RAN FOR HOWE;
Ashby was walked intentionally; Reynolds flied out to center;
Niekro flied out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 9,
Padres 0.

PADRES 6TH: THON STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 3B); LOUCKS REPLACED
SCOTT (PLAYING CF); Ramirez grounded out (shortstop to first);
Richards popped to third in foul territory; Jones lined to
second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 7TH: Puhl grounded out (first unassisted); PITTMAN BATTED
FOR GARNER; Pittman struck out; Loucks was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 7TH: PITTMAN STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); TOLMAN REPLACED
CRUZ (PLAYING LF); Kennedy flied out to left; Perkins flied out
to right; Salazar flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 8TH: Tolman lined to left; Heep grounded out (second to
first); Thon was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 8TH: Bass popped to third in foul territory; FLANNERY
BATTED FOR ARMSTRONG; Flannery popped to catcher in foul
territory; Bonilla grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 9TH: FLANNERY STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); URREA REPLACED
BONILLA (PITCHING); Ashby struck out; PENA BATTED FOR REYNOLDS;
Pena singled to center; Niekro made an out to second; KNICELY
BATTED FOR PUHL; Knicely singled to center [Pena to second];
Pittman forced Knicely (shortstop to second); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 9TH: PENA STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); KNICELY STAYED IN
GAME (PLAYING LF); TOLMAN CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING RF);
Ramirez was called out on strikes; Richards singled to center;
WIGGINS RAN FOR RICHARDS; Jones grounded into a double play
(shortstop to second to first) [Wiggins out at second]; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.