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Occasionally, you hear about a diehard baseball fan who is said to eat, sleep and breathe the game. Houston fans got to find out just how far their fandom would take them on a wild June weekend in 1989.
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The Astros had waded through a lackluster first two months of the season. After being swept at home by Chicago, the team stood at 21-24 on May 25th, in fifth place and five games out in the NL Western Division.
A Streak Begins
Historically a bad road team, the Astros nonetheless went on the road to find themselves. They swept the Pirates in Pittsburgh to reach the .500 mark. Next, they took three in St. Louis and crept within two games of the lead. One team they had overtaken during the streak were the Los Angeles Dodgers who came to Houston to begin a four-game weekend set. Jim Deshaies extended their misery with a masterful two-hit performance in a 7-2 victory Thursday night. Then Mike Scott blanked the Bums on a four-hitter, 1-0, on Friday.
Saturday night's matchup featured Bob Knepper and Tim Leary. Knepper's night was done after Kirk Gibson blasted a solo homer in the fifth inning putting the Dodgers ahead, 4-1. Glenn Davis' blast in the fourth was the only Houston response.
Astros Tie It Up
In the sixth, however, a trio of walks loaded the bases which brought Tim Crews out of the Dodger bullpen. Ken Caminiti greeted him with a two-run single then Rafael Ramirez drove home Terry Puhl with the tying run. It was 4-4 after six and the score would stand for several hours.
As the evening progressed, benches and bullpens were depleted forcing managers Art Howe and Tommy Lasorda to get creative. Howe was in better shape, getting three innings of relief out of Larry Andersen and four out of lefty specialist Juan Agosto before turning to much-maligned starter Jim Clancy. The righthander was signed to replace Nolan Ryan after the Texas legend left Houston to pitch for the Rangers. In 1989, he had struggled to a 2-4 record and carried a 4.88 ERA as he entered in the 18th inning.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, used up seven pitchers before turning to starter Orel Hershiser, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, to start the 14th inning. He handcuffed the Astros on three hits with eight strikeouts over seven innings when Lasorda decided he could use Hershiser no longer. Orel had thrown 87 pitches on short rest and pleaded to stay in after his skipper took him out.
Enter The Emergency Pitcher
Most managers have a designated player to pitch when all the others have been used or when the score is so lopsided that they don't want to waste another pitching arm. For the Dodgers, that player was third baseman Jeff Hamilton who had been 3-for-8 as a hitter that night. But, with no other non-pitchers on the bench, Lasorda took Fernando Valenzuela, the previous night's hurler, and put him at first base, moving Eddie Murray over to third.
Hamilton retired the Astros in order in the bottom of the 21st then Clancy held serve in the top of 22nd. Bill Doran led off the last of the 22nd with a single to right and moved up to second when Davis bounced back to the mound. After Puhl was walked, Caminiti was next with the chance to be the hero. Hamilton struck him out with high heat and Caminiti angrily snapped his bat in half as he walked back to the dugout.
That left it up to Ramirez who swatted the third pitch above Valenzuela's head at first. The portly lefthander managed to tip the ball with his glove as it fell in right field. Mike Davis, playing shallow came up with the ball and threw home to try to catch Doran at the plate.
Doran had a problem waiting in his way in the form of Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia, an expert at keeping runners from getting by him to score. The thin infielder slammed into Scioscia as the ball arrived and managed to get a foot on the plate as the tag was applied. In the collision, Scioscia wasn't able to hold onto the ball and the umpire ruled "safe", ending the seven-hour-and-fourteen-minute ordeal in a 5-4 Houston triumph, their ninth straight win. The few left remaining of the over 34,000 fans who attended that night applauded their weary warriors.
A Short Night's Rest
The game ran so long that bars around Texas had to close and some cable systems dropped the HSE feed before the outcome was decided. With an afternoon game scheduled for Sunday, some of the players slept in the clubhouse rather than try to drive home.
Meanwhile, the news wires reported the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini, mastermind of the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Teheran back in 1979. Sportscaster Bill Worrell, perhaps fatigued himself, cracked that even the Ayatollah couldn't last until the finish of Saturday's game.
Howe asked for volunteers to play the series finale, eliciting hands raised from some of the players often left on the bench. That's how reserve outfielder Louie Meadows got into the game that was probably the highlight of his brief major league career.
Bob Forsch got the starting nod for Houston and was immediately shelled for five runs in the first inning, including a grand slam from Scioscia. When Hamilton drove in Scioscia again in the third to make it 6-0, the Astros could have been forgiven if they had just coasted through the rest of the game. But they didn't.
Another Comeback
Dodger pitcher Tim Belcher had little trouble the first four innings negotiating Howe's makeshift lineup. A one-out infield single by Ramirez in the fifth got the Astros started. Craig Reynolds followed with a base hit and Craig Biggio coaxed a walk. Billy Hatcher pinch-hit for Forsch and beat out a roller to first that scored Ramirez and kept the bases loaded.
Meadows, a career .173 hitter, came up and swatted a home run into the right field stands for a grand slam, getting Houston right back into the contest, trailing 6-5. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth when, down to their final out, Biggio shocked the Dodgers with a solo shot off closer Jay Howell that knotted the game at six all.
In extra innings, both teams flirted with game-winning rallies only to be denied by sparkling defensive plays. Forced to man left field, infielder-by-trade Reynolds made the most memorable one in the 12th, snaring a sinking liner by Dave Anderson for the second out than threw out Chris Gwynn at the plate who had tagged up, attempting to score.
Win Number Ten
His bullpen spent, Howe turned to Mike Scott, who tossed a complete game less than 48 hours before, to pitch the 13th. Scott struck out Rick Dempsey with two men on to escape a jam. In the bottom of the 13th, Alejandro Pena walked the bases full with nobody out. The infield was drawn in when Biggio's chopper was stabbed by second baseman Willie Randolph who threw home for the force out. That brought up Scott who was not a good-hitting pitcher. Yet, he lifted a fly ball to center field deep enough to get Ramirez home from third for the 7-6 victory, ending 35 innings of baseball played in the past 24 hours.
Houston tied their franchise-best winning streak at ten games, set the first time in 1965. After a 10-2 loss to San Diego, the Astros reeled off six more wins to take a one-game lead in the division. They faded in September, however, finishing third to the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres.
The torture wasn't over for the Dodgers. They had to call up pitchers from the minors in order to play two doubleheaders in Atlanta after leaving Houston. The games had been rescheduled from previous rainouts.
While the Saturday game was not the longest in franchise history by innings played, it was the longest in terms of time-of-game. It also increased Houston's record to 4-0 in games of 20 innings or more.
On and on it went, two baseball managers in a chess match, running out of pawns. And pitchers.
But in baseball - the National League anyway - you can't run out of time. So Art Howe of the Houston Astros and Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers, though literally down to their last able-bodied man, had to keep fighting.
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Their marathon contest extended through seven hours, 14 minutes and 22 innings, from 7:36 Saturday evening to 2:50 a.m. Sunday.
It was the longest game, by time, in the history of both franchises, and was the longest night game ever played. It was just nine minutes short of equaling the longest game time-wise ever played in the National League.
By the time the Astros' Rafael Ramirez delivered his fifth extra-inning game-winning hit of the season - off a pitcher who had started the game at third base and off the glove of a pitcher who was playing first base - not more than 5,000 of the paying crowd of 34,425 were still at the Astrodome.
But as Bill Doran crossed the plate with the first run in 16 innings, the bleary-eyed spectators stood and cheered wildly for a team that had stretched its winning streak to nine games with this stretched-out, 5-4 victory.
This was a game of quick pitching changes and multiple substitutions. The only Astros who didn't participate in it were injured outfielder Kevin Bass and pitchers Bob Forsch and Mike Scott.Howe used seven pitchers Saturday, not counting Jim Deshaies, his No. 2 starter who pinch hit (striking out) for Dave Smith in the 17th inning.
Another starting pitcher, Jim Clancy, was summoned to finish this game for Houston. He went the final five innings, allowing just two hits, to raise his record to 3-4. The only eligible Dodger whom Lasorda did not call on was Tim Belcher, the starting pitcher in Sunday's series finale.
In Saturday's game, Lasorda used two of his starting pitchers, Mike Morgan and Orel Hershiser, for relief roles, along with the third baseman, Jeff Hamilton, who was the losing pitcher. Hershiser, the Cy Young Award winner last season as the league's best pitcher, struck out eight in seven scoreless innings and retired the last 13 batters he faced.
Said Houston first baseman Glenn Davis: "I knew when I saw Hershiser come in, it was going to last a while."
Hershiser looked strong enough to pitch all morning, and he protested vigorously when Lasorda pulled him in favor of Hamilton in the 21st.
"I argued pretty hard," Hershiser said, "because I felt like we were conceding the game."
But Lasorda pointed out that his ace was pitching on just a two-day rest. "You can't jeopardize a guy's career."
Naturally, Howe was happy to see Hershiser gone. "I liked our chances then," he said.
Hamilton, after all, hadn't pitched since high school, and even then, he said, it was only because his team had run out of pitchers. But Hamilton was not the soft touch everyone expected. In fact, he was radar-clocked at as much as 92 mph. He struck out Billy Hatcher and put the Astros down in order in the bottom of the 21st.
"After throwing across the infield for 18 innings (actualy 20)," Hamilton said, "I didn't think I'd have much. The velocity drops real quick after an inning."
In the 22nd inning, Hamilton gave up a single to Doran but got cleanup hitter Davis on a grounder and struck out Ken Caminiti swinging. In a fit of frustration, Caminiti broke his bat over his leg.
But Ramirez finally conquered Hamilton by hitting a shot to right that flicked off the outstretched glove of substitute first baseman Fernando Valenzuela, who had pitched seven innings Friday. Doran, who had reached second on Davis' grounder, had a big jump and arrived at home plate a step ahead of the throw from right fielder Mike Davis. Doran slid under the tag by catcher Mike Scioscia, and umpire Fred Brocklander called him safe.
"I was really too tired to argue with Fred," Scioscia said. "Fred said he touched the plate. There was so much confusion at the time I didn't have the angle to see."
The Astros had lost out in two previous collisions with the burly Scioscia. In the 11th, John Shelby nailed Craig Reynolds trying to score on a sacrifice fly, and in the 15th, Chris Gwynn clipped Terry Puhl, who also was trying to make it home on a fly ball.
It was only because of a string of defensive gems of this nature that the game was able to endure for so long. In the sixth inning, the Astros had tied 4-4, rallying from a three-run deficit left by starting pitcher Bob Knepper. For the next 15 innings, pitching and defense prevailed. The Dodgers threatened in the eighth, with runners on first and third and one out, but the Astros' Davis dived toward the bag to spear a liner by Scioscia and turn an unassisted double play.
And in the 21st, the Dodgers had runners on second and third with one out, when Caminiti stabbed a hot grounder from Hershiser and trapped Scioscia in a rundown.
"Caminiti made a great play on a two-hopper," Hershiser said. "I crushed that ball."
Other than that one inning, Clancy was never under siege.
"I felt strong," Clancy said, "I could have gone a few more innings."
Said Howe: "He was in there for the duration."
One can only guess how long that would have been had Lasorda had the same plan with Hershiser.
Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully put his voice to the ultimate test during the weekend. He worked NBC's Game of the Week in St. Louis, which went 10 innings, prior to flying to Houston for the 22-inning game Saturday night-Sunday morning.
Scully had to announce 19 of the 22 innings because his broadcast part ner, Don Drysdale, was suffering from laryngitis. Because of the length of the game in St. Louis, Scully was barely able to get to the Astrodome on time. He arrived at his seat while the national anthem was playing.
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When the game finally ended, the 60-year-old Scully said, "Sure it was tiring. But whenever I get a day like that I think back on my summer job when I was in college, washing silverware at a New York hotel. It was in a small room and unbearably hot, with the steam and all, and it smelled so bad I passed out twice a day. I really did. Boom. Out. Compared to that, Saturday was a wonderful day."
Then Scully had another extra-inning game Sunday afternoon, as the Astros beat the Dodgers 7-6 in the 13th.
When Craig Biggio's homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth sailed into the left field seats to tie the game, Scully moaned to his Dodger audience, "Don't tell me!"
He was into his 41st inning of baseball in the past 30 hours and he wasn't finished yet. Afterward, Scully was asking, "Don't you ever play nine-inning games?"
His mellifluous voice was showing no signs of strain, which is a good thing, because he has a doubleheader to broadcast in Atlanta today. With their pitching staff depleted by the Game That Wouldn't End, the Dodgers summoned Ramon Martinez from their Albuquerque AAA farm club. Martinez, who pitched for the Dodgers late last season, has an 8-1 record and a 2.61 earned-run average for Albuquerque this year.
The Dodgers needed pitching reinforcements for their doubleheader today in Atlanta. Orel Hershiser, who had been set to pitch today, went seven innings in the marathon game.
"We'll just have to decide on the pitching," said Dodgers' Manager Tom Lasorda.
Dodger outfielder John Shelby had the longest day of anybody, as he went 0 for 10 in Saturday's game. He was one at bat short of equaling the major-league record for most at bats in an extra-inning game with no hits. Charles Pick of the Boston Braves set the record with an 0 for 11 in a 26-inning game on May 1, 1920. Shelby's cipher didn't have major impact on his batting average, however. He came in batting .163 and left at .153.
The 16 pitchers in the Saturday game combined for 613 pitches, with the Astros throwing 314 and the Dodgers 299. Twelve dozen baseballs were used.
Mike Evans, a former Dodgers employee, watched the first inning of the game in Honolulu, boarded a plane and flew to Los Angeles and watched the rest of the game on television there.
Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia called the game a good argument for a return to the 25-man roster from 24.
"I always thought there were problems," he said, "and this proves it."
The Dodgers used 23 players, a franchise record. The last time they used as many as 22 in a game was in 1918. The only Dodger who didn't get into the game was Tim Belcher, Sunday's starting pitcher, who had been sent back to the team hotel when the game started.
Jeff Hamilton, normally a third baseman, is 0-1 after his big league pitching debut. He pitched the 21st and 22nd innings and became only the second position player in 21 years to earn a decision. Jose Oquendo of St. Louis lost a game last year.
Many people would have thought Saturday's 22-inning game and Sunday's 13-inning one would have combined for the record of most innings in consecutive games. However, the 35-inning total fell far short of the major-league record of 45 played by the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves. After playing the record 26 innings on May 1, 1920, they came back to play 19 innings two days later.
Audio:
Jun 3, 1989 Rafael Ramirez drives home the winner in a 22-inning marathon. (0:41, Brown, Worrell - Astros)
Jun 4, 1989 Craig Biggio sends a game into extra innings in dramatic fashion. (0:52, Brown, Cabell - Astros)
Jun 4, 1989 Craig Reynolds, an infielder by trade, nails a runner at the plate from left field. (0:59, Brown, Worrell - Astros)
Jun 4, 1989 Mike Scott knocks in the game-winner in the 13th inning. (1:35 Brown, Worrell - Astros)
Game data courtesy of Retrosheet
LA N 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 14 1 HOU N 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 18 2
BATTING
Los Angeles Dodgers AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Randolph 2b 9 0 2 0 0 0 6 6 Hatcher rf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Davis pr,rf 8 1 0 0 1 4 2 0 Gibson lf 6 2 2 1 1 1 4 0 Hershiser p 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Valenzuela 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Murray 1b,3b 7 1 2 0 2 0 20 0 Hamilton 3b,p 9 0 3 2 1 2 0 1 Shelby cf 10 0 0 0 0 2 6 1 Dempsey c 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Crews p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wetteland p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Gonzalez ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Howell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Stubbs ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Pena p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Anderson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Morgan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gwynn lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 Griffin ss 9 0 3 0 0 1 4 6 Leary p 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 Horton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scioscia c 5 0 0 0 2 0 18 2 Totals 78 4 14 3 8 14 65 21
FIELDING - DP: 4. Griffin-Randolph-Murray, Shelby-Scioscia, Randolph-Murray, Gwynn-Scioscia. E: Randolph (2).
BATTING - 2B: Murray (16,off Knepper). HR: Gibson (4,5th inning off Knepper 0 on 2 out). HBP: Randolph (3,by Darwin); Murray (2,by Schatzeder). IBB: Murray (11,by Knepper); Scioscia (6,by Clancy). Team LOB: 18.
BASERUNNING - SB: Shelby (6,2nd base off Knepper/Biggio); Davis (1,2nd base off Darwin/Biggio).
Houston Astros AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Hatcher lf 9 0 1 0 0 2 5 0 Young cf 8 0 0 0 1 1 6 0 Doran 2b 7 2 1 0 3 0 3 3 Davis 1b 9 2 3 1 1 4 27 0 Puhl rf 8 1 1 0 2 2 5 0 Caminiti 3b 9 0 3 2 0 3 4 6 Ramirez ss 9 0 3 2 1 2 1 7 Biggio c 3 0 2 0 0 1 4 2 Schatzeder p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gross ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Andersen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Reynolds ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Agosto p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Yelding ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Deshaies ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Clancy p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Knepper p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Meadows ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Darwin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trevino c 7 0 1 0 0 0 10 0 Totals 77 5 18 5 8 17 66 25
FIELDING - DP: 2. Davis, Ramirez-Doran-Davis. E: Ramirez (15), Clancy (2). PB: Trevino (1).
BATTING - 2B: Biggio (8,off Leary); Hatcher (7,off Pena). 3B: Caminiti (2,off Pena). HR: Davis (13,4th inning off Leary 0 on 2 out). SH: Hatcher (2,off Crews); Young (4,off Hershiser); Caminiti (1,off Hershiser). IBB: Ramirez (1,by Hershiser); Puhl (2,by Hamilton). Team LOB: 18.
PITCHING
Los Angeles Dodgers IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP Leary 5.2 4 3 3 2 1 1 22 Horton 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 Crews 0.2 3 0 0 1 1 0 6 Wetteland 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Howell 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 8 Pena 2 3 0 0 0 3 0 8 Morgan 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 Hershiser 7 3 0 0 3 8 0 26 Hamilton L(0-1) 1.2 2 1 1 1 2 0 8 Totals 21.2 18 5 5 8 17 1 88
IBB: Hershiser (3,Ramirez); Hamilton (1,Puhl).
Houston Astros IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP Knepper 5 6 4 4 2 5 1 23 Darwin 1.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 Schatzeder 1.1 1 0 0 1 1 0 6 Andersen 3 2 0 0 1 1 0 12 Agosto 4 3 0 0 0 2 0 15 Smith 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 6 Clancy W(3-4) 5 2 0 0 3 2 0 19 Totals 22 14 4 4 8 14 1 88
WP: Knepper (3). HBP: Darwin (2,Randolph); Schatzeder (2,Murray). IBB: Knepper (2,Murray); Clancy (5,Scioscia).
Umpires: HP - Fred Brocklander, 1B - Bob Engel, 2B - Paul Runge, 3B - Dutch Rennert
Time of Game: 7:14 Attendance: 34425
Starting Lineups: Los Angeles Dodgers Houston Astros 1. Randolph 2b Hatcher lf 2. Hatcher rf Young cf 3. Gibson lf Doran 2b 4. Murray 1b Davis 1b 5. Hamilton 3b Puhl rf 6. Shelby cf Caminiti 3b 7. Dempsey c Ramirez ss 8. Griffin ss Biggio c 9. Leary p Knepper p DODGERS 1ST: Randolph flied to center; Hatcher singled to left; Gibson singled to center [Hatcher to third, Gibson to second (on throw to 3b)]; DAVIS RAN FOR HATCHER; Murray was walked intentionally; Hamilton singled to center [Davis scored, Gibson scored, Murray to second]; Shelby flied to left; Dempsey grounded out (third to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 2, Astros 0. ASTROS 1ST: DAVIS STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); Hatcher flied to left; Young flied to center; Doran grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 2, Astros 0. DODGERS 2ND: Griffin grounded out (third to first); Leary struck out; Randolph singled to center; Davis struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 2, Astros 0. ASTROS 2ND: Davis struck out; Puhl grounded out (shortstop to first); Caminiti flied to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 2, Astros 0. DODGERS 3RD: On a bunt Gibson grounded out (pitcher to first); Murray doubled to left; Hamilton walked; Shelby forced Hamilton (third to second) [Murray to third]; Shelby stole second; Knepper threw a wild pitch [Murray scored, Shelby out at home (catcher to pitcher)]; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 3, Astros 0. ASTROS 3RD: Ramirez grounded out (shortstop to first); Biggio singled to right; Knepper grounded out (second to first) [Biggio to second]; Hatcher grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 3, Astros 0. DODGERS 4TH: Dempsey popped to third; Griffin struck out (catcher to first); Leary was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 3, Astros 0. ASTROS 4TH: Young grounded out (pitcher to first); Doran popped to shortstop; Davis homered; Puhl grounded out (first unassisted); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 3, Astros 1. DODGERS 5TH: Randolph flied to right; Davis struck out; Gibson homered; Murray reached on an error by Ramirez; Hamilton flied to left; 1 R, 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 1. ASTROS 5TH: Caminiti singled to center; Ramirez grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Caminiti out at second]; Biggio doubled to center; MEADOWS BATTED FOR KNEPPER; Meadows flied to center; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 1. DODGERS 6TH: DARWIN REPLACED MEADOWS (PITCHING); Shelby flied to right; Dempsey flied to right; Griffin popped to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 1. ASTROS 6TH: Hatcher grounded out (shortstop to first); Young grounded out (first unassisted); Doran walked; Davis walked [Doran to second]; HORTON REPLACED LEARY (PITCHING); Puhl walked [Doran to third, Davis to second]; CREWS REPLACED DEMPSEY (PITCHING); SCIOSCIA REPLACED HORTON (PLAYING C ); Caminiti singled to center [Doran scored, Davis scored, Puhl to second]; Ramirez singled to center [Puhl scored, Caminiti to third]; Biggio was called out on strikes; 3 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 7TH: Scioscia flied to right; Randolph was hit by a pitch; Davis forced Randolph (third to second); Davis stole second; Gibson walked; SCHATZEDER REPLACED BIGGIO (PITCHING); TREVINO REPLACED DARWIN (PLAYING C ); Murray was hit by a pitch [Davis to third, Gibson to second]; Hamilton popped to first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 3 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 7TH: Trevino singled to center; Hatcher out on a sacrifice bunt (first unassisted) [Trevino to second]; Young walked; WETTELAND REPLACED CREWS (PITCHING); Doran forced Young (pitcher to shortstop) [Trevino to third]; Davis struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 8TH: Shelby struck out; GONZALEZ BATTED FOR WETTELAND; Gonzalez walked; Griffin singled to left [Gonzalez to third]; Scioscia lined into a double play (first unassisted) [Griffin out at first]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 8TH: HOWELL REPLACED GONZALEZ (PITCHING); Puhl grounded out (second to first); Caminiti struck out; Ramirez singled to left; GROSS BATTED FOR SCHATZEDER; Gross singled to right [Ramirez to third]; Trevino flied to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 9TH: ANDERSEN REPLACED GROSS (PITCHING); Randolph grounded out (pitcher to first); Davis walked; Gibson was called out on strikes; Murray grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 9TH: Hatcher lined to second; Young flied to left; Doran popped to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 10TH: Hamilton singled to center; On a bunt Shelby made an out to third; STUBBS BATTED FOR HOWELL; Stubbs singled to left [Hamilton to second]; Griffin popped to third; Scioscia grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 10TH: PENA REPLACED STUBBS (PITCHING); Davis struck out; Puhl struck out; Caminiti tripled to right; Ramirez struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 11TH: Randolph lined to first; Davis lined to right; Gibson flied to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 11TH: REYNOLDS BATTED FOR ANDERSEN; Reynolds singled to center; Trevino lined to first; Hatcher doubled to left [Reynolds to third]; Young hit into a double play (center to catcher) [Reynolds out at home]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 12TH: AGOSTO REPLACED REYNOLDS (PITCHING); Murray singled to left; Hamilton grounded out (pitcher to first) [Murray to second]; Shelby grounded out (shortstop to first) [Murray to third]; ANDERSON BATTED FOR PENA; Anderson grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 12TH: MORGAN REPLACED ANDERSON (PITCHING); Doran flied to left; Davis singled to right; Puhl forced Davis (shortstop unassisted); Caminiti grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 13TH: Griffin grounded out (third to first); Scioscia flied to center; Randolph grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 13TH: Ramirez flied to center; Agosto grounded out (shortstop to first); Trevino flied to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 14TH: Davis grounded out (first unassisted); Gibson grounded out (pitcher to first); Murray grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 14TH: HERSHISER REPLACED GIBSON (PITCHING); GWYNN REPLACED MORGAN (PLAYING LF); Hatcher reached on an error by Randolph; Young out on a sacrifice bunt (catcher to second) [Hatcher to second]; Doran walked; Davis grounded into a double play (second to first) [Doran out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 15TH: Hamilton singled to center; Shelby struck out; Gwynn struck out; Griffin singled to pitcher [Hamilton to second]; Scioscia grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 15TH: Puhl singled to second; Caminiti out on a sacrifice bunt (catcher to first) [Puhl to second]; Ramirez was walked intentionally; YELDING BATTED FOR AGOSTO; On a bunt Yelding singled to third [Puhl to third, Ramirez to second]; Trevino hit into a double play (left to catcher) [Puhl out at home]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 16TH: SMITH REPLACED YELDING (PITCHING); Randolph flied to center; Davis struck out; Hershiser struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 16TH: Hatcher struck out; Young was called out on strikes; Doran walked; Davis singled to right [Doran to second]; Puhl struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 17TH: Murray lined to center; Hamilton struck out; Shelby grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 17TH: Caminiti grounded out (second to first); Ramirez struck out; DESHAIES BATTED FOR SMITH; Deshaies was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 18TH: CLANCY REPLACED DESHAIES (PITCHING); On a bunt Gwynn grounded out (pitcher to first); Griffin singled to right; Griffin was picked off first but was safe on an error by Clancy [Griffin to second]; Scioscia was walked intentionally; Randolph grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Scioscia out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 18TH: Trevino grounded out (pitcher to first); Hatcher popped to second; Young flied to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 19TH: Davis grounded out (second to first); Hershiser grounded out (shortstop to first); Murray walked; Hamilton was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 19TH: Doran flied to center; Davis struck out; Puhl flied to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 20TH: Shelby flied to center; Gwynn grounded out (shortstop to first); Griffin popped to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 20TH: Caminiti struck out; Ramirez grounded out (pitcher to first); Clancy struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 21ST: Scioscia walked; Randolph singled to center [Scioscia to second]; Trevino allowed a passed ball [Scioscia to third, Randolph to second]; Davis struck out; Hershiser reached on a fielder's choice [Scioscia out at home (third to catcher)]; Murray lined to shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 21ST: VALENZUELA REPLACED HERSHISER (PLAYING 1B); MURRAY CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING 3B); HAMILTON CHANGED POSITIONS (PITCHING); Trevino popped to first; Hatcher was called out on strikes; Young popped to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. DODGERS 22ND: Hamilton grounded out (shortstop to first); Shelby flied to center; Gwynn popped to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 4. ASTROS 22ND: Doran singled to right; Davis grounded out (pitcher to first) [Doran to second]; Puhl was walked intentionally; Caminiti struck out; Ramirez singled to right [Doran scored, Puhl to second]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 4, Astros 5. Final Totals R H E LOB Dodgers 4 14 1 18 Astros 5 18 2 18
LA N 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 6 11 1 HOU N 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 - 7 11 0
BATTING
Los Angeles Dodgers AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Gwynn cf,rf 6 1 2 0 0 1 3 0 Anderson 2b,3b 6 1 1 0 0 1 2 4 Gibson lf 5 1 2 0 1 1 6 0 Murray 1b 5 0 0 1 0 0 7 0 Davis rf 3 1 0 0 2 0 5 0 Gonzalez pr,cf 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 Scioscia c 4 2 2 4 1 0 8 1 Pena p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hamilton 3b 5 0 1 1 0 3 0 2 Crews p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dempsey ph,c 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Griffin ss 5 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 Belcher p 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 Stubbs ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Howell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Horton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Randolph 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 Totals 46 6 11 6 4 10 38 14
FIELDING - DP: 2. Belcher-Griffin-Murray, Hamilton-Scioscia-Murray. E: Dempsey (3).
BATTING - 2B: Hamilton (10,off Forsch). 3B: Gwynn (1,off Smith); Gonzalez (1,off Scott). HR: Scioscia (3,1st inning off Forsch 3 on 1 out). SH: Scioscia (2,off Andersen). SF: Murray (6,off Forsch). IBB: Davis (1,by Forsch); Scioscia (7,by Scott). Team LOB: 7.
BASERUNNING - SB: Gibson (7,2nd base off Forsch/Biggio). CS: Randolph (5,2nd base by Smith/Biggio).
Houston Astros AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Meadows lf,rf 6 1 2 4 0 1 3 0 Young cf 6 0 2 0 0 0 7 0 Caminiti 3b 5 0 0 0 0 2 3 4 Davis 1b 5 0 1 0 1 3 7 2 Gross rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 Doran ph,2b 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Ramirez ss 4 2 1 0 2 0 1 1 Reynolds 2b,lf 4 1 1 0 1 0 2 3 Biggio c 4 2 1 1 2 1 11 1 Forsch p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hatcher ph 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 Schatzeder p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Puhl ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Darwin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yelding ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Andersen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trevino ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scott p 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 44 7 11 7 7 7 39 11
FIELDING - DP: 1. Reynolds-Biggio.
BATTING - HR: Meadows (1,5th inning off Belcher 3 on 1 out); Biggio (3,9th inning off Howell 0 on 2 out). SH: Caminiti (2,off Howell); Reynolds (1,off Horton). SF: Scott (1,off Pena). IBB: Davis (3,by Horton); Biggio (5,by Crews); Reynolds (4,by Pena). Team LOB: 9.
BASERUNNING - SB: Doran (8,2nd base off Pena/Dempsey).
PITCHING
Los Angeles Dodgers IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP Belcher 8 8 5 5 1 6 1 32 Howell 1.1 3 1 1 0 0 1 7 Horton 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 Crews 1.2 0 0 0 1 1 0 6 Pena L(2-2) 0.2 0 1 1 3 0 0 5 Totals 12.2 11 7 7 7 7 2 54
WP: Belcher (1). IBB: Horton (1,Davis); Crews (3,Biggio); Pena (2,Reynolds).
Houston Astros IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP Forsch 5 7 6 6 2 2 1 24 Schatzeder 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 6 Darwin 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 Andersen 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 8 Smith 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 Scott W(9-3) 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 5 Totals 13 11 6 6 4 10 1 52
IBB: Forsch (4,Davis); Scott (3,Scioscia).
Umpires: HP - Bob Engel, 1B - Paul Runge, 2B - Dutch Rennert, 3B - Fred Brocklander
Time of Game: 4:17 Attendance: 30311
Starting Lineups: Los Angeles Dodgers Houston Astros 1. Gwynn cf Meadows lf 2. Anderson 2b Young cf 3. Gibson lf Caminiti 3b 4. Murray 1b Davis 1b 5. Davis rf Gross rf 6. Scioscia c Ramirez ss 7. Hamilton 3b Reynolds 2b 8. Griffin ss Biggio c 9. Belcher p Forsch p DODGERS 1ST: Gwynn singled to second; Anderson singled to left [Gwynn to second]; Gibson singled to third [Gwynn to third, Anderson to second]; Murray hit a sacrifice fly to center [Gwynn scored, Anderson to third]; Gibson stole second; Davis was walked intentionally; Scioscia homered [Anderson scored, Gibson scored, Davis scored]; Hamilton flied out to center; Griffin singled to left; Belcher struck out; 5 R, 5 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 5, Astros 0. ASTROS 1ST: Meadows struck out; Young flied out to left; Caminiti struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 5, Astros 0. DODGERS 2ND: Gwynn grounded out (third to first); Anderson grounded out (third to first); Gibson walked; Murray flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 5, Astros 0. ASTROS 2ND: Davis struck out; Gross singled to right; Ramirez grounded into a double play (pitcher to shortstop to first) [Gross out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 5, Astros 0. DODGERS 3RD: Davis flied out to right; Scioscia singled to center; Hamilton doubled to right [Scioscia scored]; Griffin grounded out (second to first) [Hamilton to third]; Belcher grounded out (third to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 0. ASTROS 3RD: Reynolds grounded out (second to pitcher); Biggio struck out; Forsch flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 0. DODGERS 4TH: Gwynn flied out to right; Anderson struck out; Gibson flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 0. ASTROS 4TH: Meadows flied out to right; Young singled to right; Caminiti flied out to center; Belcher threw a wild pitch [Young to second]; Davis struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 0. DODGERS 5TH: Murray popped to third; Davis grounded out (third to first); Scioscia flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 0. ASTROS 5TH: Gross flied out to center; Ramirez singled to second; Reynolds singled to left [Ramirez to second]; Biggio walked [Ramirez to third, Reynolds to second]; HATCHER BATTED FOR FORSCH; Hatcher singled to first [Ramirez scored, Reynolds to third, Biggio to second]; Meadows homered [Reynolds scored, Biggio scored, Hatcher scored]; Young flied out to left; Caminiti struck out; 5 R, 4 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. DODGERS 6TH: SCHATZEDER REPLACED HATCHER (PITCHING); Hamilton struck out; Griffin struck out; Belcher flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. ASTROS 6TH: Davis flied out to right; Gross flied out to left; Ramirez grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. DODGERS 7TH: Gwynn flied out to left; Anderson flied out to center; Gibson struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. ASTROS 7TH: Reynolds grounded out (second to pitcher); Biggio grounded out (pitcher to first); PUHL BATTED FOR SCHATZEDER; Puhl singled; Meadows made an out to first; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. DODGERS 8TH: DARWIN REPLACED PUHL (PITCHING); Murray flied out to left; Davis popped to third; Scioscia lined to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. ASTROS 8TH: Young grounded out (second to first); Caminiti flied out to center; Davis singled to center; Gross flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. DODGERS 9TH: Hamilton struck out; Griffin grounded out (second to first); STUBBS BATTED FOR BELCHER; Stubbs struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 5. ASTROS 9TH: HOWELL REPLACED STUBBS (PITCHING); Ramirez flied out to right; Reynolds flied out to right; Biggio homered; YELDING BATTED FOR DARWIN; Yelding lined to left; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. DODGERS 10TH: ANDERSEN REPLACED YELDING (PITCHING); Gwynn struck out; Anderson flied out to right; Gibson singled to right; Murray forced Gibson (first to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. ASTROS 10TH: Meadows singled to second; Young singled to left [Meadows to second]; Caminiti out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second) [Meadows to third, Young to second]; HORTON REPLACED HOWELL (PITCHING); Davis was walked intentionally; DORAN BATTED FOR GROSS; Doran grounded into a double play (third to catcher to first) [Meadows out at home]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. DODGERS 11TH: DORAN STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); MEADOWS CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING RF); REYNOLDS CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); Davis walked; GONZALEZ RAN FOR DAVIS; Scioscia out on a sacrifice bunt (first to second) [Gonzalez to second]; Hamilton struck out; Griffin flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. ASTROS 11TH: GONZALEZ STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING CF); GWYNN CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING RF); Ramirez walked; Reynolds out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second) [Ramirez to second]; CREWS REPLACED HAMILTON (PITCHING); ANDERSON CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING 3B); RANDOLPH REPLACED HORTON (PLAYING 2B); Biggio was walked intentionally; TREVINO BATTED FOR ANDERSEN; Trevino forced Biggio (third to second) [Ramirez to third]; Meadows flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. DODGERS 12TH: SMITH REPLACED TREVINO (PITCHING); Randolph singled to center; Randolph was caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); Gwynn tripled to center; Anderson lined into a double play [Gwynn out at home (left to catcher)]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. ASTROS 12TH: Young flied out to left; Caminiti grounded out (second to first); Davis struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. DODGERS 13TH: SCOTT REPLACED SMITH (PITCHING); Gibson flied out to right; Murray grounded out (shortstop to first); Gonzalez tripled to left; Scioscia was walked intentionally; DEMPSEY BATTED FOR CREWS; Scioscia advanced to second because of defensive indifference [Scioscia to second]; Dempsey struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 6. ASTROS 13TH: DEMPSEY STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING C ); PENA REPLACED SCIOSCIA (PITCHING); Doran walked; Doran stole second [Doran to third (error by Dempsey)]; Ramirez walked; Reynolds was walked intentionally [Ramirez to second]; Biggio forced Doran (second to catcher) [Reynolds to second, Ramirez to third]; Scott hit a sacrifice fly to center [Ramirez scored]; 1 R, 0 H, 1 E, 2 LOB. Dodgers 6, Astros 7. Final Totals R H E LOB Dodgers 6 11 1 7 Astros 7 11 0 9