May 4, 1981 Houston Astros at Chicago Cubs Box Score and Play by Play

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BAL 4
MIN 3
(10) NYY 4
@CAL 2 BOS 8
@KCR 7
(12) MIL 9
@SEA 5 HOU 5
@CHC 4 MON 4
LAD 3 PHI 6
SFG 4 ATL 9
@STL 6

Standings at end of play this day

Wrigley Field, Attendance: 2,941

Monday, May 4, 1981
Time of Game: 3:02

Astros

10-13

Won 2

4th, 6 GB

                1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9    R  H  E
                -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -    -  -  -
Astros          3  0  0   0  0  2   0  0  0    5  9  0
Cubs            0  0  0   0  0  1   0  0  3    4 11  2

W: J Andujar (1-1), L: M Krukow (1-2), S: J Sambito (1)

Cubs

3-16

Lost 2

6th, 10½ GB

BATTING

Houston Astros               AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
T Puhl CF                     4   1   1   0    0   2  .198  .556    0    1   0   HBP
C Reynolds SS                 4   0   0   0    1   2  .250  .657    0    1   4   GDP
D Heep RF                     2   1   1   0    1   0  .250  .618    0    0   0   
  G Woods PR-RF               2   0   0   0    0   0  .083  .237    0    3   0   
J Cruz LF                     5   1   1   3    0   1  .231  .727    0    1   0   HR
M Ivie 1B                     4   1   2   0    0   0  .265  .630    0    6   0   
A Howe 3B                     4   1   1   0    0   0  .296  .824    0    0   0   
A Ashby C                     4   0   1   1    0   1  .183  .486    0   12   0   
K Garcia 2B                   4   0   2   1    0   1  .429  .954    0    3   5   
J Andujar P                   2   0   0   0    1   1  .000  .250    0    0   0   
  B Sprowl P                  1   0   0   0    0   0  .000  .000    0    0   0   
  F LaCorte P                 0   0   0   0    0   0  .000  .000         0   0   
  J Sambito P                 0   0   0   0    0   0  .000  .000         0   0   
Totals                       36   5   9   5    3   8                    27   9

BATTING

HR: J Cruz (5, off M Krukow; 1st inn, 2 on, 1 out to RF).

HBP: T Puhl (1, by M Krukow).

TB: J Cruz 4; K Garcia 2; M Ivie 2; A Ashby; A Howe; T Puhl; D Heep.

GIDP: C Reynolds (3).

RBI: J Cruz 3 (15); K Garcia (2); A Ashby (5).

Team LOB: 8.

With RISP: 3 for 8.

Chicago Cubs                 AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
S Thompson CF                 4   0   2   0    1   0  .171  .450    0    4   0   2B
S Fletcher 2B                 4   0   1   0    0   1  .194  .445    0    0   0   
  R Eastwick P                0   0   0   0    0   0                     1   0   
  J Morales PH                1   0   0   0    0   1  .340  .763    0    0   0   
B Buckner 1B                  5   0   3   1    0   0  .284  .804    0    8   1   2B
  R Reuschel PR               0   0   0   0    0   0  .000  .000         0   0   
S Henderson LF                5   0   0   0    0   4  .342  .854    0    2   0   
L Durham RF                   5   0   2   0    0   2  .258  .729    0    2   0   2·SB
H Cruz 3B                     4   1   1   1    0   1  .190  .721    0    0   2   HR
T Blackwell C                 2   1   0   0    2   1  .163  .513    0    7   1   
I DeJesus SS                  4   1   1   0    0   1  .149  .403    0    3   2   
M Krukow P                    2   0   0   0    0   1  .143  .286    0    0   2   
  D Capilla P                 0   0   0   0    0   0                     0   0   
  S Dillard PH-2B             2   1   1   2    0   0  .286  .715    0    0   0   2B
Totals                       38   4  11   4    3  12                    27   8

BATTING

2B: B Buckner (8, off B Sprowl); S Dillard (1, off B Sprowl); S Thompson (1, off J Andujar).

HR: H Cruz (1, off J Andujar; 6th inn, 0 on, 1 out to LF).

TB: B Buckner 4; H Cruz 4; S Thompson 3; L Durham 2; S Dillard 2; I DeJesus; S Fletcher.

RBI: S Dillard 2 (2); B Buckner (10); H Cruz (2).

Team LOB: 10.

With RISP: 3 for 16.

FIELDING

DP: 1. I DeJesus-B Buckner.

E: T Blackwell (1); I DeJesus (4).

BASERUNNING

SB: L Durham 2 (4, 2nd base off J Andujar/A Ashby 2).

PITCHING

Houston Astros                IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
J Andujar, W (1-1)             5.1   7   1   1    1   8   1   2.55   24     -       ·  ·      9· 3· 3· 0     57    -     1.09   0.20
B Sprowl                       2.2   3   3   3    2   1   0   4.76   13     -       ·  ·      3· 5· 2· 0          0-0    0.96  -0.22
F LaCorte, H (2)               0.2   1   0   0    0   2   0   1.86    3     -       ·  ·      1· 0· 1· 0          2-1    5.70   0.12
J Sambito, S (1)               0.1   0   0   0    0   1   0   2.40    1     -       ·  ·      0· 0· 0· 0          2-0    7.39   0.19
Totals                         9    11   4   4    3  12   1          41     -       ·  ·     13· 8· 6· 0          4-1

Chicago Cubs                  IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
M Krukow, L (1-2)              5     8   5   3    2   4   1   4.26   26     -       ·  ·      9· 5· 4· 1     37    -     0.69  -0.25
D Capilla                      2     0   0   0    1   1   0   3.18    7     -       ·  ·      2· 3· 0· 0          2-0    0.29   0.03
R Eastwick                     2     1   0   0    0   3   0   2.92    7     -       ·  ·      3· 0· 1· 0          0-0    0.12   0.01
Totals                         9     9   5   3    3   8   1          40     -       ·  ·     14· 8· 5· 1          2-0

B Sprowl faced 4 batters in the 9th inning.
M Krukow faced 4 batters in the 6th inning.

Balks: None.

WP: None.

IBB: None.

HBP: M Krukow (1; T Puhl).

OTHER

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

Time of Game: 3:02.

Attendance: 2,941.

Field Condition: Unknown.

Weather: 70° F, Wind 15mph in unknown direction.

LINEUPS

   Houston Astros                Chicago Cubs                         
1. T Puhl               CF    1. S Thompson           CF 
2. C Reynolds           SS    2. S Fletcher           2B 
3. D Heep               RF    3. B Buckner            1B 
4. J Cruz               LF    4. S Henderson          LF 
5. M Ivie               1B    5. L Durham             RF 
6. A Howe               3B    6. H Cruz               3B 
7. A Ashby              C     7. T Blackwell          C  
8. K Garcia             2B    8. I DeJesus            SS 
9. J Andujar            P     9. M Krukow             P

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

   Inn Out Score RoB  Pt wWPA  wWE  Batter          Pitcher         Play Detail
  +---+---+-----+---+---+----+----++---------------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
   b 9   1  5-3  12-     -26%  55% B Buckner       F LaCorte       Single to CF (Line Drive); Dillard Scores; Thompson to 3B
   b 9   1  5-4  1-3      26%  81% S Henderson     F LaCorte       Strikeout
   t 1   1  0-0  12-      23%  77% J Cruz          M Krukow        Home Run; Puhl Scores/unER; Heep Scores
   b 9   2  5-4  1-3      19% 100% L Durham        J Sambito       Strikeout
   b 9   0  5-3  -2-     -13%  69% S Thompson      B Sprowl        Walk

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Top of the 1st, Astros Batting, Tied 0-0, Mike Krukow facing 1-2-3
  Scr/Out RoB  Pt  wWE  Batter          Play Detail
  +------+---+---+----++---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
          ---      54%  T Puhl          Reached on E6 (Ground Ball)
   O      1--      50%  C Reynolds      Strikeout
          1--      54%  D Heep          Walk; Puhl to 2B
   RRR    12-      77%  J Cruz          Home Run; Puhl Scores/unER; Heep Scores
          ---      78%  M Ivie          Single to CF (Line Drive)
   O      1--      77%  A Howe          Flyball: CF
   O      1--      76%  A Ashby         Lineout: SS
                  3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Bottom of the 1st, Cubs Batting, Behind 0-3, Joaquin Andujar facing 1-2-3
   O      ---      78%  S Thompson      Groundout: 2B-1B
   O      ---      79%  S Fletcher      Strikeout
   O      ---      80%  B Buckner       Groundout: SS-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Top of the 2nd, Astros Batting, Ahead 3-0, Mike Krukow facing 8-9-1
   O      ---      79%  K Garcia        Strikeout
          ---      80%  J Andujar       Walk
          1--      82%  T Puhl          Single to 3B/Bunt; Andujar to 2B
   OO     12-      77%  C Reynolds      Ground Ball Double Play: SS-1B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Bottom of the 2nd, Cubs Batting, Behind 0-3, Joaquin Andujar facing 4-5-6
   O      ---      79%  S Henderson     Strikeout
          ---      77%  L Durham        Single to LF (Ground Ball)
          1--      75%  H Cruz          Durham Steals 2B
   O      -2-      79%  " "             Strikeout
          -2-      77%  T Blackwell     Walk
   O      12-      81%  I DeJesus       Groundout: 2B-SS/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Top of the 3rd, Astros Batting, Ahead 3-0, Mike Krukow facing 3-4-5
   O      ---      80%  D Heep          Groundout: 1B unassisted
   O      ---      79%  J Cruz          Groundout: P-1B
   O      ---      79%  M Ivie          Flyball: CF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Bottom of the 3rd, Cubs Batting, Behind 0-3, Joaquin Andujar facing 9-1-2
   O      ---      81%  M Krukow        Strikeout
          ---      78%  S Thompson      Single to CF (Line Drive)
   O      1--      81%  S Fletcher      Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
          1--      79%  B Buckner       Single to RF (Ground Ball); Fletcher to 2B
   O      12-      83%  S Henderson     Strikeout Looking
                  0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Top of the 4th, Astros Batting, Ahead 3-0, Mike Krukow facing 6-7-8
   O      ---      82%  A Howe          Flyball: CF
   O      ---      81%  A Ashby         Flyball: LF
   O      ---      81%  K Garcia        Groundout: P-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Bottom of the 4th, Cubs Batting, Behind 0-3, Joaquin Andujar facing 5-6-7
          ---      77%  L Durham        Single to CF (Line Drive)
   O      1--      80%  H Cruz          Popfly: 2B
          1--      79%  T Blackwell     Durham Steals 2B
   O      -2-      83%  " "             Strikeout
   O      -2-      85%  I DeJesus       Strikeout Looking
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Top of the 5th, Astros Batting, Ahead 3-0, Mike Krukow facing 9-1-2
   O      ---      84%  J Andujar       Strikeout Looking
          ---      86%  T Puhl          Hit By Pitch
   O      1--      84%  C Reynolds      Flyball: CF
          1--      86%  D Heep          Single to CF (Ground Ball); Puhl to 3B
                  Gary Woods pinch runs for Danny Heep batting 3rd
   O      1-3      83%  J Cruz          Strikeout Looking
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Bottom of the 5th, Cubs Batting, Behind 0-3, Joaquin Andujar facing 9-1-2
                  Gary Woods moves to RF
   O      ---      86%  M Krukow        Groundout: SS-1B
          ---      81%  S Thompson      Double to CF (Fly Ball to LF-CF)
          -2-      76%  S Fletcher      Single to SS (Ground Ball); Thompson to 3B
   O      1-3      83%  B Buckner       Flyball: LF
   O      1-3      88%  S Henderson     Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 3, Cubs 0.

Top of the 6th, Astros Batting, Ahead 3-0, Mike Krukow facing 5-6-7
          ---      88%  M Ivie          E2 on Foul Ball
          ---      89%  " "             Single to CF (Line Drive)
          1--      92%  A Howe          Single to 3B (Ground Ball); Ivie to 2B
   R      12-      95%  A Ashby         Single to RF (Line Drive); Ivie Scores/unER; Howe to 2B
   R      12-      98%  K Garcia        Single to LF (Ground Ball); Howe Scores; Ashby to 3B
                  Doug Capilla replaces Mike Krukow pitching and batting 9th
   O      1-3      97%  J Andujar       Groundout: SS-1B; Garcia to 2B
   O      -23      96%  T Puhl          Strikeout Looking
          -23      96%  C Reynolds      Walk
   O      123      95%  G Woods         Flyball: LF
                  2 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 0.

Bottom of the 6th, Cubs Batting, Behind 0-5, Joaquin Andujar facing 5-6-7
   O      ---      97%  L Durham        Strikeout
   R      ---      94%  H Cruz          Home Run (Line Drive)
                  Bobby Sprowl replaces Joaquin Andujar pitching and batting 9th
   O      ---      95%  T Blackwell     Flyball: RF
   O      ---      95%  I DeJesus       Flyball: RF
                  1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 1.

Top of the 7th, Astros Batting, Ahead 5-1, Doug Capilla facing 4-5-6
   O      ---      95%  J Cruz          Popfly: 1B
   O      ---      94%  M Ivie          Groundout: 3B-1B
   O      ---      94%  A Howe          Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 1.

Bottom of the 7th, Cubs Batting, Behind 1-5, Bobby Sprowl facing 9-1-2
                  Steve Dillard pinch hits for Doug Capilla batting 9th
   O      ---      96%  S Dillard       Flyball: CF
   O      ---      97%  S Thompson      Groundout: 2B-1B
   O      ---      97%  S Fletcher      Groundout: 2B-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 1.

Top of the 8th, Astros Batting, Ahead 5-1, Rawly Eastwick facing 7-8-9
                  Rawly Eastwick replaces Scott Fletcher pitching and batting 2nd; Steve Dillard moves to 2B
   O      ---      97%  A Ashby         Strikeout
          ---      97%  K Garcia        Single to SS (Ground Ball)
   O      1--      97%  B Sprowl        Bunt Groundout: 3B-SS/Forceout at 2B
   O      1--      96%  T Puhl          Strikeout
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 1.

Bottom of the 8th, Cubs Batting, Behind 1-5, Bobby Sprowl facing 3-4-5
          ---      93%  B Buckner       Double to RF (Line Drive)
   O      -2-      96%  S Henderson     Strikeout
   O      -2-      98%  L Durham        Groundout: 2B-1B; Buckner to 3B
   O      --3      99%  H Cruz          Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 1.

Top of the 9th, Astros Batting, Ahead 5-1, Rawly Eastwick facing 2-3-4
   O      ---      99%  C Reynolds      Strikeout
   O      ---      99%  G Woods         Lineout: RF
   O      ---      98%  J Cruz          Groundout: 1B-P
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 1.

Bottom of the 9th, Cubs Batting, Behind 1-5, Bobby Sprowl facing 7-8-9
          ---      97%  T Blackwell     Walk
          1--      92%  I DeJesus       Single to LF (Line Drive); Blackwell to 2B
   RR     12-      82%  S Dillard       Double to CF (Fly Ball); Blackwell Scores; DeJesus Scores
          -2-      69%  S Thompson      Walk
                  Frank LaCorte replaces Bobby Sprowl pitching and batting 9th; Jerry Morales pinch hits for Rawly Eastwick batting 2nd
   O      12-      82%  J Morales       Strikeout (foul bunt)
   R      12-      55%  B Buckner       Single to CF (Line Drive); Dillard Scores; Thompson to 3B
                  Rick Reuschel pinch runs for Bill Buckner batting 3rd
   O      1-3      81%  S Henderson     Strikeout
                  Joe Sambito replaces Frank LaCorte pitching and batting 9th
   O      1-3     100%  L Durham        Strikeout
        3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 5, Cubs 4.

Retrosheet.org Boxscore:CHN198105040

Play-by-Play Explanation

Scr/Out- This has a "O" for every out on the play and an "R" for every run that scored on the play. Some plays will have both in no particular order.
RoB- This gives the baserunner (Runners on Base) configuration at the start of the play. "1-3" would mean runners on first and third. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Pt- When available, the number of pitches in this plate appearance. Clicking on this number will show the sequence of pitches thrown including, when available, things like runner going, ball blocked, attempted pickoffs and the like. We believe this data to be as accurate as humanly possible, but there are going to be some errors in the data, so please take it with a grain of salt. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Batter- The batter at the plate when this play occurred. If the play is a baserunning event, then the batter's name will be repeated as indicated by quotes.
Play Detail- This is an explanation of the play that occurred. In some cases, batted ball location and type will be indicated within parentheses. Again, these are best efforts to the record the game as it happened. Also, plays made on the baserunners (including the batter as a baserunner) will be indicated in parentheses after the baserunner's name. Advancement of baserunners is given in cases where the advancement is not easily deduced or obvious from the play. For example, advancement for a walk will not be given, but for a single or double it will be given.

Please report any issues or strangeness you see with the description of plays given above. We have tested several hundred different types of plays, but, in all likelihood, there are still some errors or misinterpretations of the play-by-play data.

The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at 20 Sunset Rd., Newark, DE 19711.

In some cases, the results from play-by-play data will contradict results in the official record. The official record has many, many errors, but we have not undertaken to reconcile those errors. Pitch-by-pitch data should not be taken as completely accurate, though we believe it to be as accurate as is currently possible.


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BATTING

PITCHING

OTHER

LINEUPS

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Play-by-Play Explanation