September 17, 1981 Houston Astros at San Diego Padres Box Score and Play by Play

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BOS 6
DET 1 BAL 6
@CLE 2 LAD 2
ATL 0 STL 7
@MON 4 PHI 3
@NYM 2 HOU 9
@SDP 0 CIN 1
@SFG 0
(10)

Standings at end of play this day

Qualcomm Stadium, Attendance: 2,428

Thursday, September 17, 1981
Time of Game: 2:14

Astros

52-42

Won 2

3rd, 6 GB

                1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9    R  H  E
                -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -    -  -  -
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

W: J Niekro (9-7), L: S Mura (5-13)

Padres

34-60

Lost 2

6th, 24 GB

BATTING

Houston Astros               AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
T Puhl RF                     5   1   2   0    0   0  .251  .676    0    3   0   2B
  A Knicely PH-LF             1   0   1   0    0   0 1.000 2.000    0    0   0   
P Garner 2B                   4   2   2   0    0   0  .249  .635    0    1   6   
  J Pittman PH-2B             2   0   0   0    0   1  .271  .659    0    1   1   
T Scott CF                    4   2   2   1    0   1  .263  .655    0    3   0   2B
  S Loucks CF                 1   0   0   0    0   1  .000  .000    0    0   0   
J Cruz LF                     3   2   0   0    1   0  .264  .738    0    2   0   
  T Tolman LF-RF              1   0   0   0    0   0  .000  .000    0    1   0   
D Heep 1B                     5   1   2   4    0   0  .244  .591    0   11   0   
A Howe 3B                     3   1   2   0    1   0  .314  .816    0    0   0   2B,IW
  D Thon PR-3B                1   0   0   0    0   1  .227  .603    0    2   0   
A Ashby C                     3   0   1   1    1   2  .281  .736    0    3   0   2B,IW
C Reynolds SS                 4   0   1   3    0   0  .251  .669    0    0   2   3B
  B Pena PH-SS                1   0   1   0    0   0 1.000 2.000    0    0   1   
J Niekro P                    5   0   0   0    0   0  .188  .428    0    0   0   
Totals                       43   9  14   9    3   6                    27  10

BATTING

2B: T Puhl (16, off D Boone); A Howe (22, off M Armstrong); T Scott (15, off S Mura); A Ashby (13, off D Boone).

3B: C Reynolds (11, off S Mura).

IBB: A Howe (7, by J Littlefield); A Ashby (6, by M Armstrong).

TB: C Reynolds 3; A Howe 3; T Scott 3; T Puhl 3; P Garner 2; D Heep 2; A Ashby 2; B Pena; A Knicely.

RBI: D Heep 4 (10); C Reynolds 3 (26); A Ashby (29); T Scott (35).

2-out RBI: C Reynolds 3.

Team LOB: 11.

With RISP: 5 for 20.

FIELDING

DP: 1. B Pena-J Pittman-D Heep.

San Diego Padres             AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
J Bonilla 2B                  4   0   0   0    0   0  .304  .715    0    3   3   
  J Urrea P                   0   0   0   0    0   0  .250  .500         0   0   
O Smith SS                    2   0   0   0    0   1  .238  .578    0    0   1   
  M Ramirez SS                2   0   0   0    0   1  .250  .500    0    0   3   
G Richards LF                 4   0   2   0    0   0  .285  .773    0    3   0   
  A Wiggins PR                0   0   0   0    0   0  .111  .311         0   0   
R Jones CF                    4   0   0   0    0   0  .246  .696    0    1   0   GDP
T Kennedy C                   3   0   1   0    0   0  .308  .740    0    6   0   
B Perkins RF                  3   0   0   0    0   0  .284  .716    0    1   0   
L Salazar 3B                  3   0   1   0    0   0  .299  .724    0    0   1   
R Bass 1B                     3   0   0   0    0   0  .216  .620    0   10   0   
S Mura P                      0   0   0   0    0   0  .119  .302         0   0   
  D Boone P                   0   0   0   0    0   0  .500 1.000         1   1   
  S Swisher PH                1   0   0   0    0   0  .154  .368    0    0   0   
  J Littlefield P             0   0   0   0    0   0  .000  .000         0   0   
  J Moreno PH                 1   0   1   0    0   0  .188  .431    0    0   0   
  M Armstrong P               0   0   0   0    0   0                     0   0   
  T Flannery PH-2B            1   0   0   0    0   0  .343  .808    0    2   0   
Totals                       31   0   5   0    0   2                    27   9

BATTING

TB: G Richards 2; T Kennedy; J Moreno; L Salazar.

GIDP: R Jones (5).

Team LOB: 4.

With RISP: 0 for 2.

FIELDING

E: J Bonilla (9); T Kennedy (18); B Perkins (3); O Smith (13).

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 Niekro, W (9-7)              9     5   0   0    0   2   0   2.74   31     -       ·  ·     10·13· 1· 5     79    -     0.20   0.08
Totals                         9     5   0   0    0   2   0          31     -       ·  ·     10·13· 1· 5           -

San Diego Padres              IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
S Mura, L (5-13)               0.2   5   5   5    1   1   0   4.41    8     -       ·  ·      0· 0· 1· 5     22    -     1.48  -0.41
D Boone                        2.1   2   0   0    0   1   0   3.07    9     -       ·  ·      2· 4· 0· 2          1-0    0.37   0.03
J Littlefield                  2     4   4   3    1   0   0   4.11   14     -       ·  ·      6· 2· 0· 4          0-0    0.19  -0.05
M Armstrong                    3     1   0   0    1   3   0   7.00   11     -       ·  ·      3· 2· 1· 1          0-0    0.01   0.00
J Urrea                        1     2   0   0    0   1   0   2.60    5     -       ·  ·      1· 1· 0· 2          0-0    0.00   0.00
Totals                         9    14   9   8    3   6   0          47     -       ·  ·     12· 9· 2·14          1-0

Balks: None.

WP: None.

IBB: J Littlefield (5; A Howe); M Armstrong (3; A Ashby).

HBP: None.

OTHER

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

Time of Game: 2:14.

Attendance: 2,428.

Field Condition: Unknown.

Weather: Unknown.

LINEUPS

   Houston Astros                San Diego Padres                     
1. T Puhl               RF    1. J Bonilla            2B 
2. P Garner             2B    2. O Smith              SS 
3. T Scott              CF    3. G Richards           LF 
4. J Cruz               LF    4. R Jones              CF 
5. D Heep               1B    5. T Kennedy            C  
6. A Howe               3B    6. B Perkins            RF 
7. A Ashby              C     7. L Salazar            3B 
8. C Reynolds           SS    8. R Bass               1B 
9. J Niekro             P     9. S Mura               P

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

   Inn Out Score RoB  Pt wWPA  wWE  Batter          Pitcher         Play Detail
  +---+---+-----+---+---+----+----++---------------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
   t 1   2  0-2  123      17%  91% C Reynolds      S Mura          Triple to CF; Cruz Scores; Heep Scores; Howe Scores
   t 1   1  0-0  123      14%  74% D Heep          S Mura          Single to LF; Garner Scores; Scott Scores; Cruz to 2B
   t 1   1  0-0  1--       9%  60% T Scott         S Mura          Double to RF; Garner to 3B
   t 1   1  0-2  123      -5%  73% A Ashby         S Mura          Strikeout
   t 1   1  0-2  12-       4%  79% A Howe          S Mura          Single to RF; Cruz to 3B; Heep to 2B

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Top of the 1st, Astros Batting, Tied 0-0, Steve Mura facing 1-2-3
  Scr/Out RoB  Pt  wWE  Batter          Play Detail
  +------+---+---+----++---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
   O      ---      48%  T Puhl          Lineout: 2B
          ---      50%  P Garner        Single to LF
          1--      60%  T Scott         Double to RF; Garner to 3B
          -23      61%  J Cruz          Walk
   RR     123      74%  D Heep          Single to LF; Garner Scores; Scott Scores; Cruz to 2B
          12-      79%  A Howe          Single to RF; Cruz to 3B; Heep to 2B
   O      123      73%  A Ashby         Strikeout
   RRR    123      91%  C Reynolds      Triple to CF; Cruz Scores; Heep Scores; Howe Scores
                  Danny Boone replaces Steve Mura pitching and batting 9th
   O      --3      90%  J Niekro        Flyball: LF
                  5 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 5, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 1st, Padres Batting, Behind 0-5, Joe Niekro facing 1-2-3
   O      ---      91%  J Bonilla       Flyball: CF
   O      ---      92%  O Smith         Strikeout
   O      ---      92%  G Richards      Groundout: 2B-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 5, Padres 0.

Top of the 2nd, Astros Batting, Ahead 5-0, Danny Boone facing 1-2-3
          ---      94%  T Puhl          Double to C
   O      -2-      93%  P Garner        Groundout: P-1B; Puhl to 3B
   O      --3      92%  T Scott         Strikeout
   O      --3      91%  J Cruz          Flyball: LF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 5, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 2nd, Padres Batting, Behind 0-5, Joe Niekro facing 4-5-6
   O      ---      92%  R Jones         Flyball: CF
          ---      91%  T Kennedy       Single to RF
   O      1--      92%  B Perkins       Groundout: 2B-1B; Kennedy to 2B
   O      -2-      93%  L Salazar       Flyball: CF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 5, Padres 0.

Top of the 3rd, Astros Batting, Ahead 5-0, Danny Boone facing 5-6-7
   O      ---      93%  D Heep          Groundout: 2B-1B
   O      ---      92%  A Howe          Foul Flyball: 1B
          ---      93%  A Ashby         Double to CF
   O      -2-      92%  C Reynolds      Flyball: P
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 5, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 3rd, Padres Batting, Behind 0-5, Joe Niekro facing 8-9-1
   O      ---      93%  R Bass          Flyball: RF
                  Steve Swisher pinch hits for Danny Boone batting 9th
   O      ---      94%  S Swisher       Flyball: 1B
   O      ---      94%  J Bonilla       Groundout: 2B-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 5, Padres 0.

Top of the 4th, Astros Batting, Ahead 5-0, John Littlefield facing 9-1-2
                  John Littlefield replaces Steve Swisher pitching and batting 9th
   O      ---      94%  J Niekro        Groundout: 3B-1B
          ---      94%  T Puhl          Single to RF
          1--      95%  P Garner        Single to SS; Puhl to 2B
   R      12-      97%  T Scott         Single to RF; Puhl Scores; Garner to 2B
          12-      98%  J Cruz          Reached on E4 (Ground Ball); Garner to 3B; Scott to 2B
   RR     123      99%  D Heep          Single to LF; Garner Scores; Scott Scores; Cruz to 3B/Adv on E6; Heep to 2B
          -23      99%  A Howe          Intentional Walk
   R      123     100%  A Ashby         Reached on Interference on C; Cruz Scores/unER; Heep to 3B; Howe to 2B; Ashby to 1B
   O      123      99%  C Reynolds      Flyball: 2B
   O      123      99%  J Niekro        Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  4 runs, 4 hits, 3 errors, 3 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 4th, Padres Batting, Behind 0-9, Joe Niekro facing 2-3-4
   O      ---      99%  O Smith         Groundout: 2B-1B
          ---      99%  G Richards      Single to CF
   O      1--     100%  R Jones         Flyball: LF
   O      1--     100%  T Kennedy       Groundout: 2B-1B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Top of the 5th, Astros Batting, Ahead 9-0, John Littlefield facing 1-2-3
                  Mario Ramirez replaces Ozzie Smith playing SS batting 2nd
          ---     100%  T Puhl          Reached on E9 (Fly Ball); Puhl to 2B
   O      -2-     100%  P Garner        Groundout: SS-1B
   O      -2-     100%  T Scott         Groundout: SS-1B
   O      -2-     100%  J Cruz          Groundout: 1B unassisted
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 5th, Padres Batting, Behind 0-9, Joe Niekro facing 6-7-8
   O      ---     100%  B Perkins       Groundout: 2B-1B
          ---     100%  L Salazar       Single to CF
   O      1--     100%  R Bass          Flyball: LF
                  Jose Moreno pinch hits for John Littlefield batting 9th
          1--     100%  J Moreno        Single to RF; Salazar to 2B
   O      12-     100%  J Bonilla       Groundout: 1B unassisted
                  0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Top of the 6th, Astros Batting, Ahead 9-0, Mike Armstrong facing 5-6-7
                  Mike Armstrong replaces Jose Moreno pitching and batting 9th
   O      ---     100%  D Heep          Groundout: 2B-1B
          ---     100%  A Howe          Double to LF
                  Dickie Thon pinch runs for Art Howe batting 6th
          -2-     100%  A Ashby         Intentional Walk
   O      12-     100%  C Reynolds      Flyball: CF
   O      12-     100%  J Niekro        Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 6th, Padres Batting, Behind 0-9, Joe Niekro facing 2-3-4
                  Dickie Thon moves to 3B; Scott Loucks replaces Tony Scott playing CF batting 3rd
   O      ---     100%  M Ramirez       Groundout: SS-1B
   O      ---     100%  G Richards      Foul Flyball: 3B
   O      ---     100%  R Jones         Lineout: 2B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Top of the 7th, Astros Batting, Ahead 9-0, Mike Armstrong facing 1-2-3
   O      ---     100%  T Puhl          Groundout: 1B unassisted
                  Joe Pittman pinch hits for Phil Garner batting 2nd
   O      ---     100%  J Pittman       Strikeout
   O      ---     100%  S Loucks        Strikeout Looking
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 7th, Padres Batting, Behind 0-9, Joe Niekro facing 5-6-7
                  Joe Pittman moves to 2B; Tim Tolman replaces Jose Cruz playing LF batting 4th
   O      ---     100%  T Kennedy       Flyball: LF
   O      ---     100%  B Perkins       Flyball: RF
   O      ---     100%  L Salazar       Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Top of the 8th, Astros Batting, Ahead 9-0, Mike Armstrong facing 4-5-6
   O      ---     100%  T Tolman        Lineout: LF
   O      ---     100%  D Heep          Groundout: 2B-1B
   O      ---     100%  D Thon          Strikeout Looking
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 8th, Padres Batting, Behind 0-9, Joe Niekro facing 8-9-1
   O      ---     100%  R Bass          Foul Flyball: 3B
                  Tim Flannery pinch hits for Mike Armstrong batting 9th
   O      ---     100%  T Flannery      Foul Flyball: C
   O      ---     100%  J Bonilla       Groundout: SS-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Top of the 9th, Astros Batting, Ahead 9-0, John Urrea facing 7-8-9
                  John Urrea replaces Juan Bonilla pitching and batting 1st; Tim Flannery moves to 2B
   O      ---     100%  A Ashby         Strikeout
                  Bert Pena pinch hits for Craig Reynolds batting 8th
          ---     100%  B Pena          Single to CF
   O      1--     100%  J Niekro        Flyball: 2B
                  Alan Knicely pinch hits for Terry Puhl batting 1st
          1--     100%  A Knicely       Single to CF; Pena to 2B
   O      12-     100%  J Pittman       Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Bottom of the 9th, Padres Batting, Behind 0-9, Joe Niekro facing 2-3-4
                  Bert Pena moves to SS; Alan Knicely moves to LF; Tim Tolman moves to RF
   O      ---     100%  M Ramirez       Strikeout Looking
          ---     100%  G Richards      Single to CF
                  Alan Wiggins pinch runs for Gene Richards batting 3rd
   OO     1--     100%  R Jones         Ground Ball Double Play: SS-2B-1B
        0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Astros 9, Padres 0.

Retrosheet.org Boxscore:SDN198109170

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