1981 – Fernando Valenzuela outpitches Vern Ruhle in a 2-1 decision in Los Angeles. Only eight hits are registered, four by each side, but a homer by Pedro Guerrero and an RBI single by Bill Russell trump last-inning heroics by Terry Puhl and Tony Scott. The series is knotted at two games apiece.
1981 – Burt Hooton spins a three-hitter as the Dodgers take a 6-1 verdict in Game Three of their best-of-five division playoff. The Astros still lead the series, 2-1. Art Howe’s solo shot is the only Houston heroics. Steve Garvey’s two-run blast in the first puts Los Angeles ahead to stay.
1981 – Denny Walling delivers a bases-loaded single in the 11th inning for a 1-0 triumph over the Dodgers at the Astrodome. Joe Niekro, Dave Smith and Joe Sambito combine for the shutout. The victory puts the Astros ahead, 2-0, in their five-game divisional series. Like the year before, Houston needs to win just one of three in Los Angeles to advance to the N.L.C.S.
1981 – Alan Ashby, as if waiting a year for revenge, slams a two-out two-run homer off Dave Stewart in the ninth to stun the Dodgers, 3-1, in Game One of their divisional playoff series . Tony Scott had driven in Terry Puhl earlier but Los Angeles ties it up on a solo shot from Steve Garvey, one of just two hits given up by Nolan Ryan.
1981 – Houston finishes the strike-ravaged season with a 5-3 victory over the Dodgers. Scott Loucks and Alan Knicely star as Dave Smith is the winning pitcher. The Astros win the second-half N.L. West title with a 30-23 record. Their full-season record is 58-52, third best in the division behind Cincinnati and first-half champion Los Angeles, who they will meet in a first-ever divisional playoff series.
1981 – A nutty day at Candlestick Park begins when a skydiver misses the stadium and crashes into the parking lot, breaking both feet. Gary Woods is lifted for pinch-hitter Terry Puhl in the top of the first inning. Nolan Ryan’s apparent single to right fails when he is gunned down at first by Jack Clark. Tony Scott, who stars with four hits including a double and a homer, is tagged out at second after advancing on a base on balls. Somehow, Houston wins, 7-3.
1981 – Baseball’s “second season” begins after a two-month strike interrupts play. Denny Walling is the hero with a two-run pinch-hit double off Al Holland in the ninth for a 6-5 triumph in San Francisco. Joe “Shoes” Pittman rescues Frank Lacorte when he makes a diving stab of Larry Herndon’s liner with two men aboard for the final out.
1981 – Rafael Landestoy steals a base and scores on a single by Terry Puhl as Houston outlasts the Giants, 8-7, in 14 innings. The Astros blew a lead in the ninth then blew a three-run lead in the 13th before putting this one away. Houston tallies 21 hits in the effort, including three by Joe Niekro.
1981 – Art Howe triples off Vida Blue to set a club-record 23-game hitting streak. San Francisco wins, however, 2-1. The only Houston run is on a solo shot by Luis Pujols.
1981 – Craig Reynolds ties a major-league mark with three triples during a 6-1 victory over Chicago. It is part of a four-hit night with four RBIs. His first triple sails to the gap in right-center. His other two hug the right field line. Nolan Ryan and Joe Sambito team up to tame the Cubs.
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