Joe Niekro and Dave Smith combine on a two-hitter to blank San Diego, 3-0

ByTom

1981 – Joe Niekro and Dave Smith combine on a two-hitter to blank San Diego, 3-0. Niekro and Steve Mura trade goose eggs for seven innings until Tony Scott drives home Joe Pittman in the eighth. Gary Woods then delivers Scott. In the ninth, Scott again plates Pittman with an insurance run. The shutout caps a seven-game road trip to open the “second season”, with the Astros winning five of them. 

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Joe “Shoes” Pittman is born in Houston, TX. He lives the boyhood dream of playing for the local big league club as an Astros infielder in 1981 and 1982. He bats .281 in 52 games during his strike-shortened rookie campaign then hits .200 in 15 games before being traded to San Diego.

ByTom

Joe “Shoes” Pittman is born in Houston, TX. He lives the boyhood dream of playing for the local big league club as an Astros infielder in 1981 and 1982. He bats .281 in 52 games during his strike-shortened rookie campaign then hits .200 in 15 games before being traded to San Diego.