National League Roundup : Mets Beat Pirates in 18 Innings, 5-4

Darrell Strawberry hit a grand slam in the first inning Sunday at New York but it was five hours later before the Mets scored another run.

Mookie Wilson scored from third when Clint Hurdle’s grounder went through the legs of Pittsburgh first baseman Jason Thompson for an error in the 18th inning to give the Mets a 5-4 victory in a game that lasted 5 hours 21 minutes.

The error ended a string of 16 scoreless innings by seven different Pirate pitchers. It was a tough loss for Lee Tunnell, who pitched two hitless innings.

A defensive gem by, of all people, Rusty Staub, robbed the Pirates of at least one run in the top of the 18th. Staub, 41, who weighs 230 and seldom does anything more than pinch-hit these days, was pressed into service when Manager Dave Johnson ran out of players in the 12th inning.

Staub played right field when right-handed batters came up and left field when left-handed hitters batted. He was playing right in the top of the 18th. With Tunnell on second and two out, Rick Rhoden, one of the top hitting pitchers in baseball, came up as a pinch-hitter and sent a looping fly ball down the right-field line and Staub made a running catch to save a run.

“I know you can’t call what I do a sprint but I ran as fast as I could,” Staub said. “When he (Rhoden) hit the ball, I thought I had it all the way.”

In the bottom of the 18th Gary Carter drew a walk and Wilson, running for him, went to third on Strawberry’s single to right. When Hurdle’s grounder went through Thompson, it ended the longest game in three years.

Through one stretch in the marathon, in which 43 players were used, Pirate pitchers held the Mets hitless for 10 innings.

Pirate Manager Chuck Tanner, always the optimist, took consolation in the fact the Pirates, hitting only .224, had 18 hits.

“It was the kind of game we needed to turn things around,” he said. “We were swinging the bat. It’s an indication of things to come. Only that catch of Staub’s soured the occasion. I was sure it was going to be a hit. It was a great catch. If this was the World Series, they would be talking about it for 30 years.”

Montreal 5, St. Louis 3--Although nobody seems to know for sure, it appears the major leagues have set a record by opening the season with 232 consecutive games without a rainout.

The record almost ended because of heavy rain at Montreal. The Expos, a hot team, waited 2 hours 43 minutes to start the game, then extended their winning streak to six games and took over first place in the East.

Steve Rogers went five innings, giving up three hits and two runs, and relief pitchers Dan Schatzeder and Jeff Reardon each pitched two innings.

Reardon, who picked up his fifth save, singled in the final run in the eighth inning. He was happy to get it when consecutive singles in the ninth by Tom Herr, Jack Clark and Willie McGee with two out gave the Cardinals a run and put the potential tying run on base. Reardon got Darrell Porter to end the game.

San Francisco 2, Cincinnati 1--Mario Soto retired the first 14 batters he faced at San Francisco and appeared to be on his way to his fifth victory.

But, Jose Uribe, a .206 hitter opened the sixth with a double, was sacrificed to third and scored on Manny Trillo’s sacrifice fly. Soto departed, tied 1-1, after giving up only four hits and striking out seven in eight innings.

In the 11th inning, the Reds were beaten by a fellow batting .061. David Green, hitless in his previous four at-bats, lined a two-out single to left to score Trillo from third.

Green, after going 2 for 29, was benched Saturday but walked as a pinch-hitter and scored the winning run in that game.

Philadelphia 3, Chicago 2--Kevin Gross calls himself the Phillies’ utility pitcher. Most of the time he comes in from the bullpen, but if a starter is needed, he is ready.

Steve Carlton, bothered by a stiff shoulder, missed only his seventh start in 14 years, and Gross came through at Philadelphia. Gross pitched six innings, giving up five hits, walking none and striking out five to get the win over Rick Sutcliffe.

Sutcliffe, losing for only the third time in 22 decisions since joining the Cubs last June, gave up only one earned run, but left after seven innings, trailing 3-2. Shortstop Larry Bowa and first baseman Richie Hebner made errors that led to the two unearned runs.

Houston 2, Atlanta 1--Enos Cabell doubled into the gap in left-center with two out in the ninth inning at Houston and Alan Ashby scored from first, just beating the relay, to win the game.

Nolan Ryan pitched seven innings for the Astrosd, giving up a run on Dale Murphy’s sacrifice fly, his 27th RBI. Ryan, in his drive to become the first pitcher to strike out 4,000, struck out seven and has 3,9002, 19 more than Steve Carlton.

Dave Smith (3-1) won in relief.