Cabell’s Two-Out Drop Helps Expos Win 19-Inning Game at Houston, 6-3

Houston first baseman Enos Cabell’s error with two outs in the 19th inning allowed the tie-breaking run to score, and Mike Fitzgerald’s single provided two more runs as the Montreal Expos beat the Houston Astros, 6-3, Sunday night.

The 19-inning game tied the mark for most innings played this season. The only other game as long was the New York-Atlanta game last Thursday. Sunday’s game took 5 hours 12 minutes to play.

Singles by Vance Law and Andre Dawson and a fly ball put runners on first and third in the 19th. With two out, Al Newman bunted to third baseman Denny Walling, who threw to first in time to get Newman, but Cabell dropped the ball, which enabled Law to score.

A walk to Mitchell Webster loaded the bases, and Fitzgerald lined a single to right, scoring Dawson and Newman.

Fitzgerald had four RBIs.

Floyd Youmans (1-0), pitched the last three innings for his first major league win. Ron Mathis (3-4) was the loser.

The Expos took a 3-2 lead in the 18th inning, but the Astros came back to tie it. Terry Francona’s single scored Newman, who had doubled, from second base, but Youmans couldn’t hold the lead.

Cabell walked and went to third on Mark Bailey’s single. When Craig Reynolds grounded to second, Cabell was tagged out in a rundown. Bailey took second on the play.

Bob Knepper, pinch-hitting for another pitcher, Mike Madden, struck out, but Bill Doran singled. Bailey scored.

Montreal took a 2-0 lead against starter Joe Niekro in the second on a two-run single by Fitzgerald.

Houston cut the lead to 2-1 in the third against Montreal’s David Palmer when Doran led off with a single, advanced to third on a pair of groundouts and scored on Jose Cruz’s high-chopping infield single to short.

The Astros tied it in the sixth on a walk to Jerry Mumphrey, a single by Alan Ashby and a RBI single by Niekro.

Houston had a runner on third with none out, then the bases loaded with one out in the 13th, but couldn’t score.