NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Pirates Overcome Reds With an 11-Run Inning

The Pittsburgh Pirates had not produced an inning like it in almost 50 years.

But Monday night at Pittsburgh, the Pirates tied a club record with an 11-run sixth inning that helped them defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 12-5.

Jose Lind drove in three runs and three players had two hits for the Pirates, who are off to a 17-7 start.

The Pirates sent 16 batters to the plate and produced nine hits in the sixth inning. It was their first 11-run inning since Sept. 7, 1942, against St. Louis.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Pittsburgh’s Cecil Espy, who had two hits in the sixth to raise his average to .458. “We were struggling to score runs and, of a sudden, we couldn’t stop scoring.”

Seven runs, six hits and four walks came against a Cincinnati bullpen that was 5-0 with seven saves and a 1.40 earned-run average entering the game.

Lind, Espy and Jeff King had two hits, and Andy Van Slyke, who had four hits, delivered a go-ahead two-run single as the Pirates turned a 5-1 deficit into a 12-5 lead.

Chris Sabo of the Reds hit his first homer.

Dennis Lamp (1-0) got his first National League victory since Aug. 8, 1980, with one scoreless inning in relief.

New York 5, Houston 1--Bret Saberhagen allowed his first run in 26 innings en route to an easy victory at Houston.

Saberhagen (2-2) shut out Houston, 1-0, last Wednesday and he held the Astros scoreless again until Craig Biggio singled in the sixth inning and scored on Eric Anthony’s double.

Saberhagen gave up six hits, struck out nine and did not walk a batter in eight innings.

Atlanta 6, Chicago 1--John Smoltz (3-2), Mike Stanton and Juan Berenguer combined on a five-hitter at Chicago.

The Cubs scored their first run in 34 innings against the Braves since last July 28 on Jerome Walton’s fielder’s choice in the eighth.