Johnson Gives Home Crowd a Good Show

The Big Unit made a big entrance in his home debut for the Houston Astros.

Randy Johnson shut down the Philadelphia Phillies with a five-hitter for his first NL shutout and helped draw a record crowd for a regular-season game in the Astrodome in a 9-0 Astros victory.

“I know what rock stars feel like after walking out to the bullpen before the game,” Johnson said. “I’m used to maybe 200 people watching me warm up in Seattle. When you’ve got 50,000 fans doing that when you first come out, that’s exciting.”

Johnson, 2-0 with the Astros after going 9-10 with Seattle, helped attract 52,071 fans, getting thunderous cheers when he was introduced with the starting lineup. He was obtained July 31 and pitched seven innings against Pittsburgh last Sunday in his first NL game since 1989.

“I was overwhelmed by the attention I got,” Johnson said. “Even when I’m not out there, fans should support this team because it’s championship caliber. I’ve been on the AL West championship team with the Mariners, and this team has the same type of character. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

Jeff Bagwell homered twice to raise his season total to 25, hitting a three-run homer in the third and a solo shot in the sixth. It was Bagwell’s third multi-homer game this season, the 14th of his career.

Johnson, making just his 12th NL start, struck out eight and walked one, getting his third shutout of the season and 20th of his career.

“I was very surprised that he has tremendous control and I was very surprised at how fast he works,” Bagwell said of Johnson. “He wants to get the ball and go to work. That’s unusual for a strikeout pitcher. But it’s a pleasure to work with.”

After a leadoff double by Kevin Sefcik in the third, Johnson retired nine in a row before pinch-hitter Ruben Amaro beat out an infield hit in the sixth. Johnson allowed one runner past first.

The Astrodome’s previous record crowd during the regular season was 51,526 on May 16 against Atlanta. In last year’s playoffs, Houston set its postseason record by drawing 53,688 against the Braves.

Bagwell’s third-inning homer off Mike Welch (0-2) gave the Astros a 3-0 lead. Moises Alou hit his 29th in the fourth inning, a two-run drive.

Bill Spiers got three consecutive hits for the Astros and scored two runs.

St. Louis 16, Chicago 3--The Cardinals had their biggest offensive outburst of the season with an 11-run first inning, but Mark McGwire stayed stuck at 45 homers as they routed the Cubs at St. Louis.

McGwire went one for four with a walk and has not homered in 28 at-bats since July 28.

Sammy Sosa, second to McGwire with 43 homers, was hitless in three at-bats and walked once.

The Cardinals, who gave up three runs in the top of the first, had their biggest inning since an 11-run eighth in a 16-8 victory over San Francisco on May 9, 1996. The team record is a 12-run third during a 23-3 victory against Philadelphia on Sept. 16, 1926.

It was the biggest inning against Chicago since a 12-run fifth during a 17-15 loss to Montreal at Wrigley Field on Sept. 24, 1985.

Kent Bottenfield (4-5) pitched seven innings, giving up three runs and five hits. Steve Trachsel (11-6) got only one out, getting pounded for nine runs and five hits with three walks.

The Cardinals sent 15 batters to the plate in the first, piling up two singles, three doubles, one homer and four walks.

Ray Lankford and Ron Gant homered for the Cardinals, and Brian Jordan added three doubles.

New York 8, Colorado 7--Mike Piazza may have left their division, but he continues to terrorize the Rockies at Coors Field. He hit his 12th homer in 22 games there and drove in three runs as the Mets scored the first seven runs and never looked back.

Piazza, three for five, is 45 for 100 at Coors Field with 37 RBIs.

Rick Reed (13-7) won despite giving up seven runs and 12 hits in six innings. John Franco earned his first save since July 29, his 22nd in 28 chances.

Pedro Astacio (10-11), who had won his previous three starts, gave up eight runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings, although only three were earned. He struck out five to raise his season total to a team record 127, one more than Bruce Ruffin in 1993.

John Olerud was two for three with a three-run double, extending his hitting streak to 21, the best in the NL this season and three short of the team record Hubie Brooks set in 1984.

Atlanta 5, San Francisco 0--Tom Glavine pitched a three-hitter, Chipper Jones hit his 27th homer and the Braves defeated the Giants at San Francisco for their major league-leading 15th shutout.

Danny Bautista and Javy Lopez also hit solo homers for the Braves, who have won 12 of 16.

Glavine (15-4), who is 9-1 on the road this year, pitched his second complete game of the year, striking out four and walking two.

Giant starter Kirk Rueter (12-7, gave up all five runs and nine hits in five innings, giving up three homers in a start for the first time.

Arizona 6, Montreal 4--Jay Bell hit his 15th homer, Andy Fox had a two-run double and the Diamondbacks won at Montreal.

Brian Anderson (8-10) gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. He also singled twice to help the Diamondbacks to their seventh victory in 10 games.

Gregg Olson pitched the ninth for his 21st save.

Bernard Gilkey and Devon White also had two hits for the Diamondbacks.

The Expos’ Shane Andrews was three for three with a homer, a double and two RBIs after sitting out three games because of a strained right hamstring.