My second trip to the Vegas APBA Baseball Championship resulted in me taking a team one step further than the year before, as my 1981 Houston Astros reached the semifinals of the event.
I picked the Astros for their dominant pitching and defense and hoped they would be able to hit well enough to win a bunch of close games. That’s pretty much what happened.
The tournament got off to a great start with a couple of remarkable comeback wins. Nolan Ryan would toss a no-hitter and the pitchers had a total of four shutouts. We ended up going 9-3 in pool play, second-best among the 16 teams. The playoffs began with our best comeback yet and a walk-off quarterfinal victory. The playoffs ended in a heartbreaker in the semifinals, when a ninth-inning comeback went the other way.
The criteria for the tournament, which was held at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel, was teams from 1959 to 1989 with a winning percentage between .540 and .560.
Here’s a full recap of my two days of play:
DAY ONE RECAPS:
ASTROS 7, 1981 MONTREAL EXPOS 6 (11 INNINGS)
HOU 001-031-100-01 — 7-11-0
MON 050-000-100-00 — 6-8-0
Ryan, LaCorte (11) and Ashby; Rogers, Burris (6), Fryman (8), Reardon (9), Lee (10), Sosa (11) and Carter, Ramos (11).
WP – Ryan (1-0); LP – Sosa; SV – LaCorte (1)
HR (MON): Raines, Parrish
Big comeback #1! The Expos took a 5-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a pair of two-run homers by Larry Parrish and Tim Raines. But the Astros chipped away, scoring in four of the next five innings. We tied it at five in the sixth inning on Joe Pittman’s two-out RBI single, and went ahead 6-5 in the seventh inning on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. But, the Expos tied it immediately in the bottom of the seventh on an Andre Dawson sacrifice fly. It stayed tied until the 11th, when the rule became that all pitchers were D-rated. After the Expos got the first two outs, Phil Garner walked and scored on Art Howe’s double to put the Astros ahead. Nolan Ryan got the win after going the first 10 innings. Frank LaCorte pitched the 11th and despite giving up a leadoff single, he got the next three outs for the save.
ASTROS 5, 1974 OAKLAND ATHLETICS 3
OAK 200-100-000 — 3-6-1
HOU 010-000-04x — 5-7-1
Holtzman, Lindblad (8) and Fosse; Knepper and Ashby.
WP – Knepper (1-0); L – Holtzman
HR (HOU): Ashby
Big comeback #2! Alan Ashby hit a second-inning solo homer, but the Astros only mustered three hits off Ken Holtzman through the first seven innings, and we trailed 3-1 going to the bottom of the eighth. After a leadoff walk, the Astros had four straight singles, including RBI base hits by Art Howe and Tony Scott to tie the score. The first two outs of the inning were sacrifice flies hit by Cesar Cedeno and Joe Pittman, making it 5-3. Bob Knepper then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the complete-game win.
1981 NEW YORK YANKEES 4, ASTROS 3
HOU 000-000-021 — 3-4-0
NYY 200-200-00x — 4-5-0
Sutton, Sambito (8) and Ashby; Reuschel, Gossage (8) and Foote.
WP – Reuschel; L – Sutton (0-1); SV – Gossage
HR (NYY): Winfield, Watson
My nemesis, Kenn Gorr (who knocked me out of the playoffs last year), got me again, and almost no-hit me. Rick Reuschel took a perfect game into the eighth inning. It was already 4-0 at that point thanks to two-run homers by Dave Winfield and Bob Watson. The perfecto ended with a leadoff walk in the top of the eighth. Alan Ashby followed with an RBI double, breaking up the no-hitter and the shutout. Joe Pittman followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2. In the top of the ninth, Jose Cruz doubled, and Ashby singled him home with two outs to make it a one-run game. But Goose Gossage finally got the last out to preserve the Yankee win.
ASTROS 3, 1969 DETROIT TIGERS 0
DET 000-000-000 — 0-0-0
HOU 002-010-00x — 3-7-2
McLain and Freehan; Ryan and Ashby.
WP – Ryan (2-0); LP – McLain
NO-HITTER! After almost being no-hit the previous game, the Astros turned the tables on the Tigers and Nolan Ryan got it done. He did give up five walks and Houston made two errors, so the Tigers had chances to score. Phil Garner had an RBI single and Cesar Cedeno and Jose Cruz both had sacrifice flies to account for Houston’s runs.
1988 BOSTON RED SOX 5, ASTROS 3
HOU 000-000-201 — 3-6-1
BOS 201-000-02x — 5-5-0
Knepper and Ashby; Boddicker, Smith (9), Stanley (9) and Cerone, Gedman (9).
WP – Boddicker; LP – Knepper (1-1); SV – Stanley
HR (HOU): Ashby; (BOS): Burks, Evans
After falling behind 3-0 early, the Astros tried for another late comeback. A run-scoring triple by Craig Reynolds was followed by a Terry Puhl sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the seventh. But Dwight Evans hit a two-run homer to put the Red Sox back up by three in the eighth. Houston threatened in the ninth, as Alan Ashby led off with a solo homer and Joe Pittman followed with a double, but the Red Sox got the next three outs.
ASTROS 6, 1971 SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS 3
SFG 000-020-100 — 3-6-1
HOU 200-003-01x — 6-9-0
Sutton, Sambito (8) and Ashby; Cumberland, Hamilton (7) and Dietz.
WP – Sutton (1-1); LP – Cumberland; SV – Sambito (1)
The Astros got on the board first, scoring twice in the first inning on RBI singles by Jose Cruz and Alan Ashby. The Giants tied it in the fifth, however. In the bottom of the sixth, the Astros drew a pair of walks, and Craig Reynolds hit a two-run triple. Terry Puhl followed with a successful suicide squeeze bunt to score Reynolds and make it 5-2. San Francisco scored in the seventh to make it 5-3. In the bottom of the eighth, Joe Pittman doubled, went to third on a groundout and scored on another successful squeeze play by Puhl. Joe Sambito retired all six batters he faced for the save.
ASTROS 5, 1959 ATLANTA BRAVES 3
HOU 030-101-000 — 5-9-0
ATL 000-300-000 — 3-4-3
Ryan and Ashby; Spahn, McMahon (8) and Crandall.
WP – Ryan (3-0); LP – Spahn
HR (ATL): Logan
Another good start, as the Astros scored three times in the second inning. After an Atlanta error, Joe Pittman had an RBI double, Craig Reynolds had an RBI single and Phil Garner had an RBI double. The lead grew to 4-0 in the fourth inning after Reynolds tripled and scored on yet another successful squeeze play by Terry Puhl. Most of the lead was lost in the bottom half of the frame when Johnny Logan crushed a three-run homer. Houston would go up by two at 5-3 on a Reynolds RBI single in the sixth inning. Nolan Ryan won his third straight start after giving up just four hits.
DAY TWO RECAPS:
ASTROS 4, 1965 CINCINNATI REDS 0
CIN 000-000-000 — 0-1-0
HOU 010-010-10x — 3-7-2
Ellis, Davidson (8) and Harper; Knepper and Ashby.
WP – Knepper (2-1); LP – Ellis
Bob Knepper tossed his best game of the tournament, a one-hit shutout with just one walk. Gordy Coleman’s double in the fifth inning was all the Reds got. The Astros got an RBI double from Joe Pittman in the second, a two-out RBI double by Terry Puhl in the fifth and a two-out RBI single by Art Howe in the seventh.
1974 ATLANTA BRAVES 8, ASTROS 0
ATL 100-030-400 — 8-12-2
HOU 000-000-000 — 0-3-0
Morton and Oates; Sutton, Niekro (7), Sambito (9) and Ashby.
WP – Morton; LP – Sutton (1-2)
HR (ATL): Evans, Aaron
Our worst game of the tournament so far, as we managed just three hits and got shut out, while Don Sutton got shelled. Darrell Evans hit a solo homer in the first inning, the Braves scored three times on four hits in the fifth inning, and Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer in a four-run seventh inning.
ASTROS 2, 1989 TORONTO BLUE JAYS 0
HOU 000-000-002 — 2-6-0
TOR 000-000-000 — 0-2-0
Ryan and Ashby; Steib, Wells (6), Henke (8) and Borders.
WP – Ryan (4-0); LP – Henke
The most competitive game of the tournament came against a lot of the players I brought to the tournament in 2025 (the 1985 Blue Jays). Nolan Ryan and three Toronto pitchers put up zero after zero. The Astros put runners into scoring position four times in the first six innings but couldn’t find a clutch hit. Toronto managed just two hits off Nolan Ryan, though one was a one-out triple in the first inning by Tony Fernandez. Ryan got the next two outs, though. Houston finally broke through against Toronto bullpen ace Tom Henke in the top of the ninth. Jose Cruz led off with a single and was sacrificed to second base. After a walk, Joe Pittman delivered a two-run double for the game’s only runs.
ASTROS 4, 1977 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 2
CWS 010-010-000 — 2-2-1
HOU 020-020-00x — 4-8-0
Stone, Carroll (7), LaGrow (8) and Downing; Knepper and Ashby.
WP – Knepper (3-1); LP – Stone
HR (CWS): Soderholm
Bob Knepper only gave up two hits, but both of them led to Chicago runs. Eric Soderholm hit a solo homer in the top of the second to briefly put the White Sox ahead, but the Astros came right back and went up 2-1 in the bottom of the second on Terry Puhl’s two-run double. Chicago tied it in the fifth when Soderholm doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly. Once again, the Astros responded immediately. Craig Reynolds led off with a single, Puhl hit a triple, and Phil Garner got a bunt RBI single on a squeeze play to make it 4-2. Knepper didn’t give up any more hits after that, though the White Sox got runners into scoring position twice after walks.
ASTROS 3, 1966 DETROIT TIGERS 0
HOU 030-000-000 — 3-7-0
DET 000-000-000 — 0-6-1
Sutton and Ashby; McLain, Pena (9), Podres (9) and Freehan.
WP – Sutton (2-2); LP – McLain
The Astros wrapped up the first stage with their second 3-0 win over a Detroit Tigers team from the 1960s. This time, Don Sutton was the one with a shutout. The Astros got all the runs they needed in the second inning. Alan Ashby doubled, Joe Pittman tripled, Craig Reynolds had an RBI single, Terry Puhl singled and Phil Garner hit a sacrifice fly. Sutton didn’t run into much trouble until the eighth, but Houston’s excellent defense came through and threw out a pair of Tiger baserunners, one at home and one at third.
PLAYOFF RECAPS:
QUARTERFINAL: ASTROS 5, 1977 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 4
CWS 001-100-002 — 4-7-1
HOU 020-000-003 — 5-11-0
Barrios, Carroll (9), LaGrow (9) and Downing; Ryan and Ashby.
WP – Ryan (5-0); LP – Carroll
HR (CWS): Zisk
This one had an incredible finish. The Astros had another good start, getting out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning with the help of a Chicago error and three hits, including yet another successful suicide squeeze, this time by Phil Garner, which resulted in an RBI single. The only way to beat Nolan Ryan is with extra-base hits, and the White Sox got three of them in the third and fourth innings, including RBI doubles by Ralph Garr and Brian Downing, tying the game at 2-2. It stayed tied until the ninth inning. Richie Zisk led off the top of the ninth with a home run, and then Lamar Johnson doubled and scored on a Jack Brohamer sacrifice fly, putting the Astros behind 4-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth. After the first out was made, Terry Puhl singled and stole second. Pinch-hitter Kiko Garcia came through with an RBI single, making 4-3. After the second out was made, Houston was on the verge of elimination. But Tony Scott singled, and Jose Cruz walked to load the bases. Clean-up hitter Cesar Cedeno – batting 4-for-48 in the tournament to this point – got the perfect roll, and he singled home the tying and winning run for the walk-off victory.
SEMIFINAL: 1974 OAKLAND ATHLETICS 3, ASTROS 2
OAK 000-000-003 — 3-4-1
HOU 000-110-000 — 2-6-0
Holtzman, Fingers (9) and Fosse; Knepper and Ashby.
WP – Holtzman; LP – Knepper (3-2); SV – Fingers
HR (OAK): Rudi
Live by the comeback, die by the comeback. After rallying to beat the A’s way back in the second game of the tournament, Oakland turned the tables here. Bob Knepper took a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning. Houston led 2-0 thanks to Alan Ashby’s RBI double in the fourth inning, and a sacrifice fly by Tony Scott in the fifth. In the top of the ninth, Bert Campaneris and Bill North led off with singles. After the first out, Reggie Jackson hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1. The A’s were down to their last out, but Joe Rudi got the 66 and hit a two-run homer to put Oakland ahead. Houston was out of comebacks, and our stay in the tournament ended quietly with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.
The A’s were beaten in the championship by the 1978 Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, in 13 innings.
The Houston pitchers did their job, posting a team ERA of 2.79. A&C-rated Nolan Ryan won all five of his starts (though he was thankful for two of the big comebacks). Though just 3-2, A-rated Bob Knepper had a better ERA than Ryan (2.25 to 2.54). My third starter, B-rated Don Sutton, was up and down and went 2-2 with a 4.66 ERA.
The hitters could have done far better, posting a .219 batting average, a .267 on-base percentage and a .319 slugging percentage. Thirty-four of our 101 hits went for extra bases, but there were only two home runs, both solo shots by Alan Ashby. All of the clutch hitting came from the bottom of the lineup. The top of the order was brutal. Cleanup hitter Cesar Cedeno hit .094 (5-for-53). #2 hitter Tony Scott hit .153 (9-for-59). #3 hitter Jose Cruz only had two RBI (though mostly because no one was ever on base for him). The top averages were posted by Ashby (.280) and Joe Pittman (.275).
Chris White, the host and tournament organizer, puts on a great event. I had another great time playing with a fun group of people and look forward to going back in 2027!
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 