Los Angeles starter Tom Seaver only allowed hits in 2 of the 8 innings he pitched, but Houston took advantage of those opportunities to top the Dynamos 4-3 and split the opening series. Arky Vaughan hit a home run in the 3rd with 2 outs for the Hoots’ 1st hit of the game. Tim Raines and Rogers Hornsby hit singles, and Oscar Charleston followed with a 2-run triple to give Houston a 3-0 lead. Seaver allowed 3 more hits in the 7th, including a Jeff Bagwell double and an RBI single from Eddie Mathews. Meanwhile, Pete Alexander kept LA hitters off-balance, allowing just one hit in hist 1st 5 innings. in the 6th, the Dynamos put together 4 singles, including an RBI single by Cristóbal Torriente. Alexander exited with just 1 earned run and 5 hits allowed in 8 innings. Bruce Sutter nearly had a perfect 9th, but Vaughan bobbled the 3rd out. Ralph Kiner followed with a 2-run homer to make it a 4-3 game, but that was all LA would get.