The Houston Hoots took advantage of 4 St. Louis Wizards errors, scoring 3 unearned runs in the 1st inning and holding off a late comeback to win their 20th game 4-3. Greg Maddux allowed just one earned run for St. Louis, but a Mike Schmidt error extended the 1st inning and put the Wizards behind 3-0 before they got to bat. Willie Stargell hit a solo home run to lead off the 3rd inning. It was his 9th of the season. Cy Young retired the first 9 batters he faced for Houston. The Wizards then cut the lead in half with 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. They added another in the 8th when Stan Musial hit his 2nd double of the game. Bruce Sutter collected his 9th save with a scoreless 9th inning. Honus Wagner was 2 for 5 in his debut, while Paul Waner went 1 for 4. Houston extended their narrow lead in the National League to 1 1/2 games. The Wizards entered with a 3-game winning streak, but are 14-20 after the loss.