Brewers Sweep Past Astros

The makeup doubleheader started out as nothing but a waste of a good off-day.

By the time it ended, the Milwaukee Brewers wanted to play three--and the Houston Astros were glad they’ll never play in Milwaukee’s County Stadium again.

The Brewers made the biggest ninth-inning comeback in their history in the first game of a doubleheader Monday, scoring seven runs in the ninth and then winning, 10-9, on Jose Hernandez’s solo homer in the 10th.

“You’re not expecting to win that game, absolutely not,” said Jeromy Burnitz, whose two-out, two-run single tied the score. “But you’ve got to keep plugging and see if something crazy happens.”

In the second game, the Brewers rode the momentum. Burnitz hit a three-run homer and Jason Bere pitched eight strong innings as Milwaukee swept with a 6-1 victory over the reeling Astros, losers of seven in a row.

The crowd of 3,913 was one of the smallest in the history of County Stadium.

The first game featured the biggest ninth-inning comeback in the majors since May 10, 1994, when Atlanta recovered from a seven-run deficit against Philadelphia and won in the 15th.

The three-game series with Houston began last Tuesday, when the Brewers won a 16-inning contest before the remaining games were rained out Wednesday and Thursday.

Both teams originally were scheduled for a day off Monday, but since Houston doesn’t return to Milwaukee this year, the Astros made a 24-hour stopover on their way home from Montreal, where they were swept in a three-game series.

The doubleheader was announced with just three days notice, leading to the tiny crowd and cheap ticket prices. Milwaukee sold bleacher seats for $1, and though the team was charging $10 for the best seats, fans who paid for any seat were allowed to move up.

In the second game, Burnitz--who was four for seven with five RBIs on the day--and Charlie Hayes hit back-to-back homers in the third inning.

San Diego 1, New York 0--Ruben Rivera’s single with one out in the eighth inning broke a scoreless tie and Matt Clement ended a personal three-game losing streak as the Padres won at San Diego.

The Mets, who had won four in a row, loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Trevor Hoffman. But Jay Payton popped up on a 3-1 pitch and pinch-hitter Mark Johnson flied out.

Clement (5-3) held the Mets scoreless on three hits through eight innings, striking out six and walking one. Hoffman got his eighth save.