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From 1974 through 1980, the Cardinals’ Bob Forsch made 17 starts against Houston and the Astros’ Ken Forsch made eight starts against St. Louis, but the brothers never started in the same game against one another.

Bob Forsch and Ken Forsch did pitch in the same game four times _ in each, Bob was a starter and Ken was a reliever _ and it was Bob who usually got the upper hand.

Ken Forsch entered the majors with Houston in 1970. Bob Forsch, four years younger than Ken, made his big-league debut with the Cardinals on July 7, 1974. Two weeks later, Bob faced Ken in a major-league game for the first time.

In his book “Tales From The Cardinals Dugout,” Bob Forsch wrote he and his brother almost faced one another as starting pitchers in Game 1 of the 1982 World Series. Ken Forsch then was with the Angels, who played the Brewers in the best-of-five American League Championship Series. The Brewers won Game 5, earning the AL pennant, but if the Angels had won, “Kenny … was scheduled to pitch the opener in the World Series,” Bob Forsch wrote. “I was scheduled to start Game 1 for the Cardinals.”

Here are the four games in which Bob Forsch and Ken Forsch pitched:

Cardinals 9, Astros 1, July 21, 1974, at St. Louis

In his fourth big-league appearance, Bob Forsch earned his second win and pitched his second complete game.

Ken Forsch pitched the seventh and eighth innings and gave up three runs.

In the eighth, Bob Forsch batted against his brother for the first time in the big leagues. With Mike Tyson on third and one out, Bob Forsch hit a grounder to shortstop Roger Metzger, who threw to the plate to retire Tyson. The next batter, Jose Cruz, hit an inside-the-park home run off the center-field wall, scoring Bob Forsch from first. Boxscore

Describing his at-bat, Bob Forsch wrote, “I hit what I thought was a sizzling ground ball to the shortstop … I didn’t want to strike out. I was just so glad I hit the ball … and that my brother didn’t hit me first.”

The game was the finale of a four-game series. Before the first game, Bob Forsch was shagging balls in the outfield during batting practice when Ken Forsch walked onto the field, greeted his brother, congratulated him on reaching the major leagues and shook hands with him. Wrote Bob Forsch:

When batting practice was over, we left the field. Bob Gibson came over and told me, “That’ll cost you $25 (for fraternizing with an opponent). Don’t talk to anyone on the other team.”

This was my own flesh and blood. And Gibby obviously knew it. I mean, Kenny had his uniform on with “FORSCH” on the back. Nobody spoke up and defended me. Hey, I was a rookie. And who’s going to go against Bob Gibson?

Astros 8, Cardinals 7, June 15, 1975, at St. Louis

Bob Forsch was lifted for pinch-hitter Ron Fairly in the eighth inning, with the Cardinals ahead, 7-4. But the Astros loaded the bases against Al Hrabosky in the ninth. After Mike Garman relieved Hrabosky, Cliff Johnson greeted Garman with a grand slam, depriving Forsch and St. Louis of a win.

Ken Forsch relieved Astros starter Doug Konieczny in the fifth and pitched three scoreless innings.

In the top of the sixth, Ken Forsch batted against his brother for the only time in their big-league careers. He struck out, ending the inning. In the bottom half, Bob Forsch faced his brother and grounded into an inning-ending forceout. Boxscore

Cardinals 8, Astros 4, May 18, 1977, at Houston

Bob Forsch started and was lifted for pinch-hitter Don Kessinger after five innings, with the score 3-3. Ken Forsch relieved in the eighth, entering with St. Louis ahead, 5-4, and gave up three unearned runs on five hits in his one inning of work. He did strike out the side, including Lou Brock and Ted Simmons. Boxscore

Cardinals 3, Astros 1, Aug. 6, 1977, at Houston

In the first game of a Saturday night doubleheader, Bob Forsch pitched eight innings and got his 14th win of the season. Butch Metzger earned the save with a perfect ninth.

Ken Forsch entered in the ninth for Astros starter Mark Lemongello and retired the Cardinals in order. Boxscore

On April 1, 1981, Ken Forsch was traded by the Astros to the Angels for infielder Dickie Thon. Ken Forsch finished his big-league playing career with the Angels in 1986.

In a fitting twist, the only big-league team Bob Forsch played for besides the Cardinals was the Astros. On Aug. 31, 1988, Bob Forsch was dealt to Houston for utilityman Denny Walling. Bob Forsch closed out his big-league career with Houston in 1989. His overall record with the Astros was 5-9 with a 5.56 ERA.

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On July 7, 1974, I went with my parents and younger sister to a Cardinals-Reds doubleheader at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. It was a blistering hot Sunday afternoon along the Ohio River. I was 18 and pumped with a mix of excitement and dread about seeing the team I followed passionately, the Cardinals.

The excitement came from the anticipation of seeing two Cardinals games in one day. The Cardinals were in first place in the National League East, three games ahead of the Expos, and I was getting my first look at them in person that year.

The dread came from knowing the Cardinals would be facing the Big Red Machine. This was the Reds lineup of Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr., Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and George Foster.

We had missed by one day seeing St. Louis ace Bob Gibson, who had pitched a three-hitter in the Cardinals’ 3-1 victory against the Reds Saturday afternoon. Boxscore

For the doubleheader, the Cardinals’ starters would be a pair of 24-year-old right-handers _ Bob Forsch, making his major-league debut, in Game 1, and Mike Thompson, 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA, in the second game.

Thompson was yanked after allowing three runs on four walks in one inning of Game 2 and never pitched again for St. Louis. (The Reds won, 11-2. Boxscore).

Forsch, though, was splendid in the opener. Paired against Tom Carroll, 21, a right-hander who also was making his major-league debut, Forsch pitched with poise against a potent lineup.

Griffey, Morgan, Perez and Bench each was 0-for-3 against Forsch. Bench struck out twice. Rose managed only an infield single against the rookie.

Center fielder Cesar Geronimo, the seventh-place batter, was Forsch’s nemesis. In the second inning, after a home run by first baseman Ted Simmons gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead, Geronimo hit a two-out double, scoring Dan Driessen from second base, tying the score.

In the seventh, Geronimo hit a home run against Forsch. It was the deciding run in the Reds’ 2-1 victory. Forsch pitched 6.2 innings, allowing four hits, five walks and striking out two. Boxscore

“When you give up just two runs and four hits, you ought to win,” Tim McCarver, who caught Forsch’s debut game, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I’m proud of Bobby. He did a good job, an excellent job. You couldn’t ask any more of him.”

I became a big Bob Forsch fan that day and remained so. His sudden death at age 61 on Nov. 3, 2011, stunned and deeply saddened me.

After my wife and I settled in Florida in 2002, we went as spectators to a Cardinals fantasy camp game at Jupiter, Fla., and saw Forsch as he and pitcher Joe Magrane were walking down the right-field line at Roger Dean Stadium. We called to them and they came over and were wonderful to us. I mentioned to Forsch that I had witnessed his debut in the majors. He smiled and said, “In the pregame meeting, they told me, ‘Whatever you do, don’t walk Geronimo.’ Well, I didn’t.”

Forsch wrote a book, “Tales From The Cardinals Dugout,” which I had brought with me and asked him to sign it. In bold, clear handwriting, he wrote, “Diane and Mark: Hope you enjoy! Bob Forsch”

There is a passage in the book where Forsch writes about his big-league debut:

“Tim McCarver caught my first big-league game … Red Schoendienst was the manager then and all Red said before I went to the mound was, ‘Go out and do the best you can. No matter what happens, you’ll get another chance.’ That was good to hear. I didn’t know Red well enough to think he’d lie to me!

“We had gone over the hitters before the game, how to pitch to each one … Geronimo was their center fielder, and he was real fast and a threat to steal. They told me, ‘Just don’t walk him. Make him hit to get on.’ He ended up hitting a double … and a home run. But, hey, I didn’t walk him.”

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