1979 National League Championship Series
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The 1979 National League Championship Series was played between the National League West champion Cincinnati Reds and the National League East champion Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the fourth time in the 1970s that the Pirates and Reds had faced off for the pennant; Cincinnati had won all three previous meetings in 1970, 1972 and 1975. The Pirates prevailed in three consecutive games played from October 2 to October 5.
Managers: Chuck Tanner (Pittsburgh Pirates), John McNamara (Cincinnati Reds)
Umpires: John Kibler, Ed Montague, Jerry Dale, Frank Pulli, Dick Stello, Jim Quick
Series MVP: Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh
Television: NBC (Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek and Don Sutton announcing)
[edit] Game 1
October 2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
Both sides threw their aces in game one as fourteen-game winner John Candelaria took the hill for the Pirates, and future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver started for the Reds. After Omar Moreno grounded out to start the game, a 45-minute rain delay stalled the contest. When the inning continued, Seaver got Tim Foli and Dave Parker for the longest 1-2-3 inning in baseball history.
Pittsburgh struck first in the third inning when second baseman Phil Garner homered. A triple by Omar Moreno and sacrifice fly by Foli gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead. The Reds tied it in the bottom of the fourth when George Foster homered with Dave Concepción aboard. And it stayed that way until the eleventh inning. Tim Foli and Parker singled off Reds reliever Tom Hume. Willie Stargell, later voted the league's most valuable player in 1979 (along with Keith Hernandez), drilled a three-run homer, and Reds fans headed to the exits. Grant Jackson got the win and Don Robinson the save while Hume was saddled with a 5-2 loss. The victory gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead in games.
[edit] Game 2
October 3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
In another extra inning affair, the Pirates beat the Reds 3-2 to earn a road sweep and send the series to Pittsburgh needing just one win in three home games to make the 1979 World Series. The starting pitchers were Jim Bibby for the Pirates and Frank Pastore for the Reds.
Pastore helped himself with an RBI sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the second that scored Dan Driessen. Driessen was aboard after singling and moving to third on a Ray Knight single. Pittsburgh tied it in the third with three consecutive singles by Foli, Parker, and Stargell. Stargell's single gave him four RBIs in fourteen innings of play. The Pirates took the lead in the fifth when Garner singled, moved to third on a bunt and a fly out, and scored on a double by Foli. The game stayed 2-1 Pirates until the bottom of the ninth.
With one out, Hector Cruz doubled and scored when Dave Collins' double tied the game. The Reds now needed just a hit to win it with the speedy Collins on second. After a walk to Joe Morgan, reliever Don Robinson struck out Concepcion and got Foster to ground out and end the threat.
The Pirates won it in the tenth when Moreno singled, went to second on a bunt and scored on Parker's single. Robinson retired the Reds in the tenth and the Pirates had a two games to none lead over the Reds. Robinson got the win and Doug Bair got the loss.
[edit] Game 3
October 5 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Pirates made it to their first World Series since 1971 with a blowout win to complete a three-game sweep of the Reds. The starting pitchers were Bert Blyleven for the Pirates, and Mike LaCoss for the Reds. For the second time in three games, the start was delayed by rain. After allowing a hit in the first, the Pirates got on the board quickly when leadoff hitter Omar Moreno singled, stole second, moved to third on a fielder's choice grounder by Foli, and scored on a fly out by Parker. In the second, Garner tripled and scored on Foli's sacrifice fly. That chased LaCoss who was replaced by Fred Norman. In the third, Stargell hit his second home run of the series and Bill Madlock followed with another solo homer two batters later. In the fourth, Blyleven singled, and after Parker singled, a Stargell double sent both runners home for a 6-0 Pirate lead and clinched MVP honors for Stargell. He had hit two homers and driven in seven runs in just three games.
The Reds got one run back when Johnny Bench homered, but it was their last run of the year. The Pirates got that run back in the eighth when Garner scored on an error. The Reds went 1-2-3 in the ninth, and the Pirates were in their first World Series since 1971. They had beaten the Baltimore Orioles that year, and they would again meet the Orioles to determine the champion of baseball.
Blyleven was the winner and LaCoss was the loser.
