1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season

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1979 Pittsburgh Pirates
1979 NL East Champions
1979 NL Champions
1979 World Series Champions
Major league affiliations
Location
1979 Information
Owner(s) John W. Galbreath
General Manager(s) Harding "Pete" Peterson
Manager(s) Chuck Tanner
Local television KDKA-TV
Milo Hamilton, Lanny Frattare
Local radio KDKA
Milo Hamilton,Lanny Frattare

The Pittsburgh Pirates had 98 wins and 64 losses and captured the National League East Division title by two games over the Montreal Expos. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds to win their ninth National League title, and the Baltimore Orioles to win their fifth World Series title - and also their last playoff series victory to date.

Contents

[edit] Offseason

  • December 5, 1978: Enrique Romo was traded by the Seattle Mariners with Rick Jones and Tom McMillan to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Odell Jones, Rafael Vasquez, and Mario Mendoza. [1]

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Opening Day Starters

[edit] Season standings

Team Wins Losses Win % GB
Pittsburgh Pirates 98 64 .605 0
Montreal Expos 95 65 .594 2.0
St. Louis Cardinals 86 76 .531 12.0
Philadelphia Phillies 84 78 .519 14.0
Chicago Cubs 80 82 .494 18.0
New York Mets 63 99 .389 35.0

[edit] Notable transactions

  • April 7, 1979: Rick Rhoden was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jerry Reuss. [2]
  • June 5, 1979: Mike Sharperson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 41st round of the 1979 amateur draft, but did not sign. [3]
  • September 21, 1979: Dock Ellis was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the New York Mets.

[edit] Game log

Game Log
April
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
May
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
June
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
July
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
August
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
September
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
October
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
162

[edit] Roster

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates roster
v • d • e
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

[edit] Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Ed Ott 117 403 110 .273 7 51
Willie Stargell 126 424 119 .281 32 82
Rennie Stennett 108 319 76 .289 0 24
Bill Madlock 85 311 102 .328 7 44
Tim Foli 133 525 153 .291 1 65
Omar Moreno 162 695 196 .282 8 69
Dave Parker 158 622 193 .310 25 94
Bill Robinson 148 421 111 .264 24 75

[edit] Other batters

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Phil Garner 150 549 161 .293 11 59
John Milner 128 326 90 .276 16 60
Steve Nicosia 70 191 55 .288 4 13
Lee Lacy 84 182 45 .247 5 15
Dale Berra 44 123 26 .211 3 15
Manny Sanguillen 56 74 17 .230 0 4
Mike Easler 55 54 15 .278 2 11
Frank Taveras 11 45 11 .244 0 1
Matt Alexander 44 13 7 .538 0 1
Doe Boyland 4 3 0 .000 0 0
Gary Hargis 1 0 0 .000 0 0
Alberto Lois 11 0 0 .000 0 0

[edit] Pitchers Batting Stats

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Bert Blyleven 38 70 9 .129 0 3
John Candelaria 33 68 9 .132 0 6
Bruce Kison 37 55 8 .145 1 6
Don Robinson 29 49 10 .204 0 3
Jim Bibby 34 45 8 .178 2 5
Jim Rooker 19 33 4 .121 0 1
Kent Tekulve 94 15 2 .133 0 1
Ed Whitson 19 13 0 .000 0 0
Enrique Romo 84 12 2 .167 0 1
Grant Jackson 72 9 0 .000 0 1
Joe Coleman 10 5 1 .200 0 0
Dave Roberts 21 5 0 .200 0 1
Dock Ellis 3 1 0 .000 0 1
Rick Rhoden 1 1 1 1.000 0 1

[edit] Starting pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO

[edit] Other pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA

[edit] Relief pitchers
Player G W L SV ERA SO

[edit] National League Championship Series

Main article: 1979 National League Championship Series

[edit] Game 1

October 2, Riverfront Stadium

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 10 0
Cincinnati 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0
W: Grant Jackson (1-0)  L: Tom Hume (0-1)   SV: Don Robinson (1)
HRs: PIT – Phil Garner (1)   Willie Stargell (1)   CIN – George Foster (1)

[edit] Game 2

October 3, Riverfront Stadium

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 11 0
Cincinnati 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 8 0
W: Don Robinson (1-0)  L: Doug Bair (0-1)   SV: None
HRs: PIT – None   CIN – None

[edit] Game 3

October 5, Three Rivers Stadium

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 8 1
Pittsburgh 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 1 X 7 7 0
W: Bert Blyleven (1-0)  L: Mike LaCoss (0-1)   SV: None
HRs: CIN – Johnny Bench (1)   PHI – Willie Stargell (2)   Bill Madlock (1)

[edit] World Series

Main article: 1979 World Series
1979 World Series Program

The Pittsburgh Pirates became one of only six teams in the 20th Century to have won a World Series after trailing three games to one. Two of those teams were the Pirates, in 1925 and 1979. The others were the 1903 Boston Red Sox (in a best-of-nine series), 1958 New York Yankees, 1968 Detroit Tigers, and 1985 Kansas City Royals. Five Pirates had 10 or more hits in this series, a World Series record.

Chuck Tanner]'s mother died the morning of Game 5 (this was mentioned during the telecast by announcer Howard Cosell). 1960 World Series hero Bill Mazeroski threw out the first ball in Game 5. The Pittsburgh Pirates were the last team in the 20th Century to win Game 7 of the World Series on the road. U.S. President Jimmy Carter made an appearance in Game 7, he threw out the first ball, and after the game made a visit to the victorious Pittsburgh locker room.

Willie Stargell at 39 was the oldest player to win MVP honors for both the National League and the World Series. In the World Series, he hit .400 with a record seven extra-base hits and matched Reggie Jackson's record of 25 total bases, set in 1977. Stargell, pitcher Bruce Kison, and catcher Manny Sanguillen were the only players left over from the 1971 World Series, when the Pirates faced the Orioles. Orioles' pitcher Jim Palmer, Mark Belanger, and manager Earl Weaver were the only ones who were still with the team that faced the Pirates in 1971.

As was the case when the same two teams played in the 1971 World Series, a game in Baltimore was rained out. Game 1 of this series was postponed, while Game 2 of the 1971 series had to be moved back a day. In this Series, it was the American League team's "turn" to play by National League rules, meaning that there was no designated hitter and the Orioles' pitchers would have to bat. While this resulted in pitcher Tim Stoddard getting his first major league hit and RBI in Game 4. Overall, it hurt the Orioles because Lee May, their designated hitter for much of the season and a key part of their offense, was only able to bat three times in the whole series. The Pirates wore four different uniform combinations during the series: gold cap, black jersey and gold pants for Games 1 & 5, black cap, gold jersey and black pants for Games 2, 6 & 7, black cap and solid white pinstriped uniform for Game 3 and a black cap and solid gold uniform for Game 4.

[edit] Game 1

October 10, 1979 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,735

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 4 11 3
Baltimore 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 3
W: Mike Flanagan (1-0)   L: Bruce Kison (0-1)
HR: PIT – Willie Stargell (1); BAL – Doug Decinces (1)

[edit] Game 2

October 11, 1979 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,739

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 11 2
Baltimore 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 6 1
W: Don Robinson (1-0)   L: Don Stanhouse (0-1)  S: Kent Tekulve (1)
HR: PIT – none; BAL – Eddie Murray (1)

[edit] Game 3

October 12, 1979 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,848

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Baltimore 0 0 2 5 0 0 1 0 0 8 13 0
Pittsburgh 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 9 2
W: Scott McGregor (1-0)   L: John Candelaria (0-1)
HR: BAL – Benny Ayala (1); PIT – none

[edit] Game 4

October 13, 1979 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,883

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Baltimore 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 6 0 9 12 0
Pittsburgh 0 4 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 6 17 1
W: Tim Stoddard (1-0)   L: Kent Tekulve (0-1)
HR: BAL – none; PIT – Willie Stargell (2)

[edit] Game 5

October 14, 1979 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,920

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Baltimore 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 6 2
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 x 7 13 1
W: Bert Blyleven (1-0)   L: Mike Flanagan (1-1)
HR: BAL – none; PIT – none

[edit] Game 6

October 16, 1979 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,739

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 4 10 0
Baltimore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
W: John Candelaria (1-1)   L: Jim Palmer (0-1)  S: Kent Tekulve (2)
HR: PIT – none; BAL – none

[edit] Game 7

October 17, 1979 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,733

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 4 10 0
Baltimore 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 2
W: Grant Jackson (1-0)   L: Scott McGregor (1-1)  S: Kent Tekulve (3)
HR: PIT – Willie Stargell (3); BAL – Rich Dauer (1)

[edit] Composite Box

1979 World Series (4-3): Pittsburgh Pirates (N.L.) over Baltimore Orioles (A.L.)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 8 0 1 1 8 4 6 3 32 81 9
Baltimore Orioles 5 1 6 5 1 1 1 6 0 26 54 9
Total Attendance: 367,597   Average Attendance: 52,514
Winning Player’s Share: – $28,264,   Losing Player’s Share – $22,114 * Includes Playoffs and World Series

[edit] Awards and Honors

1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

[edit] Team Leaders

  • Home Runs – Willie Stargell (32)
  • Runs Batted In – Dave Parker (94)
  • Batting Average – Dave Parker (.310)
  • Hits - Omar Moreno (196)
  • Runs Scored - Omar Moreno (110)
  • Stolen Bases - Omar Moreno (77)
  • Walks - Dave Parker (67)
  • Wins - John Candelaria (14)
  • Earned Run Average - Kent Tekulve (2.75)
  • Strikeouts - Bert Blyleven (172)

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/romoen01.shtml
  2. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rhoderi01.shtml
  3. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sharpmi01.shtml
  4. ^ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hisb2nl.shtml
v • d • e
1979 MLB season by team
AL East
AL West
NL East
Chicago • Montréal • New York • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • St. Louis
NL West
1979 All-Star Game • 1979 World Series
Preceded by
Philadelphia Phillies
1978		 NL East Championship Season
1979		 Succeeded by
Philadelphia Phillies
1980
Preceded by
Los Angeles Dodgers
1978		 National League Championship Season
1979		 Succeeded by
Philadelphia Phillies
1980
Preceded by
New York Yankees
1978		 World Series Champions
Pittsburgh Pirates
1979		 Succeeded by
Philadelphia Phillies
1980
v • d • e
Pittsburgh Pirates
Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Franchise
Ballparks
Culture
Important Figures
Retired Numbers
1 • 4 • 8 • 9 • 11 • 20 • 21 • 33 • 40 • 42
Minors
World Series
Championships (5)
1909 • 1925 • 1960 • 1971 • 1979
League Pennants
American Association: none • National League: 1901 • 1902 • 1903 • 1909 • 1925 • 1927 • 1960 • 1971 • 1979
Division Titles
Eastern: 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1974 • 1975 • 1979 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • Central: none • Wild Card: none
v • d • e
Pittsburgh Pirates 1979 World Series roster