1979 Major League Baseball season

The 1979 Major League Baseball season concluded with the Pittsburgh Pirates defeating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games in the 1979 World Series. None of the post-season teams of 1977 or 1978 returned to this year's postseason.

1979 MLB season
LeagueMajor League Baseball
SportBaseball
DurationApril 4 – October 17, 1979
Number of games162
Number of teams26
TV partner(s)ABC, NBC, USA
Draft
Top draft pickAl Chambers
Picked bySeattle Mariners
Regular season
Season MVPAL: Don Baylor (CAL)
NL: Willie Stargell (PIT)
       Keith Hernandez (STL)
Postseason
AL championsBaltimore Orioles
  AL runners-upCalifornia Angels
NL championsPittsburgh Pirates
  NL runners-upCincinnati Reds
World Series
ChampionsPittsburgh Pirates
  Runners-upBaltimore Orioles
World Series MVPWillie Stargell (PIT)

Standings

Postseason

Bracket

League Championship Series
(ALCS, NLCS) 		World Series
      
East Baltimore 3
West California 1
AL Baltimore 3
NL Pittsburgh 4
East Pittsburgh 3
West Cincinnati 0

Awards and honors

Baseball Hall of Fame

Regular Season Awards

Postseason Awards

Gold Glove Award

Statistical leaders
Statistic American League National League
AVGFred Lynn BOS.333Keith Hernandez STL.344
HRGorman Thomas MIL45Dave Kingman CHC48
RBIDon Baylor CAL139Dave Winfield SD118
WinsMike Flanagan BAL23Joe Niekro HOU
Phil Niekro ATL		21
ERARon Guidry NYY2.78J. R. Richard HOU2.71
SONolan Ryan CAL223J. R. Richard HOU313
SVMike Marshall MIN32Bruce Sutter CHC37
SBWillie Wilson KC83Omar Moreno PIT77

Home field attendance
Team name Wins %± Home attendance %± Per game
Los Angeles Dodgers[1] 79 -16.8% 2,860,954 -14.5% 35,320
Philadelphia Phillies[2] 84 -6.7% 2,775,011 7.4% 34,259
New York Yankees[3] 89 -11.0% 2,537,765 8.6% 31,330
California Angels[4] 88 1.1% 2,523,575 43.8% 31,155
Cincinnati Reds[5] 90 -2.2% 2,356,933 -6.9% 29,462
Boston Red Sox[6] 91 -8.1% 2,353,114 1.4% 29,414
Kansas City Royals[7] 85 -7.6% 2,261,845 0.3% 27,924
Montreal Expos[8] 95 25.0% 2,102,173 47.3% 25,953
Milwaukee Brewers[9] 95 2.2% 1,918,343 19.8% 23,683
Houston Astros[10] 89 20.3% 1,900,312 68.7% 23,461
Baltimore Orioles[11] 102 13.3% 1,681,009 59.8% 21,279
Chicago Cubs[12] 80 1.3% 1,648,587 8.1% 20,353
Detroit Tigers[13] 85 -1.2% 1,630,929 -4.9% 20,387
St. Louis Cardinals[14] 86 24.6% 1,627,256 27.3% 19,845
Texas Rangers[15] 83 -4.6% 1,519,671 5.0% 18,761
San Diego Padres[16] 68 -19.0% 1,456,967 -12.8% 17,987
San Francisco Giants[17] 71 -20.2% 1,456,402 -16.3% 17,980
Pittsburgh Pirates[18] 98 11.4% 1,435,454 48.9% 17,722
Toronto Blue Jays[19] 53 -10.2% 1,431,651 -8.4% 17,675
Chicago White Sox[20] 73 2.8% 1,280,702 -14.1% 16,211
Minnesota Twins[21] 82 12.3% 1,070,521 35.9% 13,216
Cleveland Indians[22] 81 17.4% 1,011,644 26.4% 12,489
Seattle Mariners[23] 67 19.6% 844,447 -3.8% 10,425
New York Mets[24] 63 -4.5% 788,905 -21.7% 9,621
Atlanta Braves[25] 66 -4.3% 769,465 -14.9% 9,740
Oakland Athletics[26] 54 -21.7% 306,763 -41.8% 3,787

Events

January–April

May- August
  • May 15 – The 1979 Major League umpires strike is settled effective May 18. The umpires gain pay raises and additional vacation time by the addition of another crew, but eight minor league umpires who worked during the strike are promoted to the Major Leagues, causing dissention and ostracizing of the replacements whom the regular umpires referred to as "scabs".
  • May 17 – Dave Kingman of the Chicago Cubs hits three home runs and Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies hits two, the second of which proves to be the game winner in the tenth inning, as the Phillies beat the Cubs 23–22 at Wrigley Field. Bill Buckner had a grand slam and seven RBIs for Chicago. The game included a then Major League record 11 home runs and 50 hits.
  • May 28 – Texas Rangers first baseman Mike Jorgensen is hit in the head by a pitch from Boston Red Sox pitcher Andy Hassler. Dave Roberts comes into the game to pinch run for Jorgensen, and Pat Putnam takes over as the Rangers' regular first baseman for the next month. Aside from a pinch-hit appearance on May 31, Jorgensen does not play again until July 1. After suffering headaches, it is discovered he has a small blood clot inside his head, which apparently caused a seizure and could have resulted in his early demise.
  • June 8 – The Kansas City Royals use their fourth overall pick to draft Dan Marino. In the seventeenth round, they select Stanford's John Elway. Neither player would sign with the Royals, though they would go on to record-breaking careers in the National Football League.
  • June 12 – The Detroit Tigers hire Sparky Anderson as their new manager.
  • June 24 – In a 5–1 loss to the Rangers, Rickey Henderson debuts for the Oakland Athletics. He singles and doubles; the first of his over 3,000 career hits, and steals the first of his over 1,400 bases.
  • July 12 – The Detroit Tigers win the first game of a scheduled doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, 4–1, on Disco Demolition Night at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Thousands of young fans swarm onto the field between the games, damaging the field and causing mayhem throughout the stadium. The White Sox are forced to forfeit the second game.
  • July 17 – The National League wins its eighth straight All-Star Game, 7–6, at Seattle. Lee Mazzilli hits a home run to tie the game in the eighth, and walks in the ninth to bring in the winning run. Dave Parker, with two outstanding throws, is named the MVP, and Pete Rose plays a record five All-Star positions.
  • July 24 – Boston's Carl Yastrzemski hits his 400th home run off Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Morgan in the 7th inning of the Red Sox's 7–3 win over the Athletics at Boston's Fenway Park.
  • August 2 – The Chicago White Sox announce that Don Kessinger has been fired as manager, and that he will be replaced by rookie manager Tony La Russa.
  • August 3 – Over 51,000 mourners attend a memorial service for New York Yankees captain Thurman Munson at Yankee Stadium, who was killed the day before in a plane crash.
  • August 5 – Fred Lynn hits his 100th career home run, helping the Red Sox beat Milwaukee Brewers 7–2.
  • August 6 – The entire New York Yankee team flies to Canton, Ohio for captain Thurman Munson's funeral. Hours later, the team returns to New York City and defeats the Baltimore Orioles 5–4 at Yankee Stadium, before a national viewing audience on ABC's Monday Night Baseball. Bobby Murcer, one of Munson's best friends, drives in all five Yankee runs with a three-run home run in the seventh inning and a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth.
  • August 13 – The St. Louis Cardinals' Lou Brock slashes his 3,000th hit off the hand of Chicago Cubs pitcher Dennis Lamp in a 3–2 Cardinals win at Busch Memorial Stadium.
  • August 29 – In his first pitching appearance in the Major Leagues in his 11-year career, Kansas City Royals utility player Jerry Terrell entered the game in relief against the New York Yankees and got three outs on just three pitches in the ninth inning of a 17–3 loss.[29]

September–December

Television coverage

Twenty-two teams (all but the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals) signed a one-year cable deal with United Artists Television and Columbia Pictures Television, then-owners of the USA Network.[30] The deal involved the airing of Thursday Night Baseball[31] in markets at least 50 miles (80 km) from a major league park.[32] The deal earned Major League Baseball less than $500,000, but led to a new two-year contract for 40–45 games per season.[33][34]

ABC aired Monday Night Baseball and the World Series. NBC televised the weekend Game of the Week, the All-Star Game, and both League Championship Series.

References
  1. "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  2. "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  3. "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  5. "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  6. "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. "Kansas City Royals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. "Washington Nationals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. "Milwaukee Brewers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. "Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. "San Diego Padres Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. "Toronto Blue Jays Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. "Seattle Mariners Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. "New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  25. "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  26. "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  27. "April 4, 2001: Hideo Nomo joins elite company with no-hitters in both leagues". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  28. Pellowski, Michael J (2007). The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts. United States: Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 352. ISBN 9781402742736.
  29. "Three-Pitch Inning". goldenrankings.com. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  30. "Big-League Baseball To Hit Hinterlands On Cable Television". Wall Street Journal. April 13, 1979.
  31. "Majors give cable rights". Lawrence Journal-World. April 13, 1979.
  32. Jane Gross (July 12, 1981). "Sports on cable". The New York Times. USA agreed to the baseball limitations rejected by ESPN and shows a Thursday-night game in cities that do not have a major-league team. In New York City, Manhattan Cable broadcasts USA's programs, but cannot televise the weekly baseball game because the Yankees and Mets declined to grant the waivers necessary under major-league statutes.
  33. Jicha, Jim (April 3, 1982). "Is The Chance To .Ao To The Park ". Miami News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012.
  34. "Giants Announce Signings of Stennett, May, Wohlford". Los Angeles Times. December 13, 1979.
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