1979 Baltimore Orioles season

1979 Baltimore Orioles
AL East Champions AL Champions
Major League affiliations
American League (since 1901)
East Division (since 1969)
Location
Memorial Stadium (since 1954)
Baltimore, Maryland (since 1954)
Results
Record	102–57 (.642)
Divisional place	1st
Other information
Owner(s)	Jerold Hoffberger, Edward Bennett Williams
General manager(s)	Hank Peters
Manager(s)	Earl Weaver
Local television	WMAR-TV
Local radio	WFBR (Chuck Thompson, Bill O'Donnell, Brooks Robinson, Tom Marr)
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The 1979 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. The Orioles finished first in the American League East division of Major League Baseball with a record of 102 wins and 57 losses. They went on to defeat the California Angels in the 1979 American League Championship Series, 3 games to 1, before losing in the 1979 World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 games to 3.

Season overview

The 1979 season represents a dividing line in Orioles history. Attendance was poor before it and terrific after it, steadily rising into the 1990s in a new ballpark at Camden Yards. Also, ownership changed hands in 1979, with a twelve-million-dollar sale marking the change from Jerry Hoffberger's Baltimore Baseball Group—a local, family-oriented operation—to Edward Bennett Williams, a powerhouse attorney from Washington, D.C. with ideas about moving the club to the nation's capital.

Against the backdrop of noise and tension, the club played well, winning 102 games and the American League East title for the first time since 1974. The season was a return to glory days of the late '60s and early '70s under manager Earl Weaver, but this club was different in nature and spirit. The talent was not as dominant, but a blend of heart, skills, and original personalities produced a team as compelling and effective as any in Orioles history.

Years later, it is still hard to say what happened in the summer of 1979, what caused Orioles games at Memorial Stadium to become more popular. It didn't hurt that pro football's Baltimore Colts, more popular for a long time, were coming apart under owner Robert Irsay; with the team losing and Irsay threatening to move, fans were abandoning the franchise and looking for an alternative. Another factor was a change in the Orioles' flagship radio station: After 22 years on WBAL, the games were now on WFBR, a smaller, hipper station with a younger audience.

Offseason

• December 4, 1978: Jeff Schneider was drafted by the Orioles from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1978 rule 5 draft.^[1]
• December 21, 1978: Steve Lake was purchased from the Orioles by the Milwaukee Brewers.^[2]
• January 16, 1979: Mike Dimmel was traded by the Orioles to the St. Louis Cardinals for Benny Ayala.^[3]
• March 26, 1979: Elrod Hendricks was released by the Orioles.^[4]

Regular season

A new owner

The team had won 90 games and drawn 1.05 million fans in 1978, maintaining a depressing attendance level that hadn't changed in 25 years. With player salaries rising and profits falling, Hoffberger was under pressure from his family to sell. He announced in 1978 that he would entertain offers, and Williams's purchase was completed in August '79. The lawyer said he would move to Washington only if attendance continued to disappoint, although crowds had already begun to swell earlier in the season, before Williams laid down his challenge.

The players

The '79 Orioles didn't have a high payroll, but they won with a blend of intelligence, strong fundamentals, and guile. An amalagam of All-Stars and role players who jelled under Weaver's forceful hand, they pitched well, made key plays in the field, hit in the clutch, came from behind, and won games in unusual ways. The phenomenon was given a nickname: "Oriole Magic".

Offense

Those carrying the heaviest loads on offense were outfielder Ken Singleton, who had a career-best year with 35 homers and 111 RBIs and finished second in the American League MVP voting and first baseman Eddie Murray, who had 25 homers and 99 RBI.

Rich Dauer, Kiko Garcia, and Doug DeCinces filled out the infield, with Garcia, a farm-system product, taking over for aging Mark Belanger at shortstop. Al Bumbry batted leadoff, stole 37 bases, and ran down balls in center field. Rick Dempsey hit just .239, but his get-dirty style behind the plate made him a fan favorite.

Weaver's idea of platooning veteran John Lowenstein and rookie Gary Roenicke in left field was surprisingly successful. Roenicke, acquired in the Montreal deal, had 25 homers and 64 RBI in his first full season in the majors. Lowenstein, acquired from the Texas Rangers on waivers after the '78 season, added 11 homers and 34 RBIs.

Weaver also found places to plug in reserve outfielder Pat Kelly, who batted .288; pinch hitter deluxe Terry Crowley, who batted .317, and Benny Ayala, a reserve outfielder with a knack for extra-base hits. Lee May still received the majority of the designated hitter at-bats, producing 19 homers and 69 RBIs.

Pitching

Pitching was still the heart of the club. The Orioles had the AL's lowest team ERA (3.28, more than a half run lower than the next best team ERA) and limited opponents to a .241 average, the league's lowest by 12 points. The staff was led by Mike Flanagan, whose 23-9 record, 3.08 ERA, and 16 complete games earned him the AL Cy Young Award. After Flanagan, there was Dennis Martínez (15-16, 18 complete games), Scott McGregor (13-6), Steve Stone (11-7), and Jim Palmer (10-6), who was injured and failed to win 20 games for only the second time in the '70s. The bullpen, with Don Stanhouse, left-hander Tippy Martinez, and right-handers Tim Stoddard and Sammy Stewart, had 28 wins and 30 saves.

Stanhouse, a closer acquired in a six-player deal with the Montreal Expos before the 1978 season, made the AL All-Star team despite a habit of narrowly escaping jams. Weaver nicknamed Stanhouse "Full Pack", as in the full pack of cigarettes Weaver nervously smoked to help him get through Stanhouse's appearances. Flanagan called Stanhouse "Stan the Man Unusual,"^[5] a play on the nickname of Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial.

"Wild Bill"

In section 34 in the upper deck down the right-field line, a bearded cab driver named "Wild" Bill Hagy became the symbol of the awakening. He would rise from his seat, stand in front of his section, and spell out O-R-I-O-L-E-S with his body, twisting his arms and legs into recognizable facsimiles of the letters. When other, nearby sections joined in the cheer, it grew in popularity until the entire ballpark was following Hagy's lead, sending roaring cheers into the night.

Season standings

AL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Baltimore Orioles	102	57	0.642	—	55–24	47–33
Milwaukee Brewers	95	66	0.590	8	52–29	43–37
Boston Red Sox	91	69	0.569	11½	51–29	40–40
New York Yankees	89	71	0.556	13½	51–30	38–41
Detroit Tigers	85	76	0.528	18	46–34	39–42
Cleveland Indians	81	80	0.503	22	47–34	34–46
Toronto Blue Jays	53	109	0.327	50½	32–49	21–60

Record vs. opponents

1979 American League Records Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	8–5	9–3	8–3	8–5	7–6	6–6	8–5	8–4	5–6	8–4	10–2	6–6	11–2
Boston	5–8	—	5–7	5–6	6–7	8–5	8–4	8–4	9–3	5–8	9–3	8–4	6–6	9–4
California	3–9	7–5	—	9–4	6–6	4–8	7–6	7–5	9–4	7–5	10–3	7–6	5–8	7–5
Chicago	3–8	6–5	4–9	—	6–6	3–9	5–8	5–7	5–8	4–8	9–4	5–8	11–2	7–5
Cleveland	5–8	7–6	6–6	6–6	—	6–6	6–6	4–9	8–4	5–8	8–4	7–5	5–7	8–5
Detroit	6–7	5–8	8–4	9–3	6–6	—	5–7	6–7	4–8	7–6	7–5	7–5	6–6	9–4
Kansas City	6–6	4–8	6–7	8–5	6–6	7–5	—	5–7	7–6	5–7	9–4	7–6	6–7	9–3
Milwaukee	5–8	4–8	5–7	7–5	9–4	7–6	7–5	—	8–4	9–4	6–6	9–3	9–3	10–3
Minnesota	4–8	3–9	4–9	8–5	4–8	8–4	6–7	4–8	—	7–5	9–4	10–3	4–9	11–1
New York	6–5	8–5	5–7	8–4	8–5	6–7	7–5	4–9	5–7	—	9–3	6–6	8–4	9–4
Oakland	4–8	3–9	3–10	4–9	4–8	5–7	4–9	6–6	4–9	3–9	—	8–5	2–11	4–8
Seattle	2–10	4–8	6–7	8–5	5–7	5–7	6–7	3–9	3–10	6–6	5–8	—	6–7	8–4
Texas	6–6	6–6	8–5	2–11	7–5	6–6	7–6	3–9	9–4	4–8	11–2	7–6	—	7–5
Toronto	2–11	4–9	5–7	5–7	5–8	4–9	3–9	3–10	1–11	4–9	8–4	4–8	5–7	—

Notable transactions

• June 26, 1979: John Stefero was signed by the Orioles as an amateur free agent.^[6]
• September 1, 1979: Elrod Hendricks was signed as a free agent by the Orioles.^[4]

Roster

1979 Baltimore Orioles
Roster
Pitchers 46 Mike Flanagan 37 John Flinn 59 Dave Ford 30 Dennis Martínez 23 Tippy Martinez 16 Scott McGregor 22 Jim Palmer 43 Jeff Rineer 26 Don Stanhouse 53 Sammy Stewart 49 Tim Stoddard 21,32 Steve Stone		Catchers 24 Rick Dempsey 44 Elrod Hendricks  8 Dave Skaggs Infielders  7 Mark Belanger 45 Tom Chism 10 Terry Crowley 25 Rich Dauer 11 Doug DeCinces  3 Kiko Garcia 12 Wayne Krenchicki 14 Lee May 33 Eddie Murray  2 Billy Smith		Outfielders 27 Benny Ayala  1 Al Bumbry 15 Mark Corey  6 Larry Harlow 18 Pat Kelly 38 John Lowenstein  9 Bob Molinaro 35 Gary Roenicke 29 Ken Singleton		Manager  4 Earl Weaver Coaches 41 Jim Frey (First base) 44 Elrod Hendricks (Bullpen) 31 Ray Miller (Pitching) 47 Cal Ripken (Third base) 20 Frank Robinson (Hitting)

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Dempsey, RickRick Dempsey	124	368	88	.239	6	41
1B	Murray, EddieEddie Murray	159	606	179	.295	25	99
2B	Dauer, RichRich Dauer	142	479	123	.257	9	61
3B	DeCinces, DougDoug DeCinces	120	422	97	.230	16	61
SS	Garcia, KikoKiko Garcia	126	417	103	.247	5	24
LF	Roenicke, GaryGary Roenicke	133	376	98	.261	25	64
CF	Bumbry, AlAl Bumbry	148	569	162	.285	7	49
RF	Singleton, KenKen Singleton	159	570	168	.295	35	111
DH	May, LeeLee May	124	456	116	.254	19	69

Other batters

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
Belanger, MarkMark Belanger	101	198	33	.167	0	9
Lowenstein, JohnJohn Lowenstein	97	197	50	.254	11	34
Kelly, PatPat Kelly	68	153	44	.288	9	25
Smith, BillyBilly Smith	68	189	47	.249	6	33
Skaggs, DaveDave Skaggs	63	137	34	.248	1	14
Crowley, TerryTerry Crowley	61	63	20	.317	1	8
Ayala, BennyBenny Ayala	42	86	22	.256	6	13
Harlow, LarryLarry Harlow	38	41	11	.268	0	1
Krenchicki, WayneWayne Krenchicki	16	21	4	.190	0	0
Corey, MarkMark Corey	13	13	2	.154	0	1
Molinaro, BobBob Molinaro	8	6	0	.000	0	0
Chism, TomTom Chism	6	3	0	.000	0	0
Hendricks, ElrodElrod Hendricks	1	1	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Martínez, DennisDennis Martínez	40	292.1	15	16	3.66	132
Flanagan, MikeMike Flanagan	39	265.2	23	9	3.08	190
Stone, SteveSteve Stone	32	186	11	7	3.77	96
McGregor, ScottScott McGregor	27	174.2	13	6	3.35	81
Palmer, JimJim Palmer	23	155.2	10	6	3.30	67

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Ford, DaveDave Ford	9	30	2	1	2.10	7

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Stanhouse, DonDon Stanhouse	52	72.2	7	3	21	2.85	34
Martinez, TippyTippy Martinez	39	78	10	3	3	2.88	61
Stewart, SammySammy Stewart	31	117.2	8	5	1	3.52	71
Stoddard, TimTim Stoddard	29	58	3	1	3	1.71	47
Flinn, JohnJohn Flinn	4	2.2	0	0	0	0.00	0
Rineer, JeffJeff Rineer	1	1	0	0	0	0.00	0

Postseason

ALCS

The Orioles won the Series, 3 games to 1, over the California Angels.

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance
1	California – 3, Baltimore – 6	October 3	Memorial Stadium	52,787
2	California – 8, Baltimore – 9	October 4	Memorial Stadium	52,108
3	Baltimore – 3, California – 4	October 5	Anaheim Stadium	43,199
4	Baltimore – 8, California – 0	October 6	Anaheim Stadium	43,199

World Series

NL Pittsburgh Pirates (4) vs. AL Baltimore Orioles (3)

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance	Time of Game
1	Pirates – 4, Orioles – 5	October 10	Memorial Stadium	53,735	3:18
2	Pirates – 3, Orioles – 2	October 11	Memorial Stadium	53,739	3:13
3	Orioles – 8, Pirates – 4	October 12	Three Rivers Stadium	50,848	2:51
4	Orioles – 9, Pirates – 6	October 13	Three Rivers Stadium	50,883	3:48
5	Orioles – 1, Pirates – 7	October 14	Three Rivers Stadium	50,920	2:54
6	Pirates – 4, Orioles – 0	October 16	Memorial Stadium	53,739	2:30
7	Pirates – 4, Orioles – 1	October 17	Memorial Stadium	53,733	2:54

Awards and honors

• Earl Weaver, Associated Press AL Manager of the Year

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Rochester Red Wings	International League	Doc Edwards
AA	Charlotte O's	Southern League	Jimmy Williams
A	Miami Orioles	Florida State League	Lance Nichols
Rookie	Bluefield Orioles	Appalachian League	J. R. Miner

Notes

1. Jeff Schneider page at Baseball Reference
2. Steve Lake page at Baseball Reference
3. Benny Ayala page at Baseball Reference
4. Elrod Hendricks page at Baseball Reference
5. Matt Schudel, Mike Flanagan, Orioles' pitcher, executive and broadcaster, dies at 59, Washington Post (August 25, 2011). Retrieved on April 19, 2012.
6. John Stefero page at Baseball Reference

References

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
• 1979 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference
• 1979 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com