The 1979

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

had a record of 98 wins and 64 losses and captured the

National League East The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National Leag ...

Division title by two games over the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

. The Pirates beat the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

to win their ninth

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

pennant, and the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

to win their fifth

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

title – and also their last playoff series victory to date. The disco hit " We Are Family" by

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. I ...

was used as the team's theme song that season.

Offseason

* October 23, 1978:

Will McEnaney William Henry McEnaney (February 14, 1952) is a former professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher over parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball (1974–79) with the Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. ...

was released by the Pirates. * December 4, 1978:

Ken Macha Kenneth Edward Macha (; born September 29, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He managed the Oakland Athletics from 2003–2006, including American League Western Division championships in both his first and final ...

was drafted from the Pirates by the

in the 1978 rule 5 draft. * December 5, 1978:

Odell Jones Odell Jones (born January 13, 1953 in Tulare, California) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers, in parts of nine seasons spann ...

, Rafael Vásquez, and Mario Mendoza were traded by the Pirates to the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

for

Enrique Romo Enrique Romo Navarro (born July 15, 1947) is a Mexican former professional baseball relief pitcher who played for the Seattle Mariners (1977–78) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1979–82). Romo batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Santa Rosal ...

, Rick Jones and Tom McMillan.

Regular season

Key transactions

* April 19, 1979: Traded

Frank Taveras Franklin Crisostomo Taveras Fabian (born December 24, 1949), is a former Major League shortstop from to for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and Montreal Expos. Career Pittsburgh Pirates Taveras signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an a ...

to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

for Tim Foli and Greg Field (minors). * June 28, 1979: Traded Fred Breining, Al Holland and Ed Whitson to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

for Bill Madlock,

Lenny Randle Leonard Shenoff Randle (born February 12, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball player. He was the first-round pick of the Washington Senators in the secondary phase of the June 1970 Major League Baseball draft, tenth overall. Early years Bor ...

, and Dave Roberts.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

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Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

, , 3–7 , , Ruthven , , Romo (0–2) , , — , , 48,235 , , 1–3 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 5 , , April 11 , , @

, , 4–5 , , Carlton , , Blyleven (0–1) , , — , , 26,281 , , 1–4 , , L3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 6 , , April 12 , , Cardinals , , 3–1 , , Robinson (1–0) , , Denny , , — , , 3,986 , , 2–4 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 7 , , April 13 , , Cardinals , , 7–6 , , Bibby (1–0) , , Schultz , , Jackson (1) , , 4,395 , , 3–4 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 8 , , April 14 , , Cardinals , , 7–4 , , Whitson (1–0) , , Forsch , , Jackson (2) , , 10,940 , , 4–4 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 9 , , April 15 , , Cardinals , , 4–9 , , Littell , , Tekulve (0–2) , , — , , 3,012 , , 4–5 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 10 , , April 17 , ,

, , 2–13 , , Carlton , , Blyleven (0–2) , , — , , 7,739 , , 4–6 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 11 , , April 18 , ,

, , 2–3 , , Lerch , , Robinson (1–1) , , — , , 12,195 , , 4–7 , , L3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 12 , , April 20 , , @

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 afte ...

, , 4–5 , , Sambito , , Bibby (1–1) , , — , , 19,834 , , 4–8 , , L4 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 13 , , April 21 , , @

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, , 8–9 , , Riccelli , , Whitson (1–1) , , — , , 5,767 , , 6–11 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 18 , , April 29 , ,

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Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Broo ...

, , 2–4 , , Sutcliffe , , Rooker (2–1) , , — , , 14,727 , , 25–23 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 50 , , June 5 , ,

, , 3–1 , , Blyleven (2–2) , , Sutton , , Tekulve (5) , , 11,088 , , 26–23 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 51 , , June 6 , ,

, , 5–4 , , Romo (2–2) , , Welch , , Tekulve (6) , , 16,666 , , 27–23 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 52 , , June 8 , , Giants , , 3–2 , , Romo (3–2) , , Curtis , , Jackson (7) , , 18,227 , , 28–23 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 53 , , June 9 , , Giants , , 2–6 , , Blue , , Kison (3–2) , , — , , 25,814 , , 28–24 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 54 , , June 10 , , Giants , , 4–7 , , Lavelle , , Romo (3–3) , , — , , 25,536 , , 28–25 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 55 , , June 12 , , @ Padres , , 3–6 , , Perry , , Candelaria (4–5) , , — , , 23,759 , , 28–26 , , L3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 56 , , June 13 , , @ Padres , , 2–3 , , Owchinko , , Kison (3–3) , , Fingers , , 17,845 , , 28–27 , , L4 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 57 , , June 14 , , @ Padres , , 1–2 , , D'Acquisto , , Candelaria (4–6) , , — , , 15,444 , , 28–28 , , L5 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 58 , , June 15 , , @

, , 6–2 , , Blyleven (3–2) , , Sutton , , Tekulve (7) , , 50,299 , , 29–28 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 59 , , June 16 , , @

, , 6–3 , , Robinson (5–3) , , Welch , , — , , 49,448 , , 30–28 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 60 , , June 17 , , @

, , 5–1 , , Whitson (2–3) , , Reuss , , Tekulve (8) , , 45,835 , , 31–28 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 61 , , June 19 , , @ Giants , , 9–4 , , Candelaria (5–6) , , Montefusco , , Romo (1) , , 39,861 , , 32–28 , , W4 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 62 , , June 20 , , @ Giants , , 8–5 , , Jackson (4–0) , , Lavelle , , Tekulve (9) , , 19,637 , , 33–28 , , W5 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 63 , , June 22 , , Cubs , , 7–2 , , Blyleven (4–2) , , Holtzman , , — , , 21,006 , , 34–28 , , W6 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 64 , , June 23 , , Cubs , , 3–4 , , Krukow , , Robinson (5–4) , , Sutter , , 18,513 , , 34–29 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 65 , , June 24 , , Cubs , , 0–5 , , Reuschel , , Kison (3–4) , , — , , 43,402 , , 34–30 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 66 , , June 25 , , @ Mets , , 8–1 , , Candelaria (6–6) , , Swan , , — , , , , 35–30 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 67 , , June 25 , , @ Mets , , 0–4 , , Falcone , , Rooker (2–2) , , — , , 14,666 , , 35–31 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 68 , , June 26 , , @ Mets , , 2–1 , , Blyleven (5–2) , , Hausman , , Jackson (8) , , 11,903 , , 36–31 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 69 , , June 27 , , Mets , , 9–12 , , Twitchell , , Jackson (4–1) , , — , , 13,168 , , 36–32 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 70 , , June 28 , , Mets , , 2–3 , , Allen , , Bibby (3–2) , , Glynn , , 10,137 , , 36–33 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 71 , , June 29 , , Expos , , 6–5 , , Kison (4–4) , , Lee , , Tekulve (10) , , 35,677 , , 37–33 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 72 , , June 30 , , Expos , , 3–5 , , Sanderson , , Blyleven (5–3) , , Fryman , , 13,865 , , 37–34 , , L1 !width="5%", Streak , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 73 , , July 2 , , @ Cardinals , , 5–4 , , Romo (4–3) , , Knowles , , Jackson (9) , , 18,042 , , 38–34 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 74 , , July 3 , , @ Cardinals , , 4–1 , , Candelaria (7–6) , , Forsch , , Romo (2) , , 17,130 , , 39–34 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 75 , , July 4 , , @ Cardinals , , 6–4 , , Blyleven (6–3) , , Vuckovich , , Jackson (10) , , 14,766 , , 40–34 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 76 , , July 5 , , @ Cardinals , , 0–2 , , Fulgham , , Rooker (2–3) , , — , , 16,626 , , 40–35 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 77 , , July 6 , , @ Reds , , 1–2 , , Bair , , Jackson (4–2) , , — , , 32,264 , , 40–36 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 78 , , July 7 , , @ Reds , , 2–6 , , Moskau , , Robinson (5–5) , , — , , 36,300 , , 40–37 , , L3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 79 , , July 8 , , @ Reds , , 2–4 , , Norman , , Candelaria (7–7) , , — , , , , 40–38 , , L4 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 80 , , July 8 , , @ Reds , , 2–1 , , Jackson (5–2) , , Tomlin , , Tekulve (11) , , 43,099 , , 41–38 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 81 , , July 10 , , @

, , 4–3 , , Bibby (4–2) , , Andujar , , Tekulve (12) , , 31,341 , , 42–38 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 82 , , July 11 , , @

, , 5–1 , , Kison (5–4) , , Richard , , — , , 25,330 , , 43–38 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 83 , , July 12 , , @

, , 5–3 , , Blyleven (7–3) , , Niekro , , Tekulve (13) , , 22,956 , , 44–38 , , W4 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 84 , , July 13 , , @ Braves , , 4–13 , , Niekro , , Rooker (2–4) , , — , , 17,018 , , 44–39 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 85 , , July 14 , , @ Braves , , 5–1 , , Candelaria (8–7) , , Matula , , — , , 25,083 , , 45–39 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 86 , , July 15 , , @ Braves , , 7–3 , , Bibby (5–2) , , Solomon , , — , , 11,304 , , 46–39 , , W2 , - style="text-align:center; background:#bbcaff;" , colspan=10 , 50th All-Star Game in Seattle, Washington , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 87 , , July 19 , ,

, , 9–5 , , Roberts (1–0) , , Forsch , , — , , , , 47–39 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 88 , , July 19 , ,

, , 4–2 , , Kison (6–4) , , Niekro , , Jackson (11) , , 33,464 , , 48–39 , , W4 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 89 , , July 20 , ,

, , 9–3 , , Candelaria (9–7) , , Richard , , — , , 23,585 , , 49–39 , , W5 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 90 , , July 21 , ,

, , 6–5 , , Romo (5–3) , , Sambito , , Tekulve (14) , , 19,570 , , 50–39 , , W6 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 91 , , July 22 , , Braves , , 5–4 , , Robinson (6–5) , , Solomon , , Tekulve (15) , , , , 51–39 , , W7 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 92 , , July 22 , , Braves , , 3–2 , , Bibby (6–2) , , Mahler , , Tekulve (16) , , 29,533 , , 52–39 , , W8 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 93 , , July 23 , , Braves , , 7–1 , , Blyleven (8–3) , , Hanna , , — , , , , 53–39 , , W9 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 94 , , July 23 , , Braves , , 0–8 , , Niekro , , Rooker (2–5) , , — , , 27,148 , , 53–40 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 95 , , July 24 , , Reds , , 5–6 , , Norman , , Kison (6–5) , , Bair , , 19,517 , , 53–41 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 96 , , July 25 , , Reds , , 5–6 , , Bair , , Tekulve (3–6) , , — , , 17,296 , , 53–42 , , L3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 97 , , July 26 , , Reds , , 7–9 , , Soto , , Roberts (1–1) , , Hume , , 20,339 , , 53–43 , , L4 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 98 , , July 27 , , @ Expos , , 5–4 , , Tekulve (4–6) , , Sosa , , Romo (3) , , , , 54–43 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 99 , , July 27 , , @ Expos , , 9–1 , , Blyleven (9–3) , , Sanderson , , — , , 59,260 , , 55–43 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 100 , , July 28 , , @ Expos , , 5–3 , , Bibby (7–2) , , Schatzeder , , Tekulve (17) , , 38,661 , , 56–43 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 101 , , July 29 , , @ Expos , , 3–5 , , Rogers , , Kison (6–6) , , — , , 35,245 , , 56–44 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 102 , , July 30 , , Mets , , 8–5 , , Jackson (6–2) , , Bernard , , Tekulve (18) , , 11,837 , , 57–44 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 103 , , July 31 , , Mets , , 1–2 , , Twitchell , , Blyleven (9–4) , , Glynn , , 10,739 , , 57–45 , , L1 !width="5%", Streak , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 104 , , August 1 , , Cardinals , , 4–3 , , Romo (6–3) , , Forsch , , Tekulve (19) , , 16,124 , , 58–45 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 105 , , August 2 , , Cardinals , , 4–5 , , Frazier , , Jackson (6–3) , , Knowles , , 25,163 , , 58–46 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 106 , , August 3 , ,

, , 6–3 , , Romo (7–3) , , McGraw , , — , , , , 59–46 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 107 , , August 3 , ,

, , 5–1 , , Bibby (8–2) , , Christenson , , — , , 45,309 , , 60–46 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 108 , , August 4 , ,

, , 4–0 , , Candelaria (10–7) , , Espinosa , , — , , 34,754 , , 61–46 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 109 , , August 5 , ,

, , 12–8 , , Tekulve (5–6) , , Eastwick , , — , , , , 62–46 , , W4 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 110 , , August 5 , ,

, , 5–2 , , Romo (8–3) , , Noles , , Tekulve (20) , , 46,006 , , 63–46 , , W5 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 111 , , August 7 , , @ Cubs , , 2–15 , , Reuschel , , Rooker (2–6) , , — , , 34,641 , , 63–47 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 112 , , August 8 , , @ Cubs , , 5–2 , , Tekulve (6–6) , , Tidrow , , — , , 34,255 , , 64–47 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 113 , , August 9 , , @ Cubs , , 3–11 , , Lamp , , Candelaria (10–8) , , — , , 29,645 , , 64–48 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 114 , , August 10 , , @

, , 3–4 , , Eastwick , , Jackson (6–4) , , — , , , , 64–49 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 115 , , August 10 , , @

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, , 14–11 , , Romo (9–3) , , Eastwick , , Tekulve (22) , , 51,118 , , 66–49 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 117 , , August 13 , , @

, , 9–1 , , Bibby (9–2) , , Christenson , , — , , 43,111 , , 67–49 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 118 , , August 14 , , Padres , , 7–1 , , Candelaria (11–8) , , D'Acquisto , , — , , 23,210 , , 68–49 , , W4 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 119 , , August 15 , , Padres , , 5–1 , , Blyleven (10–4) , , Jones , , — , , 14,219 , , 69–49 , , W5 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 120 , , August 16 , , Padres , , 5–4 , , Kison (8–6) , , Perry , , Romo (4) , , 14,201 , , 70–49 , , W6 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 121 , , August 17 , ,

, , 6–7 , , Patterson , , Bibby (9–3) , , Castillo , , 22,416 , , 70–50 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 122 , , August 18 , ,

, , 1–5 , , Reuss , , Robinson (6–6) , , — , , 40,238 , , 70–51 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 123 , , August 19 , ,

, , 2–0 , , Tekulve (7–6) , , Hooton , , — , , 28,382 , , 71–51 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 124 , , August 20 , , Giants , , 6–5 , , Romo (10–3) , , Lavelle , , Tekulve (23) , , 18,714 , , 72–51 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 125 , , August 21 , , Giants , , 1–6 , , Knepper , , Kison (8–7) , , — , , 20,999 , , 72–52 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 126 , , August 22 , , Giants , , 8–6 , , Tekulve (8–6) , , Lavelle , , — , , 19,768 , , 73–52 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 127 , , August 24 , , @ Padres , , 2–3 , , Jones , , Romo (10–4) , , Lee , , 16,890 , , 73–53 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 128 , , August 25 , , @ Padres , , 4–3 , , Roberts (2–1) , , D'Acquisto , , — , , 14,607 , , 74–53 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 129 , , August 26 , , @ Padres , , 9–2 , , Kison (9–7) , , Shirley , , — , , 13,006 , , 75–53 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 130 , , August 27 , , @

, , 2–4 , , Brett , , Tekulve (8–7) , , — , , 35,705 , , 75–54 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 131 , , August 28 , , @

, , 4–1 , , Candelaria (12–8) , , Hough , , — , , 31,587 , , 76–54 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 132 , , August 29 , , @

, , 4–1 , , Blyleven (11–4) , , Reuss , , Tekulve (24) , , 32,816 , , 77–54 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 133 , , August 31 , , @ Giants , , 6–4 , , Robinson (7–6) , , Curtis , , Jackson (12) , , 19,377 , , 78–54 , , W3 !width="5%", Streak , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 134 , , September 1 , , @ Giants , , 5–3 , , Kison (10–7) , , Montefusco , , Jackson (13) , , 25,551 , , 79–54 , , W4 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 135 , , September 1 , , @ Giants , , 7–2 , , Bibby (10–3) , , Knepper , , — , , 27,382 , , 80–54 , , W5 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 136 , , September 2 , , @ Giants , , 5–3 , , Candelaria (13–8) , , Blue , , — , , 15,663 , , 81–54 , , W6 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 137 , , September 3 , ,

, , 0–2 , , Carlton , , Blyleven (11–5) , , McGraw , , , , 81–55 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 138 , , September 3 , ,

, , 7–3 , , Rooker (3–6) , , Lerch , , Tekulve (25) , , 43,444 , , 82–55 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 139 , , September 5 , , @ Cardinals , , 7–5 , , Roberts (3–1) , , Thomas , , Tekulve (26) , , 23,059 , , 83–55 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 140 , , September 6 , , @ Cardinals , , 6–8 , , Martinez , , Bibby (10–4) , , McEnaney , , 14,767 , , 83–56 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 141 , , September 7 , , @ Mets , , 6–4 , , Jackson (7–4) , , Allen , , — , , 8,290 , , 84–56 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 142 , , September 8 , , @ Mets , , 2–3 , , Ellis , , Rooker (3–7) , , — , , 8,095 , , 84–57 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 143 , , September 9 , , @ Mets , , 6–5 , , Tekulve (9–7) , , Glynn , , — , , 9,093 , , 85–57 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 144 , , September 11 , , Cardinals , , 7–3 , , Roberts (4–1) , , Denny , , — , , 15,757 , , 86–57 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 145 , , September 12 , , Cardinals , , 2–0 , , Candelaria (14–8) , , Forsch , , Tekulve (27) , , 17,669 , , 87–57 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 146 , , September 15 , , Mets , , 5–4 , , Roberts (5–1) , , Glynn , , Tekulve (28) , , 18,060 , , 88–57 , , W4 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 147 , , September 16 , , Mets , , 0–3 , , Falcone , , Candelaria (14–9) , , Allen , , 25,364 , , 88–58 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 148 , , September 17 , , @ Expos , , 2–1 , , Robinson (8–6) , , Rogers , , — , , 54,609 , , 89–58 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 149 , , September 18 , , @ Expos , , 5–3 , , Jackson (8–4) , , Murray , , Roberts (1) , , 56,976 , , 90–58 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 150 , , September 19 , , @

, , 9–6 , , Tekulve (10–7) , , Eastwick , , Jackson (14) , , , , 91–58 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 151 , , September 19 , , @

, , 5–6 , , Kucek , , Romo (10–5) , , Saucier , , 30,566 , , 91–59 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 152 , , September 20 , , @

, , 1–2 , , Lerch , , Tekulve (10–8) , , — , , 16,299 , , 91–60 , , L2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 153 , , September 21 , , @ Cubs , , 0–2 , , McGlothen , , Robinson (8–7) , , — , , 9,552 , , 91–61 , , L3 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 154 , , September 22 , , @ Cubs , , 4–1 , , Kison (11–7) , , Riley , , Tekulve (29) , , 24,657 , , 92–61 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 155 , , September 23 , , @ Cubs , , 6–0 , , Bibby (11–4) , , Reuschel , , — , , 24,571 , , 93–61 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 156 , , September 24 , , Expos , , 5–2 , , Blyleven (12–5) , , Schatzeder , , Tekulve (30) , , , , 94–61 , , W3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 157 , , September 24 , , Expos , , 6–7 , , Grimsley , , Jackson (8–5) , , Sosa , , 47,268 , , 94–62 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 158 , , September 25 , , Expos , , 10–4 , , Rooker (4–7) , , Sanderson , , Romo (5) , , 31,348 , , 95–62 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 159 , , September 26 , , Expos , , 10–1 , , Kison (12–7) , , Rogers , , — , , 42,043 , , 96–62 , , W2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 160 , , September 27 , , Cardinals , , 5–9 , , Forsch , , Roberts (5–2) , , Littell , , 11,172 , , 96–63 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 161 , , September 28 , , Cubs , , 6–1 , , Bibby (12–4) , , Reuschel , , — , , 14,778 , , 97–63 , , W1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 162 , , September 29 , , Cubs , , 6–7 , , Caudill , , Robinson (8–8) , , — , , 25,734 , , 97–64 , , L1 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 163 , , September 30 , , Cubs , , 5–3 , , Kison (13–7) , , McGlothen , , Tekulve (31) , , 42,176 , , 98–64 , , W1 ! colspan=9 , ''Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie
Bold = Pirates team member'' Source: baseball-reference.com

Roster

Opening Day Lineup

Player stats

;Batting ''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in'' ;Pitching ''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Postseason

Postseason game log

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , , Oct 2 , , @ Reds , , 5–2 (11) , ,

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

(1–0) , ,

Hume Hume most commonly refers to: * David Hume (1711–1776), Scottish philosopher Hume may also refer to: People * Hume (surname) * Hume (given name) * James Hume Nisbet (1849–1923), Scottish-born novelist and artist In fiction * Hume, ...

(0–1) , , Robinson (1) , , 55,006 , , PIT 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , , Oct 3 , , @ Reds , , 3–2 (10) , , Robinson (1–0) , , Bair (0–1) , , — , , 55,000 , , PIT 2–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , , Oct 5 , , Reds , , 7–1 , , Blyleven (1–0) , , LaCoss (0–1) , , — , , 42,240 , , PIT 3–0 , - , - style="background:#bbb;" , , , Oct 9 , , @

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

, , colspan="6", ''Postponed (rain)'' , - style="background:#fbb;" , 1 , , Oct 10 , , @

, , 4–5 , , Flanagan (2–0) , , Kison (0–1) , , — , , 53,735 , , BAL 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , , Oct 11 , , @

, , 3–2 , , Robinson (2–0) , , Stanhouse (1–2) , , Tekulve (1) , , 53,739 , , Tied 1–1 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 3 , , Oct 12 , ,

, , 4–8 , , McGregor (2–0) , , Candelaria (0–1) , , — , , 50,848 , , BAL 2–1 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 4 , , Oct 13 , ,

, , 6–9 , , Stoddard (1–0) , , Tekulve (0–1) , , — , , 50,883 , , BAL 3–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , , Oct 14 , ,

, , 7–1 , , Blyleven (2–0) , , Flanagan (2–1) , , — , , 50,920 , , BAL 3–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , , Oct 16 , , @

, , 4–0 , , Candelaria (1–1) , , Palmer (0–1) , , Tekulve (2) , , 53,739 , , Tied 3–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , , Oct 17 , , @

, , 4–1 , ,

(2–0) , , McGregor (2–1) , , Tekulve (3) , , 53,733 , , PIT 4–3 , - , - style="text-align:center;" , ''Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Pirates team member''

National League Championship Series

Game 1

October 2,

Riverfront Stadium Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 Major League Baseball season, 1970 throug ...

Game 2

October 3,

Game 3

October 5, Three Rivers Stadium

World Series

The 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 The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League (NL) and the New York Yankees of the American League (AL) from October 5–13, 1960. In Game 7, Bill Mazeroski hit the series winning ninth-inning home run ...

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 James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

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 Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962–1982) ...

at 39 was the oldest player to win MVP honors for both the

and the

. 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 Bruce Eugene Kison (February 18, 1950 – June 2, 2018) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–79), California Angels (1980–84) and Boston Red Sox (1985). Ki ...

, infielder

Rennie Stennett Reinaldo Antonio Stennett Porte (April 5, 1949 – May 18, 2021) was a Panamanian professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–79) and San Francisco Giants (1980–81). He ba ...

, and catcher Manny Sanguillén were the only players left over from the

1971 World Series The 1971 World Series was the championship round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1971 season and featured the first night game in its history. The 68th edition of the Fall Classic was a best-of-seven playoff between the defending 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 The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

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.

Game 1

October 10, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...

. Attendance: 53,735

Game 2

October 11, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in

. Attendance: 53,739

Game 3

October 12, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Attendance: 50,848

Game 4

October 13, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in

. Attendance: 50,883

Game 5

October 14, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in

. Attendance: 50,920

Game 6

October 16, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in

. Attendance: 53,739

Game 7

October 17, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in

. Attendance: 53,733

Composite Box

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

(A.L.)

Awards and honors

Associated Press Athlete of the Year The first Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP) in 1931. At a time when women in sports were not given the same recognition as men, the AP offered a male and a female athlete of the year award t ...

* Willie Stargell, 1B,

Babe Ruth Award The Babe Ruth Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to New York Yankee pitcher, Joe Page, the MVP of the W ...

* Willie Stargell, 1B, National League Most Valuable Player Award * Willie Stargell, 1B,

National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Nation ...

Most Valuable Player Award * Willie Stargell, 1B, World Series Most Valuable Player Award

All-Stars

1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 50th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues constituting Major League Baseball. It was held on Tuesday, ...

* Dave Parker, OF, starter, game MVP

League leaders

Omar Moreno ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

, National League stolen base leader, 77Stolen Bases Single Season National League Leaders by Baseball Almanac
/ref> * Dave Parker, led NL in extra-base hits * Dave Parker, led NL in sacrifice flies

Other team leaders

* Runs scored – Omar Moreno (110) * Stolen bases – Omar Moreno (77) * Walks – Dave Parker (67)

Farm system

Notes

References

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates
at ''Baseball Reference''
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates
at ''Baseball Almanac'' * {{Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Pirates seasons Pittsburgh Pirates season National League East champion seasons National League champion seasons World Series champion seasons Pittsburg