The 1979 Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 season consisted of the Reds winning the National League West

National League West

The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...

 under their first-year manager John McNamara

John McNamara (baseball)

John Francis McNamara is a former manager and coach in Major League Baseball. He managed six major league teams, directing the 1986 Boston Red Sox to the American League pennant, only to experience an excruciating defeat in that season's World Series at the hands of the New York Mets.-Playing,...

, with a record of 90-71, 1½ games better than the Houston Astros

1979 Houston Astros season

The 1979 Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. The team finished second in the National League West, 1½ games behind the first-place Cincinnati Reds. The 1979 Astros were the last National League franchise in the 20th century to hit more triples than home runs...

. However, the Reds lost the National League Championship Series

1979 National League Championship Series

-Game 1:Tuesday, October 2, 1979 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, OhioBoth sides threw their aces in Game 1 as fourteen-game winner John Candelaria started for the Pirates, and Tom Seaver started for the Reds. After Omar Moreno grounded out to start the game, a 45-minute rain delay stalled the...

 to the eventual World Series

1979 World Series

The 1979 World Series matched the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League's Baltimore Orioles , with the Pirates coming back from a three games to one deficit to win the Series in seven games...

 champion Pittsburgh Pirates

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 1979 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...

 in three straight games. The Reds played their home games at Riverfront Stadium

Cinergy Field

Riverfront Stadium , later known as Cinergy Field , was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine," as the...

.

Offseason

• January 9, 1979: Bill Bordley
  Bill Bordley
  William Clarke Bordley is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. In 2011, he was named chief of security for Major League Baseball.-High school and college career:...
  
   was drafted by the Reds in 1979, but the pick was voided.

Notable transactions

• May 8, 1979: Paul Blair
  Paul Blair (baseball)
  Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds...
  
   was signed as a free agent by the Reds.
• May 25, 1979: Champ Summers
  Champ Summers
  John Junior "Champ" Summers , is a former Major League Baseball player who played primarily as an outfielder and designated hitter for six teams during his eleven year career that spanned from 1974 to 1984...
  
   was traded by the Reds to the Detroit Tigers
  Detroit Tigers
  The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
  
   for a player to be named later. The Tigers completed the deal by sending Sheldon Burnside
  Sheldon Burnside
  Sheldon John Burnside is a former Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds. He was born on December 22, 1954 and he debuted on September 4, 1978 with the Tigers against the New York Yankees. His debut was rough and he posted a 0.1 IP, 3 H, 0 SO, 2 BB,...
  
   to the Reds on October 25.
• June 5, 1979: Jeff Jones
  Jeff Jones (outfielder)
  Jeffrey Raymond Jones is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played in 16 games for the Cincinnati Reds in .- Sources :...
  
   was drafted by the Reds in the 20th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft
  1979 Major League Baseball Draft
  The 1979 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 5-7, 1979, via conference call.-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :...
  
  .
• June 28, 1979: Pedro Borbón
  Pedro Borbón
  Spudro spärde Von Dolan is a former pitcher. He played Major League Baseball for 12 seasons for four teams, including 10 seasons for the Cincinnati Reds , playing on two World Series winning teams...
  
   was traded by the Reds to the San Francisco Giants
  San Francisco Giants
  The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
  
   for Héctor Cruz.

Roster

1979 Cincinnati Reds
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders Other batters		Manager Coaches

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

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
	75	140	21	.150	2	15
	27	60	12	.200	1	11
	23	34	7	.206	0	4

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
	29	175.2	9	7	3.79	78

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

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	65	11	7	16	4.29	86
	30	2	2	2	3.43	23

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 Tom Hume Thomas Hubert Hume is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies from 1977 to 1987...  (0-1)   SV: Don Robinson (1)
HRs: PIT – Phil Garner Phil Garner Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...  (1)   Willie Stargell Willie Stargell Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell , nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was a Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...  (1)   CIN – George Foster (1)

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 Doug Bair Charles Douglas Bair is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of fifteen seasons in the majors, from until , for seven different teams...  (0-1)   SV: None
HRs: PIT – None   CIN – None

Game 3

October 5, Three Rivers Stadium

Three Rivers Stadium

Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...

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 Bert Blyleven Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...  (1-0)  L: Mike LaCoss Mike LaCoss Michael James LaCoss , is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:LaCoss was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round of the 1974 amateur draft. He played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Kansas City Royals , and San Francisco Giants...  (0-1)   SV: None
HRs: CIN – Johnny Bench Johnny Bench Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...  (1)   PHI – Willie Stargell Willie Stargell Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell , nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was a Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...  (2)   Bill Madlock Bill Madlock Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1973 to 1987, Madlock was a right-handed hitter who won several National League batting titles. His record of four batting titles as a third baseman would be eclipsed in 1988 by Wade Boggs. Since 1970, only Tony Gwynn has...  (1)

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Nashville