1979 Toronto Blue Jays season
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Toronto Blue Jays
season was a season in American baseball
. It involved the Blue Jays finishing 7th in the American League
East with a record of 53 wins and 109 losses. The loss total of 109 set the franchise mark. Attendance for the season would drop to 1,431,651.
Roy Hartsfield
was fired at the end of the season. One highlight of the season was the awarding of the American League Rookie of the Year Award to Alfredo Griffin
.
The end of the 1979 season marked a crossroads for the franchise. The first real talent from the minor leagues had made it to the major league roster. Such talent included pitcher Dave Stieb
and third baseman Danny Ainge
.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
season was a season in American baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. It involved the Blue Jays finishing 7th in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
East with a record of 53 wins and 109 losses. The loss total of 109 set the franchise mark. Attendance for the season would drop to 1,431,651.
Offseason
- January 11, 1979: Rico CartyRico CartyRicardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty is a former professional baseball player. Nicknamed Beeg Boy, he played mostly as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from to...
was signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays. - March 17, 1979: Steve LuebberSteve LuebberStephen Lee Luebber is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Luebber pitched in all or part of five seasons in the majors between and . He currently serves as pitching coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, single-A farm team for the Kansas City Royals...
was signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays. - March 25, 1979: Bobby BrownBobby Brown (outfielder)Rogers Lee "Bobby" Brown , is a former Major League Baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from -. Brown played for the Toronto Blue Jays , New York Yankees , Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres In 502 games, Brown accumulated 313 hits, 26 home runs, 130 RBI, and a .245 batting...
was selected off waivers by the Blue Jays from the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
Regular season
Following the team's poor performance, managerManager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Roy Hartsfield
Roy Hartsfield
Roy Thomas Hartsfield was a second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball; his MLB playing and managing careers each lasted three years. Hartsfield played his entire major-league career with the Boston Braves from 1950 to 1952. He was then traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers for outfielder Andy...
was fired at the end of the season. One highlight of the season was the awarding of the American League Rookie of the Year Award to Alfredo Griffin
Alfredo Griffin
Alfredo Claudino Griffin is a former Major League Baseball player, who played shortstop for four teams from 1976 to 1993. He is currently the first base coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.-Playing career:...
.
The end of the 1979 season marked a crossroads for the franchise. The first real talent from the minor leagues had made it to the major league roster. Such talent included pitcher Dave Stieb
Dave Stieb
David Andrew Stieb [STEEB] is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.-Playing career:Born in Santa Ana, California, Stieb played varsity baseball at Southern Illinois University as an outfielder...
and third baseman Danny Ainge
Danny Ainge
Daniel Ray "Danny" Ainge is an American basketball manager and retired professional basketball and baseball player, currently serving as President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics....
.
Opening Day starters
- Bob BailorBob BailorRobert Michael Bailor is a former right-handed utility player in Major League Baseball, best known for his speed and for being difficult to strike out...
- Rick BosettiRick BosettiRichard Alan Bosetti is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder who played from to for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Oakland Athletics....
- Rico CartyRico CartyRicardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty is a former professional baseball player. Nicknamed Beeg Boy, he played mostly as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from to...
- Rick CeroneRick CeroneRichard Aldo Cerone from Seton Hall University is a former Major League Baseball player from 1975 to 1992 for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Montreal Expos...
- Jim ClancyJim Clancy (baseball)James Clancy is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays , Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves . He batted and threw right-handed....
- Alfredo GriffinAlfredo GriffinAlfredo Claudino Griffin is a former Major League Baseball player, who played shortstop for four teams from 1976 to 1993. He is currently the first base coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.-Playing career:...
- Roy HowellRoy HowellRoy Lee Howell , is a former professional baseball player who played third base in Major League Baseball from 1974-1984...
- John MayberryJohn MayberryJohn Claiborn Mayberry is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees from 1968 to 1982.-High school and minor leagues:...
- Dave McKay
- Alvis WoodsAlvis WoodsAlvis "Al" Woods is a former left fielder who played in Major League Baseball between and . He batted and threw left-handed....
Notable transactions
- April 19, 1979: Bobby Brown was purchased from the Blue Jays by the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. - April 24, 1979: Tony FernándezTony FernándezOctavio Antonio Fernández Castro , better known as Tony Fernández, is a former Major League Baseball player most noted for his defensive skills setting a record for shortstops with a .992 fielding percentage in 1989.-Career:...
was signed as an amateur free agent by the Blue Jays. - July 25, 1979: Craig KusickCraig KusickCraig Robert Kusick was an American first baseman and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played nearly his entire career from to for the Minnesota Twins.His son Craig Kusick, Jr...
was purchased by the Blue Jays from the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
.
Draft picks
- June 5, 1979: 1979 Major League Baseball Draft1979 Major League Baseball DraftThe 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 :...
- Future NFL quarterback Jay SchroederJay SchroederJay Brian Schroeder is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins , Los Angeles Raiders , Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals .He attended Palisades High School and was a high school football teammate of actor...
was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round, but did not sign. - Ron ShepherdRon ShepherdRonald Wayne Shepherd is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the majors, from until , for the Toronto Blue Jays.-Sources:...
was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 2nd round. - Ron RomanickRon RomanickRonald James Romanick is a Major League Baseball pitching coach and a former Major League Baseball pitcher. In 2011, he was the Oakland Athletics pitching coach. After the 2011 season, Romanick's contract was not renewed by Oakland in anticipation of new manager Bob Melvin bringing in his own...
was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 3rd round, but did not sign. - Andre RobertsonAndre RobertsonAndre Levett Robertson is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played during five seasons at the major league level for the New York Yankees. He was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 4th round of the amateur draft...
was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 4th round.
- Future NFL quarterback Jay Schroeder
Roster
| 1979 Toronto Blue Jays | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Game log
| 1979 Game Log | |
|---|---|
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 136 | 469 | 47 | 112 | 27 | 4 | .239 | 7 | 61 | 1 | |
| 1B | 137 | 464 | 61 | 127 | 22 | 1 | .274 | 21 | 74 | 1 | |
| 2B | 87 | 308 | 26 | 73 | 7 | 1 | .237 | 2 | 19 | 1 | |
| 3B | 138 | 511 | 60 | 126 | 28 | 4 | .247 | 15 | 72 | 1 | |
| SS | 153 | 624 | 81 | 179 | 22 | 10 | .287 | 2 | 31 | 21 | |
| LF | 132 | 436 | 57 | 121 | 24 | 4 | .278 | 5 | 36 | 6 | |
| CF | 162 | 619 | 59 | 161 | 35 | 2 | .260 | 8 | 65 | 13 | |
| RF | 130 | 414 | 50 | 95 | 11 | 5 | .229 | 1 | 38 | 14 | |
| DH | 132 | 461 | 48 | 118 | 26 | 0 | .256 | 12 | 55 | 3 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 274 | 45 | 79 | 21 | 0 | .288 | 15 | 48 | 0 | |
| 59 | 163 | 11 | 39 | 7 | 0 | .239 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
| 47 | 156 | 19 | 34 | 9 | 0 | .218 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| 61 | 142 | 14 | 30 | 1 | 1 | .211 | 1 | 5 | 12 | |
| 36 | 102 | 14 | 27 | 8 | 1 | .265 | 2 | 13 | 0 | |
| 32 | 89 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .124 | 1 | 8 | 0 | |
| 43 | 86 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 1 | .186 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 23 | 54 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | .204 | 2 | 7 | 0 | |
| 15 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .103 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 22 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 32 | 227 | 9 | 16 | 3.69 | 113 | 93 | 95 | 127 | |
| 31 | 31 | 173 | 6 | 18 | 5.77 | 130 | 111 | 68 | 56 | |
| 22 | 20 | 143 | 8 | 10 | 3.71 | 65 | 59 | 45 | 63 | |
| 18 | 18 | 129.1 | 8 | 8 | 4.31 | 70 | 62 | 48 | 52 | |
| 12 | 11 | 63.2 | 2 | 7 | 5.51 | 44 | 39 | 31 | 33 | |
| 9 | 9 | 51.2 | 3 | 4 | 5.23 | 32 | 30 | 24 | 19 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 16 | 139.1 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 4.84 | 85 | 75 | 79 | 51 | |
| 34 | 10 | 116 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 5.51 | 75 | 71 | 45 | 43 | |
| 18 | 10 | 83 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 6.29 | 64 | 58 | 34 | 40 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 78.2 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 3.43 | 33 | 30 | 25 | 44 | |
| 42 | 91 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4.95 | 57 | 50 | 53 | 35 | |
| 17 | 26.2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8.44 | 27 | 25 | 16 | 8 | |
| 12 | 32.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.85 | 26 | 21 | 7 | 14 | |
| 10 | 18.1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5.40 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | |
| 10 | 15.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.57 | 18 | 18 | 5 | 7 | |
| 8 | 22.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.78 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 14 | |
| 1 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.91 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ∞ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Awards and honors
- Alfredo GriffinAlfredo GriffinAlfredo Claudino Griffin is a former Major League Baseball player, who played shortstop for four teams from 1976 to 1993. He is currently the first base coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.-Playing career:...
, Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award - Alfredo Griffin, Player of the MonthPlayer of the MonthThe Player of the Month Award is a Major League Baseball award named by each league every month of the regular season. The National League started recognizing the award on June 4, 1958. National League president Warren Giles conducted a poll of baseball writers in each Major League city and...
Award, September
All-Stars
All-Star Game1979 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 and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 17, 1979, at The Kingdome in Seattle, Washington the home of the...
- Dave LemanczykDave LemanczykDavid Lawrence Lemanczyk was a pitcher with an eight year career from 1973 to 1980. He played for the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays and California Angels all of the American League...
, reserve