The 1979 Baltimore Orioles season was the 79th season in Baltimore Orioles franchise history, the 26th in Baltimore, and 26th at Memorial Stadium. 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 the 1979 World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 games to 3.

Season overview The 1979 season represented a turning point in Orioles history. Attendance of games was poor in 1978, but ownership changed hands in 1979, with a 12-million-dollar sale by Jerry Hoffberger's Baltimore Baseball Group, a local, family-oriented operation, to Edward Bennett Williams, a Washington, D.C. attorney with ideas to move the club to the nation's capital.

During the season, the club played well, winning 102 games and the American League East title for the first time since 1974. Additionally, Earl Weaver used 140 different lineups during the regular season.

The cause of the rise in popularity during the 1979 season is still unknown. Some suspect that a cause could be linked to the NFL's Baltimore Colts coming apart under Robert Irsay. With the team losing and Irsay threatening to relocate, people may have been 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 station, but 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.Jeff Schneider page at Baseball Reference December 21, 1978: Steve Lake was purchased from the Orioles by the Milwaukee Brewers.Steve Lake page at Baseball Reference January 16, 1979: Mike Dimmel was traded by the Orioles to the St. Louis Cardinals for Benny Ayala.Benny Ayala page at Baseball Reference March 26, 1979: Elrod Hendricks was released by the Orioles.Elrod Hendricks page at Baseball Reference

Regular season

A new owner The team won 90 games and drew 1.05 million fans in 1978, maintaining an attendance level that hadn't changed in 25 years. Hoffberger was under pressure to sell the team due to player salaries rising and profits falling. He announced in 1978 that he would entertain offers. Williams' purchase was completed in August of 1979. The lawyer said he would move to Washington if attendance continued to disappoint, although the draw was up well before Williams issued his warning.

The players The Orioles didn't have a high payroll, but won with a lot of effort and the individual skills that team members had to offer. An amalgam of All-Stars and role players jelling under Weaver, they pitched well, made key plays, 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 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 RBIs.

Rich Dauer, Kiko Garcia, and Doug DeCinces filled out the infield, with Garcia 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 .239, but his get-dirty style behind the plate made him a fan favorite.

Weaver's platoon of veteran John Lowenstein and rookie Gary Roenicke in left field was also successful. Roenicke, acquired from Montreal, had 25 homers and 64 RBIs, while Lowenstein, released by Texas Rangers after the 1978 season, added 11 homers and 34 RBIs.

Weaver also found places to plug in reserve outfielder Pat Kelly, who batted .288; pinch hitter Terry Crowley, who batted .317, and Benny Ayala, a reserve outfielder with a knack for extra-base hits. Lee May 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) 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 1970s. 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, made the All-Star team. Weaver called Stanhouse "Full Pack", as in the full pack of cigarettes Weaver smoked to get through Stanhouse's appearances.

"Wild Bill" In section 34 in the upper deck down the right-field line, a bearded cab driver named "Wild" Bill Hagy became a symbol for the team and fellow attendees of the games. 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 followed Hagy's lead, sending roaring cheers into the night.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions June 26, 1979: John Stefero was signed by the Orioles as an amateur free agent.John Stefero page at Baseball Reference September 1, 1979: Elrod Hendricks was signed as a free agent by the Orioles.

Roster 1979 Baltimore Orioles Roster Pitchers Catchers

Infielders Outfielders Manager

Coaches (First base) (Bullpen) (Pitching) (Third base) (Hitting)

Player stats = Indicates team leader

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 124 368 88 .239 6 41 1B 159 606 179 .295 25 99 2B 142 479 123 .257 9 61 3B 120 422 97 .230 16 61 SS 126 417 103 .247 5 24 LF 133 376 98 .261 25 64 CF 148 569 162 .285 7 49 RF 159 570 168 .295 35 111 DH 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 101 198 33 .167 0 9 97 197 50 .254 11 34 68 189 47 .249 6 33 68 153 44 .288 9 25 63 137 34 .248 1 14 42 86 22 .256 6 13 61 63 20 .317 1 8 38 41 11 .268 0 1 16 21 4 .190 0 0 13 13 2 .154 0 1 8 6 0 .000 0 0 6 3 0 .000 0 0 1 1 0 .000 0 0

Pitching = Indicates league leader

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 40 292.1 15 16 3.66 132 39 265.2 23 9 3.08 190 32 186.0 11 7 3.77 96 27 174.2 13 6 3.35 81 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 9 30.0 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 52 72.2 7 3 21 2.85 34 39 78.0 10 3 3 2.88 61 31 117.2 8 5 1 3.52 71 29 58.0 3 1 3 1.71 47 4 2.2 0 0 0 0.00 0 1 1.0 0 0 0 0.00 0

Postseason

ALCS

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

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance1California – 3, Baltimore – 6October 3Memorial Stadium52,7872California – 8, Baltimore – 9October 4Memorial Stadium52,1083Baltimore – 3, California – 4October 5Anaheim Stadium43,1994Baltimore – 8, California – 0October 6Anaheim Stadium43,199

World Series

NL Pittsburgh Pirates (4) vs. AL Baltimore Orioles (3) GameScoreDateLocationAttendanceTime of Game1Pirates – 4, Orioles – 5 October 10Memorial Stadium 53,735 3:182Pirates – 3, Orioles – 2 October 11Memorial Stadium 53,739 3:133Orioles – 8, Pirates – 4 October 12Three Rivers Stadium 50,848 2:514Orioles – 9, Pirates – 6October 13Three Rivers Stadium 50,883 3:485Orioles – 1, Pirates – 7 October 14Three Rivers Stadium 50,920 2:546Pirates – 4, Orioles – 0 October 16Memorial Stadium 53,739 2:307Pirates – 4, Orioles – 1 October 17Memorial Stadium 53,733 2:54

Awards and honors Earl Weaver, Associated Press AL Manager of the Year

Farm system

Notes

References

1979 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference 1979 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com