# 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers season

The 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 90th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 22nd season in Los Angeles, California, and their 17th season playing their home games at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles California. The team finished the season in third place in the National League West. Near the end of the season, owner Walter O'Malley died, and the ownership of the team went to his son, Peter.

## Offseason

* February 15, 1979: Brad Gulden was traded by the Dodgers to the New York Yankees for Gary Thomasson.

## Regular season
### Season standings

vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Cincinnati Reds | 90 | 71 | .559 | — | 48‍–‍32 | 42‍–‍39 |
| Houston Astros | 89 | 73 | .549 | 1½ | 52‍–‍29 | 37‍–‍44 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 79 | 83 | .488 | 11½ | 46‍–‍35 | 33‍–‍48 |
| San Francisco Giants | 71 | 91 | .438 | 19½ | 38‍–‍43 | 33‍–‍48 |
| San Diego Padres | 68 | 93 | .422 | 22 | 39‍–‍42 | 29‍–‍51 |
| Atlanta Braves | 66 | 94 | .412 | 23½ | 34‍–‍45 | 32‍–‍49 |

### Record vs. opponents

1979 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL |
| Atlanta | — | 4–8 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 12–6 | 1–9 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–12 | 11–7 | 4–8 |
| Chicago | 8–4 | — | 7–5 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 8–10 |
| Cincinnati | 12–6 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | 11–7 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 10–7 | 6–12 | 8–4 |
| Houston | 11–7 | 6–6 | 10–8 | — | 10–8 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 14–4 | 7–11 | 6–6 |
| Los Angeles | 6–12 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 8–10 | — | 6–6 | 9–3 | 3–9 | 4–8 | 9–9 | 14–4 | 6–6 |
| Montreal | 9–1 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 6–6 | — | 15–3 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 10–8 |
| New York | 8–4 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 3–9 | 3–9 | 3–15 | — | 5–13 | 8–10 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 7–11 |
| Philadelphia | 5–7 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 7–11 | 13–5 | — | 8–10 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 7–11 |
| Pittsburgh | 8–4 | 12–6 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 10–8 | — | 7–5 | 9–3 | 11–7 |
| San Diego | 12–6 | 3–9 | 7–10 | 4–14 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 3–9 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | 4–8 |
| San Francisco | 7–11 | 4–8 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 10–8 | — | 5–7 |
| St. Louis | 8–4 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 8–4 | 7–5 | — |

### Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters :
| Name | Position |
| Davey Lopes | Second baseman |
| Bill Russell | Shortstop |
| Reggie Smith | Right fielder |
| Steve Garvey | First baseman |
| Ron Cey | Third baseman |
| Dusty Baker | Left fielder |
| Rick Monday | Center fielder |
| Steve Yeager | Catcher |
| Burt Hooton | Starting pitcher |

### Notable transactions

* April 7, 1979: Rick Rhoden was traded by the Dodgers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jerry Reuss.
* May 11, 1979: Lance Rautzhan was purchased from the Dodgers by the Milwaukee Brewers.
* May 11, 1979: Lerrin LaGrow was purchased by the Dodgers from the Chicago White Sox.

### Roster
## 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 | Steve Yeager | 105 | 310 | 67 | .216 | 13 | 41 |
| 1B | Steve Garvey | 162 | 648 | 204 | .315 | 28 | 110 |
| 2B | Davey Lopes | 153 | 582 | 154 | .265 | 28 | 73 |
| SS | Bill Russell | 153 | 627 | 170 | .271 | 7 | 56 |
| 3B | Ron Cey | 150 | 487 | 137 | .281 | 28 | 81 |
| LF | Dusty Baker | 151 | 554 | 152 | .274 | 23 | 88 |
| CF | Derrel Thomas | 141 | 406 | 104 | .256 | 5 | 44 |
| RF | Reggie Smith | 68 | 234 | 64 | .274 | 10 | 32 |

#### 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 |
| Joe Ferguson | 122 | 363 | 95 | .262 | 20 | 69 |
| Gary Thomasson | 115 | 315 | 78 | .248 | 14 | 45 |
| Von Joshua | 94 | 142 | 40 | .282 | 3 | 14 |
| Ted Martínez | 81 | 112 | 30 | .268 | 0 | 2 |
| Mickey Hatcher | 33 | 93 | 25 | .269 | 1 | 5 |
| Pedro Guerrero | 25 | 62 | 15 | .242 | 2 | 9 |
| Johnny Oates | 26 | 46 | 6 | .130 | 0 | 2 |
| Manny Mota | 47 | 42 | 15 | .357 | 0 | 3 |
| Rick Monday | 12 | 33 | 10 | .303 | 0 | 2 |
| Vic Davalillo | 29 | 27 | 7 | .259 | 0 | 2 |

### 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 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | 39 | 242.0 | 17 | 10 | 3.46 | 117 |
| Don Sutton | 33 | 226.0 | 12 | 15 | 3.82 | 146 |
| Burt Hooton | 29 | 212.0 | 11 | 10 | 2.97 | 129 |
| Andy Messersmith | 11 | 62.1 | 2 | 4 | 4.91 | 26 |
| Doug Rau | 11 | 56.0 | 1 | 5 | 5.30 | 28 |

#### 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 |
| Jerry Reuss | 39 | 160.0 | 7 | 14 | 3.54 | 83 |
| Charlie Hough | 42 | 151.1 | 7 | 5 | 4.76 | 76 |
| Bob Welch | 25 | 81.1 | 5 | 6 | 3.98 | 64 |
| Gerry Hannahs | 4 | 16.0 | 0 | 2 | 3.38 | 6 |

#### 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 |
| Dave Patterson | 36 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5.26 | 34 |
| Lerrin LaGrow | 31 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3.41 | 22 |
| Ken Brett | 30 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3.45 | 13 |
| Bobby Castillo | 19 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1.11 | 25 |
| Joe Beckwith | 17 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4.34 | 28 |
| Terry Forster | 17 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5.51 | 8 |
| Lance Rautzhan | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7.45 | 5 |
| Dennis Lewallyn | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.11 | 1 |

## Awards and honors

* National League Rookie of the Year
** Rick Sutcliffe
* TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award
** Rick Sutcliffe
* NL Player of the Week
** Dusty Baker (May 22–28)
** Manny Mota (Aug. 27 – Sep. 3)

### All-Stars

* 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
** Steve Garvey, starter, first base
** Davey Lopes, starter, second base
** Ron Cey, reserve
* TSN National League All-Star
** Davey Lopes
* Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star
** Rick Sutcliffe

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Albuquerque Dukes | Pacific Coast League | Del Crandall |
| AA | San Antonio Dodgers | Texas League | Don LeJohn |
| A | Lodi Dodgers | California League | Stan Wasiak |
| A | Clinton Dodgers | Midwest League | Dick McLaughlin |
| Rookie | Lethbridge Dodgers | Pioneer League | Gail Henley |
Teams in BOLD won League Championships

## Major League Baseball Draft

The Dodgers drafted 36 players in the June draft and 11 in the January draft. Of those, five players would eventually play in the Major Leagues.
The Dodgers lost their first round pick in the June draft to the San Diego Padres because they signed free agent Derrel Thomas but they gained the first round picks of the Pittsburgh Pirates (compensation for Lee Lacy) and New York Yankees (for Tommy John). With those picks they drafted two players from the University of Michigan, left-handed pitcher Steve Howe and right-handed pitcher Steve Perry. Howe was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year, a 1981 World Series Champion and a 1982 All-Star. He played in 12 seasons and saved 328 games before a drug addiction forced him out of the game. Perry pitched six seasons in the minors, the last two with the AAA Albuquerque Dukes, and finished 28-40 with a 5.34 ERA before the Dodgers released him.
This year's draft class also included pitcher Orel Hershiser from Bowling Green University, who was picked in the 17th round. He pitched 18 seasons (13 with the Dodgers), winning 204 games. He set a Major League record with a 59 consecutive scoreless inning streak in 1988 en route to winning the Cy Young Award and the World Series MVP. He was also a three-time All-Star.
1979 Draft Picks :
January draft
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Robert Silicani
3B
College of San Mateo
Yes
1979
Rookie
2
Jim Teller
OF
Sacramento City College
No Red Sox-1979
1979–1982
A
3
Kyle Dunning
RHP
Linn-Benton Community College
No
4
Joseph Siers
RHP
Palm Beach Community College
No
5
Phillip Smith
SS
Georgia Perimeter College
No
6
Eric Stack
RHP
Lane Community College
No
7
James Gleissner
C
Mount San Antonio College
No Royals-1980
1980–1984
AA
January Secondary phase
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Rick Misuraca
3B
Rose State College
Yes
1979
Rookie
2
John Millholland
SS
Louisburg College
No Yankees-1980
1980–1981
A
3
Richard Ross
OF
San Jose City College
No
4
Tommy Blackmon
RHP
Spartanburg Methodist College
No Indians-1980
19980-1984
AA
June draft
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Steve Howe
LHP
University of Michigan
Yes
1979–1997
MLB
1
Steve Perry
RHP
University of Michigan
Yes
1979–1984
AAA
2
David Lanning
3B
University of Georgia
Yes
1979–1981
AA
3
Don Crow
C
Washington State University
Yes
1979–1982
MLB
4
Leo Mann
SS
University of Missouri
Yes
1979–1981
A
5
Terry Sutcliffe
RHP
University of Kansas
Yes
1979–1981
A
6
Dale Holman
OF
Louisiana Tech University
Yes
1979–1987
AAA
7
Timothy Gloyd
SS
Pepperdine University
Yes
1979–1981
A
8
Jeff Dietrich
LHP
Serramonte High School
No
9
Felix Oroz
LHP
University of Wyoming
Yes
1979–1984
AAA
10
John Houston
C
John F. Kennedy High School
Yes
1979–1980
Rookie
11
Mark Sheehy
2B
University of California, Riverside
Yes
1979–1987
AAA
12
Kerwin Danley
OF
Susan Miller Dorsey High School
No
13
Greg Brock
1B
University of Wyoming
Yes
1979–1991
MLB
14
Franklin Bryant
RHP
North Carolina State University
Yes
1979–1982
A
15
Tom Beyers
OF
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Yes
1979–1983
AAA
16
Kenneth Bullock
LHP
University of San Francisco
Yes
1980
A
17
Orel Hershiser
RHP
Bowling Green State University
Yes
1979–2000
MLB
18
Stanley Mohler
OF
University of South Alabama
Yes
1979–1980
A
19
Wayne Kellam
RHP
Indian River High School
Yes
1979
Rookie
20
William Sobbe
C
Northwest Missouri State University
Yes
1979–1981
AA
21
Clint Wickenscheimer
RHP
Ball State University
Yes
1979-1982
AA
22
Glenn Terry
LHP
Kimball High School
Yes
1979–1982
A
23
David Daniel
RHP
Antelope Valley High School
Yes
1979–1982
A
24
Morris Madden
LHP
Spartanburg Methodist College
Yes
1979–1990
MLB
25
Leonard Collins
SS
Hiram Johnson High School
No
26
Brian Dillard
OF
Bloom High School
No
27
Harry Kazanjian
C
Washington High School
No
28
Kevin Roddy
IF
Bellevue West High School
No
29
P. J. Schranz
SS
Bloom High School
No
30
Ted Salcido
SS
Wilson High School
Yes
1980
A
31
James Garcia
RHP
Bell High School
No
32
George Page
OF
Kennedy High School
No Orioles-1982
1982–1983
Rookie
June secondary phase
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Alfredo Mejía
C
Oral Roberts University
Yes
1979–1981
AAA
2
Thomas McLaughlin
RHP
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
No Giants-1980
1980–1981
A
3
Kyle Dunning
RHP
Linn–Benton Community College
No
4
Bill Worden
C
Mission Hills JC
No Angels-1981
1981–1986
AA :