# 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates had a record of 98 wins and 64 losses and captured the National League East title by two games over the Montreal Expos. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds to win their ninth National League pennant, and the Baltimore Orioles to win their fifth World Series title – and also their last playoff series victory to date. The disco hit "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge was used as the team's theme song that season.

## Offseason

* October 23, 1978: Will McEnaney was released by the Pirates.
* December 4, 1978: Ken Macha was drafted from the Pirates by the Montreal Expos in the 1978 rule 5 draft.
* December 5, 1978: Odell Jones, Rafael Vásquez, and Mario Mendoza were traded by the Pirates to the Seattle Mariners for Enrique Romo, Rick Jones and Tom McMillan.

## Regular season
### Key transactions

* April 19, 1979: Traded Frank Taveras to the New York Mets for Tim Foli and Greg Field (minors).
* June 28, 1979: Traded Fred Breining, Al Holland and Ed Whitson to the San Francisco Giants for Bill Madlock, Lenny Randle, and Dave Roberts.

### Season standings

vteNL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 98 | 64 | .605 | — | 48‍–‍33 | 50‍–‍31 |
| Montreal Expos | 95 | 65 | .594 | 2 | 56‍–‍25 | 39‍–‍40 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 86 | 76 | .531 | 12 | 42‍–‍39 | 44‍–‍37 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 84 | 78 | .519 | 14 | 43‍–‍38 | 41‍–‍40 |
| Chicago Cubs | 80 | 82 | .494 | 18 | 45‍–‍36 | 35‍–‍46 |
| New York Mets | 63 | 99 | .389 | 35 | 28‍–‍53 | 35‍–‍46 |

### 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 | — |

## Roster
### Opening Day Lineup

Opening Day Starters :
| # | Name | Position |
| 10 | Frank Taveras | SS |
| 18 | Omar Moreno | CF |
| 39 | Dave Parker | RF |
| 8 | Willie Stargell | 1B |
| 28 | Bill Robinson | LF |
| 6 | Rennie Stennett | 2B |
| 14 | Ed Ott | C |
| 3 | Phil Garner | 3B |
| 22 | Bert Blyleven | P |

## Game log
### Regular season

1979 regular season game log: 98–64 (Home: 48–33; Away: 50–31) :
April: 7–11 (Home: 5–6; Away: 2–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
1April 612:35 p.m. ESTExpos2–3 (10)Sosa (1–0)Tekulve (0–1)—3:0236,1410–1L1
2April 72:15 p.m. ESTExpos7–6Jackson (1–0)Sosa (1–1)—3:008,7001–1W1
3April 81:05 p.m. ESTExpos4–5May (1–0)Romo (0–1)Palmer (1)3:038,6801–2L1
4April 10@ Phillies3–7RuthvenRomo (0–2)—48,2351–3L2
5April 11@ Phillies4–5CarltonBlyleven (0–1)—26,2811–4L3
6April 12Cardinals3–1Robinson (1–0)Denny—3,9862–4W1
7April 13Cardinals7–6Bibby (1–0)SchultzJackson (1)4,3953–4W2
8April 14Cardinals7–4Whitson (1–0)ForschJackson (2)10,9404–4W3
9April 15Cardinals4–9 (10)LittellTekulve (0–2)—3,0124–5L1
10April 17Phillies2–13CarltonBlyleven (0–2)—7,7394–6L2
11April 18Phillies2–3LerchRobinson (1–1)—12,1954–7L3
12April 208:35 p.m. EST@ Astros4–5 (10)Sambito (1–0)Bibby (1–1)—3:1619,8344–8L4
13April 218:35 p.m. EST@ Astros4–5 (10)Andújar (2–0)Tekulve (0–3)—3:2348,9774–9L5
14April 223:05 p.m. EST@ Astros2–3Andújar (3–0)Candelaria (0–1)Sambito (2)2:2722,4034–10W1
15April 248:05 p.m. EST@ Reds9–2Robinson (2–1)Pastore (0–2)—2:3018,3725–10W2
16April 2512:35 p.m. EST@ Reds3–2 (11)Tekulve (1–3)Tomlin (0–1)—3:0520,1556–10W3
17April 277:35 p.m. ESTAstros8–9 (11)Riccelli (1–0)Whitson (1–1)—3:305,7676–11L1
—April 28AstrosPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: July 19)
18April 291:05 p.m. EDTAstros10–5Kison (1–0)Niekro (1–2)Jackson (3)3:077,5987–11W1 :
May: 16–10 (Home: 7–4; Away: 9–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
19May 1Braves2–5NiekroTekulve (1–4)—5,1227–12L1
20May 2Braves10–2Candelaria (1–1)Mahler—4,8408–12W1
21May 4@ Cardinals3–4SykesRobinson (2–2)Schultz13,5258–13L1
22May 5@ Cardinals6–5Jackson (2–0)VuckovichWhitson (1)17,4409–13W1
23May 6@ Cardinals2–4MartinezKison (1–1)Knowles20,9669–14L1
24May 7@ Braves4–2Candelaria (2–1)MahlerTekulve (1)8,16610–14W1
25May 8@ Braves1–4SolomonRhoden (0–1)—5,74110–15L1
26May 9@ Braves17–9Bibby (2–1)GarberTekulve (2)6,85511–15W1
27May 117:35 p.m. EDTReds4–8Tomlin (1–1)Whitson (1–2)Bair (6)2:4814,11511–16L1
28May 122:15 p.m. EDTReds3–2Bibby (3–1)Pastore (1–3)Jackson (4)2:5518,74512–16W1
29May 131:05 p.m. EDTReds3–7LaCoss (4–0)Candelaria (2–2)—2:4610,25312–17L1
30May 15Mets0–3SwanRobinson (2–3)Lockwood6,09712–18L2
31May 16Mets4–3 (13)Romo (1–2)Lockwood—7,62113–18W1
32May 17Mets6–5Tekulve (2–4)Orosco—6,29514–18W2
33May 18@ Cubs9–5Candelaria (3–2)Holtzman—12,57815–18W3
34May 19@ Cubs3–0Rooker (1–0)KrukowJackson (5)29,46016–18W4
35May 20@ Cubs6–5Robinson (3–3)McGlothenTekulve (3)30,99817–18W5
36May 211:35 p.m. EDT@ Expos4–2Blyleven (1–2)Sanderson (2–3)Tekulve (4)2:5825,15418–18W6
37May 221:35 p.m. EDT@ Expos3–6Grimsley (4–2)Whitson (1–3)Fryman (2)2:4215,22718–19L1
38May 237:35 p.m. EDT@ Expos0–3Rogers (4–2)Candelaria (3–3)—2:187,04118–20L2
39May 25@ Mets3–3 (11)—6,61118–20
40May 26@ Mets8–10LockwoodTekulve (2–5)—20,27218–21L3
41May 27@ Mets2–1Jackson (3–0)Murray—25,54519–21W1
42May 28@ Mets6–1Candelaria (4–3)FalconeJackson (6)10,61920–21W2
43May 29Cubs8–0Robinson (4–3)Holtzman—7,19621–21W3
44May 30Cubs9–2Rooker (2–0)McGlothen—7,10722–21W4
45May 31Cubs4–3 (10)Kison (2–1)Sutter—6,43823–21W5 :
June: 14–13 (Home: 7–9; Away: 7–4)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
46June 1Padres9–8Tekulve (3–5)Shirley—12,92824–21W6
47June 2Padres1–3PerryCandelaria (4–4)—20,97724–22L1
48June 3Padres7–0Kison (3–1)Owchinko—13,37025–22W1
49June 4Dodgers2–4SutcliffeRooker (2–1)—14,72725–23L1
50June 5Dodgers3–1Blyleven (2–2)SuttonTekulve (5)11,08826–23W1
51June 6Dodgers5–4Romo (2–2)WelchTekulve (6)16,66627–23W2
52June 8Giants3–2Romo (3–2)CurtisJackson (7)18,22728–23W3
53June 9Giants2–6BlueKison (3–2)—25,81428–24L1
54June 10Giants4–7LavelleRomo (3–3)—25,53628–25L2
55June 12@ Padres3–6PerryCandelaria (4–5)—23,75928–26L3
56June 13@ Padres2–3OwchinkoKison (3–3)Fingers17,84528–27L4
57June 14@ Padres1–2 (14)D'AcquistoCandelaria (4–6)—15,44428–28L5
58June 15@ Dodgers6–2Blyleven (3–2)SuttonTekulve (7)50,29929–28W1
59June 16@ Dodgers6–3Robinson (5–3)Welch—49,44830–28W2
60June 17@ Dodgers5–1Whitson (2–3)ReussTekulve (8)45,83531–28W3
61June 19@ Giants9–4Candelaria (5–6)MontefuscoRomo (1)39,86132–28W4
62June 20@ Giants8–5Jackson (4–0)LavelleTekulve (9)19,63733–28W5
63June 22Cubs7–2Blyleven (4–2)Holtzman—21,00634–28W6
64June 23Cubs3–4KrukowRobinson (5–4)Sutter18,51334–29L1
65June 24Cubs0–5ReuschelKison (3–4)—43,40234–30L2
66June 25@ Mets8–1Candelaria (6–6)Swan—35–30W1
67June 25@ Mets0–4FalconeRooker (2–2)—14,66635–31L1
68June 26@ Mets2–1Blyleven (5–2)HausmanJackson (8)11,90336–31W1
69June 27Mets9–12TwitchellJackson (4–1)—13,16836–32L1
70June 28Mets2–3AllenBibby (3–2)Glynn10,13736–33L2
71June 297:35 p.m. EDTExpos6–5Kison (4–4)Lee (7–5)Tekulve (10)2:4535,67737–33W1
72June 302:15 p.m. EDTExpos3–5Sanderson (5–4)Blyleven (5–3)Fryman (5)2:3813,86537–34L1 :
July: 20–11 (Home: 8–5; Away: 12–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
—July 1 (1)ExposPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 24)
—July 1 (2)ExposPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 24)
73July 2@ Cardinals5–4Romo (4–3)KnowlesJackson (9)18,04238–34W1
74July 3@ Cardinals4–1Candelaria (7–6)ForschRomo (2)17,13039–34W2
75July 4@ Cardinals6–4Blyleven (6–3)VuckovichJackson (10)14,76640–34W3
76July 5@ Cardinals0–2FulghamRooker (2–3)—16,62640–35L1
77July 68:05 p.m. EDT@ Reds1–2Bair (5–4)Jackson (4–2)—2:2032,26440–36L2
78July 75:35 p.m. EDT@ Reds2–6Moskau (5–3)Robinson (5–5)—2:5536,30040–37L3
79July 8 (1)1:05 p.m. EDT@ Reds2–4Norman (5–7)Candelaria (7–7)—2:04—40–38L4
80July 8 (2)4:00 p.m. EDT@ Reds2–1Jackson (5–2)Tomlin (2–2)Tekulve (11)2:1543,09941–38W1
81July 108:35 p.m. EDT@ Astros4–3Bibby (4–2)Andújar (10–5)Tekulve (12)3:0931,34142–38W2
82July 118:35 p.m. EDT@ Astros5–1Kison (5–4)Richard (7–9)—2:1025,33043–38W3
83July 128:35 p.m. EDT@ Astros5–3Blyleven (7–3)Niekro (13–4)Tekulve (13)2:4422,95644–38W4
84July 13@ Braves4–13NiekroRooker (2–4)—17,01844–39L1
85July 14@ Braves5–1Candelaria (8–7)Matula—25,08345–39W1
86July 15@ Braves7–3Bibby (5–2)Solomon—11,30446–39W2
50th All-Star Game in Seattle, Washington
87July 19 (1)6:05 p.m. EDTAstros9–5Roberts (1–0)Forsch (5–6)—2:41—47–39W3
88July 19 (2)9:21 p.m. EDTAstros4–2Kison (6–4)Niekro (13–5)Jackson (11)2:1233,46448–39W4
89July 207:35 p.m. EDTAstros9–3Candelaria (9–7)Richard (7–11)—2:4023,58549–39W5
90July 212:15 p.m. EDTAstros6–5Romo (5–3)Sambito (4–3)Tekulve (14)3:0019,57050–39W6
91July 22Braves5–4Robinson (6–5)SolomonTekulve (15)51–39W7
92July 22Braves3–2Bibby (6–2)MahlerTekulve (16)29,53352–39W8
93July 23Braves7–1Blyleven (8–3)Hanna—53–39W9
94July 23Braves0–8NiekroRooker (2–5)—27,14853–40L1
95July 247:35 p.m. EDTReds5–6Norman (7–8)Kison (6–5)Bair (14)3:1619,51753–41L2
96July 257:35 p.m. EDTReds5–6 (10)Bair (6–5)Tekulve (3–6)—2:5517,29653–42L3
97July 267:35 p.m. EDTReds7–9Soto (1–2)Roberts (1–1)Hume (3)2:5120,33953–43L4
98July 27 (1)6:05 p.m. EDT@ Expos5–4Tekulve (4–6)Sosa (5–6)Romo (3)2:48—54–43W1
99July 27 (2)9:28 p.m. EDT@ Expos9–1Blyleven (9–3)Sanderson (6–6)—2:4659,26055–43W2
100July 287:35 p.m. EDT@ Expos5–3Bibby (7–2)Schatzeder (5–4)Tekulve (17)2:3338,66156–43W3
101July 291:35 p.m. EDT@ Expos3–5Rogers (10–6)Kison (6–6)—2:2235,24556–44L1
102July 30Mets8–5Jackson (6–2)BernardTekulve (18)11,83757–44W1
103July 31Mets1–2TwitchellBlyleven (9–4)Glynn10,73957–45L1 :
August: 21–9 (Home: 12–4; Away: 9–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
104August 1Cardinals4–3Romo (6–3)ForschTekulve (19)16,12458–45W1
105August 2Cardinals4–5FrazierJackson (6–3)Knowles25,16358–46L1
106August 3Phillies6–3Romo (7–3)McGraw—59–46W1
107August 3Phillies5–1Bibby (8–2)Christenson—45,30960–46W2
108August 4Phillies4–0Candelaria (10–7)Espinosa—34,75461–46W3
109August 5Phillies12–8Tekulve (5–6)Eastwick—62–46W4
110August 5Phillies5–2Romo (8–3)NolesTekulve (20)46,00663–46W5
111August 7@ Cubs2–15ReuschelRooker (2–6)—34,64163–47L1
112August 8@ Cubs5–2 (10)Tekulve (6–6)Tidrow—34,25564–47W1
113August 9@ Cubs3–11LampCandelaria (10–8)—29,64564–48L1
114August 10@ Phillies3–4 (12)EastwickJackson (6–4)—64–49L2
115August 10@ Phillies3–2Kison (7–6)LerchTekulve (21)63,34665–49W1
116August 11@ Phillies14–11Romo (9–3)EastwickTekulve (22)51,11866–49W2
117August 13@ Phillies9–1Bibby (9–2)Christenson—43,11167–49W3
118August 14Padres7–1Candelaria (11–8)D'Acquisto—23,21068–49W4
119August 15Padres5–1Blyleven (10–4)Jones—14,21969–49W5
120August 16Padres5–4Kison (8–6)PerryRomo (4)14,20170–49W6
121August 17Dodgers6–7PattersonBibby (9–3)Castillo22,41670–50L1
122August 18Dodgers1–5ReussRobinson (6–6)—40,23870–51L2
123August 19Dodgers2–0Tekulve (7–6)Hooton—28,38271–51W1
124August 20Giants6–5Romo (10–3)LavelleTekulve (23)18,71472–51W2
125August 21Giants1–6KnepperKison (8–7)—20,99972–52L1
126August 22Giants8–6Tekulve (8–6)Lavelle—19,76873–52W1
127August 24@ Padres2–3JonesRomo (10–4)Lee16,89073–53L1
128August 25@ Padres4–3 (19)Roberts (2–1)D'Acquisto—14,60774–53W1
129August 26@ Padres9–2Kison (9–7)Shirley—13,00675–53W2
130August 27@ Dodgers2–4BrettTekulve (8–7)—35,70575–54L1
131August 28@ Dodgers4–1Candelaria (12–8)Hough—31,58776–54W1
132August 29@ Dodgers4–1Blyleven (11–4)ReussTekulve (24)32,81677–54W2
133August 31@ Giants6–4Robinson (7–6)CurtisJackson (12)19,37778–54W3 :
September: 20–10 (Home: 9–5; Away: 11–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
134September 1@ Giants5–3Kison (10–7)MontefuscoJackson (13)25,55179–54W4
135September 1@ Giants7–2Bibby (10–3)Knepper—27,38280–54W5
136September 2@ Giants5–3Candelaria (13–8)Blue—15,66381–54W6
137September 3Phillies0–2CarltonBlyleven (11–5)McGraw81–55L1
138September 3Phillies7–3Rooker (3–6)LerchTekulve (25)43,44482–55W1
139September 5@ Cardinals7–5 (11)Roberts (3–1)ThomasTekulve (26)23,05983–55W2
140September 6@ Cardinals6–8MartinezBibby (10–4)McEnaney14,76783–56L1
141September 7@ Mets6–4 (14)Jackson (7–4)Allen—8,29084–56W1
142September 8@ Mets2–3 (15)EllisRooker (3–7)—8,09584–57L1
143September 9@ Mets6–5Tekulve (9–7)Glynn—9,09385–57W1
144September 11Cardinals7–3Roberts (4–1)Denny—15,75786–57W2
145September 12Cardinals2–0Candelaria (14–8)ForschTekulve (27)17,66987–57W3
—September 13CardinalsPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 27)
146September 15Mets5–4Roberts (5–1)GlynnTekulve (28)18,06088–57W4
147September 16Mets0–3FalconeCandelaria (14–9)Allen25,36488–58L1
148September 177:35 p.m. EDT@ Expos2–1Robinson (8–6)Rogers (13–10)—2:2854,60989–58W1
149September 187:35 p.m. EDT@ Expos5–3 (11)Jackson (8–4)Murray (4–9)Roberts (1)3:0456,97690–58W2
150September 19@ Phillies9–6Tekulve (10–7)EastwickJackson (14)91–58W3
151September 19@ Phillies5–6KucekRomo (10–5)Saucier30,56691–59L1
152September 20@ Phillies1–2LerchTekulve (10–8)—16,29991–60L2
153September 21@ Cubs0–2McGlothenRobinson (8–7)—9,55291–61L3
154September 22@ Cubs4–1Kison (11–7)RileyTekulve (29)24,65792–61W1
155September 23@ Cubs6–0Bibby (11–4)Reuschel—24,57193–61W2
156September 24 (1)6:05 p.m. EDTExpos5–2Blyleven (12–5)Schatzeder (10–5)Tekulve (30)2:30—94–61W3
157September 24 (2)9:10 p.m. EDTExpos6–7Grimsley (10–9)Jackson (8–5)Sosa (18)3:2847,26894–62L1
158September 257:35 p.m. EDTExpos10–4Rooker (4–7)Sanderson (9–8)Romo (5)3:0631,34895–62W1
159September 267:35 p.m. EDTExpos10–1Kison (12–7)Rogers (13–11)—3:0042,04396–62W2
160September 27Cardinals5–9ForschRoberts (5–2)Littell11,17296–63L1
161September 28Cubs6–1Bibby (12–4)Reuschel—14,77897–63W1
162September 29Cubs6–7 (13)CaudillRobinson (8–8)—25,73497–64L1
163September 30Cubs5–3Kison (13–7)McGlothenTekulve (31)42,17698–64W1 :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member :

### Postseason Game log

1979 Postseason game log: 7–3 (Home: 2–2; Away: 5–1) :
NL Championship Series: vs. Cincinnati Reds 3–0 (Home: 1–0; Away: 2–0)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/ Streak
1October 28:30 p.m. EDT@ Reds5–2 (11)Jackson (1–0)Hume (0–1)Robinson (1)3:1455,006PIT 1–0W1
2October 33:15 p.m. EDT@ Reds3–2 (10)Robinson (1–0)Bair (0–1)—3:2455,000PIT 2–0W2
3October 53:15 p.m. EDTReds7–1Blyleven (1–0)LaCoss (0–1)—2:4542,240PIT 3–0W3 :
World Series: vs. Baltimore Orioles 4–3 (Home: 1–2; Away: 3–1)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/ Streak
—October 9@ OriolesPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: October 10)Tied 0–0
1October 108:30 p.m. EDT@ Orioles4–5Flanagan (2–0)Kison (0–1)—3:1853,735BAL 1–0L1
2October 118:30 p.m. EDT@ Orioles3–2Robinson (2–0)Stanhouse (1–2)Tekulve (1)3:1353,739Tied 1–1W1
3October 128:30 p.m. EDTOrioles4–8McGregor (2–0)Candelaria (0–1)—2:5150,848BAL 2–1L1
4October 131:00 p.m. EDTOrioles6–9Stoddard (1–0)Tekulve (0–1)—3:4850,883BAL 3–1L2
5October 144:30 p.m. EDTOrioles7–1Blyleven (2–0)Flanagan (2–1)—2:5450,920BAL 3–2W1
6October 168:30 p.m. EDT@ Orioles4–0Candelaria (1–1)Palmer (0–1)Tekulve (2)2:3053,739Tied 3–3W2
7October 178:30 p.m. EDT@ Orioles4–1Jackson (2–0)McGregor (2–1)Tekulve (3)2:5453,733PIT 4–3W3 :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member :

### Composite Box

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates Inning–by–Inning Boxscore :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | R | H | E |
| Opponents | 81 | 77 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 82 | 67 | 67 | 48 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 643 | 1424 | 142 |
| Pirates | 104 | 73 | 87 | 71 | 99 | 67 | 86 | 98 | 76 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 775 | 1541 | 134 |
Sources:

## Player stats
### Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Regular Season :
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| R. Rhoden | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Alexander | 44 | 13 | 7 | 0.538 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Madlock | 85 | 311 | 102 | 0.328 | 7 | 44 |
| D. Parker | 158 | 622 | 193 | 0.310 | 25 | 94 |
| P. Garner | 150 | 549 | 161 | 0.293 | 11 | 59 |
| T. Foli | 133 | 525 | 153 | 0.291 | 1 | 65 |
| S. Nicosia | 70 | 191 | 55 | 0.288 | 4 | 13 |
| O. Moreno | 162 | 695 | 196 | 0.282 | 8 | 69 |
| W. Stargell | 126 | 424 | 119 | 0.281 | 32 | 82 |
| M. Easler | 55 | 54 | 15 | 0.278 | 2 | 11 |
| J. Milner | 128 | 326 | 90 | 0.276 | 16 | 60 |
| E. Ott | 117 | 403 | 110 | 0.273 | 7 | 51 |
| B. Robinson | 148 | 421 | 111 | 0.264 | 24 | 75 |
| L. Lacy | 84 | 182 | 45 | 0.247 | 5 | 15 |
| F. Taveras | 11 | 45 | 11 | 0.244 | 0 | 1 |
| R. Stennett | 108 | 319 | 76 | 0.238 | 0 | 24 |
| M. Sanguillén | 56 | 74 | 17 | 0.230 | 0 | 4 |
| D. Berra | 44 | 123 | 26 | 0.211 | 3 | 15 |
| D. Robinson | 29 | 49 | 10 | 0.204 | 0 | 3 |
| J. Coleman | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0.200 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Bibby | 34 | 45 | 8 | 0.178 | 2 | 5 |
| E. Romo | 84 | 12 | 2 | 0.167 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Kison | 37 | 55 | 8 | 0.145 | 1 | 6 |
| K. Tekulve | 94 | 15 | 2 | 0.133 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Candelaria | 33 | 68 | 9 | 0.132 | 0 | 6 |
| B. Blyleven | 38 | 70 | 9 | 0.129 | 0 | 3 |
| J. Rooker | 19 | 33 | 4 | 0.121 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Boyland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Ellis | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Jackson | 72 | 9 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 |
| D. Roberts | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 |
| E. Whitson | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Hargis | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| A. Lois | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 163 | 5,661 | 1,541 | 0.272 | 148 | 710 |
Postseason :
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| R. Stennett | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 |
| P. Garner | 10 | 36 | 17 | 0.472 | 1 | 6 |
| W. Stargell | 10 | 41 | 17 | 0.415 | 5 | 13 |
| D. Parker | 10 | 41 | 14 | 0.341 | 0 | 6 |
| B. Madlock | 10 | 36 | 12 | 0.333 | 1 | 5 |
| M. Sanguillén | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.333 | 0 | 1 |
| T. Foli | 10 | 42 | 14 | 0.333 | 0 | 6 |
| O. Moreno | 10 | 45 | 14 | 0.311 | 0 | 3 |
| E. Ott | 6 | 25 | 7 | 0.280 | 0 | 3 |
| L. Lacy | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Robinson | 10 | 22 | 5 | 0.227 | 0 | 2 |
| B. Blyleven | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0.167 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Candelaria | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0.167 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Milner | 6 | 18 | 3 | 0.167 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Nicosia | 4 | 16 | 1 | 0.063 | 0 | 0 |
| E. Romo | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Jackson | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Bibby | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Rooker | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Tekulve | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Easler | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Kison | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| D. Roberts | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| D. Robinson | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| M. Alexander | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 10 | 356 | 109 | 0.306 | 7 | 46 |

### Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Regular Season :
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| D. Ellis | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2.57 | 1 |
| K. Tekulve | 94 | 1341⁄3 | 10 | 8 | 2.75 | 75 |
| J. Bibby | 34 | 1372⁄3 | 12 | 4 | 2.81 | 103 |
| G. Jackson | 72 | 82 | 8 | 5 | 2.96 | 39 |
| E. Romo | 84 | 1291⁄3 | 10 | 5 | 2.99 | 106 |
| B. Kison | 33 | 1721⁄3 | 13 | 7 | 3.19 | 105 |
| J. Candelaria | 33 | 207 | 14 | 9 | 3.22 | 101 |
| D. Roberts | 21 | 382⁄3 | 5 | 2 | 3.26 | 15 |
| B. Blyleven | 37 | 2371⁄3 | 12 | 5 | 3.60 | 172 |
| D. Robinson | 29 | 1602⁄3 | 8 | 8 | 3.87 | 96 |
| E. Whitson | 19 | 572⁄3 | 2 | 3 | 4.37 | 31 |
| J. Rooker | 19 | 1032⁄3 | 4 | 7 | 4.60 | 44 |
| J. Coleman | 10 | 202⁄3 | 0 | 0 | 6.10 | 14 |
| R. Rhoden | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7.20 | 2 |
| Team Totals | 163 | 1,4931⁄3 | 98 | 64 | 3.41 | 904 |
Postseason :
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| G. Jackson | 6 | 62⁄3 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 |
| J. Rooker | 2 | 82⁄3 | 0 | 0 | 1.04 | 4 |
| B. Blyleven | 3 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1.42 | 13 |
| J. Bibby | 3 | 171⁄3 | 0 | 0 | 2.08 | 15 |
| K. Tekulve | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 | 12 |
| E. Romo | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3.60 | 5 |
| D. Robinson | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3.86 | 6 |
| J. Candelaria | 3 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 3.94 | 8 |
| B. Kison | 1 | 1⁄3 | 0 | 1 | 108.00 | 0 |
| D. Roberts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Team Totals | 10 | 92 | 7 | 3 | 2.74 | 67 |

## Postseason
### National League Championship Series
#### 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 (0-1) SV: Don Robinson (1) |||||||||||||||
| HRs: PIT – Phil Garner (1) Willie Stargell (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 (0-1) SV: None ||||||||||||||
| HRs: PIT – None CIN – None ||||||||||||||

#### Game 3

October 5, Three Rivers Stadium
| 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 (1-0) L: Mike LaCoss (0-1) SV: None |||||||||||||
| HRs: CIN – Johnny Bench (1) PIT – Willie Stargell (2) Bill Madlock (1) |||||||||||||

### 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 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 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 at 39 was the oldest player to win MVP honors for both the National League and the World Series. 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, infielder Rennie Stennett, and catcher Manny Sanguillén were the only players left over from the 1971 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 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. Attendance: 53,735
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| Baltimore | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| W: Mike Flanagan (1-0) L: Bruce Kison (0-1) |||||||||||||
| HR: PIT – Willie Stargell (1); BAL – Doug Decinces (1) |||||||||||||

#### Game 2

October 11, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,739
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 2 |
| Baltimore | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| W: Don Robinson (1-0) L: Don Stanhouse (0-1) S: Kent Tekulve (1) |||||||||||||
| HR: PIT – none; BAL – Eddie Murray (1) |||||||||||||

#### Game 3

October 12, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,848
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| W: Scott McGregor (1-0) L: John Candelaria (0-1) |||||||||||||
| HR: BAL – Benny Ayala (1); PIT – none |||||||||||||

#### Game 4

October 13, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,883
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 1 |
| W: Tim Stoddard (1-0) L: Kent Tekulve (0-1) |||||||||||||
| HR: BAL – none; PIT – Willie Stargell (2) |||||||||||||

#### Game 5

October 14, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,920
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | x | 7 | 13 | 1 |
| W: Bert Blyleven (1-0) L: Mike Flanagan (1-1) |||||||||||||
| HR: BAL – none; PIT – none |||||||||||||

#### Game 6

October 16, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,739
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| W: John Candelaria (1-1) L: Jim Palmer (0-1) S: Kent Tekulve (2) |||||||||||||
| HR: PIT – none; BAL – none |||||||||||||

#### Game 7

October 17, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,733
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| W: Grant Jackson (1-0) L: Scott McGregor (1-1) S: Kent Tekulve (3) |||||||||||||
| HR: PIT – Willie Stargell (3); BAL – Rich Dauer (1) |||||||||||||

#### Composite Box

1979 World Series (4-3): Pittsburgh Pirates (N.L.) over Baltimore Orioles (A.L.)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 32 | 81 | 9 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 5 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 54 | 9 |
| Total Attendance: 367,597 Average Attendance: 52,514 |||||||||||||
| Winning Player's Share: – $28,264, Losing Player's Share – $22,114 * Includes Playoffs and World Series |||||||||||||

## Awards and honors

* Willie Stargell, Associated Press Athlete of the Year
* Willie Stargell, 1B, Babe Ruth Award
* Willie Stargell, 1B, National League Most Valuable Player Award
* Willie Stargell, 1B, National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award
* Willie Stargell, 1B, World Series Most Valuable Player Award

### All-Stars

1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
* Dave Parker, OF, starter, game MVP

### League leaders

* Omar Moreno, National League stolen base leader, 77
* 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

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Portland Beavers | Pacific Coast League | Johnny Lipon |
| AA | Buffalo Bisons | Eastern League | Steve Demeter |
| A | Salem Pirates | Carolina League | Jim Mahoney |
| A | Shelby Pirates | Western Carolinas League | Tom Zimmer |
| Rookie | GCL Pirates | Gulf Coast League | Woody Huyke |