1979 Boston Red Sox season
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Boston Red Sox
season was a season in American baseball
. It involved the Red Sox finishing third in the American League East
with a record of 91 wins and 69 losses. Boston finished 11 games behind the eventual American League champion Baltimore Orioles
, and 4 behind the second-place Milwaukee Brewers
.
hit a league-leading .333 and had 39 homers and 122 RBIs. Jim Rice
batted .325, with 39 homers and 130 RBIs, but Dennis Eckersley
fell to 17 wins, and Mike Torrez
had 16 wins again.
Another highlight was Carl Yastrzemski
's 3,000th hit and his 400th home run. He was the first American Leaguer ever to do that and the 15th in Major League Baseball
history. Yaz joined the 3,000-Hit Club with a single off Jim Beattie
on September 12. The hit came against the New York Yankees. The same game also marked the final appearance at Fenway Park for Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter
.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
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 Red Sox finishing third in the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
with a record of 91 wins and 69 losses. Boston finished 11 games behind the eventual American League champion Baltimore Orioles
1979 Baltimore Orioles season
The 1979 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. The Orioles finished first in the American League East division of Major League Baseball with a record of 102 wins and 57 losses...
, and 4 behind the second-place Milwaukee Brewers
1979 Milwaukee Brewers season
The 1979 Milwaukee Brewers season involved the Brewers' finishing second in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 66 losses.- Offseason :* December 21, 1978: Steve Lake was purchased from the Orioles by the Milwaukee Brewers....
.
Regular season
In 1979, Fred LynnFred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
hit a league-leading .333 and had 39 homers and 122 RBIs. Jim Rice
Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice , nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989...
batted .325, with 39 homers and 130 RBIs, but Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Lee Eckersley , nicknamed "Eck", is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career .He...
fell to 17 wins, and Mike Torrez
Mike Torrez
Michael Augustine Torrez is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Career:Torrez had an 18-year career from 1967 to 1984. He played for the St...
had 16 wins again.
Another highlight was Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career...
's 3,000th hit and his 400th home run. He was the first American Leaguer ever to do that and the 15th in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
history. Yaz joined the 3,000-Hit Club with a single off Jim Beattie
Jim Beattie
James Louis Beattie is a former Major League Baseball player and executive who pitched in the major leagues from –....
on September 12. The hit came against the New York Yankees. The same game also marked the final appearance at Fenway Park for Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter
Catfish Hunter
James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees...
.
Notable transactions
- June 13, 1979: Pete LaddPete LaddPeter Linwood Ladd is a former professional baseball pitcher. Ladd pitched in all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball between and . Mainly used as a relief pitcher, Ladd started just one game out of 205 total games pitched...
, a player to be named later, and cash were traded by the Red Sox to the Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
for Bob Watson. The Red Sox completed the deal by sending Bobby SprowlBobby SprowlRobert John Sprowl is a retired professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1981. He played for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros....
to the Astros on June 19. - August 17, 1979: The Red Sox traded a player to be named later and cash to the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
for Ted SizemoreTed SizemoreTed Crawford Sizemore was a second baseman for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers , St...
. The Red Sox completed the deal by sending Mike O'BerryMike O'BerryPreston Michael O'Berry is a former catcher in Major League Baseball.- Major league career :O'Berry was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the twenty-second round of the 1975 amateur player draft. He made his major league debut with the Red Sox on April 18, 1979...
to the Cubs on October 23.
Opening Day lineup
| 2 | Jerry Remy Jerry Remy Gerald Peter "Rem Dawg" Remy is a Major League Baseball broadcaster and former Major League Baseball second baseman. Remy grew up in Somerset, Massachusetts.-Playing career:... |
2B |
| 7 | Rick Burleson Rick Burleson Richard Paul Burleson is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. "Rooster," as he was nicknamed was a famously intense ballplayer... |
SS |
| 19 | Fred Lynn Fred Lynn Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame... |
CF |
| 14 | Jim Rice Jim Rice James Edward "Jim" Rice , nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989... |
DH |
| 8 | Carl Yastrzemski Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career... |
LF |
| 15 | George Scott | 1B |
| 3 | Jack Brohamer Jack Brohamer John Anthony Brohamer, Jr. was a Major League Baseball second baseman from to . On September 24, , Brohamer hit for the cycle.-External links:... |
3B |
| 24 | Dwight Evans Dwight Evans Dwight Michael Evans , nicknamed "Dewey", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball.... |
RF |
| 10 | Bob Montgomery | C |
| 43 | Dennis Eckersley Dennis Eckersley Dennis Lee Eckersley , nicknamed "Eck", is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career .He... |
P |
Roster
| 1979 Boston Red Sox | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 84 | 312 | 105 | .337 | 13 | 53 | |
| LF | 158 | 619 | 201 | .325 | 39 | 130 | |
| CF | 147 | 531 | 177 | .333 | 39 | 122 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 252.1 | 16 | 13 | 4.49 | 125 | |
| 33 | 246.2 | 17 | 10 | 2.99 | 150 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 57.1 | 0 | 3 | 4.87 | 25 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 3.03 | 67 | |
| 44 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2.74 | 60 | |
| 41 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 4.28 | 25 | |