1979 Detroit Tigers season
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Detroit Tigers
finished in fifth place in the American League East
with a record of 85-76, 18 games behind the Orioles
. They outscored their opponents 770 to 738. The Tigers drew 1,630,929 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1979, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the American League
. The season is notable for Sparky Anderson
being hired as manager in mid-June. Anderson would manage the Tigers through the end of the 1995 season.
Ron LeFlore
Aurelio López
Jack Morris
Bruce Robbins
Alan Trammell
Milt Wilcox
in 2001:
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
finished in fifth place 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 85-76, 18 games behind the 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...
. They outscored their opponents 770 to 738. The Tigers drew 1,630,929 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1979, ranking 7th of the 14 teams 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...
. The season is notable for Sparky Anderson
Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both...
being hired as manager in mid-June. Anderson would manage the Tigers through the end of the 1995 season.
Offseason
- March 20, 1979: Steve DillardSteve Dillard (baseball)Stephen Bradley Dillard is a former reserve infielder in Major League Baseball, playing mainly as second baseman with four different teams between 1975 and 1982...
was traded by the Tigers 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 a player to be named later. The Cubs completed the deal by sending Ed PutmanEd PutmanEddy William Putman is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of three seasons in the major leagues between and . He played mostly behind the plate, but also played some first base and third base.-Sources:...
to the Tigers on March 24.
Notable transactions
- May 25, 1979: The Tigers traded a player to be named later to the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
for Champ SummersChamp SummersJohn Junior "Champ" Summers , is a former Major League Baseball player who played primarily as an outfielder and designated hitter for six teams during his eleven year career that spanned from 1974 to 1984...
. The Tigers completed the deal by sending Sheldon BurnsideSheldon BurnsideSheldon John Burnside is a former Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds. He was born on December 22, 1954 and he debuted on September 4, 1978 with the Tigers against the New York Yankees. His debut was rough and he posted a 0.1 IP, 3 H, 0 SO, 2 BB,...
to the Reds on October 25. - June 5, 1979: University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Rick LeachRick Leach----Rick Leach is a former professional tennis player and a coach from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won 5 Grand Slam men's doubles titles , and 4 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles . Leach reached the World No...
was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st round (13th pick) of the 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 :...
. - July 20, 1979: Rusty StaubRusty StaubDaniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. He enjoyed a 23-year baseball career with 5 different teams...
was traded by the Tigers to the Montreal ExposWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
for a player to be named later and cash. The Expos completed the deal by sending Randy Schafer (minors) to the Tigers on December 3.
Roster
| 1979 Detroit Tigers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 143 | 493 | 136 | .276 | 19 | 65 | |
| 1B | 145 | 492 | 121 | .246 | 20 | 79 | |
| 2B | 127 | 423 | 121 | .286 | 3 | 42 | |
| 3B | 106 | 343 | 87 | .254 | 5 | 36 | |
| SS | 142 | 460 | 127 | .276 | 6 | 50 | |
| LF | 134 | 490 | 156 | .318 | 26 | 105 | |
| RF | 129 | 440 | 93 | .211 | 14 | 56 | |
| CF | 148 | 600 | 180 | .300 | 9 | 57 | |
| DH | 68 | 246 | 58 | .236 | 9 | 40 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 246 | 77 | .313 | 20 | 51 | |
| 87 | 231 | 61 | .264 | 15 | 46 | |
| 95 | 213 | 63 | .296 | 4 | 26 | |
| 60 | 190 | 50 | .263 | 4 | 21 | |
| 75 | 146 | 40 | .274 | 1 | 13 | |
| 42 | 99 | 22 | .222 | 0 | 8 | |
| 21 | 39 | 9 | .231 | 2 | 4 | |
| 12 | 38 | 9 | .237 | 1 | 4 | |
| 18 | 22 | 5 | .227 | 0 | 6 | |
| 10 | 19 | 5 | .263 | 0 | 2 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 196.1 | 12 | 10 | 4.35 | 109 | |
| 27 | 197.2 | 17 | 7 | 3.28 | 113 | |
| 16 | 97.1 | 4 | 4 | 3.51 | 33 | |
| 15 | 98 | 6 | 5 | 3.95 | 43 | |
| 10 | 46 | 3 | 3 | 3.91 | 22 | |
| 4 | 14.2 | 0 | 3 | 10.43 | 5 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 158 | 10 | 7 | 3.30 | 59 | |
| 27 | 121.2 | 6 | 4 | 4.59 | 83 | |
| 21 | 84 | 1 | 7 | 6.64 | 54 | |
| 13 | 39 | 3 | 3 | 6.92 | 31 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | GF | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 10 | 5 | 21 | 49 | 2.41 | 106 | |
| 43 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 5.22 | 46 | |
| 37 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 4.33 | 48 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6.33 | 13 | |
| 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4.82 | 8 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8.25 | 7 |
League top ten finishes
Steve KempSteve Kemp
Steven F. Kemp is a former Major League Baseball outfielder from 1977 to 1986 and 1988. He is of Armenian heritage.-Professional career:...
- #4 in AL in OPS (.939)
- #8 in AL in batting average (.318)
Ron LeFlore
Ron LeFlore
Ronald LeFlore is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Montreal Expos, retiring as a Chicago White Sox in . He stole 455 bases in his career, and was an American League All-Star selection in 1976...
- #2 in MLB in stolen bases (78)
- #3 in AL in singles (139)
- #4 in AL in times caught stealing (14)
- #5 in AL in triples (10)
- #7 in AL in runs scored (110)
Aurelio López
Aurelio López
Aurelio Alejandro López was a Mexican relief pitcher. Over the course of an eleven year Major League career , he acquired the nickname "Señor Smoke" in Detroit due to his Mexican heritage and his overpowering fastball, which had been measured as high as 93 mph.-Early career:Born in Tecamachalco,...
- #3 in AL in saves (21)
- #5 in AL in games finished (49)
Jack Morris
Jack Morris
John Scott "Jack" Morris is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in 18 big league seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career...
- #4 in AL in Adjusted ERA+Adjusted ERA+Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
(133) - #5 in AL in ERA (3.28)
- #5 in AL in wins (17)
- #5 in AL win percentage (.708)
- #4 in AL in hits allowed per 9 innings (8.15)
Bruce Robbins
Bruce Robbins
Bruce Duane Robbins is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1979 to 1980. Robbins, a left-handed batter, also threw left-handed.- Early life :...
- 3rd youngest player in the AL
Alan Trammell
Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from to . Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in and an American League East division championship in . Although his arm was not...
- #4 in AL in times caught stealing (14)
Milt Wilcox
Milt Wilcox
Milton Edward Wilcox was a pitcher who had a sixteen-year career from 1970 to 1975, 1977–1986. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs of the National League and the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners of the American League...
- #2 in MLB in hit batsmen (11)
Players ranking among top 100 all time at position
The following members of the 1979 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their position, as ranked by The Bill James Historical Baseball AbstractThe Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was published in 1985 by Villard Books, followed by The New Bill James...
in 2001:
- Lance ParrishLance ParrishLance Michael Parrish, aka "Big Wheel", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers , Philadelphia Phillies , California Angels , Seattle Mariners , Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , and the Toronto Blue Jays...
: 19th best catcher of all time (played 12 games as a rookie) - Lou Whitaker: 13th best second baseman of all time (played 11 games as a rookie)
- Alan TrammellAlan TrammellAlan Stuart Trammell is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from to . Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in and an American League East division championship in . Although his arm was not...
: 9th best shortstop of all time (played 19 games as a rookie) - Aurelio RodríguezAurelio RodríguezAurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. , was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles...
: 91st best third baseman of all time - Ron LeFloreRon LeFloreRonald LeFlore is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Montreal Expos, retiring as a Chicago White Sox in . He stole 455 bases in his career, and was an American League All-Star selection in 1976...
: 80th best center fielder of all time