1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season
{{Short description|Major League Baseball season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox baseball team season
| name = Pittsburgh Pirates
| image =
| season = 1979
| misc = World Series Champions
National League Champions
National League East Champions
| league = National League
| division = East
| ballpark = Three Rivers Stadium
| city = Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaFrom 1882–1906, the team played in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which became annexed by Pittsburgh as the North Side in 1907.
| record = 98–64 (.605)
| divisional_place = 1st
| owners = John W. Galbreath (majority shareholder); Thomas P. Johnson (minority shareholder)
| general_managers = Harding "Pete" Peterson
| managers = Chuck Tanner
| television = KDKA-TV 2
{{small|(Milo Hamilton, Lanny Frattare, Nelson Briles)}}
| radio = KDKA–AM 1020
{{small|(Milo Hamilton, Lanny Frattare)}}
| espntn = pit
}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2019-07-21 |title=“Family” reunion; Close ties still bind 1979 Pirates |url=https://www.pennlive.com/sports/2019/07/family-reunion-close-ties-still-bind-1979-pirates.html |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=pennlive |agency=Associated Press}}
Offseason
- October 23, 1978: Will McEnaney was released by the Pirates.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcenawi01.shtml Will McEnaney] at Baseball-Reference
- December 4, 1978: Ken Macha was drafted from the Pirates by the Montreal Expos in the 1978 rule 5 draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/machake01.shtml |title=Ken Macha page at Baseball-Reference |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=September 5, 2008}}
- 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.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/romoen01.shtml Enrique Romo] at Baseball Reference
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 =
{{1979 NL East standings|highlight=Pittsburgh Pirates}}
= Record vs. opponents =
{{1979 NL Record vs. opponents|team=PIT}}
Roster
| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| colspan="10" style="background-color: black; color: #e1b81e; text-align: center;" | 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates |
|---|
| colspan="10" style="background-color: #e1b81e; color: black; text-align: center;" | Roster |
| valign="top" | Pitchers
{{MLBplayer|26|Jim Bibby}} {{MLBplayer|22|Bert Blyleven}} {{MLBplayer|45|John Candelaria}} {{MLBplayer|41|Joe Coleman}} {{MLBplayer|17|Dock Ellis}} {{MLBplayer|23|Grant Jackson}} {{MLBplayer|25|Bruce Kison}} {{MLBplayer|44|Rick Rhoden}} {{MLBplayer|49|Dave Roberts}} {{MLBplayer|43|Don Robinson}} {{MLBplayer|15|Enrique Romo}} {{MLBplayer|19|Jim Rooker}} {{MLBplayer|27|Kent Tekulve}} {{MLBplayer|31|Ed Whitson}} | width="25px" | | valign="top" | Catchers {{MLBplayer|16|Steve Nicosia}} {{MLBplayer|14|Ed Ott}} {{MLBplayer|35|Manny Sanguillén}} Infielders {{MLBplayer| 4|Dale Berra}} {{MLBplayer|10|Tim Foli}} {{MLBplayer| 3|Phil Garner}} {{MLBplayer| 5|Bill Madlock}} {{MLBplayer| 8|Willie Stargell}} {{MLBplayer| 6|Rennie Stennett}} {{MLBplayer|10|Frank Taveras}} | width="25px" | | valign="top" | Outfielders {{MLBplayer|36|Matt Alexander}} {{MLBplayer|24|Mike Easler}} {{MLBplayer|17|Lee Lacy}} {{MLBplayer|34|John Milner}} {{MLBplayer|18|Omar Moreno}} {{MLBplayer|39|Dave Parker}} {{MLBplayer|28|Bill Robinson}} Other batters {{MLBplayer|44|Doe Boyland}} {{MLBplayer| 2|Gary Hargis}} {{MLBplayer|37|Alberto Lois}} | width="25px" | | valign="top" | Manager {{MLBplayer| 7|Chuck Tanner}} Coaches {{MLBplayer|57,31|Harvey Haddix}} (Pitching) {{MLBplayer|32|Joe Lonnett}} (Third base) {{MLBplayer|42|Al Monchak}} (First base) {{MLBplayer|48|Bob Skinner}} (Hitting) |
= Opening Day Lineup =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ ! colspan="3" style="{{Baseball primary style|Pittsburgh Pirates}}"|Opening Day Starters | ||
| style="{{Baseball secondary style|Pittsburgh Pirates}};| # | style="{{Baseball secondary style|Pittsburgh Pirates}};| Name | style="{{Baseball secondary style|Pittsburgh Pirates}};| 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=
{{Game log start|style=background:black;color:#e1b81e;|title=1979 regular season game log: 98–64 (Home: 48–33; Away: 50–31){{cite web|title=1971 Pittsburgh Pirates Schedule & Results|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/1979.shtml|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=13 July 2024}}}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=April: 7–11 (Home: 5–6; Away: 2–5)|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Record|Box/
Streak}}
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197904060.shtml 1] || {{dow tooltip|April 6, 1979}} || 12:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || Expos || 2–3 {{small|(10)}} || Sosa (1–0) || Tekulve (0–1) || — || 3:02 || 36,141 || 0–1 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04060PIT1979.htm L1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197904070.shtml 2] || {{dow tooltip|April 7, 1979}} || 2:15{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || Expos || 7–6 || Jackson (1–0) || Sosa (1–1) || — || 3:00 || 8,700 || 1–1 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04070PIT1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197904080.shtml 3] || {{dow tooltip|April 8, 1979}} || 1:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || Expos || 4–5 || May (1–0) || Romo (0–1) || Palmer (1) || 3:03 || 8,680 || 1–2 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04080PIT1979.htm L1]
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 4 || April 10 || || @ Phillies || 3–7 || Ruthven || Romo (0–2) || — || || 48,235 || 1–3 || L2
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 5 || April 11 || || @ Phillies || 4–5 || Carlton || Blyleven (0–1) || — || || 26,281 || 1–4 || L3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 6 || April 12 || || Cardinals || 3–1 || Robinson (1–0) || Denny || — || || 3,986 || 2–4 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 7 || April 13 || || Cardinals || 7–6 || Bibby (1–0) || Schultz || Jackson (1) || || 4,395 || 3–4 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 8 || April 14 || || Cardinals || 7–4 || Whitson (1–0) || Forsch || Jackson (2) || || 10,940 || 4–4 || W3
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 9 || April 15 || || Cardinals || 4–9 {{small|(10)}} || Littell || Tekulve (0–2) || — || || 3,012 || 4–5 || L1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 10 || April 17 || || Phillies || 2–13 || Carlton || Blyleven (0–2) || — || || 7,739 || 4–6 || L2
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 11 || April 18 || || Phillies || 2–3 || Lerch || Robinson (1–1) || — || || 12,195 || 4–7 || L3
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197904200.shtml 12] || {{dow tooltip|April 20, 1979}} || 8:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || @ Astros || 4–5 {{small|(10)}} || Sambito (1–0) || Bibby (1–1) || — || 3:16 || 19,834 || 4–8 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04200HOU1979.htm L4]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197904210.shtml 13] || {{dow tooltip|April 21, 1979}} || 8:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || @ Astros || 4–5 {{small|(10)}} || Andújar (2–0) || Tekulve (0–3) || — || 3:23 || 48,977 || 4–9 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04210HOU1979.htm L5]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197904220.shtml 14] || {{dow tooltip|April 22, 1979}} || 3:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || @ Astros || 2–3 || Andújar (3–0) || Candelaria (0–1) || Sambito (2) || 2:27 || 22,403 || 4–10 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04220HOU1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197904240.shtml 15] || {{dow tooltip|April 24, 1979}} || 8:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || @ Reds || 9–2 || Robinson (2–1) || Pastore (0–2) || — || 2:30 || 18,372 || 5–10 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04240CIN1979.htm W2]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197904250.shtml 16] || {{dow tooltip|April 25, 1979}} || 12:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || @ Reds || 3–2 {{small|(11)}} || Tekulve (1–3) || Tomlin (0–1) || — || 3:05 || 20,155 || 6–10 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04250CIN1979.htm W3]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197904270.shtml 17] || {{dow tooltip|April 27, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EST || Astros || 8–9 {{small|(11)}} || Riccelli (1–0) || Whitson (1–1) || — || 3:30 || 5,767 || 6–11 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04270PIT1979.htm L1]
|-style=background:#bbb
| — || {{dow tooltip|April 28, 1979}} || || Astros || colspan=8 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: July 19)
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197904290.shtml 18] || {{dow tooltip|April 29, 1979}} || 1:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Astros || 10–5 || Kison (1–0) || Niekro (1–2) || Jackson (3) || 3:07 || 7,598 || 7–11 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B04290PIT1979.htm W1]
|-
{{Game log section end}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=May: 16–10 (Home: 7–4; Away: 9–6)|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Record|Box/
Streak}}
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 19 || May 1 || || Braves || 2–5 || Niekro || Tekulve (1–4) || — || || 5,122 || 7–12 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 20 || May 2 || || Braves || 10–2 || Candelaria (1–1) || Mahler || — || || 4,840 || 8–12 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 21 || May 4 || || @ Cardinals || 3–4 || Sykes || Robinson (2–2) || Schultz || || 13,525 || 8–13 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 22 || May 5 || || @ Cardinals || 6–5 || Jackson (2–0) || Vuckovich || Whitson (1) || || 17,440 || 9–13 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 23 || May 6 || || @ Cardinals || 2–4 || Martinez || Kison (1–1) || Knowles || || 20,966 || 9–14 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 24 || May 7 || || @ Braves || 4–2 || Candelaria (2–1) || Mahler || Tekulve (1) || || 8,166 || 10–14 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 25 || May 8 || || @ Braves || 1–4 || Solomon || Rhoden (0–1) || — || || 5,741 || 10–15 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 26 || May 9 || || @ Braves || 17–9 || Bibby (2–1) || Garber || Tekulve (2) || || 6,855 || 11–15 || W1
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197905110.shtml 27] || {{dow tooltip|May 11, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Reds || 4–8 || Tomlin (1–1) || Whitson (1–2) || Bair (6) || 2:48 || 14,115 || 11–16 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B05110PIT1979.htm L1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197905120.shtml 28] || {{dow tooltip|May 12, 1979}} || 2:15{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Reds || 3–2 || Bibby (3–1) || Pastore (1–3) || Jackson (4) || 2:55 || 18,745 || 12–16 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B05120PIT1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197905130.shtml 29] || {{dow tooltip|May 13, 1979}} || 1:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Reds || 3–7 || LaCoss (4–0) || Candelaria (2–2) || — || 2:46 || 10,253 || 12–17 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B05130PIT1979.htm L1]
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 30 || May 15 || || Mets || 0–3 || Swan || Robinson (2–3) || Lockwood || || 6,097 || 12–18 || L2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 31 || May 16 || || Mets || 4–3 {{small|(13)}} || Romo (1–2) || Lockwood || — || || 7,621 || 13–18 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 32 || May 17 || || Mets || 6–5 || Tekulve (2–4) || Orosco || — || || 6,295 || 14–18 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 33 || May 18 || || @ Cubs || 9–5 || Candelaria (3–2) || Holtzman || — || || 12,578 || 15–18 || W3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 34 || May 19 || || @ Cubs || 3–0 || Rooker (1–0) || Krukow || Jackson (5) || || 29,460 || 16–18 || W4
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 35 || May 20 || || @ Cubs || 6–5 || Robinson (3–3) || McGlothen || Tekulve (3) || || 30,998 || 17–18 || W5
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197905210.shtml 36] || {{dow tooltip|May 21, 1979}} || 1:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 4–2 || Blyleven (1–2) || Sanderson (2–3) || Tekulve (4) || 2:58 || 25,154 || 18–18 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B05210MON1979.htm W6]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197905220.shtml 37] || {{dow tooltip|May 22, 1979}} || 1:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 3–6 || Grimsley (4–2) || Whitson (1–3) || Fryman (2) || 2:42 || 15,227 || 18–19 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B05220MON1979.htm L1]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197905230.shtml 38] || {{dow tooltip|May 23, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 0–3 || Rogers (4–2) || Candelaria (3–3) || — || 2:18 || 7,041 || 18–20 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B05230MON1979.htm L2]
|- bgcolor="ffffff"
| 39 || May 25 || || @ Mets || 3–3 {{small|(11)}} || || || — || || 6,611 || 18–20 ||
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 40 || May 26 || || @ Mets || 8–10 || Lockwood || Tekulve (2–5) || — || || 20,272 || 18–21 || L3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 41 || May 27 || || @ Mets || 2–1 || Jackson (3–0) || Murray || — || || 25,545 || 19–21 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 42 || May 28 || || @ Mets || 6–1 || Candelaria (4–3) || Falcone || Jackson (6) || || 10,619 || 20–21 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 43 || May 29 || || Cubs || 8–0 || Robinson (4–3) || Holtzman || — || || 7,196 || 21–21 || W3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 44 || May 30 || || Cubs || 9–2 || Rooker (2–0) || McGlothen || — || || 7,107 || 22–21 || W4
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 45 || May 31 || || Cubs || 4–3 {{small|(10)}} || Kison (2–1) || Sutter || — || || 6,438 || 23–21 || W5
|-
{{Game log section end}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=June: 14–13 (Home: 7–9; Away: 7–4)|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Record|Box/
Streak}}
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 46 || June 1 || || Padres || 9–8 || Tekulve (3–5) || Shirley || — || || 12,928 || 24–21 || W6
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 47 || June 2 || || Padres || 1–3 || Perry || Candelaria (4–4) || — || || 20,977 || 24–22 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 48 || June 3 || || Padres || 7–0 || Kison (3–1) || Owchinko || — || || 13,370 || 25–22 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 49 || June 4 || || Dodgers || 2–4 || Sutcliffe || Rooker (2–1) || — || || 14,727 || 25–23 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 50 || June 5 || || Dodgers || 3–1 || Blyleven (2–2) || Sutton || Tekulve (5) || || 11,088 || 26–23 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 51 || June 6 || || Dodgers || 5–4 || Romo (2–2) || Welch || Tekulve (6) || || 16,666 || 27–23 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 52 || June 8 || || Giants || 3–2 || Romo (3–2) || Curtis || Jackson (7) || || 18,227 || 28–23 || W3
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 53 || June 9 || || Giants || 2–6 || Blue || Kison (3–2) || — || || 25,814 || 28–24 || L1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 54 || June 10 || || Giants || 4–7 || Lavelle || Romo (3–3) || — || || 25,536 || 28–25 || L2
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 55 || June 12 || || @ Padres || 3–6 || Perry || Candelaria (4–5) || — || || 23,759 || 28–26 || L3
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 56 || June 13 || || @ Padres || 2–3 || Owchinko || Kison (3–3) || Fingers || || 17,845 || 28–27 || L4
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 57 || June 14 || || @ Padres || 1–2 {{small|(14)}} || D'Acquisto || Candelaria (4–6) || — || || 15,444 || 28–28 || L5
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 58 || June 15 || || @ Dodgers || 6–2 || Blyleven (3–2) || Sutton || Tekulve (7) || || 50,299 || 29–28 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 59 || June 16 || || @ Dodgers || 6–3 || Robinson (5–3) || Welch || — || || 49,448 || 30–28 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 60 || June 17 || || @ Dodgers || 5–1 || Whitson (2–3) || Reuss || Tekulve (8) || || 45,835 || 31–28 || W3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 61 || June 19 || || @ Giants || 9–4 || Candelaria (5–6) || Montefusco || Romo (1) || || 39,861 || 32–28 || W4
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 62 || June 20 || || @ Giants || 8–5 || Jackson (4–0) || Lavelle || Tekulve (9) || || 19,637 || 33–28 || W5
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 63 || June 22 || || Cubs || 7–2 || Blyleven (4–2) || Holtzman || — || || 21,006 || 34–28 || W6
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 64 || June 23 || || Cubs || 3–4 || Krukow || Robinson (5–4) || Sutter || || 18,513 || 34–29 || L1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 65 || June 24 || || Cubs || 0–5 || Reuschel || Kison (3–4) || — || || 43,402 || 34–30 || L2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 66 || June 25 || || @ Mets || 8–1 || Candelaria (6–6) || Swan || || — || || 35–30 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 67 || June 25 || || @ Mets || 0–4 || Falcone || Rooker (2–2) || — || || 14,666 || 35–31 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 68 || June 26 || || @ Mets || 2–1 || Blyleven (5–2) || Hausman || Jackson (8) || || 11,903 || 36–31 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 69 || June 27 || || Mets || 9–12 || Twitchell || Jackson (4–1) || — || || 13,168 || 36–32 || L1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 70 || June 28 || || Mets || 2–3 || Allen || Bibby (3–2) || Glynn || || 10,137 || 36–33 || L2
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197906290.shtml 71] || {{dow tooltip|June 29, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Expos || 6–5 || Kison (4–4) || Lee (7–5) || Tekulve (10) || 2:45 || 35,677 || 37–33 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B06290PIT1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197906300.shtml 72] || {{dow tooltip|June 30, 1979}} || 2:15{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Expos || 3–5 || Sanderson (5–4) || Blyleven (5–3) || Fryman (5) || 2:38 || 13,865 || 37–34 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B06300PIT1979.htm L1]
|-
{{Game log section end}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=July: 20–11 (Home: 8–5; Away: 12–6)|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Record|Box/
Streak}}
|-style=background:#bbb
| — || {{dow tooltip|July 1, 1979}}
{{small|(1)}} || || Expos || colspan=8 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 24)
|-style=background:#bbb
| — || {{dow tooltip|July 1, 1979}}
{{small|(2)}} || || Expos || colspan=8 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 24)
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 73 || July 2 || || @ Cardinals || 5–4 || Romo (4–3) || Knowles || Jackson (9) || || 18,042 || 38–34 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 74 || July 3 || || @ Cardinals || 4–1 || Candelaria (7–6) || Forsch || Romo (2) || || 17,130 || 39–34 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 75 || July 4 || || @ Cardinals || 6–4 || Blyleven (6–3) || Vuckovich || Jackson (10) || || 14,766 || 40–34 || W3
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 76 || July 5 || || @ Cardinals || 0–2 || Fulgham || Rooker (2–3) || — || || 16,626 || 40–35 || L1
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197907060.shtml 77] || {{dow tooltip|July 6, 1979}} || 8:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Reds || 1–2 || Bair (5–4) || Jackson (4–2) || — || 2:20 || 32,264 || 40–36 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07060CIN1979.htm L2]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197907070.shtml 78] || {{dow tooltip|July 7, 1979}} || 5:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Reds || 2–6 || Moskau (5–3) || Robinson (5–5) || — || 2:55 || 36,300 || 40–37 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07070CIN1979.htm L3]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197907080.shtml 79] || {{dow tooltip|July 8, 1979}}
{{small|(1)}} || 1:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Reds || 2–4 || Norman (5–7) || Candelaria (7–7) || — || 2:04 || — || 40–38 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07080CIN1979.htm L4]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197907080.shtml 80] || {{dow tooltip|July 8, 1979}}
{{small|(2)}} || 4:00{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Reds || 2–1 || Jackson (5–2) || Tomlin (2–2) || Tekulve (11) || 2:15 || 43,099 || 41–38 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07080CIN1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197907100.shtml 81] || {{dow tooltip|July 10, 1979}} || 8:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Astros || 4–3 || Bibby (4–2) || Andújar (10–5) || Tekulve (12) || 3:09 || 31,341 || 42–38 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07100HOU1979.htm W2]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197907110.shtml 82] || {{dow tooltip|July 11, 1979}} || 8:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Astros || 5–1 || Kison (5–4) || Richard (7–9) || — || 2:10 || 25,330 || 43–38 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07110HOU1979.htm W3]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197907120.shtml 83] || {{dow tooltip|July 12, 1979}} || 8:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Astros || 5–3 || Blyleven (7–3) || Niekro (13–4) || Tekulve (13) || 2:44 || 22,956 || 44–38 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07120HOU1979.htm W4]
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 84 || July 13 || || @ Braves || 4–13 || Niekro || Rooker (2–4) || — || || 17,018 || 44–39 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 85 || July 14 || || @ Braves || 5–1 || Candelaria (8–7) || Matula || — || || 25,083 || 45–39 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 86 || July 15 || || @ Braves || 7–3 || Bibby (5–2) || Solomon || — || || 11,304 || 46–39 || W2
|- style="text-align:center; background:#bbcaff;"
| colspan=12 | 50th All-Star Game in Seattle, Washington
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197907190.shtml 87] || {{dow tooltip|July 19, 1979}}
{{small|(1)}} || 6:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Astros || 9–5 || Roberts (1–0) || Forsch (5–6) || — || 2:41 || — || 47–39 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07190PIT1979.htm W3]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197907190.shtml 88] || {{dow tooltip|July 19, 1979}}
{{small|(2)}} || 9:21{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Astros || 4–2 || Kison (6–4) || Niekro (13–5) || Jackson (11) || 2:12 || 33,464 || 48–39 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07190PIT1979.htm W4]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197907200.shtml 89] || {{dow tooltip|July 20, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Astros || 9–3 || Candelaria (9–7) || Richard (7–11) || — || 2:40 || 23,585 || 49–39 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07200PIT1979.htm W5]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197907210.shtml 90] || {{dow tooltip|July 21, 1979}} || 2:15{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Astros || 6–5 || Romo (5–3) || Sambito (4–3) || Tekulve (14) || 3:00 || 19,570 || 50–39 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07210PIT1979.htm W6]
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 91 || July 22 || || Braves || 5–4 || Robinson (6–5) || Solomon || Tekulve (15) || || || 51–39 || W7
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 92 || July 22 || || Braves || 3–2 || Bibby (6–2) || Mahler || Tekulve (16) || || 29,533 || 52–39 || W8
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 93 || July 23 || || Braves || 7–1 || Blyleven (8–3) || Hanna || — || || || 53–39 || W9
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 94 || July 23 || || Braves || 0–8 || Niekro || Rooker (2–5) || — || || 27,148 || 53–40 || L1
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197907240.shtml 95] || {{dow tooltip|July 24, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Reds || 5–6 || Norman (7–8) || Kison (6–5) || Bair (14) || 3:16 || 19,517 || 53–41 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07240PIT1979.htm L2]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197907250.shtml 96] || {{dow tooltip|July 25, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Reds || 5–6 {{small|(10)}} || Bair (6–5) || Tekulve (3–6) || — || 2:55 || 17,296 || 53–42 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07250PIT1979.htm L3]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197907260.shtml 97] || {{dow tooltip|July 26, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Reds || 7–9 || Soto (1–2) || Roberts (1–1) || Hume (3) || 2:51 || 20,339 || 53–43 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07260PIT1979.htm L4]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197907270.shtml 98] || {{dow tooltip|July 27, 1979}}
{{small|(1)}} || 6:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 5–4 || Tekulve (4–6) || Sosa (5–6) || Romo (3) || 2:48 || — || 54–43 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07270MON1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197907270.shtml 99] || {{dow tooltip|July 27, 1979}}
{{small|(2)}} || 9:28{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 9–1 || Blyleven (9–3) || Sanderson (6–6) || — || 2:46 || 59,260 || 55–43 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07270MON1979.htm W2]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197907280.shtml 100] || {{dow tooltip|July 28, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 5–3 || Bibby (7–2) || Schatzeder (5–4) || Tekulve (17) || 2:33 || 38,661 || 56–43 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07280MON1979.htm W3]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197907290.shtml 101] || {{dow tooltip|July 29, 1979}} || 1:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 3–5 || Rogers (10–6) || Kison (6–6) || — || 2:22 || 35,245 || 56–44 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07290MON1979.htm L1]
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 102 || July 30 || || Mets || 8–5 || Jackson (6–2) || Bernard || Tekulve (18) || || 11,837 || 57–44 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 103 || July 31 || || Mets || 1–2 || Twitchell || Blyleven (9–4) || Glynn || || 10,739 || 57–45 || L1
|-
{{Game log section end}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=August: 21–9 (Home: 12–4; Away: 9–5)|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Record|Box/
Streak}}
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 104 || August 1 || || Cardinals || 4–3 || Romo (6–3) || Forsch || Tekulve (19) || || 16,124 || 58–45 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 105 || August 2 || || Cardinals || 4–5 || Frazier || Jackson (6–3) || Knowles || || 25,163 || 58–46 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 106 || August 3 || || Phillies || 6–3 || Romo (7–3) || McGraw || — || || || 59–46 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 107 || August 3 || || Phillies || 5–1 || Bibby (8–2) || Christenson || — || || 45,309 || 60–46 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 108 || August 4 || || Phillies || 4–0 || Candelaria (10–7) || Espinosa || — || || 34,754 || 61–46 || W3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 109 || August 5 || || Phillies || 12–8 || Tekulve (5–6) || Eastwick || — || || || 62–46 || W4
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 110 || August 5 || || Phillies || 5–2 || Romo (8–3) || Noles || Tekulve (20) || || 46,006 || 63–46 || W5
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 111 || August 7 || || @ Cubs || 2–15 || Reuschel || Rooker (2–6) || — || || 34,641 || 63–47 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 112 || August 8 || || @ Cubs || 5–2 {{small|(10)}} || Tekulve (6–6) || Tidrow || — || || 34,255 || 64–47 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 113 || August 9 || || @ Cubs || 3–11 || Lamp || Candelaria (10–8) || — || || 29,645 || 64–48 || L1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 114 || August 10 || || @ Phillies || 3–4 {{small|(12)}} || Eastwick || Jackson (6–4) || || — || || 64–49 || L2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 115 || August 10 || || @ Phillies || 3–2 || Kison (7–6) || Lerch || Tekulve (21) || || 63,346 || 65–49 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 116 || August 11 || || @ Phillies || 14–11 || Romo (9–3) || Eastwick || Tekulve (22) || || 51,118 || 66–49 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 117 || August 13 || || @ Phillies || 9–1 || Bibby (9–2) || Christenson || — || || 43,111 || 67–49 || W3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 118 || August 14 || || Padres || 7–1 || Candelaria (11–8) || D'Acquisto || — || || 23,210 || 68–49 || W4
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 119 || August 15 || || Padres || 5–1 || Blyleven (10–4) || Jones || — || || 14,219 || 69–49 || W5
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 120 || August 16 || || Padres || 5–4 || Kison (8–6) || Perry || Romo (4) || || 14,201 || 70–49 || W6
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 121 || August 17 || || Dodgers || 6–7 || Patterson || Bibby (9–3) || Castillo || || 22,416 || 70–50 || L1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 122 || August 18 || || Dodgers || 1–5 || Reuss || Robinson (6–6) || — || || 40,238 || 70–51 || L2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 123 || August 19 || || Dodgers || 2–0 || Tekulve (7–6) || Hooton || — || || 28,382 || 71–51 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 124 || August 20 || || Giants || 6–5 || Romo (10–3) || Lavelle || Tekulve (23) || || 18,714 || 72–51 || W2
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 125 || August 21 || || Giants || 1–6 || Knepper || Kison (8–7) || — || || 20,999 || 72–52 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 126 || August 22 || || Giants || 8–6 || Tekulve (8–6) || Lavelle || — || || 19,768 || 73–52 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 127 || August 24 || || @ Padres || 2–3 || Jones || Romo (10–4) || Lee || || 16,890 || 73–53 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 128 || August 25 || || @ Padres || 4–3 {{small|(19)}} || Roberts (2–1) || D'Acquisto || — || || 14,607 || 74–53 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 129 || August 26 || || @ Padres || 9–2 || Kison (9–7) || Shirley || — || || 13,006 || 75–53 || W2
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 130 || August 27 || || @ Dodgers || 2–4 || Brett || Tekulve (8–7) || — || || 35,705 || 75–54 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 131 || August 28 || || @ Dodgers || 4–1 || Candelaria (12–8) || Hough || — || || 31,587 || 76–54 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 132 || August 29 || || @ Dodgers || 4–1 || Blyleven (11–4) || Reuss || Tekulve (24) || || 32,816 || 77–54 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 133 || August 31 || || @ Giants || 6–4 || Robinson (7–6) || Curtis || Jackson (12) || || 19,377 || 78–54 || W3
|-
{{Game log section end}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=September: 20–10 (Home: 9–5; Away: 11–5)|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Record|Box/
Streak}}
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 134 || September 1 || || @ Giants || 5–3 || Kison (10–7) || Montefusco || Jackson (13) || || 25,551 || 79–54 || W4
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 135 || September 1 || || @ Giants || 7–2 || Bibby (10–3) || Knepper || — || || 27,382 || 80–54 || W5
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 136 || September 2 || || @ Giants || 5–3 || Candelaria (13–8) || Blue || — || || 15,663 || 81–54 || W6
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 137 || September 3 || || Phillies || 0–2 || Carlton || Blyleven (11–5) || McGraw || || || 81–55 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 138 || September 3 || || Phillies || 7–3 || Rooker (3–6) || Lerch || Tekulve (25) || || 43,444 || 82–55 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 139 || September 5 || || @ Cardinals || 7–5 {{small|(11)}} || Roberts (3–1) || Thomas || Tekulve (26) || || 23,059 || 83–55 || W2
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 140 || September 6 || || @ Cardinals || 6–8 || Martinez || Bibby (10–4) || McEnaney || || 14,767 || 83–56 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 141 || September 7 || || @ Mets || 6–4 {{small|(14)}} || Jackson (7–4) || Allen || — || || 8,290 || 84–56 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 142 || September 8 || || @ Mets || 2–3 {{small|(15)}} || Ellis || Rooker (3–7) || — || || 8,095 || 84–57 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 143 || September 9 || || @ Mets || 6–5 || Tekulve (9–7) || Glynn || — || || 9,093 || 85–57 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 144 || September 11 || || Cardinals || 7–3 || Roberts (4–1) || Denny || — || || 15,757 || 86–57 || W2
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 145 || September 12 || || Cardinals || 2–0 || Candelaria (14–8) || Forsch || Tekulve (27) || || 17,669 || 87–57 || W3
|-style=background:#bbb
| — || {{dow tooltip|September 13, 1979}} || || Cardinals || colspan=8 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 27)
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 146 || September 15 || || Mets || 5–4 || Roberts (5–1) || Glynn || Tekulve (28) || || 18,060 || 88–57 || W4
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 147 || September 16 || || Mets || 0–3 || Falcone || Candelaria (14–9) || Allen || || 25,364 || 88–58 || L1
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197909170.shtml 148] || {{dow tooltip|September 17, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 2–1 || Robinson (8–6) || Rogers (13–10) || — || 2:28 || 54,609 || 89–58 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B09170MON1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197909180.shtml 149] || {{dow tooltip|September 18, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Expos || 5–3 {{small|(11)}} || Jackson (8–4) || Murray (4–9) || Roberts (1) || 3:04 || 56,976 || 90–58 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B09180MON1979.htm W2]
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 150 || September 19 || || @ Phillies || 9–6 || Tekulve (10–7) || Eastwick || Jackson (14) || || || 91–58 || W3
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 151 || September 19 || || @ Phillies || 5–6 || Kucek || Romo (10–5) || Saucier || || 30,566 || 91–59 || L1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 152 || September 20 || || @ Phillies || 1–2 || Lerch || Tekulve (10–8) || — || || 16,299 || 91–60 || L2
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 153 || September 21 || || @ Cubs || 0–2 || McGlothen || Robinson (8–7) || — || || 9,552 || 91–61 || L3
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 154 || September 22 || || @ Cubs || 4–1 || Kison (11–7) || Riley || Tekulve (29) || || 24,657 || 92–61 || W1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 155 || September 23 || || @ Cubs || 6–0 || Bibby (11–4) || Reuschel || — || || 24,571 || 93–61 || W2
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197909240.shtml 156] || {{dow tooltip|September 24, 1979}}
{{small|(1)}} || 6:05{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Expos || 5–2 || Blyleven (12–5) || Schatzeder (10–5) || Tekulve (30) || 2:30 || — || 94–61 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B09240PIT1979.htm W3]
|-style=background:#fbb
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197909240.shtml 157] || {{dow tooltip|September 24, 1979}}
{{small|(2)}} || 9:10{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Expos || 6–7 || Grimsley (10–9) || Jackson (8–5) || Sosa (18) || 3:28 || 47,268 || 94–62 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B09240PIT1979.htm L1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197909250.shtml 158] || {{dow tooltip|September 25, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Expos || 10–4 || Rooker (4–7) || Sanderson (9–8) || Romo (5) || 3:06 || 31,348 || 95–62 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B09250PIT1979.htm W1]
|-style=background:#cfc
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197909260.shtml 159] || {{dow tooltip|September 26, 1979}} || 7:35{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Expos || 10–1 || Kison (12–7) || Rogers (13–11) || — || 3:00 || 42,043 || 96–62 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B09260PIT1979.htm W2]
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 160 || September 27 || || Cardinals || 5–9 || Forsch || Roberts (5–2) || Littell || || 11,172 || 96–63 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 161 || September 28 || || Cubs || 6–1 || Bibby (12–4) || Reuschel || — || || 14,778 || 97–63 || W1
|- bgcolor="ffbbbb"
| 162 || September 29 || || Cubs || 6–7 {{small|(13)}} || Caudill || Robinson (8–8) || — || || 25,734 || 97–64 || L1
|- bgcolor="ccffcc"
| 163 || September 30 || || Cubs || 5–3 || Kison (13–7) || McGlothen || Tekulve (31) || || 42,176 || 98–64 || W1
|-
{{Game log section end}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
| Legend: {{Color box|#cfc|border=darkgray}} = Win {{Color box|#fbb|border=darkgray}} = Loss {{Color box|#bbb|border=darkgray}} = Postponement
Bold = Pirates team member
{{Game log end}}
=Postseason Game log=
{{Game log start|style=background:black;color:#e1b81e;|title=1979 Postseason game log: 7–3 (Home: 2–2; Away: 5–1)}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=NL Championship Series: vs. Cincinnati Reds 3–0 (Home: 1–0; Away: 2–0){{cite web|title=1979 National League Championship Series|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1979_NLCS.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=15 February 2014}}|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Series|Box/
Streak}}
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197910020.shtml 1] || {{dow tooltip|October 2, 1979}} || 8:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Reds || 5–2 {{small|(11)}} || Jackson (1–0) || Hume (0–1) || Robinson (1) || 3:14 || 55,006 || PIT 1–0 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10020CIN1979.htm W1]
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197910030.shtml 2] || {{dow tooltip|October 3, 1979}} || 3:15{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Reds || 3–2 {{small|(10)}} || Robinson (1–0) || Bair (0–1) || — || 3:24 || 55,000 || PIT 2–0 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10030CIN1979.htm W2]
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197910050.shtml 3] || {{dow tooltip|October 5, 1979}} || 3:15{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Reds || 7–1 || Blyleven (1–0) || LaCoss (0–1) || — || 2:45 || 42,240 || PIT 3–0 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10050PIT1979.htm W3]
|-
{{Game log section end}}
{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#e1b81e;color:black;|title=World Series: vs. Baltimore Orioles 4–3 (Home: 1–2; Away: 3–1){{cite web|title=1979 World Series|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1979_WS.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=15 February 2014}}|#|Date|Time (ET)|Opponent|Score|Win|Loss|Save|Time of Game|Attendance|Series|Box/
Streak}}
|-style="background:#bbb;"
| — || {{dow tooltip|October 9, 1979}} || || @ Orioles || colspan=6 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: October 10) || Tied 0–0 ||
|-style="background:#fbb;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197910100.shtml 1] || {{dow tooltip|October 10, 1979}} || 8:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Orioles || 4–5 || Flanagan (2–0) || Kison (0–1) || — || 3:18 || 53,735 || BAL 1–0 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10100BAL1979.htm L1]
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197910110.shtml 2] || {{dow tooltip|October 11, 1979}} || 8:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Orioles || 3–2 || Robinson (2–0) || Stanhouse (1–2) || Tekulve (1) || 3:13 || 53,739 || Tied 1–1 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B101100BAL1979.htm W1]
|-style="background:#fbb;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197910120.shtml 3] || {{dow tooltip|October 12, 1979}} || 8:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Orioles || 4–8 || McGregor (2–0) || Candelaria (0–1) || — || 2:51 || 50,848 || BAL 2–1 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10120PIT1979.htm L1]
|-style="background:#fbb;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197910130.shtml 4] || {{dow tooltip|October 13, 1979}} || 1:00{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Orioles || 6–9 || Stoddard (1–0) || Tekulve (0–1) || — || 3:48 || 50,883 || BAL 3–1 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10130PIT1979.htm L2]
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197910140.shtml 5] || {{dow tooltip|October 14, 1979}} || 4:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || Orioles || 7–1 || Blyleven (2–0) || Flanagan (2–1) || — || 2:54 || 50,920 || BAL 3–2 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10140PIT1979.htm W1]
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197910160.shtml 6] || {{dow tooltip|October 16, 1979}} || 8:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Orioles || 4–0 || Candelaria (1–1) || Palmer (0–1) || Tekulve (2) || 2:30 || 53,739 || Tied 3–3 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10160BAL1979.htm W2]
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197910170.shtml 7] || {{dow tooltip|October 17, 1979}} || 8:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EDT || @ Orioles || 4–1 || Jackson (2–0) || McGregor (2–1) || Tekulve (3) || 2:54 || 53,733 || PIT 4–3 || [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B10170BAL1979.htm W3]
|-
{{Game log section end}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
| Legend: {{Color box|#cfc|border=darkgray}} = Win {{Color box|#fbb|border=darkgray}} = Loss {{Color box|#bbb|border=darkgray}} = Postponement
Bold = Pirates team member
{{Game log end}}
=Composite Box=
| class="wikitable"
|+ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="{{Baseball secondary style|Pittsburgh Pirates|year=1979|border=2}};" | Opponents || 81 || 77 || 81 || 69 || 56 || 82 || 67 || 67 || 48 || 9 || 1 || 2 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 643 || 1424 || 142 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| style="{{Baseball primary style|Pittsburgh Pirates|year=1979|border=2}};" | Pirates || 104 || 73 || 87 || 71 || 99 || 67 || 86 || 98 || 76 || 4 || 5 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 775 || 1541 || 134 |
Sources:[https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/TPIT01979.htm]
[https://baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/1979.shtml]
Player stats
;Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ style="background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 5px solid; border-bottom:#E1B81E 5px solid;" | Regular Season{{cite web|title=Major League Baseball Stats {{!}} pirates.com: Stats|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Player+hitting&game_type='R'&season=1979&season_type=ANY&league_code='MLB'§ionType=sp&statType=hitting&page=1&ts=1439916756385&timeframe=&playerType=ALL&sportCode='mlb'&split=&team_id=134&active_sw=&position=&page_type=SortablePlayer&sortOrder='desc'&sortColumn=avg&results=&perPage=50&last_x_days=&extended=0|publisher=Pittsburgh Pirates}} | ||||||
| width="40%" | Player
! width="10%" | {{abbr|G|Games played}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|AB|At bats}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|H|Hits}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|Avg.|Batting average}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|HR|Home runs}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|RBI|Runs batted in}} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{sortname|R.|Rhoden|Rick Rhoden}} | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|M.|Alexander|Matt Alexander}} | 44 | 13 | 7 | 0.538 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|B.|Madlock|Bill Madlock}} | 85 | 311 | 102 | 0.328 | 7 | 44 |
| {{sortname|D.|Parker|Dave Parker}} | 158 | 622 | 193 | 0.310 | 25 | 94 |
| {{sortname|P.|Garner|Phil Garner}} | 150 | 549 | 161 | 0.293 | 11 | 59 |
| {{sortname|T.|Foli|Tim Foli}} | 133 | 525 | 153 | 0.291 | 1 | 65 |
| {{sortname|S.|Nicosia|Steve Nicosia}} | 70 | 191 | 55 | 0.288 | 4 | 13 |
| {{sortname|O.|Moreno|Omar Moreno}} | 162 | 695 | 196 | 0.282 | 8 | 69 |
| {{sortname|W.|Stargell|Willie Stargell}} | 126 | 424 | 119 | 0.281 | 32 | 82 |
| {{sortname|M.|Easler|Mike Easler}} | 55 | 54 | 15 | 0.278 | 2 | 11 |
| {{sortname|J.|Milner|John Milner}} | 128 | 326 | 90 | 0.276 | 16 | 60 |
| {{sortname|E.|Ott|Ed Ott}} | 117 | 403 | 110 | 0.273 | 7 | 51 |
| {{sortname|B.|Robinson|Bill Robinson (outfielder)}} | 148 | 421 | 111 | 0.264 | 24 | 75 |
| {{sortname|L.|Lacy|Lee Lacy}} | 84 | 182 | 45 | 0.247 | 5 | 15 |
| {{sortname|F.|Taveras|Frank Taveras}} | 11 | 45 | 11 | 0.244 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|R.|Stennett|Rennie Stennett}} | 108 | 319 | 76 | 0.238 | 0 | 24 |
| {{sortname|M.|Sanguillén|Manny Sanguillén}} | 56 | 74 | 17 | 0.230 | 0 | 4 |
| {{sortname|D.|Berra|Dale Berra}} | 44 | 123 | 26 | 0.211 | 3 | 15 |
| {{sortname|D.|Robinson|Don Robinson (baseball)}} | 29 | 49 | 10 | 0.204 | 0 | 3 |
| {{sortname|J.|Coleman|Joe Coleman (1970s pitcher)}} | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0.200 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|J.|Bibby|Jim Bibby}} | 34 | 45 | 8 | 0.178 | 2 | 5 |
| {{sortname|E.|Romo|Enrique Romo}} | 84 | 12 | 2 | 0.167 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|B.|Kison|Bruce Kison}} | 37 | 55 | 8 | 0.145 | 1 | 6 |
| {{sortname|K.|Tekulve|Kent Tekulve}} | 94 | 15 | 2 | 0.133 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|J.|Candelaria|John Candelaria}} | 33 | 68 | 9 | 0.132 | 0 | 6 |
| {{sortname|B.|Blyleven|Bert Blyleven}} | 38 | 70 | 9 | 0.129 | 0 | 3 |
| {{sortname|J.|Rooker|Jim Rooker}} | 19 | 33 | 4 | 0.121 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|D.|Boyland|Doe Boyland}} | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|D.|Ellis|Dock Ellis}} | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|G.|Jackson|Grant Jackson (baseball)}} | 72 | 9 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|D.|Roberts|Dave Roberts (pitcher)}} | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|E.|Whitson|Ed Whitson}} | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|G.|Hargis|Gary Hargis}} | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|A.|Lois|Alberto Lois}} | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 163 | 5,661 | 1,541 | 0.272 | 148 | 710 |
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ style="background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 5px solid; border-bottom:#E1B81E 5px solid;" | Postseason{{cite web|title=Major League Baseball Stats {{!}} pirates.com: Stats|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Player+hitting&game_type='L'&season=1979&season_type=ANY&league_code='MLB'§ionType=sp&statType=hitting&page=1&ts=1449350276038&timeframe=&playerType=ALL&sportCode='mlb'&split=&team_id=134&active_sw=&position=&page_type=SortablePlayer&sortOrder='asc'&sortColumn=era&results=&perPage=50&last_x_days=&extended=0|publisher=Pittsburgh Pirates}}{{cite web|title=Major League Baseball Stats {{!}} pirates.com: Stats|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Player+hitting&game_type='W'&season=1979&season_type=ANY&league_code='MLB'§ionType=sp&statType=hitting&page=1&ts=1449349579178&timeframe=&playerType=ALL&sportCode='mlb'&split=&team_id=134&active_sw=&position=&page_type=SortablePlayer&sortOrder='asc'&sortColumn=era&results=&perPage=50&last_x_days=&extended=0|publisher=Pittsburgh Pirates}} | ||||||
| width="40%" | Player
! width="10%" | {{abbr|G|Games played}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|AB|At bats}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|H|Hits}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|Avg.|Batting average}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|HR|Home runs}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|RBI|Runs batted in}} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{sortname|R.|Stennett|Rennie Stennett}} | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|P.|Garner|Phil Garner}} | 10 | 36 | 17 | 0.472 | 1 | 6 |
| {{sortname|W.|Stargell|Willie Stargell}} | 10 | 41 | 17 | 0.415 | 5 | 13 |
| {{sortname|D.|Parker|Dave Parker}} | 10 | 41 | 14 | 0.341 | 0 | 6 |
| {{sortname|B.|Madlock|Bill Madlock}} | 10 | 36 | 12 | 0.333 | 1 | 5 |
| {{sortname|M.|Sanguillén|Manny Sanguillén}} | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.333 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|T.|Foli|Tim Foli}} | 10 | 42 | 14 | 0.333 | 0 | 6 |
| {{sortname|O.|Moreno|Omar Moreno}} | 10 | 45 | 14 | 0.311 | 0 | 3 |
| {{sortname|E.|Ott|Ed Ott}} | 6 | 25 | 7 | 0.280 | 0 | 3 |
| {{sortname|L.|Lacy|Lee Lacy}} | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|B.|Robinson|Bill Robinson (outfielder)}} | 10 | 22 | 5 | 0.227 | 0 | 2 |
| {{sortname|B.|Blyleven|Bert Blyleven}} | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0.167 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|J.|Candelaria|John Candelaria}} | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0.167 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|J.|Milner|John Milner}} | 6 | 18 | 3 | 0.167 | 0 | 1 |
| {{sortname|S.|Nicosia|Steve Nicosia}} | 4 | 16 | 1 | 0.063 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|E.|Romo|Enrique Romo}} | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|G.|Jackson|Grant Jackson (baseball)}} | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|J.|Bibby|Jim Bibby}} | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|J.|Rooker|Jim Rooker}} | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|K.|Tekulve|Kent Tekulve}} | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|M.|Easler|Mike Easler}} | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|B.|Kison|Bruce Kison}} | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|D.|Roberts|Dave Roberts (pitcher)}} | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|D.|Robinson|Don Robinson (baseball)}} | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| {{sortname|M.|Alexander|Matt Alexander}} | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 10 | 356 | 109 | 0.306 | 7 | 46 |
{{col-end}}
;Pitching
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ style="background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 5px solid; border-bottom:#E1B81E 5px solid;" | Regular Season{{cite web|title=Major League Baseball Stats {{!}} pirates.com: Stats|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Player+pitching&game_type='R'&season=1979&season_type=ANY&league_code='MLB'§ionType=sp&statType=pitching&page=1&ts=1439916791143&timeframe=&playerType=ALL&sportCode='mlb'&split=&team_id=134&active_sw=&position=&page_type=SortablePlayer&sortOrder='asc'&sortColumn=era&results=&perPage=50&last_x_days=&extended=0|publisher=Pittsburgh Pirates}} | ||||||
| width="40%" | Player
! width="10%" | {{abbr|G|Games}} ! width="10%" data-sort-type="number" | {{abbr|IP|Innings pitched}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|W|Wins}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|L|Loss}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|ERA|Earned run average}} ! width="10%" | {{abbr|SO|Strikeouts}} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{sortname|D.|Ellis|Dock Ellis}} | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2.57 | 1 |
| {{sortname|K.|Tekulve|Kent Tekulve}} | 94 | 134{{fraction|1|3}} | 10 | 8 | 2.75 | 75 |
| {{sortname|J.|Bibby|Jim Bibby}} | 34 | 137{{fraction|2|3}} | 12 | 4 | 2.81 | 103 |
| {{sortname|G.|Jackson|Grant Jackson (baseball)}} | 72 | 82 | 8 | 5 | 2.96 | 39 |
| {{sortname|E.|Romo|Enrique Romo}} | 84 | 129{{fraction|1|3}} | 10 | 5 | 2.99 | 106 |
| {{sortname|B.|Kison|Bruce Kison}} | 33 | 172{{fraction|1|3}} | 13 | 7 | 3.19 | 105 |
| {{sortname|J.|Candelaria|John Candelaria}} | 33 | 207 | 14 | 9 | 3.22 | 101 |
| {{sortname|D.|Roberts|Dave Roberts (pitcher)}} | 21 | 38{{fraction|2|3}} | 5 | 2 | 3.26 | 15 |
| {{sortname|B.|Blyleven|Bert Blyleven}} | 37 | 237{{fraction|1|3}} | 12 | 5 | 3.60 | 172 |
| {{sortname|D.|Robinson|Don Robinson (baseball)}} | 29 | 160{{fraction|2|3}} | 8 | 8 | 3.87 | 96 |
| {{sortname|E.|Whitson|Ed Whitson}} | 19 | 57{{fraction|2|3}} | 2 | 3 | 4.37 | 31 |
| {{sortname|J.|Rooker|Jim Rooker}} | 19 | 103{{fraction|2|3}} | 4 | 7 | 4.60 | 44 |
| {{sortname|J.|Coleman|Joe Coleman (1970s pitcher)}} | 10 | 20{{fraction|2|3}} | 0 | 0 | 6.10 | 14 |
| {{sortname|R.|Rhoden|Rick Rhoden}} | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7.20 | 2 |
| Team Totals | 163 | 1,493{{fraction|1|3}} | 98 | 64 | 3.41 | 904 |
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
Postseason
= National League Championship Series =
{{Main|1979 National League Championship Series}}
== Game 1 ==
October 2, Riverfront Stadium
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | |||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|10 !width=5%|11 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | |||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 2
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 3
|5 | 10 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Cincinnati |0 | 0 | 0
|2 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0
|2 | 7 | 0 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=16|W: Grant Jackson (1-0) L: Tom Hume (0-1) SV: Don Robinson (1) | |||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=16|HRs: PIT – Phil Garner (1) Willie Stargell (1) CIN – George Foster (1) |
== Game 2 ==
October 3, Riverfront Stadium
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=26%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|10 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 0
|1 | 1 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|1 |3 | 11 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Cincinnati |0 | 1 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 1
|0 |2 | 8 | 0 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=16|W: Don Robinson (1-0) L: Doug Bair (0-1) SV: None | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=16|HRs: PIT – None CIN – None |
== Game 3 ==
October 5, Three Rivers Stadium
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=28%|Team !width=6%|1 !width=6%|2 !width=6%|3 !width=6%|4 !width=6%|5 !width=6%|6 !width=6%|7 !width=6%|8 !width=6%|9 !width=6%|R !width=6%|H !width=6%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Cincinnati |0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 1
|0 | 0 | 0
|1 | 8 | 1 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |1 | 1 | 2
|2 | 0 | 0
|0 | 1 | X
|7 | 7 | 0 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|W: Bert Blyleven (1-0) L: Mike LaCoss (0-1) SV: None | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|HRs: CIN – Johnny Bench (1) PIT – Willie Stargell (2) Bill Madlock (1) |
= World Series =
{{Main|1979 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
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 0
|1 | 0 | 2
|0 | 1 | 0
|4 | 11 | 3 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore |5 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|5 | 6 | 3 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: Mike Flanagan (1-0) L: Bruce Kison (0-1) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|HR: PIT – Willie Stargell (1); BAL – [https://www.baseball-reference.com/d/decindo01.shtml Doug Decinces] (1) |
== Game 2 ==
October 11, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,739
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 2 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 1
|3 | 11 | 2 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore |0 | 1 | 0
|0 | 0 | 1
|0 | 0 | 0
|2 | 6 | 1 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: Don Robinson (1-0) L: Don Stanhouse (0-1) S: Kent Tekulve (1) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|HR: PIT – none; BAL – Eddie Murray (1) |
== Game 3 ==
October 12, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,848
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore |0 | 0 | 2
|5 | 0 | 0
|1 | 0 | 0
|8 | 13 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |1 | 2 | 0
|0 | 0 | 1
|0 | 0 | 0
|4 | 9 | 2 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: Scott McGregor (1-0) L: John Candelaria (0-1) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|HR: BAL – Benny Ayala (1); PIT – none |
== Game 4 ==
October 13, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,883
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore |0 | 0 | 3
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 6 | 0
|9 | 12 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 4 | 0
|0 | 1 | 1
|0 | 0 | 0
|6 | 17 | 1 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: Tim Stoddard (1-0) L: Kent Tekulve (0-1) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|HR: BAL – none; PIT – Willie Stargell (2) |
== Game 5 ==
October 14, 1979, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 50,920
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore |0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 1 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|1 | 6 | 2 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 2
|2 | 3 | x
|7 | 13 | 1 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: Bert Blyleven (1-0) L: Mike Flanagan (1-1) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|HR: BAL – none; PIT – none |
== Game 6 ==
October 16, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,739
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|2 | 2 | 0
|4 | 10 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore |0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 7 | 1 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: John Candelaria (1-1) L: Jim Palmer (0-1) S: Kent Tekulve (2) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|HR: PIT – none; BAL – none |
== Game 7 ==
October 17, 1979, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Attendance: 53,733
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=425 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=25%|Team !width=5%|1 !width=5%|2 !width=5%|3 !width=5%|4 !width=5%|5 !width=5%|6 !width=5%|7 !width=5%|8 !width=5%|9 !width=5%|R !width=5%|H !width=5%|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh |0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 2
|0 | 0 | 2
|4 | 10 | 0 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore |0 | 0 | 1
|0 | 0 | 0
|0 | 0 | 0
|1 | 4 | 2 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|W: Grant Jackson (1-0) L: Scott McGregor (1-1) S: Kent Tekulve (3) | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=13|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.)
| border=1 cellspacing=0 width=575 style="margin-left:3em;" | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center; background-color:#e6e6e6;"
!align=left width=155|Team !width=25|1 !width=25|2 !width=25|3 !width=25|4 !width=25|5 !width=25|6 !width=25|7 !width=25|8 !width=25|9 !width=25|R !width=25|H !width=25|E | ||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Pittsburgh Pirates |1 | 8 | 0
|1 | 1 | 8
|4 | 6 | 3
|32 | 81 | 9 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|align=left|Baltimore Orioles |5 | 1 | 6
|5 | 1 | 1
|1 | 6 | 0
|26 | 54 | 9 |
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|Total Attendance: 367,597 Average Attendance: 52,514 | ||||||||
| style="text-align:left;"
|colspan=14|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[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hisb2nl.shtml Stolen Bases Single Season National League Leaders by Baseball Almanac]
- 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
{{See also|Minor League Baseball}}
{{MLB Farm System|level16=AAA|team16=Portland Beavers|league16=Pacific Coast League|manager16=Johnny Lipon
|level17=AA |team17=Buffalo Bisons|league17=Eastern League|manager17=Steve Demeter
|level18=A|team18=Salem Pirates|league18=Carolina League|manager18=Jim Mahoney
|level19=A |team19=Shelby Pirates|league19=Western Carolinas League|manager19=Tom Zimmer
|level20=Rookie|team20=GCL Pirates|league20=Gulf Coast League|manager20=Woody Huyke
}}
Notes
{{Reflist|2}}
References
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/1979.shtml 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates] at Baseball Reference
- [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1979&t=PIT 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates] at Baseball Almanac
- {{Cite book| editor1-last=Johnson| editor1-first=Lloyd| editor2-last=Wolff| editor2-first=Miles| title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball| edition=2nd| location=Durham, North Carolina| publisher=Baseball America| year=1997| isbn=978-0-9637189-8-3}}
{{World Series champions}}
{{National League champions}}
{{National League East champions}}
{{1979 MLB season by team}}
{{1979 Pittsburgh Pirates}}
{{Pittsburgh Pirates}}
Category:Pittsburgh Pirates seasons
Category:National League East champion seasons
Category:National League champion seasons