From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 1979 National League Championship Series
1979 National League Championship Series
Game Date Score Location Time Attendance
1 October 2 Pittsburgh Pirates – 5, Cincinnati Reds – 2 (11 innings) Riverfront Stadium 3:14 55,006[1]
2 October 3 Pittsburgh Pirates – 3, Cincinnati Reds – 2 (10 innings) Riverfront Stadium 3:24 55,000[2]
3 October 5 Cincinnati Reds – 1, Pittsburgh Pirates – 7 Three Rivers Stadium 2:45 42,240[3]
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
WP: LP: Sv:
WP: Grant Jackson (1–0) LP: Tom Hume (0–1) Sv: Don Robinson (1)
runs:
Home runs:
PIT: Phil Garner (1), Willie Stargell (1)
CIN: George Foster (1)
1979 National League Championship Series
Summary
Team (Wins) Manager Season Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates Chuck Tanner 98–64, .605, GA: Pittsburgh won the series, 3–0.
(3) 2
Cincinnati Reds (0) John 90–71, .559, GA: Game summaries
McNamara 1½
Dates: October 2–October 5
Game 1
Tuesday, October 2, 1979 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincin-
MVP: Willie Stargell (Pittsburgh)
nati, Ohio
Television:
Television: NBC Both sides threw their aces in Game 1 as fourteen-game
winner John Candelaria started for the Pirates, and Tom
TV Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek and Don Sutton
announcers:
announcers: Seaver started for the Reds. After Omar Moreno ground-
ed out to start the game, a 45-minute rain delay stalled
Radio:
Radio: CBS the contest. When play resumed, Seaver retired Tim Foli
Radio Jack Buck and Jerry Coleman and Dave Parker for an unusually long 1-2-3 inning.
announcers:
announcers: Pittsburgh struck first in the third inning when sec-
ond baseman Phil Garner led off with an opposite-field
Umpires:
Umpires: John Kibler, Ed Montague, Jerry Dale, Frank
Pulli, Dick Stello, Jim Quick home run. After Candelaria struck out, Omar Moreno hit
a sinking liner to right that Dave Collins attempted a
sliding shoestring catch on. The ball skidded off the wet
Riverfront Stadium turf in front of Collins and rolled to
1979 World Series the wall. The speedy Moreno ended up with a triple, but
it could have easily been an inside-the-park homer if not
The 1979 National League Championship Series was for the hustle of Héctor Cruz in center. A sacrifice fly by
played between the National League West champion Foli gave the Pirates a 2–0 lead. The Reds tied it in the
Cincinnati Reds and the National League East champion bottom of the fourth when George Foster hit a titanic
Pittsburgh Pirates. two-run homer into the left field upper deck with Dave
It was the fourth time in the 1970s that the Pirates Concepción aboard. Despite a sore shoulder, Candelaria
and Reds had faced off for the pennant; Cincinnati had gutted out seven painful innings and shut out the Reds
won all three previous meetings in 1970, 1972 and 1975. before giving way to Enrique Romo.
The Pirates prevailed in three consecutive games played The score stayed at 2–2 until the top of the eleventh
from October 2 to October 5. inning. Tim Foli and Parker singled off Reds reliever Tom
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 1979 National League Championship Series
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
WP: LP:
WP: Don Robinson (1–0) LP: Doug Bair (0–1)
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
WP: LP:
WP: Bert Blyleven (1–0) LP: Mike LaCoss (0–1)
runs:
Home runs:
CIN: Johnny Bench (1)
PIT: Willie Stargell (2), Bill Madlock (1)
Hume. Willie Stargell drilled an upper-deck three-run second and third. Tekulve then intentionally walked Dan
homer to make it 5–2, Pirates. The Reds didn’t go away Driessen and retired Ray Knight for the last out.
silently, though. After Grant Jackson retired the first two But, then Tekulve encountered trouble in the ninth.
batters in the bottom of the eleventh, Dave Concepción With one out, Héctor Cruz, batting for Tom Hume, dou-
singled and George Foster walked. Don Robinson came bled. Lefty hitter Dave Collins then doubled in Cruz to
on to replace Jackson and walked Johnny Bench to load tie the game. Tekulve was then replaced by lefty Dave
the bases. At that point, Chuck Tanner visited the mound, Roberts, but Roberts failed to do his job and walked Mor-
and Willie Stargell jokingly asked Robinson, "Why don’t gan. Tanner then brought in Game 1 saver Don Robinson,
you move to first and I’ll pitch?" The barb relaxed Robin- who struck out Concepción and retired Foster on a
son, who settled down and struck out Ray Knight for the groundout to end the threat.
final out. The Pirates won it in the tenth when Omar Moreno
singled, went to second on a bunt and scored on Parker’s
Game 2 single. Robinson retired the Reds in the tenth and the Pi-
Wednesday, October 3, 1979 at Riverfront Stadium in rates had a two games to none lead over the Reds. Robin-
Cincinnati, Ohio son got the win and Doug Bair got the loss.
In another extra inning affair, the Pirates beat the Reds
3–2 to earn a road sweep and send the series to Pitts- Game 3
burgh needing just one win in three home games to make Friday, October 5, 1979 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pitts-
the 1979 World Series. The starting pitchers were Jim burgh, Pennsylvania
Bibby for the Pirates and Frank Pastore for the Reds. The Pirates made it to their first World Series since 1971
Pastore helped himself with an RBI sacrifice fly to with a blowout win to complete a three-game sweep of
center in the bottom of the second that scored Dan the Reds. The starting pitchers were Bert Blyleven for
Driessen. Driessen was aboard after singling and moving the Pirates, and Mike LaCoss for the Reds. For the second
to third on a Ray Knight single. Pittsburgh tied it in the time in three games, the start was delayed by rain.
third with three consecutive singles by Tim Foli, Dave After allowing a hit in the first, the Pirates got on the
Parker, and Willie Stargell. Stargell’s single gave him four board quickly when leadoff hitter Omar Moreno, a pain in
RBIs in fourteen innings of play. The Pirates took the lead the Reds’ side all series, singled and stole second. Tim Foli
in the fifth when Phil Garner singled, moved to third on then grounded to LaCoss, who tried to catch Moreno in a
a bunt and a fly out, and scored on a double by Foli. Pi- rundown between second and third, but Moreno reached
rates starter Bibby left after seven innings, having held third safely and Foli to first. Dave Parker then hit a sacri-
the Reds to four hits and the single run. fice fly for a 1–0 Pirates lead.
The Reds mounted a threat in the eighth against the In the second, Phil Garner tripled and scored on Foli’s
Pirate bullpen. Left-hander Grant Jackson retired lefty- sacrifice fly. LaCoss was then replaced by Fred Norman,
hitting Joe Morgan for the first out, but Chuck Tanner, who gave up Willie Stargell’s second home run of the se-
managing by percentages, brought in Enrique Romo to ries and another solo homer to Bill Madlock in the third.
face right-handed hitting Dave Concepción. The move Stargell doubled home two more runs in the fourth for a
backfired as Romo gave up back-to-back singles to Con- 6–0 Pirate lead and essentially clinched the NLCS MVP.
cepción and George Foster. Closer Kent Tekulve was then The Reds got one run back in the fifth when Johnny
brought in, and Tekulve struck out Johnny Bench, but Bench homered, but it was their last run of the year.
wild-pitched on the third strike, sending the runners to The Pirates got that run back in the eighth when Garner
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 1979 National League Championship Series
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 1 4 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 15 28 0
Cincinnati Reds 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 23 1
attendance: attendance:
Total attendance 152,246 Average attendance 50,749
scored on an error. Blyleven went the distance and the
Pirates had completed an unexpected sweep in advanc-
Notes
ing to the 1979 World Series. [1] "1979 NLCS Game 1 - Pittsburgh Pirates vs.
Cincinnati Reds". Retrosheet.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/
Composite box B10020CIN1979.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
1979 NLCS (3–0): Pittsburgh Pirates over Cincinnati Reds [2] "1979 NLCS Game 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates vs.
Cincinnati Reds". Retrosheet.
Series quotes http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/
B10030CIN1979.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
[3] "1979 NLCS Game 3 - Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh
There it is! The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the
Pirates". Retrosheet. http://www.retrosheet.org/
World Series
boxesetc/1979/B10050PIT1979.htm. Retrieved
—NBC’s Joe Garagiola calling the final out in
2009-09-13.
Game 3.
External links
• 1979 NLCS at Baseball Reference
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/in-
dex.php?title=1979_National_League_Championship_Series&oldid=427402377"
Categories:
• National League Championship Series
• 1979 Major League Baseball season
• Pittsburgh Pirates postseason
• Cincinnati Reds postseason
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