Willie Stargell and Bill Madlock hit home runs in support of Bert Blyleven, A home run by Johnny Bench serves as the effective last gasp of the Big Red Machine. The Reds will not make the Playoffs again for 11 years.
The Pirates went on to win the World Series, coming back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to beat the Baltimore Orioles, clinching in Baltimore -- which they also did in 1971 against the same team.
The Pirates have made the Playoffs 6 times since, but have never won a Pennant. It's been 40 years. How long has that been?
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Willie Stargell, future Hall-of-Fame 1st baseman with some of the longest home runs of his generation, was the Captain. In the only tie vote in Most Valuable Player history in either League, he would share the NL award with the batting champion, Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals. Willie would also receive the MVP awards for the NLCS and the World Series.
Although 39, making him old enough to be an original rock-and-roller and a doo-wop fan, he liked a big disco record of that year, "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge. Despite the fact that they sang, "I've got all my sisters and me," not "brothers," he made it the team's theme song. So they called him "Pops." By the time the Playoffs began, the top of the Pirates' dugout at Three Rivers Stadium read "THE FAMILY."
During the 1976 season, the National League celebrated its 100th Anniversary, and some of its teams wore 19th Century-style caps all season long. The Pirates were the only team that stuck with it, doing so through the 1986 season.
This was the worst-looking World Series of all time. I don't mean it was poorly-played; that was hardly the case. I mean it looked bad. The Orioles had those bright orange home jerseys with the black lettering, and those dumb black caps with the white front panels and the Oriole head. The Pirates, while I didn't mind the 19th Century-style caps, being the only team to keep them after wearing them for the National League's 100th Anniversary in 1976, their mix-and-match of white, white with yellow pinstripes, gold, and black, sometimes mixing up the jerseys and pants, was atrocious.
The stadiums were little better: Memorial Stadium had terrible lighting, and a grass field that was already chopped up by Colts games; while Three Rivers Stadium was a concrete ashtray with a hideous pea-green carpet of artificial turf. This was a World Series made for radio, not television.
Stargell and pitcher Bruce Kison were the last remaining players from their 1971 World Series win, although catcher Manny Sanguillen and pitcher Dock Ellis had both left and returned, and hitting instructor Bob Skinner and pitching coach Harvey Haddix had played for the Pirate team that won the 1960 World Series. (Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski were the only holdovers from 1960 to 1971.)
Chuck Tanner, who had won the 1957 World Series as a Milwaukee Brave, was the manager. In addition to Stargell, pitcher Bert Blyleven would make the Hall of Fame. Right fielder Dave Parker, the 1978 NL MVP, and 3rd baseman Bill Madlock, who had won 2 batting titles with the Chicago Cubs and would win 2 more with the Pirates, also should get Hall of Fame consideration.
Blyleven, fellow starter Jim Rooker, and relief ace Kent Tekulve all became prominent broadcasters, although only Rooker has done so for the Pirates. the ace of the starting staff, however, was not Blyleven, but John Candelaria, a lefthander from Brooklyn known as the Candy Man.
There are 24 members of the '79 Pirates still alive: Pitchers Blyleven, Rooker, Tekulve, Candelaria, Joe Coleman, Grant Jackson, Rick Rhoden, Don Robinson and Enrique Romo; catchers Sanguillen, Ed Ott and Steve Nicosia; infielder Dale Berra (Yogi's son), 1st baseman Dorian "Doe" Boyland, 2nd basemen Rennie Stennett and Phil Garner, shortstop Tim Foli, 3rd baseman Madlock; outfielders Parker, Mike Easler, Lee Lacy, Omar Moreno, Matt Alexander; and Gary Hargis, who made 1 regular-season appearance in the major leagues, as a pinch-runner for the Pirates on September 29, the next-to-last day of the season. Skinner is also still alive. So is broadcaster Lanny Frattare.
Team owner John Galbreath died in 1988, Haddix in 1994, 1st baseman John Milner in 2000, Stargell in 2001, broadcaster and former pitcher Nelson Briles in 2005, outfielder Bill Robinson in 2007, Ellis in 2008, pitcher Dave Roberts in 2009, pitcher Jim Bibby in 2010, Tanner and 3rd base coach Joe Lonnett in 2011, 1st base coach Al Monchak and broadcaster Milo Hamilton in 2015, Kison in 2018, and outfielder Alberto Lois and general manager Hardy Peterson both died earlier this year.
Major League Baseball had 26 teams. The Philadelphia Phillies, the Kansas City Royals, the Minnesota Twins, the Braves since moving to Atlanta, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team then known as the California Angels, the Miami Marlins, the Giants since moving to San Francisco, and the Houston Astros had not yet won the World Series. The Chicago Cubs hadn't won one since 1908, the Chicago White Sox since 1917, and the Boston Red Sox since 1918.
The Royals, the Braves since moving to Atlanta, the Blue Jays, the Diamondbacks, the Angels, the Marlins, the Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers, the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Texas Rangers hadn't yet won a Pennant. The Cubs hadn't won one since 1945, the Cleveland Indians since 1954, the White Sox since 1959. The Diamondbacks, the Rockies, the Marlins and the Rays did not yet exist. And the Washington Nationals were still the Montreal Expos.
All of those facts have since changed.
Baseball had domes, but no retractable roofs. There were lots of black and Hispanic players, but no Asians or Australians. Blyleven, born in the Netherlands but raised in Michigan, and Houston Astros catcher Bruce Bochy, born in France but raised in Florida, were the only men then playing who had been born on the European continent.
Only 6 ballparks in use that season were still used in 2019: Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field in Chicago, the Oakland Coliseum, Royals (now Kauffman) Stadium in Kansas City, and the 2 Los Angeles-area ballparks, Dodger and Anaheim (now Angel) Stadium. The Astrodome in Houston, the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and San Diego (now SDCCU) Stadium still stand, but are no longer used by MLB teams.
1912 World Series hero Smokey Joe Wood, 1919 World Series hero Edd Roush, and Whitey Witt, a member of the Yankees' 1st World Series-winning team in 1923, were still alive.
Derek Jeter was 5 years old; Alex Rodriguez, 4; David Orti, 3; Jimmy Rollins, not quite 1; and Albert Pujols, CC Sabathia, David Wright, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer hadn't been born yet.
Joe Torre was managing the New York... Mets. Billy Martin was about to be fired from his 2nd tenure managing the Yankees. Since Mickey Callaway was just fired, the Mets don't have a current manager, but Callaway was then 4 years old, and Aaron Boone of the Yankees was 6. His father, Bob Boone, was the starting catcher for the Phillies.
Barry Trotz of the Islanders had just started playing professional hockey, with the minor-league Regina Pats. Pat Shurmer of the Giants and Domenec Torrent of NYCFC were in high school. Kenny Atkinson of the Nets and David Quinn of the Rangers were in junior high school. Chris Armas of the Red Bulls was 7. David Fizdale of the Knicks and Katie Smith of the Liberty were 5. John Hynes of the Devils was 4. Adam Gase of the Jets was a year and a half.
The Pirates ended the Yankees' 2-year run as World Champions, and joined their co-tenants at Three Rivers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, as World Champions. Mayor Richard Caliguiri proclaimed Pittsburgh "the City of Champions." The Seattle SuperSonics and the Montreal Canadiens also won titles. The Heavyweight Champion of the World was Larry Holmes.
The Olympics have since been held in America 4 times; twice each in Canada, Korea and Russia; and once each in Britain, Australian, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Japan, Bosnia, Norway, Brazil and China. The World Cup has since been held in America, Spain, Mexico, Italy, France, Japan, Korea, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Russia.
There were 26 Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. The idea that people of the same gender could marry each other, and receive all the benefits thereof, was ludicrous. But so was the idea that corporations were "people," and entitled to all the benefits thereof. No Justice then on the U.S. Supreme Court is still on it.
The President of the United States was Jimmy Carter. Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, their wives, and the widows of Lyndon Johnson, Jacqueline Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower (for another few days, anyway) and Harry Truman were still alive.
Ronald Reagan was starting his 3rd run for President. George H.W. Bush was starting his 1st. Bill Clinton was in his 1st year as Governor of Arkansas. George W. Bush had recently lost a race for Congress, and had gone back to failing in the energy business. Barack Obama had just started at Occidental College in Los Angeles, although he would transfer to Columbia University in New York, and get his degree there.
Donald Trump was fending off lawsuits and preparing to build Trump Tower. Joe Biden was a Senator from Delaware. Elizabeth Warren was a law school professor. Kamala Harris was in high school. Bernie Sanders was the director of the nonprofit American People's Historical Society, working on a documentary about early 20th Century labor leader Eugene Debs, who also ran hopeless campaigns for the Presidency.
As I said, Richard Caliguiri was then the Mayor of Pittsburgh. The current Mayor, Bill Peduto, was in high school. The Governor of Pennsylvania was Dick Thornburgh. The current Governor, Tom Wolf, was studying for his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The Governor of the State of New York was Hugh Carey. The current Governor, Andrew Cuomo, had just started Albany Law School, as his father Mario had just become Lieutenant Governor. The Mayor of the City of New York was Ed Koch. The current Mayor, Bill de Blasio, had just started graduate school at Columbia. The Governor of New Jersey was Brendan Byrne. The current Governor, Phil Murphy, had just started studying for his MBA at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
There were still living veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Boer War, and the Russo-Japanese War. There were still 1 surviving member of the Nazi high command (Rudolf Hess), and 1 of the Scottsboro Boys (Clarence Norris).
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, a.k.a. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was about to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Pope was John Paul II. The current Pope, Francis, was then Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and the head of the Jesuit order in his native Argentina.
The Prime Minister of Canada was Joe Clark; and of Britain, Margaret Thatcher. Both had taken office earlier in the year, but Clark would lose it the next, while Thatcher would hang on for over 11 years. Liverpool was the holder of the Football League title, Arsenal of the FA Cup, and Nottingham Forest of the European Cup. Since then, there have been 7 Presidents of the United States, 7 Prime Ministers of Britain, and 3 Popes.
Major books of 1979 included Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel, Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance, Stephen King's The Dead Zone, Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, William Styron's Sophie's Choice, and Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff. All were made into major motion pictures or TV-movies. So was Peter Shaffer's play about Mozart, Amadeus, which debuted in 1979.
George R.R. Martin got divorced from his 1st wife, and left his job as writer in residence at Clarke University and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, because he was tired of hard winters in Dubuque, Iowa -- perhaps inspiring some of his later books. J.K. Rowling was 14.
No one had yet heard of Hannibal Lecter, Celie Harris, Forrest Gump, Alex Cross, Harry Potter, Robert Langdon, Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan or Katniss Everdeen.
Major films of the Autumn of 1979 included the time-travel story Time After Time, The Black Stallion, the science fiction thriller Meteor, a film version of The Who's rock opera Quadrophenia, and The Rose, starring Bette Midler as a Janis Joplin-esque singer.
Gene Roddenberry was about to release Star Trek: The Motion Picture. George Lucas was putting the finishing touches on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Steven Spielberg had one of his few flops, the World War II comedy 1941.
Roger Moore had just starred in Moonraker, often called one of the worst James Bond films, because it was pandering to the kids who saw the original Star Wars. But I saw it recently, and, except for the 2 minutes of that dopey laser battle in space, it holds up pretty well.
Christopher Reeve was playing Superman, Lynda Carter had just wrapped up playing Wonder Woman, Lou Ferrigno was starring as the Hulk; Nicholas Hammond and Reb Brown had just washed out as Spider-Man and Captain America, respectively; and Tom Baker was playing The Doctor. But Adam West was still the last live-action Batman, and he hadn't played the role in 11 years.
TV shows that had recently debuted included The Facts of Life, Hart to Hart, Benson, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Trapper John, M.D., and, most iconically, SportsCenter. Knots Landing would soon follow. Kourtney was the only Kardashian Kid yet born.
On the day in question, the panelists on Match Game were Robert Pine of CHiPs, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dick Martin and Betty White. The episode had been taped on July 21, and the winning contestant was an interior designer from Wichita, Kansas, who soon got into acting: Kirstie Alley.
No one had yet heard of Sam Malone, Christine Cagney & Mary Beth Lacey, He-Man, the Thundercats, Zack Morris, Hayden Fox, Dale Cooper, The Seinfeld Four, Buffy Summers, Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Andy Sipowicz, Ross Geller & Rachel Greene, Doug Ross, Xena, Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Bluth, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Walter White, Jax Teller, Richard Castle, Leslie Knope, Sarah Manning, Jane "Eleven" Hopper or Maggie Bell.
The Number 1 song in America was "Sad Eyes" by Robert John. U2 recorded for the 1st time. The Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE or "No Nukes" Concerts were held at Madison Square Garden. Kool & the Gang released Ladies' Night, Cheap Trick Dream Police, Funkadelic Uncle Jam Wants You, Fleetwood Mac Tusk, Blondie Eat to the Beat, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Damn the Torpedoes, and the Eagles their last album from their original run, The Long Run. Soon to come: Pink Floyd's The Wall.
Bob Dylan was now in his born-again Christian phase. Michael Jackson was about to release Off the Wall. (Unpopular opinion: That, not Thriller, is his best album.) John Lennon was considering going back to the studio. Frank Sinatra was about to release "Theme from New York, New York." And the 1st rap song to be a Top 40 hit, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, was released.
Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $3.41 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 15 cents, and a New York Subway ride 50 cents. The average price of a gallon of gas was 88 cents, a cup of coffee 35 cents, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $1.95, a movie ticket $2.42, a new car $6,848, and a new house $72,700. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 830.72.
The tallest building in the world was the Sears Tower in Chicago. There were mobile telephones, but they were still too big to fit in your pocket. The leading home video game system was the Atari VCS (later renamed the 2600). The leading personal computer was the Commodore 64.
Automatic teller machines were still a relatively new thing, and many people had never seen one. There were heart transplants, liver transplants and lung transplants, and artificial kidneys, but no artificial hearts. There were birth control pills, but no Viagara.
In the Autumn of 1979, Nigeria abandoned military rule and established their Second Republic. There were coups in the Central African Republic and Bolivia. Typhoon Tip hit Guam, where it was registered as producing the lowest pressure ever recorded at sea level. Among those killed by it are 13 U.S. Marines stationed in Japan. A tsunami hit the French Riviera, killing 23 people.
President Park Chung-hee of South Korea was assassinated. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from Britain. There were fatal plane crashes in Mexico and New Zealand. And the Iran Hostage Crisis begins.
In America, Pope John Paul II visited, including delivering Masses at Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium and Madison Square Garden. He also visited the White House and Boston. ESPN was launched. The 1st National March for Gay Rights is held in Washington. Joanne Chesimard, a.k.a. Assata Shakur, a former Black Panther accused in the murder of a New Jersey State Trooper in East Brunswick, breaks out of prison in New York, and escapes to Cuba.
Mamie Eisenhower, and Freddie Fitsimmons, and Ken Strong died. Alecia "Pink" Moore, and Brandon Routh, and Coco Crisp were born.
October 5, 1979. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the National League Pennant. It was their 9th. They have yet to win a 10th.
Will they ever win another? They were 69-93 this season, so it doesn't look likely. Stay tuned.
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