1979 New York Yankees season

Season for the Major League Baseball team the New York Yankees March 2026 November 2013 New York Yankees 1979 American League 89-71 (.556) East Yankee Stadium New York City George Steinbrenner Cedric Tallis Bob Lemon, Billy Martin WPIXSportsChannel NY(Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer, Bill White) WINS (AM)(Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, Fran Healy) The 1979 New York Yankees season was the 77th season for the franchise. The season was marked by the death of their starting catcher and team captain, Thurman Munson, on August 2. The team finished with a record of 89–71, finishing fourth in the American League East, 13.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles, ending the Yankees' three-year domination of the AL East. New York was managed by Bob Lemon and Billy Martin. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. As the Munson Era came to a tragic end within this season, a new era was about to unfold. 1979 marked the first time ever for the Yankees to broadcast their games on cable within New York City and surrounding areas, becoming the first ever MLB team to do so. Starting Opening Day that year, all Yankees games save for the nationally aired games were broadcast on the then 3-year old cable channel SportsChannel NY (aside from the usual WPIX telecast for free to air television viewers in the New York area and nationwide via satellite and cable). Offseason In January 1979, the Yankees attempted to acquire first baseman Rod Carew from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Chris Chambliss, Juan Beníquez, Dámaso García, and Dave Righetti, but the deal fell through.1979-01-30 Yankees, Twins still dickering https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-yankees-twins-still-dic/157810233/ 2024-10-25 St. Petersburg Times 25 Newspapers.com Carew was later traded to the California Angels. Notable transactions November 10, 1978: Sparky Lyle, Domingo Ramos, Mike Heath, Larry McCall, Dave Rajsich, and cash were traded by the Yankees to the Texas Rangers for Dave Righetti, Juan Beníquez, Mike Griffin, Paul Mirabella and Greg Jemison (minors).Dave Righetti Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/righeda01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en November 13, 1978: Luis Tiant was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.Luis Tiant Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tiantlu01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en November 21, 1978: Tommy John was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.Tommy John Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnto01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en December 4, 1978: Bobby Brown was drafted from the Yankees by the New York Mets in the 1978 rule 5 draft.Bobby Brown Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brownbo04.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en Regular season In mid-April, closer Rich “Goose” Gossage broke the thumb on his pitching hand in a clubhouse fight with teammate Cliff Johnson. Gossage missed the rest of April, all of May, and half of June with the injury. Ron Guidry volunteered to take his place as bullpen closer along with his regular starts and posted two saves. Johnson was later traded to the Cleveland Indians. Bob Lemon, who had taken over the team in July 1978 after Billy Martin resigned amid controversy where he called Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner liars, entered the season with the understanding that he would be promoted to a front office position following the season. However, after a 34–31 start to the season, Steinbrenner fired Lemon and asked Martin, who was to take over the team in 1980, to start managing early. Martin agreed, which did not sit well with some of the team including Jackson. The move also did not sit well with team president Al Rosen, who resigned from the Yankees shortly thereafter. On August 6, the Yankees flew to Ohio to attend Thurman Munson's memorial service, then flew back to New York to play their scheduled game against Baltimore. This game was televised live nationwide on ABC's Monday Night Baseball and featured clips of the memorial and an interview Munson gave to Howard Cosell days before.Murcer Bobby Bobby Murcer Yankee for Life Waggoner Glen 2008-05-20 HarperCollins 978-0-06-147341-8 126 Bobby Murcer hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, then drove in two more runs in the ninth with a single off former Yankee Tippy Martinez to account for all five Yankee runs in a 5–4 win.August 6, 1979 Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees Box Score: August 6, 1979 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197908060.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en After the game, Murcer gave the bat to Munson's widow. On September 12, Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox joined the 3,000 hit club with a single off Jim Beattie of the Yankees.The 3,000 Hit Club - Carl Yastrzemski http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/3000_hit_club/yastrzemski_carl.htm 2024-10-25 National Baseball Hall of Fame The same game also marked the final appearance at Fenway Park for Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter. On September 18, pitcher Bob Kammeyer set a single-season record by giving up eight earned runs without recording an out in his only game of the season. It was his last major league appearance. Thurman Munson YankeesRetired15.svg Thurman Munson 15 New York Yankees 1979 As his career progressed, Thurman Munson became increasingly homesick as his schedule did not allow him to spend enough time at home with his wife and children. Since he kept his home in Ohio during the offseason, he decided that air travel was the best solution and began taking flying lessons. Munson bought a Cessna Citation I/SP jet and by 1979 was regularly using it to transport himself to and from various cities and his home. On one of these trips, where his manager Billy Martin was a passenger, Martin noticed the plane's engine malfunctioned in flight and informed Munson, who discovered the entire engine was destroyed and he had to pay to have a new one installed. Martin grew concerned but was unable to convince Munson to stop. On August 2, 1979, Munson was at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport practicing takeoffs and landings. On the fourth touch-and-go, Munson failed to lower the flaps for landing and allowed the aircraft to sink too low before increasing engine power, causing the jet to clip a tree and fall short of the runway. The plane then hit a tree stump and burst into flames. Munson suffered a broken neck on impact and thus was trapped inside the aircraft, unable to move. His companions were able to escape the wreck. Munson was consumed by the flames and toxic fumes released by the burning fuselage and died of asphyxiation. He was 32 years old.Gammons Peter 2003-07-23 Fisk vs. Munson: A true war http://www.thurmanmunson.com/history.html https://web.archive.org/web/20070202205405/http://www.thurmanmunson.com/history.html 2007-02-02 Thurman Munson Munson's sudden death was major news across the nation and his loss was especially felt in the baseball community. Munson was survived by his wife, Diana, and their three children. The day after his death, before the start of the Yankees' four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx, the Yankees paid tribute to their fallen captain in a pre-game ceremony during which the starters stood at their defensive positions, save for the catcher's box, which remained empty. At the conclusion of Robert Merrill's musical selection, the fans (announced attendance 51,151) burst into a 10-minute standing ovation. Season standings Record vs. opponents NYY Notable transactions April 12, 1979: Paul Blair was released by the Yankees.Paul Blair Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/blairpa01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en April 19, 1979: Bobby Brown was purchased by the Yankees from the Toronto Blue Jays. May 11, 1979: Jim Kaat was purchased by the Yankees from the Philadelphia Phillies.Jim Kaat Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kaatji01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en May 23, 1979: Dick Tidrow was traded by the Yankees to the Chicago Cubs for Ray Burris.Ray Burris Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/burrira01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en June 5, 1979: 1979 Major League Baseball draft Don Mattingly was drafted by the Yankees in the 19th round.Don Mattingly Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mattido01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en Otis Nixon was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the secondary phase. Player signed June 9, 1979.Otis Nixon Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nixonot01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en June 15, 1979: Jay Johnstone was traded by the Yankees to the San Diego Padres for Dave Wehrmeister.Moran Malcolm 1979-06-16 Yanks Fall, 9‐5 https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/16/archives/yanks-fall-95-johnson-traded-yanks-fall-johnson-is-traded-white-sox.html 2024-10-25 The New York Times 13 June 26, 1979: Paul Semall (minors) was traded by the Yankees to the Chicago Cubs for Bobby Murcer.Bobby Murcer Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/murcebo01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en August 1, 1979: Mickey Rivers and players to be named later were traded by the Yankees to the Texas Rangers for Oscar Gamble, Amos Lewis (minors) and players to be named later. The deal was completed on October 8, when the Rangers sent Ray Fontenot and Gene Nelson to the Yankees, and the Yankees sent Bob Polinsky (minors), Neal Mersch (minors), and Mark Softy (minors) to the Rangers to complete the trade.Oscar Gamble Stats https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gamblos01.shtml 2024-10-25 Baseball-Reference.com en August 20, 1979: Ray Burris was selected off waivers from the Yankees by the New York Mets. Roster 1979 New York Yankees Roster Pitchers 19 Rick Anderson 45 Jim Beattie 53 Ray Burris 43 Ken Clay 39 Ron Davis 31 Ed Figueroa 54 Goose Gossage 52 Mike Griffin 49 Ron Guidry 46 Don Hood 29 Catfish Hunter 25 Tommy John 36 Jim Kaat 53 Bob Kammeyer 36,55 Paul Mirabella 56 Dave Righetti 50 Roger Slagle 23 Luis Tiant 19 Dick Tidrow Catchers 27 Brad Gulden 41 Cliff Johnson 15 Thurman Munson 38 Jerry Narron 47,58 Bruce Robinson Infielders 10 Chris Chambliss 20 Bucky Dent 18 Brian Doyle 59 Dámaso García  9 Graig Nettles 30 Willie Randolph 41 George Scott 12 Jim Spencer 57 Roy Staiger 11 Fred Stanley 24 Dennis Werth Outfielders 26 Juan Beníquez  2 Paul Blair 58 Bobby Brown 17 Oscar Gamble 44 Reggie Jackson 27 Jay Johnstone 2,27 Darryl Jones  27,2 Bobby Murcer 14 Lou Piniella 34 Lenny Randle 17 Mickey Rivers  6 Roy White Manager 21 Bob Lemon  1 Billy Martin Coaches  8 Yogi Berra 33 Mike Ferraro    Art Fowler 50 Jim Hegan 32 Elston Howard 39 Charley Lau 42 Tom Morgan Player stats Batting 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 Thurman Munson 97 382 110 .288 3 39 1B Chris Chambliss 149 554 155 .280 18 63 2B Willie Randolph 153 574 155 .270 5 61 3B Graig Nettles 145 521 132 .253 20 73 SS Bucky Dent 141 431 99 .230 2 32 LF Lou Piniella 130 461 137 .297 11 69 CF Mickey Rivers 74 286 82 .287 3 25 RF Reggie Jackson 131 465 138 .297 29 89 DH Jim Spencer 106 295 85 .288 23 53 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 Bobby Murcer 74 264 72 .273 8 33 Roy White 81 205 44 .215 3 27 Juan Beníquez 62 142 36 .254 4 17 Jerry Narron 61 123 21 .171 4 18 Oscar Gamble 36 113 44 .389 11 32 Fred Stanley Fred Stanley (baseball) 57 100 20 .200 2 14 Brad Gulden 40 92 15 .163 0 6 Bobby Brown Bobby Brown (outfielder) 30 68 17 .250 0 3 Cliff Johnson Cliff Johnson (baseball) 28 64 17 .266 2 6 Jay Johnstone 23 48 10 .208 1 7 Darryl Jones Darryl Jones (baseball) 18 47 12 .255 0 6 George Scott George Scott (first baseman) 16 44 14 .318 1 6 Lenny Randle 20 39 7 .179 0 3 Dámaso García 11 38 10 .263 0 4 Brian Doyle Brian Doyle (baseball) 20 32 4 .125 0 5 Bruce Robinson Bruce Robinson (baseball) 6 12 2 .167 0 2 Roy Staiger 4 11 3 .273 0 1 Paul Blair Paul Blair (baseball) 2 5 1 .200 0 0 Dennis Werth 3 4 1 .250 0 0 Pitching Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO Tommy John 37 276.1 21 9 2.96 111 Ron Guidry 33 236.1 18 8 2.78 201 Luis Tiant 30 195.2 13 8 3.91 104 Catfish Hunter 19 105.0 2 9 5.31 34 Ed Figueroa 16 104.2 4 6 4.13 42 Jim Beattie Jim Beattie (baseball) 15 76.0 3 6 5.21 32 Dave Righetti 3 17.1 0 1 3.63 13 Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO Ken Clay 32 78.1 1 7 5.40 28 Don Hood 27 67.1 3 1 3.07 22 Relief pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G W L SV ERA SO Rich Gossage 36 5 3 18 2.62 41 Ron Davis Ron Davis (pitcher) 44 14 2 9 2.85 43 Jim Kaat 40 2 3 2 3.86 23 Ray Burris 15 1 3 0 6.18 19 Dick Tidrow 14 2 1 2 7.94 7 Paul Mirabella 10 0 4 0 8.79 4 Mike Griffin Mike Griffin (pitcher) 3 0 0 0 4.15 5 Rick Anderson Rick Anderson (baseball, born 1953) 1 0 0 0 3.86 0 Roger Slagle 1 0 0 0 0.00 2 Bob Kammeyer 1 0 0 0 inf 0 Awards and honors All-Stars 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Ron Guidry, reserve Reggie Jackson, reserve Tommy John, reserve Graig Nettles, reserve Farm system Minor League Baseball AAA Columbus Clippers International League Gene Michael AA West Haven Yankees Eastern League Stump Merrill A Fort Lauderdale Yankees Florida State League Doug Holmquist A-Short Season Oneonta Yankees New York–Penn League Art Mazmanian Rookie Paintsville Yankees Appalachian League Bill LiveseyLEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Columbus, West Haven, Oneonta, PaintsvilleJohnson Lloyd The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball Wolff Miles Baseball America 1997 978-0-96-371897-6 2nd Durham, North Carolina Off-season On October 23, manager Billy Martin got into a barroom fight with Joseph Cooper, a marshmallow salesman from Minnesota. Six days later, Martin was fired from the Yankees by George Steinbrenner and replaced with Dick Howser. References 32em External links 1979 New York Yankees at Baseball Reference 1979 New York Yankees at Baseball Almanac Category:New York Yankees seasons New York Yankees New York Yankees Category:1970s in the Bronx