1979 Season

26 teams competing across 6 divisions

The 1979 Major League Baseball season was played by 26 teams. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series, defeating the Baltimore Orioles. Dave Kingman led with 48 home runs, Don Baylor led with 139 RBI, and George Brett led with 212 hits. This page carries the 1979 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1979 Bracket
World Series PIT def. BAL (4-3)
AL Championship BAL def. CAL (3-1)
NL Championship PIT def. CIN (3-0)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1979 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 502 plate appearances at 162 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Keith Hernandez .344 2 Fred Lynn .333 3 Pete Rose .331 4 George Brett .329 5 Brian Downing .326

OPS qualified

1 Fred Lynn 1.059 2 Sixto Lezcano .987 3 Jim Rice .977 4 Dave Kingman .956 5 Dave Winfield .953

Home Runs all players

1 Dave Kingman 48 2 Mike Schmidt 45 3 Gorman Thomas 45 4 Fred Lynn 39 5 Jim Rice 39

RBI all players

1 Don Baylor 139 2 Jim Rice 130 3 Gorman Thomas 123 4 Fred Lynn 122 5 Dave Winfield 118

Hits all players

1 George Brett 212 2 Garry Templeton 211 3 Keith Hernandez 210 4 Pete Rose 208 5 Steve Garvey 204

Runs all players

1 Don Baylor 120 2 George Brett 119 3 Jim Rice 117 4 Keith Hernandez 116 5 Fred Lynn 116

Stolen Bases all players

1 Willie Wilson 83 2 Ron LeFlore 78 3 Omar Moreno 77 4 Bill North 58 5 Julio Cruz 49
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1979 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 162 innings at 162 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 J. R. Richard 2.71 2 Tom Hume 2.76 3 Ron Guidry 2.78 4 Dan Schatzeder 2.83 5 Tommy John 2.96

WHIP qualified

1 Ken Forsch 1.07 2 Scott McGregor 1.08 3 J. R. Richard 1.09 4 Tom Seaver 1.15 5 Don Sutton 1.16

Wins all pitchers

1 Mike Flanagan 23 2 Tommy John 21 3 Joe Niekro 21 4 Phil Niekro 21 5 Jerry Koosman 20

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 J. R. Richard 313 2 Nolan Ryan 223 3 Steve Carlton 213 4 Phil Niekro 208 5 Ron Guidry 201

Saves all pitchers

1 Bruce Sutter 37 2 Mike Marshall 32 3 Kent Tekulve 31 4 Jim Kern 29 5 Gene Garber 25
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

AL East

Baltimore Orioles ★ 102-57 Milwaukee Brewers 95-66 Boston Red Sox 91-69 New York Yankees 89-71 Detroit Tigers 85-76 Cleveland Indians 81-80 Toronto Blue Jays 53-109

AL West

California Angels ★ 88-74 Kansas City Royals 85-77 Texas Rangers 83-79 Minnesota Twins 82-80 Chicago White Sox 73-87 Seattle Mariners 67-95 Oakland Athletics 54-108

NL East

Pittsburgh Pirates ★ 98-64 Montreal Expos 95-65 St. Louis Cardinals 86-76 Philadelphia Phillies 84-78 Chicago Cubs 80-82 New York Mets 63-99

NL West

Cincinnati Reds ★ 90-71 Houston Astros 89-73 Los Angeles Dodgers 79-83 San Francisco Giants 71-91 San Diego Padres 68-93 Atlanta Braves 66-94

The 1979 season in brief

The best record in the 1979 standings belonged to the Baltimore Orioles, who finished 102-57. 53-109 left the Toronto Blue Jays with the lowest winning percentage of 1979. Across the races, National League West honors went to the Cincinnati Reds, whose 90-71 beat the Houston Astros's 89-73, the Pittsburgh Pirates (98-64) held off the Montreal Expos (95-65) in the National League East, the California Angels (88-74) held off the Kansas City Royals (85-77) in the American League West, and the Milwaukee Brewers (95-66) finished a distant second to the Baltimore Orioles (102-57) in the American League East. The bracket ends with the Pittsburgh Pirates taking the World Series from the Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 3. Earlier rounds sent through the Baltimore Orioles over the California Angels in the AL Championship Series (3-1) and the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Championship Series (3-0). Dave Kingman led the majors with 48 home runs, ahead of Mike Schmidt with 45. Among qualified hitters, Keith Hernandez had the top batting average, .344, with Fred Lynn next at .333. In 1979 the qualifying line sat at 502 plate appearances, from a 162-game club schedule. Among qualified pitchers, J. R. Richard had the lowest ERA, 2.71; Tom Hume followed at 2.76. The 1979 leaders page lists every qualified line, and each club links to its own 1979 page.

1979 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1979?
The Pittsburgh Pirates won the 1979 World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles.
How many teams played in 1979?
26 teams played in the 1979 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1979?
Dave Kingman led with 48 home runs in 1979.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1979?
Don Baylor led with 139 RBI in 1979.
Who led MLB in hits in 1979?
George Brett led with 212 hits in 1979.
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