1979 Philadelphia Phillies season

1979  Philadelphia Phillies
League	National League
Division	East
Ballpark	Veterans Stadium
City	Philadelphia
Owners	R. R. M. "Ruly" Carpenter III
General managers	Paul Owens
Managers	Danny Ozark, Dallas Green
Television	WPHL-TV
Radio	KYW (Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Andy Musser, Chris Wheeler)
←  1978 Seasons 1980  →

The 1979 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 97th season in the history of the franchise, and the 9th season for the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. The team finished fourth in the National League East, 14 games behind the first-place and eventual World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

Offseason

Prior to the 1979 season, Pete Rose signed a four-year, $3.2-million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, temporarily making him the highest-paid athlete in team sports. The Phillies were in the middle of the greatest era in the history of the franchise when Rose came on board. They had won the National League East three years running (1976–78) two of which were won with 101 win seasons.

The Phillies entered the 1979 season with one of the strongest lineups in the league with the addition of Rose but with numerous injuries on the pitching staff. AP sports writer Hal Bock picked the Phils to finish second behind the Pirates as the Phillies would enter the season with pitchers Larry Christenson, prospect Jim Wright, and Dick Ruthven all injured. ^[1]

Notable transactions

• December 4, 1978: Jeff Schneider was drafted from the Phillies by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1978 rule 5 draft. ^[2]
• December 5, 1978: Carmelo Castillo was drafted by the Cleveland Indians from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1978 minor league draft. ^[3]
• December 5, 1978: Pete Rose was signed as a free agent by the Phillies. ^[4]
• December 6, 1978: Joe Charboneau was traded by the Phillies to the Cleveland Indians for Cardell Camper. ^[5]
• January 9, 1979: Mark Davis was drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round (1st pick) of the secondary phase of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft. ^[6]
• February 23, 1979: Barry Foote, Ted Sizemore, Jerry Martin, Derek Botelho, and Henry Mack (minors) were traded by the Phillies to the Chicago Cubs for Manny Trillo, Greg Gross and Dave Rader. ^[7]
• March 27, 1979: Richie Hebner and José Moreno were traded by the Phillies to the New York Mets for Nino Espinosa. ^[8]
• March 27, 1979: Rudy Meoli was signed as a free agent by the Phillies. ^[9]
• March 28, 1979: Dan Boitano was traded by the Phillies to the Milwaukee Brewers for Gary Beare. ^[10]
• March 29, 1979: Del Unser was signed as a free agent by the Phillies. ^[11]

Regular season

Richie Ashburn OF, TV Retired 1979 [12]

On April 18, in a victory versus the Pirates, Greg Luzinski became the first visiting player to hit a home run into the fifth level of Three Rivers Stadium. ^[13]

On May 17, 1979, the Phillies beat the Cubs 23–22 at Wrigley Field in ten innings with a 30-mph wind blowing out to left field. ^[14] After the game, the Phils were 14 games over .500 and in first place by 3+1⁄2 games over the Montreal Expos. ^[15]

On July 10 Del Unser hit his third consecutive pinch hit home run. Unser tied a Major League Baseball record with homers in three straight pinch at bats. The at bats were on June 30, July 5, and July 10. ^[16]

By August 29, the team had fallen to fifth place and two games under .500, 12+1⁄2 games behind the Pirates. ^[17] Mid-season injuries to Manny Trillo, Larry Bowa, and Greg Luzinski contributed to hurt the club. The team's decline led to the firing of manager Danny Ozark on August 31 who was replaced by Dallas Green. ^[18] Green was named interim manager, a position made permanent shortly after the end of the season. ^[19]

Alternate uniforms

The Phillies front office introduced an alternate all-burgundy version of the team uniform for the 1979 season to be worn for Saturday games. ^[20] They were called "Saturday Night Specials", in a derisive nod to cheap handguns then called by that name and were worn for the first and last time on May 19, 1979, ^[21] a 10–5 loss to the Expos. ^[22] The immediate reaction of the media, fans, and players alike was negative, with many describing the despised uniforms as pajama-like.

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

NL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Pittsburgh Pirates	98	64	.605	—	48‍–‍33	50‍–‍31
Montreal Expos	95	65	.594	2	56‍–‍25	39‍–‍40
St. Louis Cardinals	86	76	.531	12	42‍–‍39	44‍–‍37
Philadelphia Phillies	84	78	.519	14	43‍–‍38	41‍–‍40
Chicago Cubs	80	82	.494	18	45‍–‍36	35‍–‍46
New York Mets	63	99	.389	35	28‍–‍53	35‍–‍46

Record vs. opponents

1979 National League record v t e Sources:
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MTL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
Atlanta	—	4–8	6–12	7–11	12–6	1–9	4–8	7–5	4–8	6–12	11–7	4–8
Chicago	8–4	—	7–5	6–6	5–7	6–12	8–10	9–9	6–12	9–3	8–4	8–10
Cincinnati	12–6	5–7	—	8–10	11–7	6–6	8–4	8–4	8–4	10–7	6–12	8–4
Houston	11–7	6–6	10–8	—	10–8	7–5	9–3	5–7	4–8	14–4	7–11	6–6
Los Angeles	6–12	7–5	7–11	8–10	—	6–6	9–3	3–9	4–8	9–9	14–4	6–6
Montreal	9–1	12–6	6–6	5–7	6–6	—	15–3	11–7	7–11	7–5	7–5	10–8
New York	8–4	10–8	4–8	3–9	3–9	3–15	—	5–13	8–10	4–8	8–4	7–11
Philadelphia	5–7	9–9	4–8	7–5	9–3	7–11	13–5	—	8–10	9–3	6–6	7–11
Pittsburgh	8–4	12–6	4–8	8–4	8–4	11–7	10–8	10–8	—	7–5	9–3	11–7
San Diego	12–6	3–9	7–10	4–14	9–9	5–7	8–4	3–9	5–7	—	8–10	4–8
San Francisco	7–11	4–8	12–6	11–7	4–14	5–7	4–8	6–6	3–9	10–8	—	5–7
St. Louis	8–4	10–8	4–8	6–6	6–6	8–10	11–7	11–7	7–11	8–4	7–5	—

Notable transactions

• April 3, 1979: Todd Cruz was traded by the Phillies to the Kansas City Royals for Doug Bird. ^[23]
• May 11, 1979: Jim Kaat was purchased from the Phillies by the New York Yankees. ^[24]
• June 5, 1979: Roy Smith was drafted by the Phillies in the 3rd round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft. Player signed on July 30. ^[25]
• June 16, 1979: Jim Lonborg was released by the Phillies. ^[26]
• June 29, 1979: Rudy Meoli was purchased from the Phillies by the Minnesota Twins. ^[9]

1979 Game Log

Legend
	Phillies win
	Phillies loss
	Phillies tie
	Postponement
Bold	Phillies team member

1979 Game Log [27] Overall Record: 84–78
April (14–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 April 6 @ Cardinals 1–8 John Denny (1–0) Steve Carlton (0–1) None 40,526 0–1 2 April 7 @ Cardinals 2–3 Pete Vuckovich (1–0) Ron Reed (0–1) None 15,294 0–2 3 April 8 @ Cardinals 2–2 (5) None None None 20,055 0–2 – April 9 Pirates Postponed (rain); [28] Makeup: April 10 4 April 10 Pirates 7–3 Dick Ruthven (1–0) Enrique Romo (0–2) None 48,235 1–2 5 April 11 Pirates 5–4 Steve Carlton (1–1) Bert Blyleven (0–1) None 26,281 2–2 6 April 12 @ Mets 2–3 Pat Zachry (2–0) Randy Lerch (0–1) None 8,719 2–3 – April 14 @ Mets Postponed (rain); [29] Makeup: August 2 as a traditional double-header 7 April 15 (1) @ Mets 3–2 Dick Ruthven (2–0) Craig Swan (1–1) Tug McGraw (1) see 2nd game 3–3 8 April 15 (2) @ Mets 6–3 Nino Espinosa (1–0) Neil Allen (0–1) Ron Reed (1) 18,401 4–3 – April 16 @ Pirates Postponed (rain); [30] Makeup: August 3 as a traditional double-header 9 April 17 @ Pirates 13–2 Steve Carlton (2–1) Bert Blyleven (0–2) None 7,739 5–3 10 April 18 @ Pirates 3–2 Randy Lerch (1–1) Don Robinson (1–1) None 12,195 6–3 11 April 20 Mets 8–0 Dick Ruthven (3–0) Craig Swan (1–2) None 33,253 7–3 12 April 21 Mets 3–0 Nino Espinosa (2–0) Neil Allen (0–2) Tug McGraw (2) 31,851 8–3 13 April 22 Mets 2–4 Jesse Orosco (1–0) Steve Carlton (2–2) Skip Lockwood (2) 35,020 8–4 14 April 23 Dodgers 4–3 (10) Tug McGraw (1–0) Lance Rautzhan (0–2) None 32,826 9–4 15 April 24 Dodgers 7–6 (10) Ron Reed (1–1) Jerry Reuss (1–2) None 31,140 10–4 16 April 25 Dodgers 5–4 Ron Reed (2–1) Rick Sutcliffe (1–1) None 34,303 11–4 17 April 27 Padres 2–0 Nino Espinosa (3–0) Gaylord Perry (2–1) None 28,522 12–4 18 April 28 Padres 0–5 John D'Acquisto (2–1) Steve Carlton (2–3) None 31,633 12–5 19 April 29 Padres 4–3 Ron Reed (3–1) Rollie Fingers (1–2) None 50,722 13–5 20 April 30 Giants 4–1 Dick Ruthven (4–0) Philip Nastu (0–1) Tug McGraw (3) 29,169 14–5
May (13–15) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 21 May 1 Giants 0–7 Bob Knepper (2–2) Nino Espinosa (3–1) None 29,048 14–6 22 May 3 @ Dodgers 2–5 Rick Sutcliffe (2–2) Steve Carlton (2–4) None 41,215 14–7 23 May 4 @ Dodgers 5–2 Randy Lerch (2–1) Don Sutton (3–3) None 42,717 15–7 24 May 5 @ Dodgers 11–0 Dick Ruthven (5–0) Andy Messersmith (1–2) None 45,169 16–7 25 May 6 @ Dodgers 4–0 Nino Espinosa (4–1) Doug Rau (0–4) None 42,184 17–7 26 May 7 @ Padres 11–6 Steve Carlton (3–4) Bob Owchinko (0–1) Rawly Eastwick (1) 20,766 18–7 27 May 8 @ Padres 9–8 (12) Jim Kaat (1–0) John D'Acquisto (2–3) None 12,288 19–7 28 May 9 @ Padres 2–0 Dick Ruthven (6–0) Eric Rasmussen (0–3) None 15,606 20–7 29 May 10 @ Padres 3–2 Nino Espinosa (5–1) Gaylord Perry (3–3) Ron Reed (2) 17,208 21–7 30 May 11 @ Giants 1–2 Bob Knepper (3–2) Steve Carlton (3–5) Gary Lavelle (4) 22,860 21–8 31 May 12 @ Giants 1–4 Ed Halicki (3–3) Randy Lerch (2–2) None 23,836 21–9 32 May 13 @ Giants 12–3 Ron Reed (4–1) Vida Blue (6–3) None 32,585 22–9 33 May 15 @ Cubs 1–7 Lynn McGlothen (5–4) Nino Espinosa (5–2) None 13,834 22–10 34 May 16 @ Cubs 13–0 Steve Carlton (4–5) Rick Reuschel (2–5) None 18,015 23–10 35 May 17 @ Cubs 23–22 (10) Rawly Eastwick (1–0) Bruce Sutter (1–1) None 14,952 24–10 36 May 18 Expos 3–5 Stan Bahnsen (1–1) Dick Ruthven (6–1) Elías Sosa (4) 31,481 24–11 37 May 19 Expos 5–10 Rudy May (2–0) Rawly Eastwick (1–1) Dan Schatzeder (1) 33,212 24–12 38 May 20 Expos 6–10 Stan Bahnsen (2–1) Nino Espinosa (5–3) Elías Sosa (5) 48,631 24–13 39 May 21 Cardinals 5–3 Steve Carlton (5–5) John Denny (3–3) None 28,192 25–13 40 May 22 Cardinals 3–1 Tug McGraw (2–0) Bob Forsch (1–4) None 33,379 26–13 41 May 23 Cardinals 1–3 Silvio Martínez (2–1) Dick Ruthven (6–2) Mark Littell (3) 32,349 26–14 42 May 25 Cubs 0–3 Lynn McGlothen (6–5) Nino Espinosa (5–4) Bruce Sutter (8) 34,456 26–15 43 May 26 Cubs 1–4 Dennis Lamp (4–1) Larry Christenson (0–1) Dick Tidrow (3) 32,313 26–16 44 May 27 Cubs 6–4 Steve Carlton (6–5) Bill Caudill (0–1) None 47,087 27–16 45 May 28 Cubs 1–4 Dick Tidrow (3–1) Randy Lerch (2–3) Bruce Sutter (9) 51,381 27–17 46 May 29 @ Expos 0–9 Steve Rogers (5–2) Dick Ruthven (6–3) None 32,078 27–18 47 May 30 @ Expos 0–2 Bill Lee (5–2) Nino Espinosa (5–5) None 21,761 27–19 48 May 31 @ Expos 0–1 Scott Sanderson (4–3) Larry Christenson (0–2) None 22,388 27–20
June (12–16) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 49 June 1 @ Reds 2–4 Doug Bair (3–0) Steve Carlton (6–6) Pedro Borbón (2) 48,968 27–21 50 June 2 @ Reds 2–4 Mike LaCoss (6–0) Randy Lerch (2–4) Doug Bair (7) 37,907 27–22 51 June 3 (1) @ Reds 6–4 Ron Reed (5–1) Pedro Borbón (2–2) Tug McGraw (4) see 2nd game 28–22 52 June 3 (2) @ Reds 2–12 Tom Hume (4–4) Jim Lonborg (0–1) None 50,262 28–23 53 June 4 @ Astros 0–3 Randy Niemann (2–0) Larry Christenson (0–3) None 19,062 28–24 54 June 5 @ Astros 8–0 Steve Carlton (7–6) Rick Williams (2–2) None 28,244 29–24 55 June 6 @ Astros 3–4 Joe Sambito (3–2) Ron Reed (5–2) Bert Roberge (2) 28,955 29–25 56 June 8 Braves 5–11 (10) Gene Garber (3–7) Ron Reed (5–3) None 41,136 29–26 57 June 9 Braves 9–3 Larry Christenson (1–3) Mickey Mahler (2–6) None 38,035 30–26 58 June 10 Braves 3–10 Phil Niekro (7–9) Steve Carlton (7–7) None 58,707 30–27 59 June 11 Astros 4–2 Randy Lerch (3–4) J. R. Richard (6–5) None 31,085 31–27 60 June 12 Astros 4–0 Nino Espinosa (6–5) Rick Williams (2–3) None 34,177 32–27 61 June 13 Astros 3–4 Joe Niekro (10–2) Dick Ruthven (6–4) None 33,627 32–28 62 June 15 Reds 3–6 Tom Seaver (4–5) Larry Christenson (1–4) None 50,222 32–29 63 June 16 Reds 4–3 Tug McGraw (3–0) Doug Bair (3–1) None 50,224 33–29 64 June 17 Reds 9–3 Randy Lerch (4–4) Doug Bair (3–2) None 46,153 34–29 65 June 18 @ Braves 5–10 Rick Matula (4–5) Nino Espinosa (6–6) None 9,394 34–30 66 June 19 @ Braves 4–10 Phil Niekro (8–9) Larry Christenson (1–5) None 8,146 34–31 67 June 20 @ Braves 10–4 Steve Carlton (8–7) Eddie Solomon (3–3) None 8,681 35–31 68 June 22 @ Expos 5–6 Ross Grimsley (7–4) Randy Lerch (4–5) Elías Sosa (7) 40,729 35–32 69 June 23 @ Expos 0–3 Steve Rogers (7–4) Nino Espinosa (6–7) None 24,439 35–33 70 June 24 @ Expos 5–2 Larry Christenson (2–5) Bill Lee (7–4) Tug McGraw (5) 41,593 36–33 71 June 25 @ Cubs 2–8 Lynn McGlothen (8–6) Steve Carlton (8–8) None 27,246 36–34 72 June 26 @ Cubs 5–3 Dick Ruthven (7–4) Donnie Moore (1–3) Tug McGraw (6) 35,970 37–34 73 June 27 @ Cubs 4–11 Mike Krukow (5–5) Randy Lerch (4–6) None 29,858 37–35 74 June 29 (1) @ Cardinals 8–7 Kevin Saucier (1–0) Bob Forsch (3–8) Tug McGraw (7) see 2nd game 38–35 75 June 29 (2) @ Cardinals 1–7 Pete Vuckovich (7–4) Larry Christenson (2–6) None 29,300 38–36 76 June 30 @ Cardinals 6–4 (10) Ron Reed (6–3) George Frazier (0–1) Tug McGraw (8) 30,960 39–36
July (15–13) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 77 July 1 (1) @ Cardinals 7–13 Mark Littell (5–2) Tug McGraw (3–1) None see 2nd game 39–37 78 July 1 (2) @ Cardinals 1–2 Mark Littell (6–2) Randy Lerch (4–7) None 41,903 39–38 79 July 2 Mets 6–2 Nino Espinosa (7–7) Dock Ellis (1–6) None 29,142 40–38 80 July 3 Mets 4–2 Warren Brusstar (1–0) Wayne Twitchell (3–2) Tug McGraw (9) 56,285 41–38 81 July 4 Mets 1–0 Steve Carlton (9–8) Andy Hassler (2–4) None 40,215 42–38 82 July 5 Mets 2–3 Craig Swan (8–6) Dickie Noles (0–1) None 28,720 42–39 83 July 6 Giants 6–1 Nino Espinosa (8–7) John Curtis (4–5) None 36,097 43–39 84 July 7 Giants 6–8 Pedro Borbón (4–2) Ron Reed (6–4) None 42,047 43–40 85 July 8 Giants 5–3 Steve Carlton (10–8) Bob Knepper (6–3) None 41,387 44–40 86 July 9 Giants 4–2 Dickie Noles (1–1) Vida Blue (7–7) Warren Brusstar (1) 38,353 45–40 87 July 10 Padres 6–5 Doug Bird (1–0) Rollie Fingers (7–6) None 30,234 46–40 88 July 11 Padres 3–7 John D'Acquisto (6–5) Randy Lerch (4–8) None 35,248 46–41 89 July 12 Padres 4–3 Steve Carlton (11–8) Rollie Fingers (7–7) Tug McGraw (10) 33,501 47–41 90 July 13 Dodgers 3–2 Dickie Noles (2–1) Rick Sutcliffe (8–8) Tug McGraw (11) 46,542 48–41 91 July 14 Dodgers 10–7 Nino Espinosa (9–7) Don Sutton (7–11) Tug McGraw (12) 40,602 49–41 92 July 15 Dodgers 10–3 Randy Lerch (5–8) Bob Welch (4–6) Rawly Eastwick (2) 47,315 50–41 – July 17 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at the Kingdome in Seattle 93 July 19 @ Giants 0–1 John Curtis (6–5) Dickie Noles (2–2) None 20,732 50–42 94 July 20 @ Giants 6–4 Randy Lerch (6–8) Tom Griffin (4–5) Ron Reed (3) 21,110 51–42 95 July 21 @ Giants 1–4 Bob Knepper (7–4) Steve Carlton (11–9) None 25,386 51–43 96 July 22 @ Padres 5–2 Nino Espinosa (10–7) John D'Acquisto (6–7) Tug McGraw (13) 23,308 52–43 97 July 23 @ Padres 5–6 Rollie Fingers (8–7) Ron Reed (6–5) None 16,785 52–44 98 July 24 @ Dodgers 3–15 Burt Hooton (9–7) Randy Lerch (6–9) None 39,336 52–45 99 July 25 @ Dodgers 8–16 Rick Sutcliffe (9–8) Dick Ruthven (7–5) None 34,370 52–46 100 July 27 Cardinals 0–5 Bob Forsch (4–9) Nino Espinosa (10–8) None 40,792 52–47 101 July 28 Cardinals 4–5 Mark Littell (7–3) Ron Reed (6–6) None 40,063 52–48 102 July 29 Cardinals 5–6 Pete Vuckovich (10–7) Randy Lerch (6–10) None 38,069 52–49 103 July 30 Cubs 5–4 (10) Ron Reed (7–6) Bruce Sutter (4–3) None 37,151 53–49 104 July 31 Cubs 4–1 Nino Espinosa (11–8) Mike Krukow (8–6) None 37,412 54–49
August (12–18) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 105 August 1 @ Mets 9–6 Dickie Noles (3–2) Dock Ellis (2–9) Rawly Eastwick (3) 12,295 55–49 106 August 2 (1) @ Mets 7–4 Ron Reed (8–6) Andy Hassler (4–5) None see 2nd game 56–49 107 August 2 (2) @ Mets 1–2 Pete Falcone (3–7) Kevin Saucier (1–1) Neil Allen (2) 15,319 56–50 108 August 3 (1) @ Pirates 3–6 Enrique Romo (7–3) Tug McGraw (3–2) None see 2nd game 56–51 109 August 3 (2) @ Pirates 1–5 Jim Bibby (8–2) Larry Christenson (2–7) None 45,309 56–52 110 August 4 @ Pirates 0–4 John Candelaria (10–7) Nino Espinosa (11–9) None 34,754 56–53 111 August 5 (1) @ Pirates 8–12 Kent Tekulve (5–6) Rawly Eastwick (1–2) None see 2nd game 56–54 112 August 5 (2) @ Pirates 2–5 Enrique Romo (8–3) Dickie Noles (3–3) Kent Tekulve (20) 46,006 56–55 113 August 7 Expos 4–2 Larry Christenson (3–7) Scott Sanderson (7–7) None 38,237 57–55 114 August 8 Expos 4–3 Ron Reed (9–6) Elías Sosa (5–7) None 36,476 58–55 115 August 9 Expos 6–4 Nino Espinosa (12–9) Bill Lee (10–9) Rawly Eastwick (4) 46,233 59–55 116 August 10 (1) Pirates 4–3 (12) Rawly Eastwick (2–2) Grant Jackson (6–4) None see 2nd game 60–55 117 August 10 (2) Pirates 2–3 Bruce Kison (7–6) Randy Lerch (6–11) Kent Tekulve (21) 63,346 60–56 118 August 11 Pirates 11–14 Enrique Romo (9–3) Rawly Eastwick (2–3) Kent Tekulve (22) 51,118 60–57 – August 12 Pirates Postponed (rain); [31] [32] Makeup: September 19 as a traditional double-header 119 August 13 Pirates 1–9 Jim Bibby (9–2) Larry Christenson (3–8) None 43,111 60–58 120 August 14 @ Reds 1–2 (10) Tom Hume (7–6) Steve Carlton (11–10) None 38,442 60–59 121 August 15 @ Reds 3–2 Nino Espinosa (13–9) Fred Norman (10–9) None 36,678 61–59 122 August 17 @ Astros 5–2 Randy Lerch (7–11) Frank LaCorte (1–1) None 33,782 62–59 123 August 18 @ Astros 1–0 Larry Christenson (4–8) J. R. Richard (12–12) Ron Reed (4) 37,735 63–59 124 August 19 @ Astros 3–2 Steve Carlton (12–10) Joaquín Andújar (12–9) None 30,631 64–59 125 August 20 Braves 2–5 Phil Niekro (16–16) Ron Reed (9–7) Gene Garber (20) 35,156 64–60 126 August 21 Braves 4–5 Larry Bradford (1–0) Rawly Eastwick (2–4) Gene Garber (21) 30,234 64–61 127 August 22 Braves 3–4 Eddie Solomon (5–10) Larry Christenson (4–9) Gene Garber (22) 30,349 64–62 128 August 24 Astros 5–3 Steve Carlton (13–10) Joaquín Andújar (12–10) None 32,124 65–62 129 August 25 Astros 1–3 Joe Niekro (18–7) Nino Espinosa (13–10) Joe Sambito (16) 43,109 65–63 130 August 26 Astros 1–4 Pete Ladd (1–0) Kevin Saucier (1–2) Joe Sambito (17) 32,559 65–64 131 August 27 Reds 2–4 Tom Hume (9–6) Larry Christenson (4–10) None 28,421 65–65 132 August 28 Reds 2–5 Frank Pastore (3–6) Steve Carlton (13–11) Tom Hume (11) 31,113 65–66 133 August 29 Reds 6–7 Mario Soto (2–2) Kevin Saucier (1–3) Doug Bair (16) 30,133 65–67 134 August 31 @ Braves 6–2 (6) Doug Bird (2–0) Tony Brizzolara (6–9) None 6,009 66–67
September (18–11) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 135 September 1 @ Braves 6–4 Larry Christenson (5–10) Phil Niekro (17–18) Ron Reed (5) 16,990 67–67 136 September 2 @ Braves 2–1 (10) Ron Reed (10–7) Joey McLaughlin (4–3) None 10,040 68–67 137 September 3 (1) @ Pirates 2–0 Steve Carlton (14–11) Bert Blyleven (11–5) Tug McGraw (14) see 2nd game 69–67 138 September 3 (2) @ Pirates 3–7 Jim Rooker (3–6) Randy Lerch (7–12) Kent Tekulve (25) 43,444 69–68 – September 5 Mets Postponed (rain); [33] Makeup: September 6 as a traditional double-header 139 September 6 (1) Mets 3–5 Ed Glynn (1–2) Nino Espinosa (13–11) Andy Hassler (2) see 2nd game 69–69 140 September 6 (2) Mets 2–1 Randy Lerch (8–12) Pete Falcone (5–12) Rawly Eastwick (5) 21,091 70–69 141 September 7 @ Cubs 3–4 Dennis Lamp (11–8) Tug McGraw (3–3) None 10,359 70–70 142 September 8 @ Cubs 9–8 Rawly Eastwick (3–4) Bruce Sutter (4–5) None 20,767 71–70 143 September 9 @ Cubs 2–15 Rick Reuschel (17–9) Kevin Saucier (1–4) None 20,922 71–71 144 September 11 @ Mets 5–2 Nino Espinosa (14–11) Pete Falcone (5–13) Rawly Eastwick (6) 4,713 72–71 145 September 12 @ Mets 4–0 Randy Lerch (9–12) Craig Swan (12–12) None 4,158 73–71 146 September 13 @ Mets 2–1 Steve Carlton (15–11) Juan Berenguer (0–1) Tug McGraw (15) 3,890 74–71 147 September 14 Cubs 0–2 (10) Bruce Sutter (5–6) Ron Reed (10–8) None 20,838 74–72 148 September 15 Cubs 8–1 Dan Larson (1–0) Lynn McGlothen (11–13) None 33,042 75–72 149 September 16 Cubs 4–3 Ron Reed (11–8) Dick Tidrow (12–5) None 30,261 76–72 150 September 17 @ Cardinals 7–5 Steve Carlton (16–11) Darold Knowles (2–5) Tug McGraw (16) 6,479 77–72 151 September 18 @ Cardinals 5–3 (10) Tug McGraw (4–3) Dan O'Brien (1–1) None 7,340 78–72 152 September 19 (1) Pirates 6–9 Kent Tekulve (10–7) Rawly Eastwick (3–5) Grant Jackson (14) see 2nd game 78–73 153 September 19 (2) Pirates 6–5 Jack Kucek (1–0) Enrique Romo (10–5) Kevin Saucier (1) 30,566 79–73 154 September 20 Pirates 2–1 [a] Randy Lerch (10–12) Kent Tekulve (10–8) None 16,299 80–73 – September 21 Expos Postponed (rain); [34] Makeup: September 22 as a traditional double-header 155 September 22 (1) Expos 9–8 (10) Ron Reed (12–8) Dale Murray (5–10) None see 2nd game 81–73 156 September 22 (2) Expos 2–8 David Palmer (10–2) Dickie Noles (3–4) None 35,186 81–74 157 September 23 Expos 4–7 Bill Lee (16–10) Nino Espinosa (14–12) None 26,507 81–75 158 September 24 Cardinals 2–7 Pete Vuckovich (15–10) Randy Lerch (10–13) None 17,694 81–76 159 September 25 Cardinals 1–4 John Fulgham (10–6) Dan Larson (1–1) None 16,163 81–77 160 September 26 Cardinals 11–5 Steve Carlton (17–11) Silvio Martínez (15–8) None 18,458 82–77 161 September 28 @ Expos 3–2 (11) Ron Reed (13–8) Woodie Fryman (3–6) None 40,303 83–77 162 September 29 @ Expos 2–3 Elías Sosa (8–7) Rawly Eastwick (3–6) None 50,332 83–78 163 September 30 @ Expos 2–0 Steve Carlton (18–11) Steve Rogers (13–12) None 50,824 84–78
^[a] The September 20, 1979, game was protested by the Phillies in the bottom of the sixth inning. [35] The protest was later denied. [36]

Roster

1979 Philadelphia Phillies
Roster
Pitchers 43 Doug Bird 40 Warren Brusstar 32 Steve Carlton 38 Larry Christenson 49 Rawly Eastwick 35 Nino Espinosa 39 Jim Kaat 34 Jack Kucek 48 Dan Larson 47 Randy Lerch 41 Jim Lonborg 45 Tug McGraw 48 Dickie Noles 42 Ron Reed 44 Dick Ruthven 33 Kevin Saucier		Catchers  8 Bob Boone 11 Tim McCarver 34 Keith Moreland  6 Dave Rader Infielders 16 Ramón Avilés 10 Larry Bowa 14,15 Bud Harrelson 17 Pete Mackanin 18 Rudy Meoli 14 Pete Rose 20 Mike Schmidt  9 Manny Trillo 18 John Vukovich		Outfielders 22 Mike Anderson  1 José Cardenal 23 Greg Gross 19 Greg Luzinski 31 Garry Maddox 21 Bake McBride 26 John Poff 27 Lonnie Smith 25 Del Unser		Manager 46 Dallas Green  3 Danny Ozark Coaches  2 Billy DeMars  4 Herm Starrette 12 Tony Taylor (Hitting)  5 Bobby Tiefenauer  7 Bobby Wine

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	Bob Boone	119	398	114	.286	9	58
1B	Pete Rose	163	628	208	.331	4	59
2B	Manny Trillo	118	431	112	.260	6	42
SS	Larry Bowa	147	539	130	.241	0	31
3B	Mike Schmidt	160	541	137	.253	45	114
LF	Greg Luzinski	137	452	114	.252	18	81
CF	Garry Maddox	148	548	154	.281	13	61
RF	Bake McBride	151	582	163	.280	12	60

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
Greg Gross	118	174	58	.333	0	15
Del Unser	95	141	42	.298	6	29
Tim McCarver	79	137	33	.241	1	12
Mike Anderson	79	78	18	.231	1	2
Rudy Meoli	30	73	13	.178	0	6
Bud Harrelson	53	71	20	.282	0	7
Ramón Avilés	27	61	17	.279	0	12
Dave Rader	31	54	11	.204	1	5
José Cardenal	29	48	10	.208	0	9
Keith Moreland	14	48	18	.375	0	8
Lonnie Smith	17	30	5	.167	0	3
John Poff	12	19	2	.105	0	1
John Vukovich	10	15	3	.200	0	1
Pete Mackanin	13	9	1	.111	1	2

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
Steve Carlton	35	251.0	18	11	3.62	213
Randy Lerch	37	214.0	10	13	3.74	92
Nino Espinosa	33	212.0	14	12	3.65	88
Dick Ruthven	20	122.1	7	5	4.27	58
Larry Christenson	19	106.0	5	10	4.50	53
Dickie Noles	14	90.0	3	4	3.80	42
Dan Larson	3	19.0	1	1	4.26	9

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
Jim Kaat	3	8.1	1	0	4.32	2
Jim Lonborg	4	7.1	0	1	11.05	7

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
Tug McGraw	65	4	3	16	5.16	57
Ron Reed	61	13	8	5	4.15	58
Rawly Eastwick	51	3	6	6	4.90	47
Doug Bird	32	2	0	0	5.16	33
Kevin Saucier	29	1	4	1	4.19	21
Warren Brusstar	13	1	0	1	6.91	3
Jack Kucek	4	1	0	0	8.31	2
Mike Anderson	1	0	0	0	0.00	2

^[37]

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Oklahoma City 89ers	American Association	Lee Elia
AA	Reading Phillies	Eastern League	Jim Snyder
A	Peninsula Pilots	Carolina League	Ron Clark
A	Spartanburg Phillies	Western Carolinas League	Bill Dancy
A-Short Season	Central Oregon Phillies	Northwest League	Tom Harmon
Rookie	Helena Phillies	Pioneer League	Roly de Armas

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Central Oregon ^[38]

References

1. Hal Bock (March 27, 1979). "Pitching holds key to Phillies' title defense". The Free-Lance Star. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
2. Jeff Schneider at Baseball Reference
3. "Carmelo Castillo Stats".
4. Pete Rose at Baseball Reference
5. Joe Charboneau at Baseball Reference
6. Mark Davis at Baseball-Reference
7. Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference
8. Jose Moreno at Baseball Reference
9. Rudy Meoli at Baseball Reference
10. Dan Boitano at Baseball Reference
11. Del Unser at Baseball Reference
12. The Official Site of The Philadelphia Phillies: History: Richie Ashburn
13. Palm Beach Post. 1979 Apr 19.
14. "Box Score of Game played on Thursday, May 17, 1979, at Wrigley Field" . Retrieved October 13, 2009.
15. Standings and Games on Thursday, May 17, 1979
16. "The Ballplayers – Del Unser". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
17. Standings and Games on Wednesday, August 29, 1979
18. "Phillies dismiss Ozark as manager". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 31, 1979. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
19. "Phillies to select Dallas Green". The Bulletin. October 18, 1979. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
20. Okkonen, Mark. "Dressed to the Nines: Uniform Database (1979)". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
21. Paul Lukas (August 23, 2007). "Uni Watch: One and done". Uni Watch. ESPN.com. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
22. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, May 19, 1979, at Veteran's Stadium" . Retrieved October 13, 2009.
23. Todd Cruz at Baseball Reference
24. Jim Kaat at Baseball Reference
25. Roy Smith at Baseball Reference
26. Jim Lonborg at Baseball Reference
27. "1979 Philadelphia Phillies Schedule, Box Scores and Splits". Baseball-Reference.com.
28. Feeney, Charley (April 10, 1979). "Managing Phils Simple in Rainout: But Ozark Bristles as Bowa Suggests New Lineup". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
29. "The Majors". Pittsburgh Press. April 15, 1979. p. D2. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
30. "Majors At A Glance". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 17, 1979. p. 18. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
31. Parascenzo, Marino (August 13, 1979). "Phillie Fans Conceding NL East to Bucs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 17. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
32. Feeney, Charley (August 13, 1979). "Ozark Snaps Silence After Buc Rainout". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 17, 23. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
33. "Majors At A Glance". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 6, 1979. p. 10. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
34. Whitley, Bob (September 22, 1979). "Rain Falls on Expos in Philly". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 9. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
35. "Philadelphia Phillies 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 1". retrosheet.org. September 20, 1979. Retrieved December 13, 2014. Keith Moreland's fly to LF was ruled a home run; the Pirates argued the call; the umpires huddled and HP umpire Doug Harvey overruled 3B umpire Eric Gregg, calling it a foul ball; Phillies manager Dallas Green argued with and was ejected by Harvey; Green threw equipment onto the field from the bench after the ejection and was fined; Mike Schmidt threw his helmet and was fined; Green protested the game; Moreland was called out on strikes[.]
36. "Sep 20, 1979, Pirates at Phillies Play by Play and Box Score". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. September 20, 1979. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
37. "1979 Philadelphia Phillies Batting, Pitching and Fielding Statistics". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
38. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

Further reading

• Larry Keith (April 9, 1979). "The East". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
• Bruce Newman (July 9, 1979). "Battle Won, War Lost: The Phils beat the Cubs in a donnybrook in May, whereupon they dropped dead". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2009.