1979 Los Angeles Dodgers season

1979  Los Angeles Dodgers
League	National League
Division	West
Ballpark	Dodger Stadium
City	Los Angeles
Owners	Walter O'Malley
President	Peter O'Malley
General managers	Al Campanis
Managers	Tommy Lasorda
Television	KTTV (11)
Radio	KABC Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett, Ross Porter KTNQ Jaime Jarrín, Rudy Hoyos
←  1978 Seasons 1980  →

The 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season in third place in the National League West. Near the end of the season, owner Walter O'Malley died, and the ownership of the team went to his son, Peter.

Offseason

• February 15, 1979: Brad Gulden was traded by the Dodgers to the New York Yankees for Gary Thomasson. ^[1]

Regular season

Season standings

v t e NL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Cincinnati Reds	90	71	0.559	—	48–32	42–39
Houston Astros	89	73	0.549	1½	52–29	37–44
Los Angeles Dodgers	79	83	0.488	11½	46–35	33–48
San Francisco Giants	71	91	0.438	19½	38–43	33–48
San Diego Padres	68	93	0.422	22	39–42	29–51
Atlanta Braves	66	94	0.412	23½	34–45	32–49

Record vs. opponents

1979 National League record v t e Sources:
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MON	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	8–10–1	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	7–11–1
Pittsburgh	8–4	12–6	4–8	8–4	8–4	11–7	10–8–1	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	11–7–1	7–11	8–4	7–5	—

Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters
Name	Position
Davey Lopes	Second baseman
Bill Russell	Shortstop
Reggie Smith	Right fielder
Steve Garvey	First baseman
Ron Cey	Third baseman
Dusty Baker	Left fielder
Rick Monday	Center fielder
Steve Yeager	Catcher
Burt Hooton	Starting pitcher

Notable transactions

• April 7, 1979: Rick Rhoden was traded by the Dodgers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jerry Reuss. ^[2]
• May 11, 1979: Lance Rautzhan was purchased from the Dodgers by the Milwaukee Brewers. ^[3]
• May 11, 1979: Lerrin LaGrow was purchased by the Dodgers from the Chicago White Sox. ^[4]

Roster

1979 Los Angeles Dodgers
Roster
Pitchers 27 Joe Beckwith 34 Ken Brett 37 Bobby Castillo 51 Terry Forster 29 Gerry Hannahs 46 Burt Hooton 49 Charlie Hough 36 Lerrin LaGrow 27,21 Dennis Lewallyn 47 Andy Messersmith 56 Dave Patterson 31 Doug Rau 38 Lance Rautzhan 41 Jerry Reuss 43 Rick Sutcliffe 20 Don Sutton 35 Bob Welch		Catchers 13 Joe Ferguson  5 Johnny Oates  7 Steve Yeager Infielders 10 Ron Cey  6 Steve Garvey 15 Davey Lopes 23 Ted Martínez 18 Bill Russell		Outfielders 12 Dusty Baker 33 Vic Davalillo 57 Pedro Guerrero 44 Mickey Hatcher 14 Von Joshua 16 Rick Monday 11 Manny Mota  8 Reggie Smith 1,3 Derrel Thomas  9 Gary Thomasson		Manager  2 Tommy Lasorda Coaches 26 Red Adams 54 Monty Basgall 58 Mark Cresse 28 Preston Gómez 45 Jim Lefebvre

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	Steve Yeager	105	310	67	.216	13	41
1B	Steve Garvey	162	648	204	.315	28	110
2B	Davey Lopes	153	582	154	.265	28	73
SS	Bill Russell	153	627	170	.271	7	56
3B	Ron Cey	150	487	137	.281	28	81
LF	Dusty Baker	151	554	152	.274	23	88
CF	Derrel Thomas	141	406	104	.256	5	44
RF	Reggie Smith	68	234	64	.274	10	32

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
Joe Ferguson	122	363	95	.262	20	69
Gary Thomasson	115	315	78	.248	14	45
Von Joshua	94	142	40	.282	3	14
Ted Martínez	81	112	30	.268	0	2
Mickey Hatcher	33	93	25	.269	1	5
Pedro Guerrero	25	62	15	.242	2	9
Johnny Oates	26	46	6	.130	0	2
Manny Mota	47	42	15	.357	0	3
Rick Monday	12	33	10	.303	0	2
Vic Davalillo	29	27	7	.259	0	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
Rick Sutcliffe	39	242.0	17	10	3.46	117
Don Sutton	33	226.0	12	15	3.82	146
Burt Hooton	29	212.0	11	10	2.97	129
Andy Messersmith	11	62.1	2	4	4.91	26
Doug Rau	11	56.0	1	5	5.30	28

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
Jerry Reuss	39	160.0	7	14	3.54	83
Charlie Hough	42	151.1	7	5	4.76	76
Bob Welch	25	81.1	5	6	3.98	64
Gerry Hannahs	4	16.0	0	2	3.38	6

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
Dave Patterson	36	4	1	6	5.26	34
Lerrin LaGrow	31	5	1	4	3.41	22
Ken Brett	30	4	3	2	3.45	13
Bobby Castillo	19	2	0	7	1.11	25
Joe Beckwith	17	1	2	2	4.34	28
Terry Forster	17	1	2	2	5.51	8
Lance Rautzhan	12	0	2	1	7.45	5
Dennis Lewallyn	7	0	1	0	5.11	1

Awards and honors

• National League Rookie of the Year
  • Rick Sutcliffe
• TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award
  • Rick Sutcliffe
• NL Player of the Week
  • Dusty Baker (May 22–28)
  • Manny Mota (Aug. 27 – Sep. 3)

All-Stars

• 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
  • Steve Garvey, starter, first base
  • Davey Lopes, starter, second base
  • Ron Cey, reserve
• TSN National League All-Star
  • Davey Lopes
• Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star
  • Rick Sutcliffe

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Albuquerque Dukes	Pacific Coast League	Del Crandall
AA	San Antonio Dodgers	Texas League	Don LeJohn
A	Lodi Dodgers	California League	Stan Wasiak
A	Clinton Dodgers	Midwest League	Dick McLaughlin
Rookie	Lethbridge Dodgers	Pioneer League	Gail Henley

Teams in BOLD won League Championships

Major League Baseball Draft

Main article: 1979 Major League Baseball Draft

The Dodgers drafted 36 players in the June draft and 11 in the January draft. Of those, five players would eventually play in the Major Leagues.

The Dodgers lost their first round pick in the June draft to the San Diego Padres because they signed free agent Derrel Thomas but they gained the first round picks of the Pittsburgh Pirates (compensation for Lee Lacy) and New York Yankees (for Tommy John). With those picks they drafted two players from the University of Michigan, left-handed pitcher Steve Howe and right-handed pitcher Steve Perry. Howe was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year, a 1981 World Series Champion and a 1982 All-Star. He played in 12 seasons and saved 328 games before a drug addiction forced him out of the game. Perry pitched six seasons in the minors, the last two with the AAA Albuquerque Dukes, and finished 28-40 with a 5.34 ERA before the Dodgers released him.

This year's draft class also included pitcher Orel Hershiser from Bowling Green University, who was picked in the 17th round. He pitched 18 seasons (13 with the Dodgers), winning 204 games. He set a Major League record with a 59 consecutive scoreless inning streak in 1988 en route to winning the Cy Young Award and the World Series MVP. He was also a three-time All-Star.

1979 Draft Picks

January draft [5] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Robert Silicani 3B College of San Mateo Yes 1979 Rookie 2 Jim Teller OF Sacramento City College No Red Sox-1979 1979–1982 A 3 Kyle Dunning RHP Linn-Benton Community College No 4 Joseph Siers RHP Palm Beach Community College No 5 Phillip Smith SS Georgia Perimeter College No 6 Eric Stack RHP Lane Community College No 7 James Gleissner C Mount San Antonio College No Royals-1980 1980–1984 AA January Secondary phase [6] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Rick Misuraca 3B Rose State College Yes 1979 Rookie 2 John Millholland SS Louisburg College No Yankees-1980 1980–1981 A 3 Richard Ross OF San Jose City College No 4 Tommy Blackmon RHP Spartanburg Methodist College No Indians-1980 19980-1984 AA June draft [7] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Steve Howe LHP University of Michigan Yes 1979–1997 MLB 1 Steve Perry RHP University of Michigan Yes 1979–1984 AAA 2 David Lanning 3B University of Georgia Yes 1979–1981 AA 3 Don Crow C Washington State University Yes 1979–1982 MLB 4 Leo Mann SS University of Missouri Yes 1979–1981 A 5 Terry Sutcliffe RHP University of Kansas Yes 1979–1981 A 6 Dale Holman OF Louisiana Tech University Yes 1979–1987 AAA 7 Timothy Gloyd SS Pepperdine University Yes 1979–1981 A 8 Jeff Dietrich LHP Serramonte High School No 9 Felix Oroz LHP University of Wyoming Yes 1979–1984 AAA 10 John Houston C John F. Kennedy High School Yes 1979–1980 Rookie 11 Mark Sheehy 2B University of California, Riverside Yes 1979–1987 AAA 12 Kerwin Danley OF Susan Miller Dorsey High School No 13 Greg Brock 1B University of Wyoming Yes 1979–1991 MLB 14 Franklin Bryant RHP North Carolina State University Yes 1979–1982 A 15 Tom Beyers OF California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Yes 1979–1983 AAA 16 Kenneth Bullock LHP University of San Francisco Yes 1980 A 17 Orel Hershiser RHP Bowling Green State University Yes 1979–2000 MLB 18 Stanley Mohler OF University of South Alabama Yes 1979–1980 A 19 Wayne Kellam RHP Indian River High School Yes 1979 Rookie 20 William Sobbe C Northwest Missouri State University Yes 1979–1981 AA 21 Clint Wickenscheimer RHP Ball State University Yes 1979-1982 AA 22 Glenn Terry LHP Kimball High School Yes 1979–1982 A 23 David Daniel RHP Antelope Valley High School Yes 1979–1982 A 24 Morris Madden LHP Spartanburg Methodist College Yes 1979–1990 MLB 25 Leonard Collins SS Hiram Johnson High School No 26 Brian Dillard OF Bloom High School No 27 Harry Kazanjian C Washington High School No 28 Kevin Roddy IF Bellevue West High School No 29 P. J. Schranz SS Bloom High School No 30 Ted Salcido SS Wilson High School Yes 1980 A 31 James Garcia RHP Bell High School No 32 George Page OF Kennedy High School No Orioles-1982 1982–1983 Rookie June secondary phase [8] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Alfredo Mejía C Oral Roberts University Yes 1979–1981 AAA 2 Thomas McLaughlin RHP University of Nebraska–Lincoln No Giants-1980 1980–1981 A 3 Kyle Dunning RHP Linn–Benton Community College No 4 Bill Worden C Mission Hills JC No Angels-1981 1981–1986 AA

Notes

1. Brad Gulden page at Baseball Reference
2. Rick Rhoden page at Baseball Reference
3. Lance Rautzhan page at Baseball Reference
4. Lerrin LaGrow page at Baseball Reference
5. 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB January Draft-Regular Phase
6. 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase
7. 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft
8. 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase

References

• Baseball-Reference season page
• Baseball Almanac season page

External links

• 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers uniform
• Los Angeles Dodgers official web site