1979 Nashville Sounds season
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| 1979 Nashville Sounds |
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| 1979 Information | |
| Owner(s) | Larry Schmittou (Principal owner) |
| General Manager(s) | Farrell Owens |
| Manager(s) | George Scherger |
| Local television | |
| Local radio | WKDA |
| Stats | The Baseball Cube |
The Nashville Sounds' 1979 season was the franchise's second year of play. The team finished the regular season with a record of 83 wins and 61 losses. In post-season play, the team had five wins and two losses on the way to winning the Western Division title and the Southern League championship, the first in franchise history.
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[edit] Regular season
The Nashville Sounds started the 1979 season at the bottom of the rankings before improving in late May and June. After winning 20 out of 31 games, the team moved into first place, only a half-game in front of the number two Memphis Chicks on the next-to-last day of the first half. Memphis defeated Nashville on the last day of the half, pulling into first place and leaving the Sounds in second place.[1]
Nashville and Memphis approached the end of the second half as the top two teams in the division. The Sounds trailed the Chicks by half game with two games left to play, both against Memphis. The first game was rained-out, forcing a split double header on the last day of the season. Nashville won the afternoon contest, a game that went 12 innings, by a score of eight runs to seven. Later that night, they beat Memphis three to one to capture the second half Western Division title.[1]
[edit] Season standings
| Southern League - Western Division | ||||
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| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Nashville Sounds | 83 | 61 | .576 | – |
| Memphis Chicks | 82 | 62 | .569 | 1.0 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 75 | 69 | .521 | 8.0 |
| Knoxville Sox | 65 | 76 | .461 | 16.5 |
| Montgomery Rebels | 62 | 81 | .434 | 20.5 |
[edit] Post-season
[edit] Western Division finals
The Sounds (second-half winner) and Chicks (first-half winner) met again in the best-of-three Western Division championship series. Nashville took the first game 10-2. Pitcher William Kelly recorded the win at home. The second game, held in Memphis, saw the Sounds fall by a score of four runs to three in ten innings. Sounds pitchers Randy Town and Geoff Combe combined for a 5-2 victory over the Chicks, giving Nashville its first Western Division title.[1]
| Game | Date | Opponent | W/L | Score |
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| 1 | September 3 | Memphis Chicks | W | 10-2 |
| 2 | September 4 | at Memphis Chicks | L | 4-3 (10) |
| 3 | September 5 | at Memphis Chicks | W | 5-2 |
[edit] Southern League championship
Nashville went on to face the Columbus Astros in the Southern League Championship, a best-of-five series. Nashville began the series at home with a 4-3 loss. The next night, they came back to tie the series at one game apiece, beating Columbus 3-1. The second game was attended by 8,102 fans, which set a Southern League playoff record. The series then moved to Columbus for the next two games. Nashville won the third game 14-7. The fourth game was tied 2-2 in the ninth inning. With the bases loaded, Nashville's Dave Van Gorder hit a triple, propelling the Sounds to a 6-2 lead. The Astros were unable to answer in their half of the inning, loosing to the Sounds. The game four win gave Nashville its first league championship in only its second year of play.[1]
| Game | Date | Opponent | W/L | Score |
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| 1 | September 6 | Columbus Astros | L | 4-3 |
| 2 | September 7 | Columbus Astros | W | 3-1 |
| 3 | September 8 | at Columbus Astros | W | 14-7 |
| 4 | September 9 | at Columbus Astros | W | 6-2 |
[edit] Roster
| 1979 Nashville Sounds Roster | |||||
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| Players | Coaching staff | ||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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[edit] Awards and honors
Pitcher Geoff Combe was selected as the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher.[2] Outfielders Paul Householder and Duane Walker were named to the league's post-season All-Star team. Walker was named to the team as an outfielder and as "best hustler."[3]
Pitcher Greg Hughes lead the league with a .733 (11-4) winning percentage.[4] Geoff Combe led the league and set a new Southern League record with 28 saves.[1] Scott Brown led the league with a 2.34 ERA.[4] Duane Walker finished the season with a league leading 9 triples.[4] Paul Householder had the best fielding percentage for an outfielder (.989) and Dave Van Gorder had the best among catchers (.982).[4]
[edit] References
- Statistics: "1979 Nashville Sounds Statistics." The Baseball Cube. 16 April 2008.
- Standings: "1979 Southern League Review." The Baseball Cube. 16 April 2008.
- Post-season results: "Postseason History." Nashville Sounds 2008 Media Guide. 2008: 144.
- Roster: "1979 Nashville Roster." The Baseball Cube. 17 April 2008.
- Specific:
- ^ a b c d e "The Nashville Sounds." The Nashville Sounds 1980 Official Souvenir Program. 1980: 15.
- ^ "Most Outstanding Pitchers." Southern League. 17 April 2008.
- ^ "Post-Season All-Star Teams." Southern League. 17 April 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Single-Season League Leaders." 2008 Nashville Sounds Media Guide. 2008: 137.
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