1979 New York Yankees season

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1979 New York Yankees
Yankees retire Thurman Munson's number
Major league affiliations
Location
1979 Information
Owner(s) George Steinbrenner
Manager(s) Bob Lemon and Billy Martin
Local television WPIX
Local radio WINS (AM)
(Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, Fran Healy)

The New York Yankees' 1979 season was the 77th season for the Yankees. The season was marked by the tragic death of their catcher Thurman Munson on August 2. The team finished with a record of 89-71, finishing fourth in the American League Eastern Division, 13.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles, ending the Yankees' three-year domination of the AL East. New York was managed by Billy Martin, and Bob Lemon. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.

Contents

[edit] Offseason

  • November 10, 1978: Dave Righetti was traded by the Texas Rangers with Greg Jemison (minors), Juan Beniquez, Mike Griffin, and Paul Mirabella to the New York Yankees for Domingo Ramos, Mike Heath, Sparky Lyle, Larry McCall, Dave Rajsich, and cash.
  • November 13, 1978: Luis Tiant signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees. [1]
  • November 21, 1978: Tommy John signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees. [2]

[edit] Regular Season

[edit] Season Standings

Team Wins Losses Win % GB
Baltimore Orioles 102 57 .642 0
Milwaukee Brewers 95 66 .590 8.0
Boston Red Sox 91 69 .569 11.5
New York Yankees 89 71 .556 13.5
Detroit Tigers 85 76 .528 18.0
Cleveland Indians 81 80 .503 22.0
Toronto Blue Jays 53 109 .327 505


[edit] Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson's number 15 was retired by the New York Yankees in 1979

Munson was frequently homesick, and took flying lessons so that he could fly home to his family in Canton on off-days. On August 2, 1979, he was practicing takeoffs and landings in his new Cessna Citation I/SP jet at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. On the third 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, killing Munson (who was trapped inside) and injuring two other companions. It is believed that the inability to get out of the plane, and the ensuing asphyxiation, is what killed Munson, rather than injuries sustained on impact or burns (the two passengers survived). He was 32 years old.[3]

Munson's sudden death was major news across the nation and especially sorrowed 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.

[edit] Transactions

  • June 5, 1979:Don Mattingly was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 19th round of the 1979 amateur draft.

[edit] Roster

1979 New York Yankees roster
v • d • e
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

[edit] Player stats

[edit] Batting

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

[edit] Other batters

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI

[edit] Starting pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO

[edit] Other pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA

[edit] Relief pitchers
Player G W L SV ERA SO

[edit] Awards and Honors

Ron Guidry, Reggie Jackson, Tommy John and Graig Nettles all represented the Yankees at the 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/tiantlu01.shtml
  2. ^ Tommy John Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
  3. ^ ibid., chapter 10, reprinted at Internet Archive's last entry for the ThurmanMunson.com history page

[edit] External links

v • d • e
1979 MLB season by team
AL East
Baltimore • Boston • Cleveland • Detroit • Milwaukee • New York • Toronto
AL West
NL East
NL West
1979 All-Star Game • 1979 World Series
v • d • e
New York Yankees
Formerly the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Highlanders • Based in the Bronx, New York City, New York
The Franchise
Ballparks
Culture
Rivalries
Important Figures
Jack Chesbro • Jacob Ruppert • Miller Huggins • Babe Ruth • Lou Gehrig • Waite Hoyt • Herb Pennock • Earle Combs • Tony Lazzeri • Bill Dickey • Red Ruffing • Lefty Gomez • Joe McCarthy • Joe DiMaggio • Phil Rizzuto • Vic Raschi • Allie Reynolds • Yogi Berra • Don Larsen • Casey Stengel • Whitey Ford • Mickey Mantle • Bobby Richardson • Moose Skowron • Elston Howard • Roger Maris • Joe Pepitone • Roy White • Bobby Murcer • Thurman Munson • Catfish Hunter • Graig Nettles • Billy Martin • Ron Guidry • Willie Randolph • Reggie Jackson • Rich Gossage • Dave Righetti • Dave Winfield • Don Mattingly • Bernie Williams • Paul O'Neill • Andy Pettitte • David Cone • Joe Torre • Derek Jeter • Mariano Rivera • Tino Martinez • Jorge Posada • David Wells • Scott Brosius • Roger Clemens • Alex Rodriguez •
Retired Numbers
1 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 7 • 8 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 15 • 16 • 23 • 32 • 37 • 42 • 44 • 49
Key Personnel
Owners: George Steinbrenner • Hal Steinbrenner • Hank Steinbrenner • General Manager: Brian Cashman • Manager: Joe Girardi
World Series
Championships (26)
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American League
Pennants (39)
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Seasons (108)
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Minor League
Affiliates
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA) • Trenton (AA) • Tampa (A) • Charleston (A) • Staten Island (A) • Gulf Coast Yankees (Rookie)
Other Assets