1979 Oakland Athletics season
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Oakland Athletics
season involved the A's finishing 7th in the American League West
with a record of 54 wins and 108 losses. Only 306,763 paying customers showed up to watch the A's in 1979, the team's worst attendance since leaving Philadelphia.
Team owner Charlie Finley nearly sold the team to buyers who would have moved them to New Orleans for 1979. Any deal to relocate fell through when the city of Oakland refused to release the A's from their lease. The city was in the midst of its battle with the Oakland Raiders
over their move to Los Angeles and didn't want to lose both teams.
made his major league debut against the Texas Rangers
. In four at bat
s, Henderson had two hits and a stolen base
.
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
season involved the A's finishing 7th in the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
with a record of 54 wins and 108 losses. Only 306,763 paying customers showed up to watch the A's in 1979, the team's worst attendance since leaving Philadelphia.
Team owner Charlie Finley nearly sold the team to buyers who would have moved them to New Orleans for 1979. Any deal to relocate fell through when the city of Oakland refused to release the A's from their lease. The city was in the midst of its battle with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
over their move to Los Angeles and didn't want to lose both teams.
Offseason
- October 3, 1978: Rico CartyRico CartyRicardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty is a former professional baseball player. Nicknamed Beeg Boy, he played mostly as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from to...
was purchased from the Athletics by the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. - January 9, 1979: Lemmie MillerLemmie MillerLemmie Earl Miller is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He appeared in eight games for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1984 baseball season. Miller later moved to the Rockford, Illinois area and was head coach of the Kishwaukee College men's baseball team.-External links:...
was drafted by the Athletics in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft1979 Major League Baseball DraftThe 1979 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 5-7, 1979, via conference call.-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :...
, but did not sign. - February 26, 1979: Darryl CiasDarryl CiasDarryl Richard Cias is a former professional baseball player. He played 19 games in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics in 1983, mostly as a late-inning replacement for starting catcher Bob Kearney...
was purchased by the Athletics from the Salem Senators. - February 28, 1979: Jim ToddJim Todd (baseball)James Richard Todd, Jr. is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball from until .Todd was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft. He pitched in their organization through his major league debut...
was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.
Regular season
On June 24, Rickey HendersonRickey Henderson
Rickey Henley Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner...
made his major league debut against the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. In four at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s, Henderson had two hits and a stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
.
Notable transactions
- June 5, 1979: Ronn ReynoldsRonn ReynoldsRonn Dwayne Reynolds was a Major League Baseball catcher, who played for the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres. After playing college baseball at the University of Arkansas, Reynolds was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 5th round in 1979...
was drafted by the Athletics in the 5th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft1979 Major League Baseball DraftThe 1979 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 5-7, 1979, via conference call.-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :...
, but did not sign. - June 15, 1979: Mark SouzaMark SouzaKenneth Mark Souza is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Souza pitched in for the Oakland Athletics, throwing 7 innings over 5 games.Souza was originally drafted in the first round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft by the Kansas City Royals. He was taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the...
was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.
Roster
| 1979 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
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 | 143 | 516 | 119 | .231 | 22 | 71 | |
| 1B | 125 | 472 | 136 | .288 | 19 | 77 | |
| 2B | 122 | 400 | 93 | .233 | 1 | 23 | |
| LF | 89 | 351 | 96 | .274 | 1 | 26 | |
| DH | 133 | 478 | 118 | .247 | 9 | 42 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98 | 313 | 76 | .243 | 8 | 40 | |
| 105 | 226 | 42 | .186 | 2 | 20 | |
| 39 | 106 | 19 | .179 | 0 | 13 | |
| 30 | 91 | 17 | .187 | 1 | 6 | |
| 23 | 89 | 19 | .213 | 0 | 4 | |
| 23 | 78 | 11 | .141 | 1 | 3 | |
| 24 | 73 | 14 | .192 | 1 | 4 | |
| 28 | 62 | 10 | .161 | 0 | 3 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 176.2 | 2 | 17 | 5.04 | 95 | |
| 14 | 84.2 | 2 | 8 | 4.36 | 50 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 146.1 | 5 | 8 | 4.80 | 96 | |
| 36 | 118.1 | 1 | 5 | 5.55 | 64 | |
| 40 | 82.2 | 3 | 4 | 3.70 | 52 | |
| 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 6.00 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6.56 | 26 | |