Page 302 - 2020 Angels Media Guide

ANGELS IN THE POSTSEASON (1979)

1979 California Angels
Following entry into the American League as an expansion club in 1961, the first postseason berth for the
Angels franchise came in 1979. The Angels featured an offense that led the American League in runs scored with
866 and registered a .282 team average, both marks establishing club records.
The magical season, considered by Owner Gene Autry as one of his proudest memories, was led by the MVP
season of Don Baylor who recorded a .296 average with 36 home runs, and a league-leading 162 games played, 120
runs scored and 139 RBI. His 28 RBI in April set a league record, while his 34 RBI in July established a club record.
Baylor’s accomplishments led to his selection as A.L. “Player of the Month” twice in ‘79.
Baylor, Dan Ford (101) and Bobby Grich (101) paced the club in RBI, while Baylor, Ford (100) and Carney Lansford
(114) led the club in runs scored. The season would mark the first in an Angels’ uniform for future Hall of Famer
Rod Carew and the last for another headed to the Hall in Nolan Ryan.
The season featured countless memorable moments, both from an individual and team perspective. During an
impressive three-game series prior to the All-Star break, the Angels swept the defending World Champion New
York Yankees. Ryan would be denied his fifth no-hitter with the Angels in the ninth inning of a 6-1 win, July 13.
Three home runs and a five-run eighth against Cleveland, Aug. 31 aided a 9-8 win that would put the club into first
to stay. Frank Tanana was on the mound Sept. 25, collecting a 4-1 division-clinching victory against Kansas City,
solidifying the Angels’ first trip to the American League Championship Series.
Despite leading in each of the first three games of the ALCS against Baltimore, the Angels were defeated by
the Orioles, three games to one. Their performance against a club that finished regular season play with a 102-57
record was more than most expected .
In Game One at Baltimore, pinch-hitter John Lowenstein’s three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th was the
decisive blow in a 6-3 Baltimore win. California battled back from a 9-1 deficit in Game Two, scoring six runs in the
final three innings during a 9-8 loss in Memorial Stadium.
Larry Harlow’s dramatic run-scoring double in the bottom of the ninth in Anaheim in Game Three accounted for
the only California win as the Orioles, behind Scott McGregor’s six-hitter, won Game Four, 8-0.

club postseason

A slogan often seen and heard during the 1979 campaign.

301 YEARLY PLAYOFF SUMMARIES 2020 ANGELS MEDIA GUIDE