1979 – For the first time in major league history, two players share the Most Valuable Player Award. The National League co-winners are Willie Stargell, the spiritual leader of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who hit .281 with 32 home runs, and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez, who led the NL in runs (116), doubles (48) and batting average (.344).
Pirates Win The 1979 World Series October 17, 1979 At Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, Jimmy Carter throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Pirates and Orioles play Game 7 of the Fall Classic. The toss marks the only time the Commander-in-Chief will perform the pregame ritual during his presidency. With the World Series tied at three…
1979 – In the World Series, Baltimore scores five runs off Bruce Kison in the 1st inning of Game 1, then hangs on to defeat the Pirates, 5 – 4.
With his 5th-inning, solo HR, Willie Stargell passes Honus Wagner as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ all-time RBI leader, bringing his career total thus far to 1,476. His milestone shot makes it 3 – 0, Bucs, and they will hang on to beat Chicago, 5 – 3, clinching the National League Eastern Division title in the process. Exactly seven years after his late friend and mentor Roberto Clemente would enter the 3,000-hit club on his final regular season at-bat, Stargell, one of his era’s premier run-producers, culminates his 1979 MVP season by gaining this gratifying and much-deserved distinction. In a sense, the season itself could be seen as a culmination of his entire career, both by virtue of winning at least part of the NL MVP award he should have won in 1971 (the current edition being awarded jointly to Stargell and Keith Hernandez of the Cards) and by getting a retroactive mulligan on his 1971 World Series no-show and making the most of it, following in Clemente’s footsteps by winning a World Series MVP on his second try. In addition, Stargell will be named NLCS MVP, the only player ever to receive all three awards in the same season.
At Jack Murphy Stadium, Steve Garvey becomes the first two-time MVP in All-Star history. The Dodgers first baseman’s game-tying, two-run single and a triple help the National League beat the American League, 7 – 3. Vida Blue starts for the NL, the first pitcher to start for both leagues. Blue also started in 1971 and 1975 for the American League.
Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a 535-foot home run off Montreal Expos pitcher Wayne Twitchell to highlight a 6 – 0 victory at Stade Olympique. It is the longest home run in the ballpark’s history and is also Stargell’s 407th career home run, tying him with Duke Snider on the career all-time list.
In a 9 – 1 win, Willie Stargell hits his 400th career home run, this one coming off Eric Rasmussen of the Cardinals. Bruce Kison is the winning pitcher.
1973 – Pete Rose wins the National League MVP Award in a controversial vote, edging out Willie Stargell. Rose led the NL with 230 hits and won his third batting crown with a .338 mark. Stargell led the league with 44 home runs, 119 runs batted in, and a .646 slugging percentage while batting .299.
For the second time in his career, Pirate Willie Stargell poles one out of Dodger Stadium. His blast off Andy Messersmith hits the right field pavilion roof 470 feet away. His first home run, a 506-foot shot, came off Alan Foster on August 5, 1969. No other player has hit a fair ball out of the stadium. Los Angeles wins, 7 – 4.
1972 – Astros put the shift on for Willie Stargell, leading 7-6 with two out and two on in the top of the ninth. It works as Stargell rolls out to shortstop Roger Metzger, who is behind second base, for the final out. Houston had built a 7-2 lead behind homers from Cesar Cedeno and Bob Watson.
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