Top 5 Players of the 1979 World Series

Originally published on Jun. 20, 2019 

By Zane Miller

On Wednesday, October 17th, 1979, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore to win the 76th World Series four games to three. It was the fifth (and, as of this writing, most recent) World Series championship for the Pirates franchise and the fourth that was won in Maryland. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #10 Tim Foli (Pirates)- SS

Foli got player of the game honors in game five, picking up three RBIs on two runs, two hits and one walk as the Pirates claimed the 7-1 victory.

4. #26 Jim Bibby (Pirates)- P

Bibby claimed player of the game in game seven, pitching four innings with one earned run along with three hits and no walks allowed, as the Pirates grabbed a 4-1 win to clinch the series championship.

3. #22 Bert Blyleven (Pirates)- P

Blyleven was player of the game in game two, pitching six innings with two earned runs given up on five hits and a pair of walks in the Pirates’ 3-2 victory.

2. #45 John Candelaria (Pirates)- P

Candelaria earned player of the game honors in game six, going six innings while allowing no earned runs on six hits and no walks as the Pirates won it 4-0.

1. #3 Kiko Garcia (Orioles)- SS

Garcia earned player of the game in games three and four, as game three saw him hit four RBIs with a pair of runs, four hits, and a walk as the Orioles picked up an 8-4 win, followed with game four seeing him knock in two RBIs with two runs and two hits as the Orioles went on to win it 9-6.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

 

Link to stats database: https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1979_WS.shtml