1979 Baltimore Orioles

1979 Baltimore Orioles: Earl Returns To The October Stage

Dan Flaherty MLB History, Sports History Articles 1979 ALCS, 1979 American League Championship Series, 1979 Baltimore Orioles, 1979 baseball season, 1979 MLB, Baltimore Orioles history, MLB history, sports history articles

The Baltimore Orioles were the AL East’s dominant team, starting with the expansion of 1969 and each league’s split into two divisions. The Orioles won five of the first six AL East titles. The Birds then finished out of the money from 1975-78, though the team remained competitive each year. But “competitive” wasn’t good enough for manager Earl Weaver, and the 1979 Baltimore Orioles put the team back on top of the division and back in the World Series.

1979 MLB Season: Six Key Contenders & The October Battles

Dan Flaherty MLB History, Sports History Articles 1979 Baltimore Orioles, 1979 MLB season, 1979 NL East race, 1979 NL West race, 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979 World Series, MLB history, sports history articles

The 1979 MLB season was marked by a return to form from teams that dominated the early part of the decade, along with one newcomer. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds had all won multiple division titles and at least one World Series title in the period covering 1970-76. All three continued to field good teams in the ensuing three years, but they had been displaced by others in their division. In 1979, they returned to the October stage.