1979 New York Mets season

The 1979 New York Mets season was the 18th season for the Mets, who played home games at Shea Stadium. Led by manager Joe Torre, the team had a 63–99 record and finished in sixth place in the National League East. This was also the first season that the players names appeared on the back of the uniforms.

Offseason

October 2, 1978: Paul Siebert was traded by the Mets to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bob Coluccio.^[1]
December 4, 1978: Bobby Brown was drafted by the Mets from the New York Yankees in the 1978 rule 5 draft.^[2]
December 5, 1978: Tom Grieve and Kim Seaman were traded by the Mets to the St. Louis Cardinals for Pete Falcone.^[3]
December 8, 1978: Jerry Koosman was traded by the Mets to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later and Greg Field (minors). The Minnesota Twins completed the trade by sending Jesse Orosco to the Mets on February 7, 1979.^[4]
March 25, 1979: Bobby Brown was selected off waivers from the Mets by the Toronto Blue Jays.^[2]
March 27, 1979: Nino Espinosa was traded by the Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies for Richie Hebner and José Moreno.^[5]

Regular season

The 1979 season was worse than 1978. The Mets were in last place by mid-May,^[6]^[7] and finished the season in last place for the third straight year.^[8]^[9] Attendance was below 1 million for the first time in team history, hitting a record low of just 788,000.^[9]

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day starters

Notable transactions

June 5, 1979: 1979 Major League Baseball Draft
- Tim Leary was drafted by the Mets in the 1st round (2nd pick).^[10]
- Ron Gardenhire was drafted by the Mets in the 6th round.^[11]
- Dave Smith was drafted by the Mets in the 27th round.^[12]
- Bill Mooneyham was drafted by the Mets in the 1st round (22nd pick) of the secondary phase, but did not sign.^[13]
June 15, 1979: Bob Myrick and Mike Bruhert were traded by the Mets to the Texas Rangers for Dock Ellis.^[14]
August 12, 1979: Willie Montañez was traded by the Mets to the Texas Rangers for two players to be named later. The Rangers sent Ed Lynch to the Mets on September 18 and Mike Jorgensen on October 23 to complete the deal.^[15]
August 20, 1979: Ray Burris was selected off waivers by the Mets from the New York Yankees.^[16]
September 21, 1979: Dock Ellis was purchased from the Mets by the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[14]

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Farm system

Notes

^ Paul Siebert page at Baseball Reference
^ a b Bobby Brown page at Baseball Reference
^ Kim Seaman page at Baseball Reference
^ Jerry Koosman page on Baseball Reference
^ José Moreno page at Baseball Reference
^ Abel, Allen (September 20, 1979). "Pennant fever is long gone". The Globe and Mail. p. P47.
^ Strauss, Michael (May 8, 1979). "Dodgers Beat Mets, Falcone, 5-2". The New York Times. p. B11.
^ Durso, Joseph (September 12, 1979). "Mets Beaten by Phillies, 5-2". The New York Times. p. B6. The New York Mets continued their relentless march towards...the lowest attendance in the club's 18-year history.
^ a b Durso, Joseph (November 6, 1979). "Sale of Mets Is Broached At Stockholders Meeting". The New York Times. p. C14. The Mets...finished in last place...for the third straight time, before a record low attendance of 788,000 fans.
^ Tim Leary page at Baseball Reference
^ Ron Gardenhire page at Baseball Reference
^ Dave Smith page at Baseball Reference
^ Bill Mooneyham page at Baseball-Reference
^ a b Dock Ellis page at Baseball-Reference
^ Willie Montañez page at Baseball-Reference
^ Ray Burris page at Baseball Reference

References

1979 New York Mets at Baseball Reference
1979 New York Mets team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.