1979 in baseball

: Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles (4–3); Willie Stargell, MVP

World Series

Baseball Hall of Fame

Most Valuable Player

Cy Young Award

Rookie of the Year

Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league): Doris Krucker, Midwest League

Gold Glove Award

(1B) Milwaukee Brewers (AL)

Cecil Cooper

(2B) Kansas City Royals (AL)

Frank White

(3B) Texas Rangers (AL)

Buddy Bell

(SS) Boston Red Sox (AL)

Rick Burleson

(OF) Boston Red Sox (AL)

Dwight Evans

(OF) Boston Red Sox (AL)

Fred Lynn

(OF) Milwaukee Brewers (AL)

Sixto Lezcano

(C) Texas Rangers (AL)

Jim Sundberg

(P) Baltimore Orioles (AL)

Jim Palmer

January 15 – The sign Tom Paciorek as a free agent.

Seattle Mariners

Sam Ewing

January 26 – The sign free agent Alan Wiggins.

Los Angeles Dodgers

(TV)

Bleacher Bums

(TV)

The Kid from Left Field

January 3 –

Rosman García

January 3 –

Carlos Maldonado

January 3 –

Michael Restovich

January 5 –

Rubén Quevedo

January 15 –

Ben Howard

January 16 –

Jack Cust

January 18 –

Wandy Rodríguez

January 21 –

Byung-hyun Kim

January 22 –

Carlos Ruiz

January 23 –

Juan Rincón

January 25 –

Philip Barzilla

January 26 –

Kenny Kelly

January 28 –

Phil Seibel

January 29 –

Lance Niekro

January 4 – , 80, third baseman in ten games for 1923 Washington Senators

Bobby Murray

January 5 – , 64, pitcher who spent 16 years in minor leagues, but appeared in only one major-league game, on May 4, 1941, for the New York Yankees

George Washburn

January 6 – , 62, infielder who appeared for three Negro American League teams during five seasons between 1940 and 1945

Jesse Douglas

January 9 – , 80, professional baseball and football player; outfielder over 12 minor-league campaigns and a single major-league season, appearing in 28 games for 1923 American League champion New York Yankees, then two games in 1923 World Series; in his final MLB contest, in Game 6, scored winning tally as a pinch runner during the Yanks' eighth-inning, Series-deciding rally, helping them win first world title; played halfback in the National Football League between 1925 and 1932

Hinkey Haines

January 9 – , 94, who spent more than six decades in professional baseball as a player, manager, scout and umpire

Charley Stis

January 21 – , 73, line drive-hitting first baseman who played in 822 games over all or part of ten seasons for the New York Giants (1929–1933 and 1936–1938) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1933–1935); batted .304 lifetime with 749 career hits

Sam Leslie

January 25 – , 50, who played second base in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1949 to 1952 and was a member of three champion teams

Charlene Barnett

January 26 – , 81, left-handed pitcher and U.S. Naval Academy graduate who threw 42⁄3 innings of shutout relief in four appearances for the Washington Senators in the midsummer of 1921; left baseball to return to active naval service, where he rose to the rank of captain and retired after World War II

Nemo Gaines

January 29 – , 75, minor league infielder between 1925 and 1942, who made one appearance in the majors, going hitless in one at bat as a pinch hitter for the Detroit Tigers on April 18, 1925

Andy Harrington