ORIOLES MAGIC | bmoresportsnest

1979 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPION BALTIMORE ORIOLES

ORIOLES MAGIC--YOU MAKE THE MAGIC HAPPEN

On June 22, 1979, Baltimore fell in love with its baseball team. Second fiddle to the Colts in the football-crazed hearts of Charm City sports fans, the tide had turned. Orioles Magic was born.

That’s the night that third baseman Doug DeCinces crushed a game-winning two-run homer - back in the day, we didn’t call them walk-offs - in the ninth inning off the Tigers’ Dave Tobik for a thrilling 6-5 victory before 35,456 at Memorial Stadium.

Bill O’Donnell’s call of the decisive blast, with additional commentary by Chuck Thompson and Charley Eckman sent chills through the airwaves. Years after the fact, Eckman told me it was one of his favorite moments as a broadcaster, and that he didn’t think twice about crossing the line from radio voice to excited fan during the broadcast on WFBR-AM, the O’s flagship at the time.

As comebacks go, it was a pretty sweet one. The Orioles had been stymied during the previous 5 1/3 innings by a scoreless relief effort from Detroit’s Kip Young, who was in line for the win after starter Pat Underwood lasted only 2 2/3 innings. Enter Tobik, who unwittingly set the stage for a landmark moment in Baltimore baseball history.

After Kiko Garcia made the first out of the last of the ninth, Ken Singleton homered off Tobik cutting the Tigers’ lead to 5-4. Eddie Murray then singled, but Gary Roenicke popped to second for the inning’s second out. That brought DeCinces to the plate, and he crushed a 1-1 Tobik offering into the left-field stands.

Memorial Stadium rocked, teammates swarmed DeCinces at home plate and the O’s posted their seventh straight victory in what would be a nine-game winning streak. In “From 33rd Street to Camden Yards: An Oral History of the Baltimore Orioles” by John Eisenberg, DeCinces said the comeback “triggered something” and that “the emotion just multiplied from there,” leading the Birds to the American League title.

Sadly, the O’s lost the World Series that year to the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates, a defeat that’s to this day as difficult to fathom as it was to swallow. But Orioles Magic lives on, a cherished tradition handed down from one generation of fans to another.

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EVERY GAME THERE'S A DIFFERENT STAR. THAT'S THE MAGIC OF ORIOLES BASEBALL

The 1979 Baltimore Orioles finished first in the American League East division with a record of 102 wins and 57 losses. They went on to defeat the California Angels in the 1979 American League Championship Series, 3 games to 1, before losing in the 1979 World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 games to 3.

The 1979 season represents a dividing line in Orioles history. Attendance was poor before it and terrific after it, steadily rising into the 1990s in a new ballpark at Camden Yards. Also, ownership changed hands in 1979, with a twelve-million-dollar sale marking the change from Jerry Hoffberger's Baltimore Baseball Group—a local, family-oriented operation—to Edward Bennett Williams, a powerhouse attorney from Washington, D.C. with ideas about moving the club to the nation's capital.

Against the backdrop of noise and tension, the club played well, winning 102 games and the American League East title for the first time since 1974. The season was a return to glory days of the late '60s and early '70s under manager Earl Weaver, but this club was different in nature and spirit. The talent was not as dominant, but a blend of heart, skills, and original personalities produced a team as compelling and effective as any in Orioles history.

Years later, it is still hard to say what happened in the summer of 1979, what caused Orioles games at Memorial Stadium to become more popular. It didn't hurt that pro football's Baltimore Colts, more popular for a long time, were coming apart under owner Robert Irsay; with the team losing and Irsay threatening to move, fans were abandoning the franchise and looking for an alternative.

Weaver also found places to plug in reserve outfielder Pat Kelly, who batted .288; pinch hitter deluxe Terry Crowley, who batted .317, and Benny Ayala, a reserve outfielder with a knack for extra-base hits. Lee May still received the majority of the designated hitter at-bats, producing 19 homers and 69 RBIs.

The team had won 90 games and drawn 1.05 million fans in 1978, maintaining a depressing attendance level that hadn't changed in 25 years. With player salaries rising and profits falling, Hoffberger was under pressure from his family to sell. He announced in 1978 that he would entertain offers, and Williams's purchase was completed in August '79. The lawyer said he would move to Washington only if attendance continued to disappoint, although crowds had already begun to swell earlier in the season, before Williams laid down his challenge.

The '79 Orioles didn't have a high payroll, but they won with a blend of intelligence, strong fundamentals, and guile. An amalagam of All-Stars and role players who jelled under Weaver's forceful hand, they pitched well, made key plays in the field, hit in the clutch, came from behind, and won games in unusual ways. The phenomenon was given a nickname: "Oriole Magic"

Those carrying the heaviest loads on offense were outfielder Ken Singleton, who had a career-best year with 35 homers and 111 RBIs and finished second in the American League MVP voting and first baseman Eddie Murray, who had 25 homers and 99 RBI.

Rich Dauer, Kiko Garcia, and Doug DeCinces filled out the infield, with Garcia, a farm-system product, taking over for aging Mark Belanger at shortstop. Al Bumbry batted leadoff, stole 37 bases, and ran down balls in center field. Rick Dempsey hit just .239, but his get-dirty style behind the plate made him a fan favorite.

Weaver's idea of platooning veteran John Lowenstein and rookie Gary Roenicke in left field was surprisingly successful. Roenicke, acquired in the Montreal deal, had 25 homers and 64 RBI in his first full season in the majors. Lowenstein, acquired from the Texas Rangers on waivers after the '78 season, added 11 homers and 34 RBIs.

Pitching was still the heart of the club. The Orioles had the AL's lowest team ERA (3.28, more than a half run lower than the next best team ERA) and limited opponents to a .241 average, the league's lowest by 12 points. The staff was led by Mike Flanagan, whose 23-9 record, 3.08 ERA, and 16 complete games earned him the AL Cy Young Award. After Flanagan, there was Dennis Martínez (15-16, 18 complete games), Scott McGregor (13-6), Steve Stone (11-7), and Jim Palmer (10-6), who was injured and failed to win 20 games for only the second time in the '70s. The bullpen, with Don Stanhouse, left-hander Tippy Martinez, and right-handers Tim Stoddard and Sammy Stewart, had 28 wins and 30 saves.

Stanhouse, a closer acquired in a six-player deal with the Montreal Expos before the 1978 season, made the AL All-Star team despite a habit of narrowly escaping jams. Weaver nicknamed Stanhouse "Full Pack", as in the full pack of cigarettes Weaver nervously smoked to help him get through Stanhouse's appearances. Flanagan called Stanhouse "Stan the Man Unusual," a play on the nickname of Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial.

In section 34 in the upper deck down the right-field line, a bearded cab driver named "Wild" Bill Hagy became the symbol of the awakening. He would rise from his seat, stand in front of his section, and spell out O-R-I-O-L-E-S with his body, twisting his arms and legs into recognizable facsimiles of the letters. When other, nearby sections joined in the cheer, it grew in popularity until the entire ballpark was following Hagy's lead, sending roaring cheers into the night.