It was the “We are family Pirates and the great pitching of the Baltimore Orioles in one of the most amazing World Series ever played. OK maybe it seemed that way because it was the first World Series I ever covered and the first game in Baltimore there was SNOW.
Anyway tonight begins a new series of Baseball’s Seasons this week on MLB Network with a focus on the most memorable moments of the 1979 Major League Baseball season. The documentary-style series created by Major League Baseball Productions focuses on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ championship season led by Dave Parker and 1979 National League MVP Willie Stargell; the story of the Baltimore Orioles, led by Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver and 1979 All-Star Ken Singleton; and the California Angels who, with veterans like Rod Carew & 1979 American League MVP Don Baylor, reached the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s history. Also highlighted in the episode is how the New York Yankees were impacted by the death of their star catcher Thurman Munson in the quest for their fourth-straight American League pennant. As the series examines each year in the context of the time’s culture and society, the 1979 episode highlights the country’s gas crisis. The episode will air on Wednesday, November 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET and re-air at 11:00 p.m. ET. A preview of the 1979 episode can be viewed in the attached file.
The 1969 MLB season, featuring the New York Mets’ first World Series Championship, will be the focus of a second new episode airing on Wednesday, November 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The 1969 episode also covers the league breaking into divisions; the Atlanta Braves winning the NL West and the Minnesota Twins winning the AL West; and the standout seasons from the San Francisco Giants’ Willie McCovey and the Oakland Athletics’ Reggie Jackson against the backdrop of Vietnam War protests, the Woodstock Music & Art Festival and the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
Additional episodes of Baseball’s Seasons, including 1959, 1967, 1987, 2003 and 2004, will debut on MLB Network through February 2010. Episodes featured since MLB Network launched on January 1, 2009 include 1961, 1968, 1982, 1986, 1993, 1995 and 2001.
