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1979 END OF REGULAR SEASON
We've finished the regular season strong and ended up 1 win shy of the 121-61 record-breaking season we had a couple years back. The Rangers record stands at 120-62, with a pythag of -5. So we probably had the best run differential of all-time, but I can't seem to find that on Google for real MLB history.
The playoffs will have Texas vs. Boston in the AL, while Cincinnati and Pittsburgh square off in the NL. We faced Boston in the playoffs during our second ever season in Texas back in 1973, where we won a thriller to advance to the World Series. Will history repeat itself?
Below are the standings, batting, and pitching stats for 1979. Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Chet Lemon, and Al Oliver were the standouts. Not pictured is Jon Matlack, who had a season ending injury, and Bill Madlock, who played in all 162 games but finished with an awful WAR of around 1.0. Really a down year from him.
Adding Chet Lemon to the CF position really boosted the pitching staff to crazy numbers. Fergie Jenkins is starting to decline, so I put him on an 85 pitch count which helped to get the bullpen involved nicely. Len Barker and Goose Gossage were used to good effect in stopper roles.
On to the playoffs!
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