NewsBucs of '79 can be model for Phillies
'We are Family' Pirates took Games 6 and 7 for championship
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
11/04/09 2:41 PM EST
NEW YORK -- Leave it to former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner to tell the story best.
He paused. Then, he laughed.
"They're still waiting for that parade."
Tanner is, of course, talking about that 1979 Pirates team that went into Baltimore's Memorial Stadium and reeled off the improbable, winning Games 6 and 7 of the World Series to finish the climb out of a 3-1 Series deficit.
"Our whole mindset all along was that we were a team of destiny, and that's how it was going to be," said second baseman Phil Garner, who also noted that that Pirates team was in fourth place and seven games out as late as July 8 that season. "We never doubted that we were going to win. We just felt like there was no way we couldn't."
In winning that World Series championship, the Pirates became the third team in Major League history to pull off such a Fall Classic comeback by taking the last two games on the road. Now the Phillies, with victories in Games 6 and 7 at Yankee Stadium, can become the fourth.
But back to those 1979 Pirates -- a team that adopted Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" hit as its mantra -- and their story. Because it's an intriguing one to relive.
After splitting Games 1 and 2 in Baltimore and losing the first game of the Series at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates watched the Orioles stun a crowd of 50,883 clad in black and gold with a six-run eighth inning, much of it against the always reliable Kent Tekulve. The 9-6 win put the Orioles one victory away from payback, as the Pirates had taken the 1971 World Series in a matchup of the same two clubs.
Five off the floor
| Year | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Royals | Cardinals |
| 1979 | Pirates | Orioles |
| 1968 | Tigers | Cardinals |
| 1958 | Yankees | Braves |
| 1925 | Pirates | Senators |
"At the initial point where we were down 3-1, the general mood was we were disappointed in the way we had played," Tekulve said. "We had the world watching, and we weren't playing like a good baseball team. At first it becomes not about winning it all, but about if we lose in Game 5, we at least wanted to go out and play a good game. Game 5 was more just justifying your existence."
Apparently, though, that deficit did little to shake the confidence of a club led by the likes of Willie "Pops" Stargell, Dave Parker and Bill Madlock.
"We were going up to the clubhouse and our PR guy, Joe Safety, had his head down," recalled Tanner. "Garner went by and said, 'What's wrong Joe? Don't worry. We have them right where we want them.' We all believed that."
Game 5 would feature a masterpiece of a performance from old-timer Jim Rooker, who had to fill in for Game 1 starter, Bruce Kison, who had a finger injury. Rooker pitched five strong innings, allowing just one run.
"He stepped up," Garner said, "and pitched the game of his life."
Not to mention, that this game was being played with an emotional element, as Tanner's mother had passed away the morning of the contest. Regardless, the skipper never thought about leaving his team.
"Mom would have said that she would have wanted me to be here and play ball," Tanner told the club.
Bert Blyleven followed with four shutout innings and the Pirates scored seven unanswered runs. The Series was going back to Baltimore.
"We never ever thought about it being any different going on the road," Tekulve said. "We just played where the games were. They've got grass. We've got turf. They have a little more familiarity with the park. OK, whatever. We just played."
When the Series shifted to Baltimore, Pittsburgh's John Candelaria outpitched Hall of Famer Jim Palmer in a game that went to the Pirates, 4-0. At that point, there was little doubt in the Bucs' clubhouse as to what would happen on Oct. 17.
"When we won that sixth game, we were as loose as a goose," Tanner said. "And they were tight. You could just see it. We were having fun in the clubhouse, eating crab claws before the last game. The only thing was I told [Jim] Bibby not to cut his finger since he had to pitch Game 7."
"Each loss, the pressure grows exponentially against the team that needs one to win," Garner added. "If you're down 3-1, what do you have to lose? I don't think our team was uptight about it. In a short series, momentum can be your 10th player. Once you get on that roll, it gathers steam. Players begin to believe they're invincible. We did."
Though the Pirates trailed, 1-0, heading into the sixth inning of Game 7, the club rode the back of Stargell, who was soon to be the World Series' Most Valuable Player. His two-run homer in the sixth gave the Pirates the lead, and soon after, Tekulve sealed it with his third save of the Series. All combined, Pirates pitchers allowed just two runs in those last three must-win games.
"We didn't have a 100-RBI guy. We just had a team that played together and played the game the right way," Tanner said. "I remember telling the writers to write that Baltimore had the best players. I couldn't disagree with that. But we had the best team."
At the time, Pittsburgh's come-from-behind Series win made it just the fifth baseball team in history to erase a 3-1 deficit to win the Fall Classic. And until the Steel City's hockey team defeated the Red Wings in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals in Detroit, no other team in any of North America's four major sports had won a championship Game 7 on the road since, a feat that the Phillies are trying to match.
"I think we had good reason to be cocky and confident," Garner said. "We were a pretty good ballclub. All those things put together, we were just very comfortable and very confident."
Could the Phillies mirror the Pirates' incredible comeback? For the time being, at least, Tekulve didn't rule such a feat out.
"When you're supposed to be eliminated, it doesn't matter. You're playing on borrowed time," Tekulve said. "If this Series goes to Game 7, all the pressure goes to the Yankees because they were supposed to win it in five. And actually, this Phillies team could be a lot like our club. We kind of patched together our pitching in Game 5. It looks like the Phillies might be doing that in Game 7."
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
