1979 California League season
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| 1979 California League season | |
|---|---|
| League | California League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 12 – August 31 |
| Games | 140 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | San Jose Missions |
| Season MVP | Mike Marshall, Lodi Dodgers Les Pearsey, Visalia Oaks |
| Playoffs | |
| League champions | San Jose Missions |
| Runners-up | Stockton Ports |
The 1979 California League was a Class A baseball season played between April 12 and August 31. Ten teams played a 140-game schedule, as the winner of each half of the season qualifying for the playoffs.
The San Jose Missions won the California League championship, as they defeated the Stockton Ports in the final round of the playoffs.
- The San Jose Missions joined the league as an expansion team and joined the South Division. The club began an affiliation with the Seattle Mariners.
- The Santa Clara Padres joined the league as an expansion team and joined the North Division.
- The Stockton Mariners ended their affiliation with the Seattle Mariners and began a new affiliation with the Milwaukee Brewers. The club was renamed to the Stockton Ports.
Teams
Map of teams
Regular season
Summary
- The San Jose Missions finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time in club history.
- Despite finishing with the best record in the North Division, the Reno Silver Sox failed to qualify for the post-season, as they did not finish in first place in either half of the season.
- The Stockton Ports defeated the Reno Silver Sox in a tie-breaking game to win the North Division in the second half of the season.
Standings
| North Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Reno Silver Sox | 74 | 67 | .525 | – |
| Stockton Ports | 73 | 68 | .518 | 1 |
| Lodi Dodgers | 67 | 72 | .482 | 6 |
| Modesto A's | 66 | 74 | .471 | 7.5 |
| Santa Clara Padres | 47 | 93 | .336 | 26.5 |
| South Division | ||||
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| San Jose Missions | 89 | 51 | .636 | – |
| Visalia Oaks | 86 | 54 | .614 | 3 |
| Salinas Angels | 69 | 71 | .493 | 20 |
| Fresno Giants | 66 | 73 | .475 | 22.5 |
| Bakersfield Outlaws | 63 | 77 | .450 | 26 |
League Leaders
Batting leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Mike Marshall, Lodi Dodgers | .354 |
| H | Mike Marshall, Lodi Dodgers | 186 |
| R | Les Pearsey, Visalia Oaks | 111 |
| 2B | Mike Marshall, Lodi Dodgers | 37 |
| 3B | Eddie Brunson, Stockton Ports | 10 |
| HR | Mark Funderburk, Visalia Oaks | 31 |
| RBI | Les Pearsey, Visalia Oaks | 121 |
| SB | Alfred Weston, San Jose Missions | 66 |
Pitching leaders
Playoffs
- The San Jose Missions won their first California League championship, as they defeated the Stockton Ports in five games.
Playoff bracket
| Divisional finals | Finals | ||||||||
| N1 | Lodi | 0 | |||||||
| N2 | Stockton | 2 | |||||||
| N2 | Stockton | 2 | |||||||
| S2 | San Jose | 3 | |||||||
| S1 | Visalia | 1 | |||||||
| S2 | San Jose | 2 | |||||||
Awards
| California League awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Mike Marshall, Lodi Dodgers Les Pearsey, Visalia Oaks |