| 1979 Cincinnati Reds | ||
|---|---|---|
| National League West Champions | ||
| League | National League | |
| Division | West | |
| Ballpark | Riverfront Stadium | |
| City | Cincinnati | |
| Record | 90–71 (.559) | |
| Divisional place | 1st | |
| Owners | Louis Nippert | |
| General managers | Dick Wagner | |
| Managers | John McNamara | |
| Television | WLWT (Ray Lane, Bill Brown) | |
| Radio | WLW (Marty Brennaman, Joe Nuxhall) | |
| ||
The 1979 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds winning the National League West under their first-year manager John McNamara, with a record of 90–71, 1½ games better than the Houston Astros. It was a year of great change for the Reds, who lost long-time star Pete Rose to the Philadelphia Phillies, who signed Rose as an unrestricted free agent. Also, long-time manager and future Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson was fired by new general manager Dick Wagner when Anderson refused to make changes in his coaching staff. McNamara guided the Reds to its first West Division title in three years. Wagner replaced long-time GM Bob Howsam, who retired after running the Reds for 12 years. Through some good drafts and several key trades, Howsam built a team that won six division titles, and played in four World Series, winning two, during the 1970s.
However, the Reds lost the NLCS to the eventual World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates in three straight games. It was the first time in four tries the Pirates had upended the Reds in a league championship series since Major League Baseball began divisional play in 1969. It would be Cincinnati's last postseason appearance until 1990.
The Reds played their home games at Riverfront Stadium.