Thursday October 11th, 1979 @ Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MD

The outfield is torn up, the warning track riddled with puddles, the infield is choppy, and the grass is wet. Suffice it to say, Memorial Stadium is a mess. But that won't stop the World Series. The Baltimore Orioles jumped out to an early lead in game one, but they just barely held off the Pirates late rally to secure a 5-4 victory. The Pittsburgh bullpen kept the O's bats quiet, while the offense chipped away at the lefty Flanagan. The 1979 AL Cy Young displayed impressive resolve, inducing a pop-out from '79 NL MVP Willie Stargell to end the game and strand '78 NL MVP Dave Parker at third base. The stars have come out to play these playoffs, and tonight will be no different. The pitching matchup is a pair of future Hall-of-Famers and longtime TV broadcasters, handsome Jim Palmer (10 - 6 3.30 ERA 155 IP) and the Dutchman Bert Blyleven (12 - 5 3.60 ERA 237 IP). Both will pitch well tonight, but neither will factor in the decision. The key hit from this game will come from an unexpected, yet quite familiar player. Tune in for an excellent game two.

Audioclips from joeydbball Youtube. ABC broadcast w/ Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, and Don Drysdale

As always shoutout to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, boxscores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.