It took 19 years, but the Angels would finally win their first division championship in 1979. Jim Fregosi took over the Halos the previous year, but this would be his first full season as skipper. Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, Rod Carew, and Brian Downing led an offense that only had one starting player with a batting average under .280. Downing would hit .326 while Grich and Baylor both powered 30+ home runs. The pitching wasn't spectacular, but they got the job done. The staff was lead by 26 year-old Dave Frost and 32 year-old veteran Nolan Ryan who both threw over 200 innings. The Angels would fall to Earl Weaver's Orioles powered by Ken Singleton and Eddie Murray. It would be Weaver's final American League Championship.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Fact #8 - Win first division
It took 19 years, but the Angels would finally win their first division championship in 1979. Jim Fregosi took over the Halos the previous year, but this would be his first full season as skipper. Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, Rod Carew, and Brian Downing led an offense that only had one starting player with a batting average under .280. Downing would hit .326 while Grich and Baylor both powered 30+ home runs. The pitching wasn't spectacular, but they got the job done. The staff was lead by 26 year-old Dave Frost and 32 year-old veteran Nolan Ryan who both threw over 200 innings. The Angels would fall to Earl Weaver's Orioles powered by Ken Singleton and Eddie Murray. It would be Weaver's final American League Championship.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment