The miraculous sweep that sparked the 1979 Angels

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ANAHEIM, CA – OCTOBER 5, 1979: Don Baylor #25 of the California Angels bats against the Baltimore Orioles during Game Three of the 1979 ALCS at Anaheim Stadium on October 5, 1979 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Getty Images) /

The Yes We Can Angels of 1979 became the first team in franchise history to advance to the postseason. A miraculous sweep of the Yankees set the season on its magical course.

No story about the 1979 Angels can start without mentioning Lyman Bostock. The outfielder, who was leading the team in batting in 1978, was tragically murdered in Gary, Indiana following a game at Comiskey Park in September. What would have otherwise been a season of progress, the Angels finishing within five games of first place, their closest to contention in their short 18-year history, turned into a period of mourning.

After paying proper respects, owner Gene Autry, was ready to take the next step in building a winner. The Angels swung two trades with the Minnesota Twins that offseason, acquiring outfielder Dan Ford and future Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew.

The 1979 Angels were ready to take on the American League heavyweight Kansas City Royals, and that they did, winning the division by three games on way to their first postseason appearance in franchise history.

But how they got there, adopting the “Yes We Can” slogan along the way, is a story that can be summed up by describing one series in July against the New York Yankees.

The Angels entered their three game series with the Yankees with a slim 1.5 game lead in the AL West over the Texas Rangers. A seven-game losing streak at the end of June had erased a 4.5 game division lead. Just when it looked like the Angels were ready to fold away their hot start to the season, they turned around and won six in a row, building on their winning streak to win ten of their next thirteen games to set the stage for their three game weekend set with the Yankees at The Big A that demonstrated the spirit of the ’79 Yes We Can Angels.

Nolan Ryan played for 27 years with with 4 different teams and was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. (Photo by: 1977 SPX/Diamond Images via Getty Images) /

Nolan Ryan almost says no again

The season-defining series against the Yankees started on a Friday night with Nolan Ryan on the mound. Ryan entered the game having pitched three consecutive complete games, including a shutout of the Boston Red Sox four days earlier. Ryan had been the rock of the Angels rotation since coming over from the Mets in 1972. As much as the franchise was still searching for a winning identity, Ryan was a beacon of hope. It’s fitting that his performance started this magical weekend against the Bronx Bombers.

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Ryan took the ball on that Friday and mowed down the Yankees order, while walking five, striking out nine, and started the 9th inning with another no-hitter within his grasp. But before that, a line drive to center field that hit off the glove of Angels centerfielder Rick Miller in the top of the 8th was given the hometown call of an error instead of a hit, sparking controversy. Would a no-hitter be marred by a scorer’s judgment?

Ryan eventually saved the scorekeeper, but lost his no-hitter in the 9th by surrendering a hit to Reggie Jackson two outs away from his fifth no-no. The dominant pitching performance set the stage for the next two nights when the team’s hitters pulled two rabbits out of their hats.

Don Baylor, (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Miraculous Comebacks

On July 15, the second game of the series, the Yankees hitters came to life and built a 6-0 lead with Tommy John on the mound. The Angels didn’t score a run until the 6th inning when they put two on the board before Rich Gossage came into the game to end the inning. The Halos would eventually cut the deficit to three runs, but still trailed 7-4 in the bottom of the 9th with Gossage ready to close them out for good.

Gossage struck out Bert Campaneris and induced Bobby Grich to pop out to record the first two outs of the 9th without breaking a sweat. The Angels were losing by three runs, with nobody on, and down to their final out.

Carney Lansford got a base hit and Dan Ford beat out an infield single to bring Don Baylor, who had homered earlier in the game, to the plate as the tying run. Baylor lined a a fly ball off the foul ball to tie the game at seven. Left for dead, the Angels extended the game to the 12th and won on a Merv Rettenmund RBI single.

After a near no-hitter and miraculous comeback, you would think the magic would run out by the final game of this three-game series, but it didn’t. Once again the Angels fell behind, this time 4-1 by the 7th inning. Bobby Grich hit an RBI double to cut the lead to 4-3, but Ron Guidry carried the one-run lead to the bottom of the 9th.

With two outs, and a runner on first base, Grich came to the plate to face Guidry. And for the second consecutive game, the Halos hit a home run in the most opportune time, as Grich sent the ball over the right field fence for another improbable victory.

The sweep of the Yankees sent the Angels into the All-Star break with a two game lead over the Rangers, who, at the same time, were winning three of four against the Royals. The Angels comeback spirit over that weekend told the rest of the American League that this 1979 team meant business; they weren’t the Angels of the past. They were going to be a problem for their AL West rivals.

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1979 will always be remembered as a special year for Angels fans, and no series represents the will of that team like their three-game sweep of the Yankees in July.

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The Yes We Can Angels of 1979 became the first team in franchise history to advance to the postseason. A miraculous sweep of the Yankees set the season on its magical course.

Nolan Ryan almost says no again

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Miraculous Comebacks

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