| 1979 New York Yankees | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Yankee Stadium | |
| City | New York City | |
| Owners | George Steinbrenner | |
| General managers | Cedric Tallis | |
| Managers | Bob Lemon, Billy Martin | |
| Television | WPIX SportsChannel NY (Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer, Bill White) | |
| Radio | WINS (AM) (Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, Fran Healy) | |
| ||
The 1979 New York Yankees season was the 77th season for the franchise. The season was marked by the death of their starting catcher, Thurman Munson, on August 2. The team finished with a record of 89–71, finishing fourth in the American League East, 13.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles, ending the Yankees' three-year domination of the AL East. New York was managed by Billy Martin, and Bob Lemon. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.
As the Munson Era came to a tragic end within this season, a new era was about to unfold. 1979 marked the first time ever for the Yankees to broadcast their games on cable within New York City and surrounding areas, becoming the first ever MLB team to do so. Starting Opening Day that year, all Yankees games save for the nationally aired games were broadcast on the then 3-year old cable channel SportsChannel NY (aside from the usual WPIX telecast for free to air television viewers in the New York area and nationwide via satellite and cable).