The 1979 Cincinnati Reds baseball cards were issued during one of the most successful eras in franchise history. Coming off back-to-back World Series championships in 1975 and 1976, the Big Red Machine was still churning out winning seasons and playoff appearances under manager Sparky Anderson in the late 1970s.
The 1979 Reds won the National League West division with a record of 90-71. It was their sixth division title in eight years and 13th in the last 15 seasons. Led by future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Perez, as well as star players Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster, and Dave Concepcion, the Reds continued demonstrating their dominance in the NL even as the roster gradually turned over from the glory years of the early-mid 1970s.
Topps issued the standard team set of cards for the Reds in 1979. Each player’s card featured a color photo from the 1978 or 1979 seasons on the front, with career stats and a short biography on the back. Some of the more notable Reds cards from that year included:
Johnny Bench (#1): The face of the franchise appeared on his 14th consecutive Topps Reds card. Bench was still an All-Star caliber catcher, though injuries were beginning to slow him down at age 30.
Joe Morgan (#5): The sparkplug second baseman won his third career batting title in 1979 with a .327 average. He remained one of the best all-around players in baseball at age 34.
Ken Griffey Sr. (#14): In his fifth season with Cincinnati, Griffey was a consistent run producer in the middle of the lineup, batting .296 with 18 home runs and 86 RBI in 1979.
Ray Knight (#23): The third baseman was in his second year with the Reds after coming over from the Houston Astros. He hit a career-high 21 home runs in 1979.
Dave Concepcion (#27): “Coco” was arguably the best defensive shortstop in the game during his era. He also hit .275 in 1979 and made his 7th straight All-Star team.
Tom Seaver (#33): The future Hall of Famer was acquired from the New York Mets in 1977 and remained one of baseball’s top starting pitchers into his mid-30s. He went 16-6 with a 2.54 ERA in 1979.
George Foster (#37): After consecutive MVP-caliber seasons in 1977-78, Foster hit .302 with 27 homers and 81 RBI in 1979 in his sixth year as Cincinnati’s left fielder.
Dan Driessen (#39): A versatile player who could play both corner infield positions, Driessen was in his fifth season with the Reds in 1979 and hit .281 in a utility role.
Pedro Borbon (#53): The reliever was in his eighth year with Cincinnati’s bullpen. He posted a 3.07 ERA and nine saves in 1979.
The Reds’ minor leaguers were also represented with Topps rookie cards for players like shortstop Kurt Stillwell (#612) and pitcher Jay Tibbs (#623), who both made their MLB debuts in 1979. Cincinnati’s unis remained virtually unchanged from the 1970s, still featuring the classic all-red pullover jerseys and stirrup socks.
While the Big Red Machine era was winding down, the 1979 Reds cards demonstrated that Cincinnati continued fielding a competitive, veteran-laden team that kept contending for division titles on an annual basis. Future Hall of Famers like Bench, Morgan and Perez led the way alongside established stars like Foster, Griffey, Concepcion and Seaver. The cards provide a snapshot into one of the franchise’s most successful eras and a roster that kept the Reds among baseball’s elite clubs even as the core players from the 1970s championship years moved on. For Reds fans and baseball card collectors alike, the 1979 set serves as an iconic memento from one of the proudest periods in Cincinnati baseball history.
