1979 Atlanta Braves season

Did You Know?

• Brook Jacoby was drafted by the Braves in the 7th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft on January 9, 1979.
• Mike Davey was purchased from the Braves by the Seattle Mariners on February 22, 1979.
• Dave Campbell was traded by the Braves to the Montreal Expos for Pepe Frías on March 31, 1979.

Regular season

The 1979 Atlanta Braves season was marked by tragedy on May 5, when general manager Bill Lucas died suddenly at age 43. Lucas, who had been the highest-ranking Black executive in Major League Baseball and the sport's first African-American general manager, suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage at home on May 2 after watching the Braves win a road game on television. He had led the team's baseball operations since September 17, 1976, and during his tenure, the Braves brought up future stars like Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, and Glenn Hubbard, who would become key pieces of the early-1980s contending squads.

Lucas also hired Bobby Cox for his first managerial stint with the club, which lasted from 1978 to 1981. A Brave since 1957 as both a player and executive, Lucas was also the brother of Barbara, the former wife of Hall of Famer and Braves legend Henry Aaron. On May 16, John Mullen, a 54-year-old former vice president with the Houston Astros who had previously worked in the Braves' front office during their Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta days, took over as general manager.

Mullen held the role until October 1985, when Cox succeeded him. Earlier in the season, on April 3, the Braves released pitcher Buzz Capra. During the June 5 amateur draft, the club selected Paul Runge in the ninth round and Brett Butler in the 23rd round; Butler signed with the team on June 11.