The division title went down to the 161st game of the season before the Phillies finally clinched the flag. In the final 2 weeks of the regular season the divisional lead changed hands 5 times as the young upstart Expos pushed the Veteran Phightin’s to the brink. Pittsburgh was the only other team to finish over .500 in the division. By 1980 people were starting to think the window of opportunity was beginning to close on a Phillie team that won 3 straight division titles from 1976-1978. The Expos finished second for the second straight year. Everyone thought that youth was on their side and it would soon be served. The defending champion Pirates never got on track thanks to their rapidly aging veteran core that put it all together the previous year for one last glorious run. The Cardinals, under Whitey Herzog were in the middle of an extensive rebuilding process that would focus on speed and fielding. The Mets were now under new ownership and hoping to rebound from three straight dismal seasons. The Cubbies, who seemed to contend the last few years only to crumble in the dog days of August crashed all the way to last place as the dawn of a new decade was upon us.
East Division
| Tm | W | L | GB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | PHI | 91 | 71 | .562 | -- |
| Montreal Expos | MON | 90 | 72 | .556 | 1.0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | PIT | 83 | 79 | .512 | 8.0 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | STL | 74 | 88 | .457 | 17.0 |
| New York Mets | NYM | 67 | 95 | .414 | 24.0 |
| Chicago Cubs | CHC | 64 | 98 | .395 | 27.0 |
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