1981 Major League Baseball season

1981 MLB season
League Major League Baseball
Sport Baseball
Duration April 8 – June 12, 1981
August 10 – October 28, 1981
Draft
Top draft pick Mike Moore
Picked by Seattle Mariners
Regular season
Season MVP AL: Rollie Fingers (MIL)
NL: Mike Schmidt (PHI)
League postseason
AL champions New York Yankees
  AL runners-up Oakland Athletics
NL champions Los Angeles Dodgers
  NL runners-up Montreal Expos
World Series
Champions Los Angeles Dodgers
  Runners-up New York Yankees
Finals MVP Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero & Steve Yeager (LAD)

The 1981 Major League Baseball season had a players' strike, which lasted from June 12 to July 31, 1981, and split the season in two halves.

The All-Star Game was originally to be played on July 14, but was cancelled due to the strike. It was then brought back and played on August 9, as a prelude to the second half of the season, which began the following day.

Major league baseball final standings

Statistical leaders

Statistic American League National League
AVGCarney Lansford BOS.336Bill Madlock PIT.341
HRTony Armas OAK
Dwight Evans BOS
Bobby Grich CAL
Eddie Murray BAL		22Mike Schmidt PHI31
RBIEddie Murray BAL78Mike Schmidt PHI91
WinsDennis Martínez BAL
Steve McCatty OAK
Jack Morris DET
Pete Vuckovich MIL		14Tom Seaver CIN14
ERADave Righetti NYY2.05Nolan Ryan HOU1.69
SOLen Barker CLE127Fernando Valenzuela LAD180
SVRollie Fingers MIL28Bruce Sutter STL25
SBRickey Henderson OAK56Tim Raines MTL71
The Oakland Athletics playing host to the Texas Rangers at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum during a 1981 home game.

Postseason

  Division Series
ABC/NBC		 League Championship Series
NBC		 World Series
ABC
                           
  E1 NY Yankees 3  
E2 Milwaukee 2  
  E1 NY Yankees 3  
American League
  W1 Oakland 0  
W1 Oakland 3
  W2 Kansas City 0  
    AL NY Yankees 2
  NL LA Dodgers 4
  E1 Philadelphia 2  
E2 Montreal 3  
  E2 Montreal 2
National League
  W1 LA Dodgers 3  
W1 LA Dodgers 3
  W2 Houston 2  

NOTE: Due to a strike in mid-season, the season was divided into a first half and a second half. The division winner of the first half (denoted E1, W1) played the division winner of the second half (denoted E2, W2).

Awards and honors

Events

January–March

April–June

  • April 9 – After pitcher Jerry Reuss pulls a muscle, rookie Fernando Valenzuela is given his first starting assignment. His first Major League start results in a five-hit shutout. It is the beginning of what will be called "Fernandomania" in Southern California.
  • April 10 – Carlton Fisk debuts with the Chicago White Sox, coincidentally in Fenway Park against his former team, the Boston Red Sox. Fisk hits a three-run home run in the eighth to secure a 5–3 win for Chicago.
  • April 18 – Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds records his 3000th career strikeout. Keith Hernandez is the victim.
  • April 18 – 19 – Minor league teams from Pawtucket and Rochester clash in a 33 inning game that extends eight hours and 25 minutes; the longest professional baseball game up to that time. Future Hall of Famers Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken, Jr. go a combined 6-for-25 in the game.
  • April 27 – Just 18 days after his first start, Fernando Valenzuela has grabbed the attention of the baseball world. In just his fifth start, he pitches his fourth complete game shutout running his record to 5–0 with a microscopic 0.20 ERA. He is also batting over 0.400 to help his own cause.
  • April 29 – Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies records his 3000th career strikeout. April 1981 is the only month in history to have two pitchers reach this milestone. He is the first left-handed pitcher in Major League history to reach that mark.
  • May 10 – In the second game of a doubleheader, Charlie Lea of the Montreal Expos no-hits the San Francisco Giants 4–0, the first no-hitter ever pitched at Olympic Stadium.
  • May 15 – Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians pitches a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays, 3–0, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. He struck out 11, all swinging, after the third inning and never had a 3-ball count on any batter on a misty, rain-soaked night where only 7,290 fans took in the game. Current Indians broadcaster Rick Manning caught the 27th out of the night on a fly ball to center field. Barker's catcher, Ron Hassey will later catch Dennis Martínez's 1991 perfect game making him the first catcher in history to catch two perfect games.
  • May 25 – Carl Yastrzemski plays in his 3,000th major league game, scoring the winning run in Boston's 8–7 triumph over Cleveland. Yaz joins Ty Cobb, Stan Musial and Hank Aaron as the fourth major leaguer to appear in 3,000 games.
  • May 28 – After Kansas City Royals player Amos Otis hits a grounder along the third-base line at the Seattle Kingdome, Mariners player Lenny Randle gets down onto his hands and knees and blows on the ball, in an attempt to make it a foul ball.[1]
  • June 5 – Nolan Ryan issues the 1,777th walk in his career, breaking the record previously held by Early Wynn.
  • June 10 – Pete Rose hits a Nolan Ryan pitch for the 3,630th safe hit of his career; tying Stan Musial's National League record for career hits.
  • June 12 – After meeting with major league owners for most of the previous day, players' union chief Marvin Miller announces, "We have accomplished nothing. The strike is on", thus beginning the longest labor action to date in baseball history. By the time the season resumes on August 10, 706 games (38 percent of the season schedule) will have been canceled.
  • June 16 – In the midst of the players' strike, William Wrigley III announces the sale of the Chicago Cubs to the Tribune Company for $20 million. This ends the decades long association between the Wrigley family and the Cubs.

July–September

October–December

  • October 3 – Bob Horner hits two home runs and scores the winning run to give the Atlanta Braves a 4–3 win over the Cincinnati Reds, and the Houston Astros the second-half title in the NL West division. Cincinnati, which lost the first-half title to the Dodgers by half a game, will finish with the best overall record (66–42) in the major leagues, but will miss the playoffs as a result of not having won either half's division title.
  • October 3 – The Milwaukee Brewers (playing since 1970) and Montreal Expos (since 1969) clinch their first postseason appearances. Milwaukee beats Detroit 2–1 to wrap up the second-half title in the AL East division, while Montréal edges the Mets 5–4 to win the NL East's second playoff spot. (St. Louis finishes with the best overall record in the NL East but misses the playoffs for the same reason as the Cincinnati Reds.)
  • October 5 – The Kansas City Royals shut out Cleveland 9–0 in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader to clinch the second-half title in the AL West. The second game is canceled as irrelevant. This was a make-up game after the scheduled season ended the day before.
  • October 19 – Rick Monday of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a ninth-inning home run to break a 1–1 tie and secure a Game 5 victory in the National League Championship Series. The losing Montréal Expos had been leading the series two games to one in what would be their only postseason appearance.
  • October 28 – Pedro Guerrero drives in five runs, and pitcher Burt Hooton and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 9–2 to win the 1981 World Series in six games. In a remarkable postseason, the Dodgers rallied from game deficits of 2–0 against the Astros in the division series, 2-1 against the Expos in the National League Championship series, and 2–0 against the Yankees in the World Series. Guerrero, Ron Cey and Steve Yeager are named co-MVPs.
  • November 11 – Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers wins the National League Cy Young Award, becoming the first rookie to win the award.
  • November 25 – Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first relief pitcher ever to win the American League MVP Award, edging Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics, 319 to 308. Fingers saved 28 games while posting a 1.04 ERA.
  • December 2 – Following the strike-shortened season, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela becomes the third consecutive Dodgers player to be named National League Rookie of the Year. The Mexican lefthander posted a 13–7 record with a 2.48 ERA and led the NL in strikeouts (180), games started (25), complete games (11), shutouts (eight) and innings pitched (192​1⁄3). His 13 wins tied him with Steve Carlton in second place behind Tom Seaver, who finished with 14. Valenzuela also made his first All-Star appearance and received both the Cy Young and TSN Rookie of the Year awards.

Births

January- March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Deaths

  • January 26 – Ray Oyler, 42, shortstop known for excellent glovework with the Detroit Tigers' 1968 champions, afterwards taken in the expansion draft by the Seattle Pilots
  • February 2 – Al Van Camp, 77, first baseman/left fielder who played from 1928 to 1932 for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox
  • February 4 – Grant Gillis, 70, utility infielder for the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox between 1927 and 1929
  • February 15 – Cotton Pippen, 69, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers from 1936 to 1940, better known as the pitcher that struck out Ted Williams in his first major league at-bat
  • March 7 – Pee-Wee Wanninger, 78, backup shortstop for the Yankees, Red Sox and Reds, better known as the player who replaced Everett Scott with the Yankees in 1925 to end his then major league record of 1,307 consecutive games
  • March 10 – Bob Elson, 76, broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox from 1931 to 1970; also worked with the Cubs and Oakland Athletics
  • March 17 – Paul Dean, 67, pitcher who joined his older brother Dizzy on the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 19 games in each of his first two seasons; the brothers each won two games in the 1934 World Series
  • March 19 – Frank Lane, 85, general manager of the White Sox, Indians, Brewers and Cardinals known for his numerous trades
  • March 25 – Red Morgan, 97, third baseman for the 1906 Boston Americans, at the time of his death the oldest living former major leaguer
  • April 16 – Effa Manley, 84, owner of the Negro Leagues' Newark Eagles from 1935 to 1948
  • April 27 – Emerson Dickman, 66, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox between 1936 and 1941, who later became a coach at Princeton University in the 1950s
  • May 26 – George Smith, 79, pitcher who played from 1926 to 1930 for the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox
  • July 1 – Dan Daniel, 91, sportswriter for The Sporting News and various New York newspapers for over 50 years; also a member of baseball's Rules Committee
  • July 8 – Merl Combs, 61, shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians between 1947 and 1952
  • August 9 – Sammy T. Hughes, 70, 6-time All-Star second baseman of the Negro Leagues, mainly with the Elite Giants
  • October 4 – Freddie Lindstrom, 75, Hall of Fame third baseman for the New York Giants who batted .311 lifetime, twice collecting 230 hits and batting .333 in the 1924 World Series at age 18; later coach at Northwestern
  • October 17 – Johnny Peacock, 71, catcher for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Blue Jays/Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers, between 1937 and 1945
  • October 22 – Taffy Wright, 70, outfielder for the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Athletics from 1938 to 1949
  • October 25 – Pete Reiser, 62, All-Star center fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers who led the NL in batting and four other categories in 1941 and in steals twice, but whose fearless defensive style led to numerous injuries
  • December 10 – John F. Kieran, 89, New York sportswriter and radio and television personality who authored books on numerous subjects
  • December 22 – Ed Gallagher, 71, pitcher for the 1932 Boston Red Sox
  • December 28 – John Bischoff, 87, catcher for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox in the 1920s, and one of the first foreign ballplayers to play in Cuban baseball

References

  1. ↑ Mackin, Bob (2004). The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781553650386. .
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