1981 Major League Baseball season
# 1981 Major League Baseball season

The 1981 Major League Baseball season culminated with the Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the New York Yankees in the World Series, capturing the franchise's fifth World Series title. The season had a players' strike, which lasted from June 12 to July 31, and split the season into two halves. Teams that won their division in each half of the season advanced to the playoffs. This was the first split season in American League history, and second for the National League, which had played a split season in 1892.

The All-Star Game was originally scheduled for July 14, but was canceled due to the strike. It was ultimately played on August 9, as a prelude to the second half of the season, which began the following day.

## Standings

American League

vteAL East

W

L

Pct.

GB

Home

Road

Milwaukee Brewers

6247

0.569

28–21

34–26

Baltimore Orioles

5946

0.562

1

33–22

26–24

New York Yankees

5948

0.551

2

32–19

27–29

Detroit Tigers

6049

0.550

2

32–23

28–26

Boston Red Sox

5949

0.546

2½

30–23

29–26

Cleveland Indians

5251

0.505

7

25–29

27–22

Toronto Blue Jays

3769

0.349

23½

17–36

20–33

AL East First Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

New York Yankees3422.607—

Baltimore Orioles3123.5742

Milwaukee Brewers3125.5543

Detroit Tigers3126.5443+1⁄2

Boston Red Sox3026.5364

Cleveland Indians2624.5205

Toronto Blue Jays1642.27619

AL East Second Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

Milwaukee Brewers3122.585—

Boston Red Sox2923.5581+1⁄2

Detroit Tigers2923.5581+1⁄2

Baltimore Orioles2823.5492

Cleveland Indians2627.4915

New York Yankees2526.4905

Toronto Blue Jays2127.4387+1⁄2

vteAL West

W

L

Pct.

GB

Home

Road

Oakland Athletics

6445

0.587

35–21

29–24

Texas Rangers

5748

0.543

5

32–24

25–24

Chicago White Sox

5452

0.509

8½

25–24

29–28

Kansas City Royals

5053

0.485

11

19–28

31–25

California Angels

5159

0.464

13½

26–28

25–31

Seattle Mariners

4465

0.404

20

20–37

24–28

Minnesota Twins

4168

0.376

23

24–36

17–32

AL West First Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

Oakland Athletics3723.617—

Texas Rangers3322.6001+1⁄2

Chicago White Sox3122.5852+1⁄2

California Angels3129.5176

Kansas City Royals2030.40012

Seattle Mariners2136.36814+1⁄2

Minnesota Twins1739.30418

AL West Second Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

Kansas City Royals3023.566—

Oakland Athletics2722.5511

Texas Rangers2426.4804+1⁄2

Minnesota Twins2429.4536

Seattle Mariners2329.4426+1⁄2

Chicago White Sox2330.4347

California Angels2030.4008+1⁄2

National League

vteNL East

W

L

Pct.

GB

Home

Road

St. Louis Cardinals

5943

0.578

32–21

27–22

Montreal Expos

6048

0.556

2

38–18

22–30

Philadelphia Phillies

5948

0.551

2½

36–19

23–29

Pittsburgh Pirates

4656

0.451

13

22–28

24–28

New York Mets

4162

0.398

18½

24–27

17–35

Chicago Cubs

3865

0.369

21½

27–30

11–35

NL East First Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

Philadelphia Phillies3421.618—

St. Louis Cardinals3020.6001+1⁄2

Montreal Expos3025.5454

Pittsburgh Pirates2523.5215+1⁄2

New York Mets1734.33315

Chicago Cubs1537.28817+1⁄2

NL East Second Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

Montreal Expos3023.566—

St. Louis Cardinals2923.5581⁄2

Philadelphia Phillies2527.4814+1⁄2

New York Mets2428.4625+1⁄2

Chicago Cubs2328.4516

Pittsburgh Pirates2133.3899+1⁄2

vteNL West

W

L

Pct.

GB

Home

Road

Cincinnati Reds

6642

0.611

32–22

34–20

Los Angeles Dodgers

6347

0.573

4

33–23

30–24

Houston Astros

6149

0.555

6

31–20

30–29

San Francisco Giants

5655

0.505

11½

29–24

27–31

Atlanta Braves

5056

0.472

15

22–27

28–29

San Diego Padres

4169

0.373

26

20–35

21–34

NL West First Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

Los Angeles Dodgers3621.632—

Cincinnati Reds3521.6251⁄2

Houston Astros2829.4918

Atlanta Braves2529.4639+1⁄2

San Francisco Giants2732.45810

San Diego Padres2333.41112+1⁄2

NL West Second Half Standings

W

L

Pct.

GB

Houston Astros3320.623—

Cincinnati Reds3121.5961+1⁄2

San Francisco Giants2923.5583+1⁄2

Los Angeles Dodgers2726.5096

Atlanta Braves2527.4817+1⁄2

San Diego Padres1836.33315+1⁄2

Postseason

Main article: 1981 MLB Postseason

Bracket

Division Series (ALDS, NLDS)

League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS)

World Series

         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

Los Angeles

4

E1

Philadelphia

2

E2

Montreal

3

E2

Montreal

2

National League

W1

Los Angeles

3

W1

Los Angeles

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).

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 BAL22Mike Schmidt PHI31

RBIsEddie Murray BAL78Mike Schmidt PHI91

WinsDennis Martínez BAL Steve McCatty OAK Jack Morris DET Pete Vuckovich MIL14Tom 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.

Awards and honors

Baseball Hall of Fame

Rube Foster

Bob Gibson

Johnny Mize

Further information: 1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards

BBWAA Award

National League

American League

Rookie of the Year

Fernando Valenzuela (LAD)

Dave Righetti (NYY)

Cy Young Award

Fernando Valenzuela (LAD)

Rollie Fingers (MIL)

Most Valuable Player

Mike Schmidt (PHI)

Rollie Fingers (MIL)

Gold Glove Awards

Position

National League

American League

Pitcher

Steve Carlton (PHI)

Mike Norris (OAK)

Catcher

Gary Carter (MON)

Jim Sundberg (TEX)

First Baseman

Keith Hernandez (STL)

Mike Squires (CWS)

Second Baseman

Manny Trillo (PHI)

Frank White (KC)

Third Baseman

Mike Schmidt (PHI)

Buddy Bell (TEX)

Shortstop

Ozzie Smith (STL)

Alan Trammell (DET)

Outfielders

Dusty Baker (LAD)

Dwight Evans (BOS)

Andre Dawson (MON)

Rickey Henderson (OAK)

Garry Maddox (PHI)

Dwayne Murphy (OAK)

Silver Slugger Awards

Pitcher/Designated Hitter

Fernando Valenzuela (LAD)

Al Oliver (TEX)

Catcher

Gary Carter (MON)

Carlton Fisk (CWS)

First Baseman

Pete Rose (PHI)

Cecil Cooper (MIL)

Second Baseman

Manny Trillo (PHI)

Bobby Grich (CAL)

Third Baseman

Mike Schmidt (PHI)

Carney Lansford (BOS)

Shortstop

Dave Concepción (CIN)

Rick Burleson (CAL)

Outfielders

Dusty Baker (LAD)

Dwight Evans (BOS)

Andre Dawson (MON)

Rickey Henderson (OAK)

George Foster (CIN)

Dave Winfield (NYY)

Other awards

Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: Greg Luzinski (CWS)

Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Steve Garvey (LAD)

Rolaids Relief Man Award: Rollie Fingers (MIL, American); Bruce Sutter (STL, National).

Player of the Month

MonthAmerican LeagueNational League

April

Ken SingletonDave Concepción

May

Dwight EvansArt Howe

August

Cecil CooperMike Schmidt

September

Eddie Murray Willie WilsonGary Matthews

Pitcher of the Month

MonthAmerican LeagueNational League

April

Matt KeoughFernando Valenzuela

May

Mark ClearCharlie Lea

August

Ron GuidryRick Camp Ed Whitson

September

Larry Gura Dennis MartínezTom Seaver

Home field attendance

Team name

Wins

Home attendance

Per game

Los Angeles Dodgers

63

-31.5%

2,381,292

-26.7%

42,523

Philadelphia Phillies

59

-35.2%

1,638,752

-38.2%

29,795

New York Yankees

59

-42.7%

1,614,353

-38.6%

31,654

Montreal Expos

60

-33.3%

1,534,564

-30.5%

27,403

California Angels

51

-21.5%

1,441,545

-37.3%

26,695

Houston Astros

61

-34.4%

1,321,282

-42.0%

25,907

Oakland Athletics

64

-22.9%

1,304,052

54.8%

23,287

Kansas City Royals

50

-48.5%

1,279,403

-44.1%

27,221

Detroit Tigers

60

-28.6%

1,149,144

-35.6%

20,894

Cincinnati Reds

66

-25.8%

1,093,730

-45.9%

20,254

Boston Red Sox

59

-28.9%

1,060,379

-45.8%

20,007

Baltimore Orioles

59

-41.0%

1,024,247

-43.0%

18,623

St. Louis Cardinals

59

-20.3%

1,010,247

-27.1%

19,061

Chicago White Sox

54

-22.9%

946,651

-21.1%

19,319

Milwaukee Brewers

62

-27.9%

874,292

-52.9%

17,843

Texas Rangers

57

-25.0%

850,076

-29.1%

15,180

Toronto Blue Jays

37

-44.8%

755,083

-46.1%

14,247

New York Mets

41

-38.8%

704,244

-40.9%

13,543

Cleveland Indians

52

-34.2%

661,395

-36.0%

12,248

Seattle Mariners

44

-25.4%

636,276

-23.9%

11,163

San Francisco Giants

56

-25.3%

632,274

-42.3%

11,930

Chicago Cubs

38

-40.6%

565,637

-53.1%

9,752

Pittsburgh Pirates

46

-44.6%

541,789

-67.1%

10,623

Atlanta Braves

50

-38.3%

535,418

-48.9%

10,708

San Diego Padres

41

-43.8%

519,161

-54.4%

9,439

Minnesota Twins

41

-46.8%

469,090

-39.0%

7,690

Television coverage

NetworkDay of weekAnnouncers

ABC

Monday nights Sunday afternoons

Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, Don Drysdale, Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Bob Uecker

NBC

Saturday afternoons

Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek, Dick Enberg, Tom Seaver, Merle Harmon, Ron Luciano

USA

Thursday nights

Jim Woods, Nelson Briles, Monte Moore, Wes Parker

Events

January–March

January 15 – In his first year of eligibility, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson is the only person elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Players falling short of the 301 votes needed for election include Don Drysdale (243), Gil Hodges (241), Harmon Killebrew (239), Hoyt Wilhelm (238) and Juan Marichal (233).

January 23 – Fred Lynn was traded by the Boston Red Sox with Steve Renko to the California Angels for Frank Tanana, Jim Dorsey, and Joe Rudi.

February 12 – Reputedly because the Boston Red Sox mailed out his contract two days late, catcher Carlton Fisk is declared a free agent. He will later sign with the Chicago White Sox.

March 11 – Johnny Mize and Rube Foster are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Mize hit .312 with 359 home runs in 15 seasons for the Cardinals and New York Giants, while Foster was a star pitcher, manager and pioneer of the Negro leagues during the first quarter of the 20th century.

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 .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.

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

August 6 – As a result of the nearly two-month interruption in play because of the strike, major league owners elect to split the 1981 season into two halves, with the first-place teams from each half in each division (or a division's runner-up team in the second half, if the same club were to win both halves (The Sporting News Official Baseball Guide for 1982, p. 13) meeting in a best-of-five divisional playoff series. The last time the major leagues had played a split season was 1892. The Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers suddenly find themselves guaranteed playoff spots as first-half champions (a problem noted at this time is that those teams will not have much left to play for in that year's regular season).

August 9 – At Cleveland Stadium, the National League wins its tenth consecutive All-Star Game over the American League, 5–4. Gary Carter hits two home runs and is selected the MVP. The 1981 Midsummer Classic becomes the first and, as of 2020, the only All-Star Game ever played on a Sunday, and the second ever played during the month of August, the first having taken place on August 3, 1959.

September 4 – In the conclusion of the longest game in Fenway Park history, the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 8–7 in 20 innings. The game began on September 3, but was suspended after 19 innings with the score tied 7–7.

September 6 – Despite having won the first-half American League East title, New York Yankees manager Gene Michael is replaced by Bob Lemon, who managed the club in 1978–79. The Yankees are under .500 in the second half of the season.

September 6 – The Los Angeles Dodgers' Fernando Valenzuela beats the St. Louis Cardinals 5–0 to tie the National League record of seven shutouts by a rookie pitcher.

September 26 – Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros breaks the record of four no hitters by pitcher Sandy Koufax by pitching his fifth career no hitter in the Astrodome against, coincidentally, Koufax's former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

September 30 – The Kansas City Royals defeat the Minnesota Twins, 5–2, to clinch the second half of the American League Western Division title. More importantly, it is the last Major League game to be played at Metropolitan Stadium, as the Twins prepare to move into the new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

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 (1921⁄3). 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.

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

↑ "The 1981 Season". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 8, 2020.↑ Chronology of the Baseball Strike, Associated Press (The New York Times, archives), Aug. 1, 1981.↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Washington Nationals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Kansas City Royals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Milwaukee Brewers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Toronto Blue Jays Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Seattle Mariners Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "San Diego Padres Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.↑ Mackin, Bob (2004). The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781553650386..

External links

1981 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference

1981 MLB Standings at Baseball Reference

vte1981 MLB season by team

AL East

Baltimore

Boston

Cleveland

Detroit

Milwaukee

New York

Toronto

AL West

California

Chicago

Kansas City

Minnesota

Oakland

Seattle

Texas

NL East

Chicago

Montréal

New York

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

St. Louis

NL West

Atlanta

Cincinnati

Houston

Los Angeles

San Diego

San Francisco

1981 MLB draft

1981 All-Star Game

1981 strike

1981 World Series

vteMajor League Baseball seasonsPre-modern eraBeginnings

1876

1877

1878

1879

1880

1881

Competition

1882

1883

1884

1885

1886

1887

1888

1889

1890

1891

NL monopoly

1892

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

1898

1899

1900

Modern eraDead-ball era

1901

1902

1903

1904

1905

1906

1907

1908

1909

1910

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

Live-ball era

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

World War II

1942

1943

1944

1945

Post-war and integration

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

First expansion

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

Birth of division play

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Wild Card begins

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Wild Card expansion

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Pitch clock era

2023

2024

See also

Major League Baseball schedule

Major League Baseball

vte1981 Major League Baseball postseasonWorld Series

American League Championship Series

National League Championship Series

American League Division Series

National League Division Series

American League teams

Kansas City Royals

Milwaukee Brewers

New York Yankees

Oakland Athletics

National League teams

Houston Astros

Montreal Expos

Los Angeles Dodgers

Philadelphia Phillies :

