1981 American League Division Series

The 1981 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 1981 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 6, and ended on Sunday, October 11. The Division Series were approved by team owners on August 6 in response to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike,[1] which caused the cancellation of roughly one-third of the regular season between June 12 and August 9; by the time play was resumed, it was decided that the best approach was to have the first-half leaders automatically qualify for postseason play, and allow all the teams to begin the second half with a clean slate.

1981 American League Division Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season
Oakland Athletics (3) Billy Martin 37–23, .617, GA: 1½ (1st half)
27–22, .551, GB: 1 (2nd half)
Kansas City Royals (0) Dick Howser 20–30, .400, GB: 12 (1st half)
30–23, .566, GA: 1 (2nd half)
DatesOctober 6 – 9
TelevisionABC
TV announcersAl Michaels and Jim Palmer
RadioCBS
KSFO
WlBW
Radio announcersNed Martin and Bill White
Bill King
Lon Simmons
Wayne Hagin
Denny Matthews
Fred White
UmpiresGeorge Maloney
Joe Brinkman
Steve Palermo
Don Denkinger
Jim Evans
Jim McKean
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season
New York Yankees (3) Bob Lemon 34–22, .607, GA: 2 (1st half)
25–26, .490, GB: 5 (2nd half)
Milwaukee Brewers (2) Buck Rodgers 31–25, .554, GB: 3 (1st half)
31–22, .585, GA: 1½ (2nd half)
DatesOctober 7 – 11
TelevisionABC
TV announcersKeith Jackson, Don Drysdale and Howard Cosell
RadioCBS
WABC (AM)
WLSN
Radio announcersErnie Harwell and Curt Gowdy
Phil Rizzuto
Frank Messer
Bill White
Fran Healy
Lorn Brown
Bob Uecker
UmpiresLarry McCoy
Dale Ford
Ken Kaiser
Dave Phillips
Al Clark
Mike Reilly

Overview

The first half and second-half champions in both the American League East and American League West divisions would meet in best-of-five series, with the winners advancing to the AL Championship Series (ALCS). If the same team won both halves, a wild card team—the second-place team, based on overall record, in the division—would qualify for the postseason,[2] but this proved unnecessary in both leagues. There were no plans to continue the format in later seasons, although the Division Series resumed in 1995 after MLB realigned to three divisions in each league. The teams in the 1981 ALDS were:

The second-half champions played the first two games at home, with the first-half champions hosting all remaining games; this was predetermined in August, independent of team records.[2] Had a team won both halves of the season, they would have hosted all games of the series other than the first game, which the wild card team would host.[2]

The Royals became the first team to reach the MLB postseason with a .500 or worse record, and would be the only team until the 2020 Astros and Brewers reached the 2020 postseason with records of 29–31 (.483). Following a 20–30 first half, Kansas City recovered to win the second half in the AL West, giving them a 50–53 (.485) overall mark. The Royals made a managerial change during the season as well; the team started at 30–40 (.429) under Jim Frey,[3] then went 20–13 (.606) under Dick Howser.[4]

The Yankees and Athletics went on to meet in the AL Championship Series. The Yankees became the American League champion, and lost to the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 World Series.

Matchups

Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals

Oakland won the series, 3–0.

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 6Oakland Athletics – 4, Kansas City Royals – 0Royals Stadium2:3540,592[5] 
2October 7Oakland Athletics – 2, Kansas City Royals – 1Royals Stadium2:5040,274[6] 
3October 9Kansas City Royals – 1, Oakland Athletics – 4Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum2:5940,002[7]

New York Yankees vs. Milwaukee Brewers

New York won the series, 3–2.

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 7New York Yankees – 5, Milwaukee Brewers – 3County Stadium2:5735,064[8] 
2October 8New York Yankees – 3, Milwaukee Brewers – 0County Stadium2:2026,395[9] 
3October 9Milwaukee Brewers – 5, New York Yankees – 3Yankee Stadium2:3956,411[10] 
4October 10Milwaukee Brewers – 2, New York Yankees – 1Yankee Stadium2:3452,077[11] 
5October 11Milwaukee Brewers – 3, New York Yankees – 7Yankee Stadium2:4747,505[12]

Oakland vs. Kansas City

Game 1

Tuesday, October 6, 1981 2:10 pm (CT) at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
Team123456789RHE
Oakland000300010482
Kansas City000000000041
WP: Mike Norris (1–0)   LP: Dennis Leonard (0–1)
Home runs:
OAK: Wayne Gross (1), Dwayne Murphy (1)
KC: None
Attendance: 40,592
Boxscore

Mike Norris faced Dennis Leonard and the defending AL Champions in Game 1. Both pitchers were on their game and the game was scoreless through three innings. But in the top of the fourth, the A's got a boost on a three-run home run by Wayne Gross. Then Dwayne Murphy's homer in the eighth put the game away as Norris went on to pitch a four-hit complete game shutout.

Game 2

Wednesday, October 7, 1981 2:10 pm (CT) at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
Team123456789RHE
Oakland1000000102101
Kansas City000010000160
WP: Steve McCatty (1–0)   LP: Mike Jones (0–1)
Home runs:
OAK: none
KC: none
Attendance: 40,274
Boxscore

Steve McCatty and Mike Jones dueled in Game 2. After giving up an RBI double to Tony Armas in the first, Jones settled into a groove and kept the A's from scoring for the next six innings. McCatty would give up a run in the bottom of the fifth on Willie Wilson's RBI hit. In the eighth, Armas again delivered the game-winning RBI double to make it 2–1 A's. McCatty went on to pitch a complete game masterpiece.

Game 3

Friday, October 9, 1981 5:10 pm (PT) at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California
Team123456789RHE
Kansas City0001000001103
Oakland10120000X470
WP: Rick Langford (1–0)   LP: Larry Gura (0–1)   Sv: Dave Beard (1)
Home runs:
KC: None
OAK: Dave McKay (1)
Attendance: 40,002
Boxscore

Game 3 pitted Larry Gura against Rick Langford. With their backs to the wall, the Royals and Gura ran into trouble in the first. Tony Armas would come through once again with another RBI hit that scored Rickey Henderson. Then an error by Frank White in the third allowed another run to score to make it 2–0 A's. The Royals would scratch out a run in the fourth on Amos Otis's forceout. But in the bottom of fourth the A's scored two runs on a Dave McKay homer and an RBI double by Dwayne Murphy. Langford would allow only one run in 7 13 innings despite giving up ten hits. Dave Beard would close out the series with a save in the ninth.

Composite box

1981 ALDS (3–0): Oakland Athletics over Kansas City Royals

Team123456789RHE
Oakland Athletics20150002010253
Kansas City Royals0001100002204
Total attendance: 120,868   Average attendance: 40,289

New York vs. Milwaukee

Game 1

Wednesday, October 7, 1981 7:10 pm (CT) at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Team123456789RHE
New York0004000015131
Milwaukee011010000383
WP: Ron Davis (1–0)   LP: Moose Haas (0–1)   Sv: Goose Gossage (1)
Home runs:
NYY: Oscar Gamble (1)
MIL: None
Attendance: 35,064
Boxscore

Milwaukee (then Braves) and New York faced off in their first October meeting since the 1958 World Series.

In Game 1, Ron Guidry faced Moose Haas. In the bottom of the second, the Brewers struck first on Charlie Moore's RBI single. Then Robin Yount's sac fly made it 2–0 in the third. But the Yankees would break through and take the lead for good in the fourth. Designated hitter Oscar Gamble tied the game with a two-run homer. Then the Yanks would take the lead on a two-run double by Rick Cerone. But the Brewers would cut the lead in half with an RBI single by Ted Simmons. In the ninth, the Yankees managed to score a pivotal run off Rollie Fingers. The run scored due to an error by Yount. Goose Gossage shut the door in the ninth.

Game 2

Thursday, October 8, 1981 2:10 pm (CT) at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Team123456789RHE
New York000100002370
Milwaukee000000000070
WP: Dave Righetti (1–0)   LP: Mike Caldwell (0–1)   Sv: Goose Gossage (2)
Home runs:
NYY: Lou Piniella (1), Reggie Jackson (1)
MIL: None
Attendance: 26,395
Boxscore

Dave Righetti faced Mike Caldwell in Game 2. The Brewers needed to win this game to stay in contention and it certainly looked good with Caldwell having allowed only run in the fourth on Lou Piniella's homer. But the decision to allow Caldwell pitch the ninth proved costly as he surrendered a two-run homer to Reggie Jackson. Dave Winfield collected three hits while Righetti pitched a dominant four-hit shutout for six innings and Goose Gossage got his second consecutive save.

Game 3

Friday, October 9, 1981 8:10 pm (ET) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
Team123456789RHE
Milwaukee000000320590
New York000100200382
WP: Rollie Fingers (1–0)   LP: Tommy John (0–1)
Home runs:
MIL: Ted Simmons (1), Paul Molitor (1)
NYY: None
Attendance: 56,411
Boxscore

Randy Lerch faced Tommy John, who was looking to end the series with a sweep. Both pitchers were on their game and John got a run in the fourth thanks to Bob Watson's RBI hit. The Yankees were closing in on a sweep in the seventh when the Brewers came back. Ted Simmons gave the Brewers the lead thanks to his two-run homer. Then Sal Bando's RBI hit made it 3–1. The Yankees would waste little time in responding as back-to-back RBI singles tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. But Paul Molitor's leadoff homer in the eighth seemed to turn the tide as John then allowed a single to Robin Yount. His night was done but Simmons came through once again with an RBI double to make it 5–3 Brewers. Rollie Fingers won in relief and slammed the door on the Yankees in the ninth. The Brewers' win in Game 3 was their first ever postseason win.

Game 4

Saturday, October 10, 1981 4:10 pm (ET) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
Team123456789RHE
Milwaukee000200000242
New York000001000150
WP: Pete Vuckovich (1–0)   LP: Rick Reuschel (0–1)   Sv: Rollie Fingers (1)
Home runs:
MIL: none
NYY: none
Attendance: 52,077
Boxscore

Having taken Game 3, the Brewers looked to Pete Vuckovich to take Game 4. Opposing him would be Rick Reuschel. In the top of the fourth, the Brewers jumped in front 2–0 on a sac fly by Cecil Cooper and an RBI double by Ben Oglivie. The Yankees would get a run in the sixth on a fielder's choice by Lou Piniella. The Yankees would get chances in the seventh and ninth to win the series but Rollie Fingers escaped with the save and evened the series at two games apiece.

Game 5

Goose Gossage earned his third save of the series in Game 5.
Sunday, October 11, 1981 7:10 pm (ET) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
Team123456789RHE
Milwaukee011000100380
New York00040012X7130
WP: Dave Righetti (2–0)   LP: Moose Haas (0–2)   Sv: Goose Gossage (3)
Home runs:
MIL: Gorman Thomas (1)
NYY: Reggie Jackson (2), Oscar Gamble (2), Rick Cerone (1)
Attendance: 47,505
Boxscore

No team had ever come back down two games to none with the first two losses at home. The Yankees started Ron Guidry while the Brewers went with Moose Haas. Guidry allowed single runs in the 2nd and 3rd on Gorman Thomas' homer and Cecil Cooper's sacrifice fly, respectively. The Yankees looked helpless until the bottom of the fourth. Reggie Jackson's titanic two-run home run in the fourth tied the game. Oscar Gamble followed Jackson's homer with a homer to give the Yankees a 3–2 lead. A forceout later in the inning scored Graig Nettles to make it 4–2. Dave Righetti relieved Guidry after the 4th and held the Brewers in check. Milwaukee would strike in the seventh on Cooper's second RBI of the game to close the gap. That was as close as they would get. Rick Cerone's homer in the seventh made it 5–3. The Brewers mounted a threat in the eighth. After recording two quick outs Goose Gossage walked Bando and Howell before getting Don Money to fly out to deep left. A double and a sacrifice fly put the series away as the Yankees took a commanding 7–3 lead to the ninth. Gossage shut the Brewers out in the ninth for his third save of the series and to keep a historical collapse from happening.

Composite box

1981 ALDS (3–2): New York Yankees over Milwaukee Brewers

Team123456789RHE
New York Yankees000100132319463
Milwaukee Brewers02221042013365
Total attendance: 217,452   Average attendance: 43,490

References

  1. Litke, James (August 7, 1981). "In baseball, two halves make up the whole". The Journal News. White Plains, New York. AP. p. B1. Retrieved October 7, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  2. "Details Announced For Mini-Playoffs". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. UPI. August 11, 1981. p. 31. Retrieved October 5, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  3. "Jim Frey". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  4. "Dick Howser". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  5. "1981 ALDS – Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals – Game 1". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  6. "1981 ALDS – Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals – Game 2". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  7. "1981 ALDS – Kansas City Royals vs. Oakland Athletics – Game 3". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  8. "1981 ALDS – New York Yankees vs. Milwaukee Brewers – Game 1". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  9. "1981 ALDS – New York Yankees vs. Milwaukee Brewers – Game 2". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  10. "1981 ALDS – Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Yankees – Game 3". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  11. "1981 ALDS – Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Yankees – Game 4". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  12. "1981 ALDS – Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Yankees – Game 5". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
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