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April 12, 1981: Bruce Sutter earns first save for Cardinals
It didn’t take long for St. Louis Cardinals fans to appreciate…
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April 17, 1981: A’s dominate Mariners in home opener for ninth straight win
The Oakland Athletics started the 1981 season with an 11-game…
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April 18, 1981: A first pitch for writer Eugenia Price
When inspirational writer Eugenia Price discovered St. Simons…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1981-Bowen-Sam.jpeg)
April 19, 1981: Walk-off homer spares PawSox, Rochester another extra-inning battle
On Easter Sunday afternoon, April 19, 1981, an otherwise uncelebrated…
![Lary Sorensen (TRADING CARD DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Sorensen-Lary-STL.jpg)
April 22, 1981: Cardinals’ Lary Sorensen shuts out Cubs
The revamped St. Louis Cardinals were off to a rousing start…
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May 10, 1981: Expos’ Charlie Lea pitches a ‘Giant’ no-hitter
Montreal’s 24-year-old right-hander Charlie Lea was an unlikely…
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May 12, 1981: Clutch homers by Hatcher and Smalley lead Twins to win over Red Sox
Roy Smalley was off to a solid start to the 1981 season for the…
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May 15, 1981: Cleveland’s Len Barker makes history with perfect game against Blue Jays
Who could have foreseen that the Friday evening matchup between…
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May 19, 1981: Jim Bibby’s near no-hitter
On the evening of Tuesday, May 19, 1981, a scant crowd of 5,514…
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May 25, 1981: Mark Belanger hits rare home run as Palmer, Orioles beat Guidry, Yankees
Doug DeCinces clubbed two home runs and drove in five runs as…
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June 3, 1981: Jerry Grote’s grand slam and 7 RBIs lead Royals to victory
Jerry Grote had been out of baseball for two years when a former…
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June 10, 1981: Nolan Ryan gets best of Pete Rose, but Phillies win marquee matchup
A marquee matchup was scheduled on June 10, 1981, with the Houston…
![](https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/97/97-101Fr.jpg)
July 3, 1981: During major leaguers’ strike, Class A teams play at the Big A in Anaheim
As the baseball players’ strike got under way in June 1981,…
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August 9, 1981: Gary Carter’s two homers power NL to All-Star victory
For nearly two months in the summer of 1981, major-league stadiums…
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August 10, 1981: Cal Ripken Jr. makes his major-league debut
Monday, August 10, may well have been the most important day…
![Jerry Reuss (TRADING CARD DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Reuss-Jerry-1981-355x400.jpg)
August 10, 1981: Dodgers’ Reuss, Howe blank Reds in first game after strike ends
After the 50-day players strike in 1981, in which about a third…
![Roger Erickson (THE TOPPS COMPANY)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/EricksonRoger.jpg)
August 10, 1981: Twins down A’s to take second-half ‘reopener’
“If you think what goes on between the white lines has anything…
![BrownScott](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1981-Brown-Scott.jpg)
August 11, 1981: Reds’ Scott Brown records his only major-league win as Fernando Valenzuela’s struggles continue
Despite widespread fan anger over the just-ended strike, almost…
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August 15, 1981: Twins overshadowed by the past
A forgettable year for the Minnesota Twins, 1981, stands out…
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September 15, 1981: Luis Tiant baffles Cubs in only appearance at Wrigley Field
The idea of Luis Tiant pitching at Chicago’s Wrigley Field…
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September 21, 1981: Expos win 17-inning thriller over Phillies
This game had everything that makes baseball great — nail-biting…
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September 26, 1981: Nolan Ryan breaks Koufax’s mark with fifth no-hitter
When Nolan Ryan signed on November 19, 1979, what at the time…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Stadium-Metropolitan-1.png)
September 30, 1981: Twins close Metropolitan Stadium with a loss
It was a bad day.
The weather was drab, home plate was missing,…
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October 3, 1981: Brewers win half-season championship, reach postseason for first time
Born as the Seattle Pilots in 1969, they moved to Milwaukee the…