
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…

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,…

August 3, 1981: Yankees, Red Sox minor-league affiliates meet in unique Hall of Fame Game
In 1981 the Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony…

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…

August 10, 1981: Cal Ripken Jr. makes his major-league debut
Monday, August 10, may well have been the most important day…

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…

August 10, 1981: Twins down A’s to take second-half ‘reopener’
“If you think what goes on between the white lines has anything…

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…

August 15, 1981: Twins overshadowed by the past
A forgettable year for the Minnesota Twins, 1981, stands out…

September 15, 1981: Luis Tiant baffles Cubs in only appearance at Wrigley Field
The idea of Luis Tiant pitching at Chicago’s Wrigley Field…

September 20, 1981: Twins’ Gary Gaetti hits first of 360 home runs in his first at-bat
On September 20, 1981, rookie Minnesota Twins third baseman Gary…

September 21, 1981: Expos win 17-inning thriller over Phillies
This game had everything that makes baseball great — nail-biting…

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…

September 30, 1981: Twins close Metropolitan Stadium with a loss
It was a bad day.
The weather was drab, home plate was missing,…

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…

October 3, 1981: Montreal Expos clinch franchise’s first playoff berth
With a 1½-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals and just two…

October 4, 1981: White Sox overcome 7-run deficit to win season finale
The Chicago White Sox had played well in the first half of…

October 6, 1981: Alan Ashby’s walk-off homer in ninth preserves Ryan’s two-hitter in NLDS opener
The first game of the best-of-five 1981 NL West Division Series…

October 7, 1981: Denny Walling’s walk-off single in 11th sends Astros to win in Game 2
While most of his Astros teammates in the clubhouse were celebrating…

October 7, 1981: Expos win first MLB postseason game played outside U.S.
To say that the Montreal Expos faced some adversity on the road…

October 7, 1981: Royals rookie Mike Jones falls just short of postseason Cinderella story in loss to A’s
In the strike-torn season of 1981, the story of the Kansas City…

October 9, 1981: With backs to wall, Brewers earn franchise’s first postseason win in Game 3 of ALDS
Going into Game Three of the 1981 American League Division Series,…

October 11, 1981: Reuss, Dodgers knock out Ryan, Astros in Game 5
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros played several high-stakes,…

October 11, 1981: Steve Rogers leads Expos to NLCS
For Game Five of the 1981 mini-series playoff between the Montreal…