October 10, 1980: Astros win 11-inning NLCS thriller to reach brink of World Series
The Houston Astros (originally the Colt .45s) had begun play…

October 10, 1980: Royals advance to first World Series after sweeping Yankees in ALCS
The Kansas City Royals were on the threshold of experiencing…
October 11, 1980: Phillies stay alive in Game 4 with 10th-inning rally at Houston
The champagne was ready in the Astrodome. With a two-games-to-one…

October 12, 1980: Phillies rally to clinch NL pennant in 10 innings at Astrodome
In spite of the previous night’s 5-3 loss in 10 innings, the…

October 21, 1980: Phillies win their first World Series championship
The Philadelphia Phillies joined the National League in 1883,…

April 9, 1981: The birth of Fernandomania on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium
On Opening Day in 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers found themselves…

April 10, 1981: Carlton Fisk homers in return to Fenway Park
Beginning on March 18, 1981, Comiskey Park was the new ballpark…

April 10, 1981: Pawtucket, Rochester warm up for longest game with extra innings on Opening Day
In other seasons, the Opening Day faceoff between the Triple-A…

April 12, 1981: Bruce Sutter earns first save for Cardinals
It didn’t take long for St. Louis Cardinals fans to appreciate…

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…

April 18, 1981: A first pitch for writer Eugenia Price
When inspirational writer Eugenia Price discovered St. Simons…

April 19, 1981: Walk-off homer spares PawSox, Rochester another extra-inning battle
On Easter Sunday afternoon, April 19, 1981, an otherwise uncelebrated…

April 22, 1981: Cardinals’ Lary Sorensen shuts out Cubs
The revamped St. Louis Cardinals were off to a rousing start…

May 10, 1981: Expos’ Charlie Lea pitches a ‘Giant’ no-hitter
Montreal’s 24-year-old right-hander Charlie Lea was an unlikely…

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…

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…

May 19, 1981: Jim Bibby’s near no-hitter
On the evening of Tuesday, May 19, 1981, a scant crowd of 5,514…

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…

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…

June 5, 1981: Astros’ Nolan Ryan sets career record for walks, shuts out Mets anyway
During his eight seasons with the California Angels (1972-1979),…

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…