
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…

October 14, 1981: Expos’ Ray Burris outduels Valenzuela to even up NLCS
It looked like the best-of-five National League Championship…

October 15, 1981: Yankees sweep Billyball aside, clinch AL pennant
The 1981 American League Championship Series was primed for epic…

October 16, 1981: Expos’ Steve Rogers wins Game 3 of NLCS
Steve Rogers was preparing for a showdown against the Pittsburgh…

October 19, 1981: Ninth-inning home run sends Dodgers to World Series on ‘Blue Monday’
“When I missed that first pitch, I told myself, ‘Mo, you’re…

October 25, 1981: Dodgers complete home sweep of Yankees to take driver’s seat in World Series
On October 19, 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers came from behind…

October 28, 1981: Guerrero, Dodgers claim World Series championship in strike-torn season
The unusual 1981 season, torn into halves by a players strike…

April 3, 1982: Twins shut out Phillies in exhibition to open the Metrodome
It was a “perfect” Saturday night for baseball: 19 degrees…

April 6, 1982: Jim Kaat becomes first major leaguer to pitch in 24 seasons as Cardinals blast Astros, 14-3, on Opening Day
Perhaps the St. Louis Cardinals were taking out their frustration…

April 9, 1982: Brewers shake off winter blues with Opening Day onslaught
April 9 was Opening Day in 1982 … at least, that’s what it…

April 10, 1982: Expos’ Bill Gullickson survives record-tying six wild pitches to beat Phillies
Bill Gullickson arrived in the National League with a record-setting…