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…
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…
September 15, 1981: Luis Tiant baffles Cubs in only appearance at Wrigley Field
The idea of Luis Tiant pitching at Chicago’s Wrigley Field…
August 15, 1981: Twins overshadowed by the past
A forgettable year for the Minnesota Twins, 1981, stands out…
September 30, 1981: Twins close Metropolitan Stadium with a loss
It was a bad day.
The weather was drab, home plate was missing,…
August 10, 1981: Twins down A’s to take second-half ‘reopener’
“If you think what goes on between the white lines has anything…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
October 14, 1981: Expos’ Ray Burris outduels Valenzuela to even up NLCS
It looked like the best-of-five National League Championship…
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…
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…
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…
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 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 11, 1981: Steve Rogers leads Expos to NLCS
For Game Five of the 1981 mini-series playoff between the Montreal…
October 16, 1981: Expos’ Steve Rogers wins Game 3 of NLCS
Steve Rogers was preparing for a showdown against the Pittsburgh…
October 3, 1981: Montreal Expos clinch franchise’s first playoff berth
With a 1½-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals and just two…
September 21, 1981: Expos win 17-inning thriller over Phillies
This game had everything that makes baseball great — nail-biting…
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…
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…
August 10, 1981: Cal Ripken Jr. makes his major-league debut
Monday, August 10, may well have been the most important day…
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…