October 5, 1980: Expos’ Ron LeFlore becomes first player to win NL and AL stolen-base crowns
The Expos and Phillies, sporting identical 89-70 records, went…
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 10, 1981: Carlton Fisk homers in return to Fenway Park
Beginning on March 18, 1981, Comiskey Park was the new ballpark…
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 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 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…