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 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 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 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…
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 3, 1982: Twins shut out Phillies in exhibition to open the Metrodome
It was a “perfect” Saturday night for baseball: 19 degrees…
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…
April 21, 1982: Braves walk off for record-setting 13th win to start a season
Heading into the 1982 season, fans of the Atlanta Braves had…
May 12, 1982: Paul Molitor slams three homers for only time in career
“I’m not a home run hitter,” said the Milwaukee Brewers’…
May 29, 1982: Yankees’ Roy Smalley strikes out to begin Twins’ bizarre triple play
The Minnesota Twins looked for better times as they moved into…