1981 World Series
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The 1981 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking their third meeting in the Series in five years. The Dodgers won the Series in six games for their first title since 1965, and their first victory over the Yankees since 1963.
Managers: Bob Lemon (New York), Tommy Lasorda (Los Angeles)
Umpires: Larry Barnett (AL), Doug Harvey (NL), Rich Garcia (AL), Nick Colosi (NL), Terry Cooney (AL), Dick Stello (NL)
Series MVP: Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, and Steve Yeager (Los Angeles)
Television: ABC (Keith Jackson (Games 1-2; Game 6), Al Michaels (Games 3-5), Howard Cosell, and Jim Palmer announcing)
Radio: CBS Radio (Vin Scully and Sparky Anderson announcing)
Contents |
[edit] Getting There
[edit] Game 1
October 20, 1981 at Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 3 5 0
New York Yankees 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 X 5 6 0
PITCHERS: LAD - Reuss, Castillo (3), Goltz (4), Niedenfuer (5), Stewart (8)
NYY - Guidry, Davis (8), Gossage (8)
WP - Guidry
LP - Reuss
SAVE - Gossage
HOME RUNS: LAD - Yeager
NYY - Watson
ATTENDANCE: 56,470
[edit] Game 2
October 21, 1981 at Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2
New York Yankees 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 X 3 6 1
PITCHERS: LAD - Hooton, Forster (7), Howe (8), Stewart (8)
NYY - John, Gossage (8)
WP - John
LP - Hooton
SAVE - Gossage
HOME RUNS: LAD - none
NYY - none
ATTENDANCE: 56,505
[edit] Game 3
October 23, 1981 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Yankees 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 9 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X 5 11 1
PITCHERS: NYY - Righetti, Frazier (3),May (5), Davis (8)
LAD - Valenzuela
WP - Valenzuela
LP - Frazier
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: NYY - Watson, Cerone
LAD - Cey
ATTENDANCE: 56,236
[edit] Game 4
October 24, 1981 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Yankees 2 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 7 13 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 2 0 1 3 2 0 X 8 14 2
PITCHERS: NYY - Reuschel, May (4), Davis (5), Frazier (6), John (7)
LAD - Welch, Goltz (1), Forster (4), Niedenfuer (5), Howe (7)
WP - Howe
LP - Frazier
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: NYY - Randolph, Jackson
LAD - Johnstone
ATTENDANCE: 56,242
[edit] Game 5
October 25, 1981 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Yankees 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 X 2 4 3
PITCHERS: NYY - Guidry, Gossage (8)
LAD - Reuss
WP - Reuss
LP - Guidry
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: NYY - none
LAD - Guerrero, Yeager
ATTENDANCE: 56,115
[edit] Game 6
October 28, 1981 at Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 0 1 3 4 0 1 0 9 13 1
New York Yankees 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 7 2
PITCHERS: LAD - Hooton, Howe (6)
NYY - John, Frazier (5), Davis (6), Reuschel (6), May (7), LaRoche (9)
WP - Hooton
LP - Frazier
SAVE - Howe
HOME RUNS: LAD - Guerrero
NYY - Randolph
ATTENDANCE: 56,513
[edit] Series Batting Stats
[edit] Los Angeles Dodgers
SERIES STATS | REGULAR SEASON
Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB | AB H HR BA OPS SB
+-------------------+-+---+--+--+--+--+--+---+--+--+-----+-----+-----+---+----+---+--+-----+-----+---+
Dusty Baker 6 24 3 4 0 0 0 1 1 6 .167 .192 .167 0 | 400 128 9 .320 .808 10
Bobby Castillo 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 9 4 0 .444 1.111 0
Ron Cey 6 20 3 7 0 0 1 6 3 3 .350 .458 .500 0 | 312 90 13 .288 .846 0
*Terry Forster 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 2 0 0 .000 .000 0
Steve Garvey 6 24 3 10 1 0 0 0 2 5 .417 .462 .458 0 | 431 122 10 .283 .732 3
Dave Goltz 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 17 1 0 .059 .217 0
Pedro Guerrero 6 21 2 7 1 1 2 7 2 6 .333 .417 .762 0 | 347 104 12 .300 .829 5
Burt Hooton 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 .200 .000 0 | 42 8 0 .190 .523 0
*Steve Howe 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 0 | 1 0 0 .000 .500 0
*Jay Johnstone 3 3 1 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 .667 .667 1.66 0 | 83 17 3 .205 .616 0
*Ken Landreaux 5 6 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 .167 .167 .333 1 | 390 98 7 .251 .664 18
Davey Lopes 6 22 6 5 1 0 0 2 4 3 .227 .346 .273 4 | 214 44 5 .206 .574 20
*Rick Monday 5 13 1 3 1 0 0 0 3 6 .231 .375 .308 0 | 130 41 11 .315 1.031 1
Tom Niedenfuer 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0
*Jerry Reuss 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 .250 .000 0 | 51 10 0 .196 .392 0
Bill Russell 6 25 1 6 0 0 0 2 0 1 .240 .240 .240 1 | 262 61 0 .233 .567 2
Steve Sax 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 | 119 33 2 .277 .662 5
*Mike Scioscia 3 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250 .400 .250 0 | 290 80 2 .276 .685 0
#Reggie Smith 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 .500 .500 0 | 35 7 1 .200 .632 0
Dave Stewart 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 5 2 0 .400 1.300 0
#Derrel Thomas 5 7 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 .000 .125 .000 0 | 218 54 4 .248 .644 7
*Fernando Valenzuela 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .250 .000 0 | 64 16 0 .250 .543 0
Bob Welch 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 45 10 0 .222 .506 0
Steve Yeager 6 14 2 4 1 0 2 4 0 2 .286 .267 .786 0 | 86 18 3 .209 .598 0
+-------------------+-+---+--+--+--+--+--+---+--+--+-----+-----+-----+---+----+---+--+-----+-----+---+
Total 6 198 27 51 6 1 6 26 20 44 .258 .329 .389 6 | 82 .262 .696 73
* - bats left-handed, # - switch hits, ? - unknown, else - bats right-handed
A + before season totals indicates the player was with multiple teams this year.
[edit] New York Yankees
SERIES STATS | REGULAR SEASON
Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB | AB H HR BA OPS SB
+-------------------+-+---+--+--+--+--+--+---+--+--+-----+-----+-----+---+----+---+--+-----+-----+---+
#Bobby Brown 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 | 62 14 0 .226 .521 4
Rick Cerone 6 21 2 4 1 0 1 3 4 2 .190 .320 .381 0 | 234 57 2 .244 .618 0
Ron Davis 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0
Barry Foote 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 |+147 26 6 .177 .559 0
George Frazier 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 | 0 0 0 0
*Oscar Gamble 3 6 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .333 .429 .333 0 | 189 45 10 .238 .796 0
Rich Gossage 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 | 0 0 0 0
*Ron Guidry 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 0 | 0 0 0 0
*Reggie Jackson 3 12 3 4 1 0 1 1 2 3 .333 .429 .667 0 | 334 79 15 .237 .758 0
Tommy John 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 | 0 0 0 0
*Dave LaRoche 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0
*Rudy May 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 | 0 0 0 0
#Larry Milbourne 6 20 2 5 2 0 0 3 4 0 .250 .375 .350 0 | 163 51 1 .313 .749 2
#Jerry Mumphrey 5 15 2 3 0 0 0 0 3 2 .200 .333 .200 1 | 319 98 6 .307 .783 14
*Bobby Murcer 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 | 117 31 6 .265 .801 0
*Graig Nettles 3 10 1 4 1 0 0 0 1 1 .400 .455 .500 0 | 349 85 15 .244 .731 0
Lou Piniella 6 16 2 7 1 0 0 3 0 1 .438 .438 .500 1 | 159 44 5 .277 .759 0
Willie Randolph 6 18 5 4 1 1 2 3 9 0 .222 .464 .722 1 | 357 83 2 .232 .641 14
Rick Reuschel 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 |+ 25 2 0 .080 .195 0
*Dave Righetti 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 | 0 0 0 0
Andre Robertson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 19 5 0 .263 .579 1
Aurelio Rodriguez 4 12 1 5 0 0 0 0 1 2 .417 .462 .417 0 | 52 18 2 .346 .870 0
Bob Watson 6 22 2 7 1 0 2 7 3 0 .318 .385 .636 0 | 156 33 6 .212 .701 0
Dave Winfield 6 22 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 4 .045 .222 .045 1 | 388 114 13 .294 .824 11
+-------------------+-+---+--+--+--+--+--+---+--+--+-----+-----+-----+---+----+---+--+-----+-----+---+
Total 6 193 22 46 8 1 6 22 33 24 .238 .346 .383 4 | 100 .252 .718 47
* - bats left-handed, # - switch hits, ? - unknown, else - bats right-handed
A + before season totals indicates the player was with multiple teams this year.
[edit] Series Pitching Stats
[edit] Los Angeles Dodgers
SERIES STATS | REGULAR SEASON
Player G ERA W-L SV CG IP H ER BB SO | W-L IP ERA WHIP SO SV
+-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+------+---+-----+-----+---+--+
*Jerry Reuss 2 3.86 1-1 0 1 11.7 10 5 3 8 | 10-4 153 2.30 1.08 51
Burt Hooton 2 1.59 1-1 0 0 11.3 8 2 9 3 | 11-6 142 2.28 1.10 74
*Fernando Valenzuela 1 4.00 1-0 0 1 9.0 9 4 7 6 | 13-7 192 2.48 1.05 180
*Steve Howe 3 3.86 1-0 1 0 7.0 7 3 1 4 | 5-3 54 2.50 1.28 32 8
Tom Niedenfuer 2 0.00 0-0 0 0 5.0 3 0 1 0 | 3-1 26 3.81 1.19 12 2
Dave Goltz 2 5.40 0-0 0 0 3.3 4 2 1 2 | 2-7 77 4.09 1.40 48 1
*Terry Forster 2 0.00 0-0 0 0 2.0 1 0 3 0 | 0-1 31 4.11 1.70 17
Dave Stewart 2 0.00 0-0 0 0 1.7 1 0 2 1 | 4-3 43 2.49 1.25 29 6
Bobby Castillo 1 9.00 0-0 0 0 1.0 0 1 5 0 | 2-4 51 5.33 1.46 35 5
Bob Welch 1 inf 0-0 0 0 0.0 3 2 1 0 | 9-5 141 3.44 1.29 88
+-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+------+---+-----+-----+---+--+
Total 3.29 4-2 1 2 52.0 46 19 33 24 | 3.01 1.210
* - throws left-handed, ? - unknown, else - throws right-handed
A + before season totals indicates the player was with multiple teams this year.
[edit] New York Yankees
SERIES STATS | REGULAR SEASON
Player G ERA W-L SV CG IP H ER BB SO | W-L IP ERA WHIP SO SV
+-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+------+---+-----+-----+---+--+
*Ron Guidry 2 1.93 1-1 0 0 14.0 8 3 4 15 | 11-5 127 2.76 0.99 104
*Tommy John 3 0.69 1-0 0 0 13.0 11 1 0 8 | 9-8 140 2.63 1.24 50
*Rudy May 3 2.84 0-0 0 0 6.3 5 2 1 5 | 6-11 148 4.14 1.21 79 1
Rich Gossage 3 0.00 0-0 2 0 5.0 2 0 2 5 | 3-2 47 0.77 0.77 48 20
Rick Reuschel 2 4.91 0-0 0 0 3.7 7 2 3 2 |+ 8-11 156 3.11 1.25 75
George Frazier 3 17.18 0-3 0 0 3.7 9 7 3 2 | 0-1 28 1.63 1.34 17 3
Ron Davis 4 23.14 0-0 0 0 2.3 4 6 5 4 | 4-5 73 2.71 0.99 83 6
*Dave Righetti 1 13.50 0-0 0 0 2.0 5 3 2 1 | 8-4 105 2.05 1.07 89
*Dave LaRoche 1 0.00 0-0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 2 | 4-1 47 2.49 1.15 24
+-------------------+-+------+---+--+--+----+--+--+--+---+------+---+-----+-----+---+--+
Total 4.24 2-4 2 0 51.0 51 24 20 44 | 2.90 1.180
* - throws left-handed, ? - unknown, else - throws right-handed
A + before season totals indicates the player was with multiple teams this year.
[edit] Trivia
- The Los Angeles Dodgers were the first National League team in World Series history to lose the first two games, then sweep their opponent during the next four contests. Ironically, the New York Yankees were the first to accomplish the feat against the Dodgers in 1978, and again in their next World Series appearance 15 years later. Also, the 1955 Dodgers were the first to win a World Series after losing the first two games (although it took them 7 games) - naturally against the Yankees. In 1956, the Yankees did the same thing to the Dodgers.
- The 1981 World Series Most Valuable Player Award was the first in World Series history to be awarded to more than one player. It was split between Ron Cey (who went seven-for-twenty, hit .350, and drove in six runs), Pedro Guerrero (who went seven-for-twenty-one, hit .333, hit two home runs, and drove in seven runs), and catcher Steve Yeager (who went four-for-fourteen, hit .286, hit two home runs, and appeared behind the plate in all six games). More than one player winning the MVP Award in a single World Series wouldn't happen again until 20 years later when Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks did it against the New York Yankees.
- Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who allegedly got into a fistfight with unknown assailants in a Los Angeles elevator during the 1981 World Series, was so frustrated with star outfielder Dave Winfield's performance (having just one hit in 22 at-bats) during the entire World Series, that he went on to dub Winfeld the dubious title of Mr. May. Winfield would ultimately have the last laugh as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays when he knocked in the World Series clinching run in Game 6 of the 1992 World Series against the Atlanta Braves.
- Yankees pitcher George Frazier tied a World Series record for losing three of the six games in 1981. The only other pitcher to lose that many was the Chicago White Sox's Lefty Williams, who intentionally lost his three starts in the infamous 1919 World Series.
- World Series adversaries Graig Nettles (of the Yankees) and Steve Garvey (of the Dodgers) would go on to lead the San Diego Padres to their first ever National League pennant in 1984.
- As one of the TV commentators during a game played in Yankee Stadium, Cosell, in a context clearly referring to the Yankees, used the term "our pitchers." He was later criticized for such a partial statement and denied having made it.
[edit] Quote of the Series
| “ | Watson hits it high in the air for the center fielder Ken Landreaux, this should do it...and the Dodgers are the 1981 champions of baseball. - Ron Cey announcing the final out of the series | ” |
[edit] External links
- 1981 World Series by Baseball Almanac
- History of the World Series - 1981
- A Last Hurrah For Los Angeles
- 1981 NLCS | Game 5
- 1981 NL West Playoff | Game 1
- 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1981 New York Yankees
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