The 1981

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

season got off to a strong start when rookie pitcher

Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (, born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from to and to . While he played for six MLB teams, he is best remembered f ...

pitched a shutout on opening day, starting the craze that came to be known as "Fernandomania." Fernando went on to win both the Rookie of the Year and

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...

Awards. The season was divided into two halves because of a players' strike in mid-season. The Dodgers won the Western Division of the National League in the first half and advanced to the playoffs. They beat the Houston Astros in a divisional playoff and the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

in the

National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Nation ...

before beating the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

to win the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

Offseason

*December 4, 1980:

Don Sutton Donald Howard Sutton (April 2, 1945 – January 19, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 23 seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakla ...

signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent. *March 30, 1981: Acquired Ken Landreaux from the Minnesota Twins for Mickey Hatcher and Matt Reeves Matt Reeves
/ref>

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day lineup

Roster

Game log

Regular season Game log

First half

, -style=background:#cfc , 1 , , April 9 , , , ,

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

, , W 2–0 , ,

Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to: Places * Valenzuela, Paraguay * Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines * Valenzuela, Spain * Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain * Valenzuela, Louisiana Other uses * Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the n ...

(1–0) , , Niekro (0–1) , , – , , 50,511 , , 1–0 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 2 , , April 11 , , , ,

, , W 7–4 , , Hooton (1–0) , ,

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a location * Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire * ...

(0–1) , , – , , 51,691 , , 2–0 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 3 , , April 12 , , , ,

, , W 3–2 , , Sutcliffe (1–0) , , Ruhle (0–1) , , Howe (1) , , 50,734 , , 3–0 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 10 , , April 20 , , , , @

, , W 5–2 , , Hooton (3–0) , ,

Andújar Andújar () is a Spanish municipality of 38,539 people (2005) in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. The municipality is divided by the Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andú ...

(0–1) , ,

Goltz Goltz is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Bogumil Goltz (1801–1870), German humorist and satirist *Boris Goltz (1913–1942), Soviet composer * Christel Goltz (1912–2008), German operatic soprano * Dave Goltz (born 1949), ...

(1) , , 21,730 , , 9–1 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 11 , , April 21 , , , , @

, , L 0–1 , , Knepper (1–0) , , Reuss (0–1) , , – , , 21,904 , , 9–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 12 , , April 22 , , , , @

, , W 1–0 , ,

(4–0) , ,

(0–3) , , – , , 22,830 , , 10–2 , , , - , -style=background:#fbb , 20 , , May 1 , , , , @

Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

, , L 8–9 (13) , , Lee (1–0) , , Castillo (0–2) , , – , , 28,179 , , 14–6 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 21 , , May 2 , , , , @

, , W 4–0 , , Reuss (2–1) , , Sanderson (3–1) , , – , , 22,820 , , 15–6 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 22 , , May 3 , , , , @

, , W 6–1 (10) , ,

(6–0) , , Gullickson (1–2) , , – , , 46,405 , , 16–6 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 23 , , May 4 , , , , @

, , L 3–4 , , Rogers (3–1) , , Sutcliffe (2–2) , , Sosa (2) , , 21,527 , , 16–7 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 24 , , May 5 , , , , @

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

, , L 7–8 , , Lyle (2–1) , , Castillo (0–3) , , – , , 27,241 , , 16–8 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 25 , , May 6 , , , , @

, , W 2–1 , , Hooton (4–0) , , Espinosa (1–2) , , – , , 25,850 , , 17–8 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 26 , , May 7 , , , , @

, , W 2–1 , , Reuss (3–1) , , Bystrom (2–1) , , – , , 29,259 , , 18–8 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 30 , , May 12 , , , ,

, , W 5–0 , , Hooton (5–0) , , Burris (2–3) , , Howe (4) , , 34,367 , , 21–9 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 31 , , May 13 , , , ,

, , W 8–6 , , Howe (2–1) , , Fryman (2–1) , , – , , 42,712 , , 22–9 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 32 , , May 14 , , , ,

, , W 3–2 , ,

(8–0) , , Ratzer (1–1) , , – , , 53,906 , , 23–9 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 36 , , May 18 , , , ,

, , L 0–4 , , Bystrom (3–2) , ,

(8–1) , , – , , 52,439 , , 26–10 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 37 , , May 19 , , , ,

, , L 2–3 , , Ruthven (6–1) , , Welch (2–2) , , – , , 43,812 , , 26–11 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 38 , , May 20 , , , ,

, , W 3–2 (10) , , Howe (4–1) , , McGraw (1–4) , , – , , 50,917 , , 27–11 , , , - , - , - style="text-align:center;" , Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Dodgers team member

Second half

, - style="background:#bbcaff;" , – , , August 9 , , , , colspan=8 ,

1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 52nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on Sunday, ...

Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball a ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, - , -style=background:#cfc , 101 , , September 25 , , , , @

, , W 3–0 , , Hooton (11–6) , , Ruhle (4–5) , , – , , 35,481 , , 60–41 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 102 , , September 26 , , , , @

, , L 0–5 , , Ryan (10–5) , ,

Power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

(1–3) , , – , , 32,115 , , 60–42 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 103 , , September 27 , , , , @

, , L 1–4 , ,

(11–8) , ,

(13–6) , , – , , 41,686 , , 60–43 , , , - , -style=background:#cfc , 108 , , October 2 , , , ,

, , W 6–1 , , Reuss (10–4) , ,

(11–9) , , – , , 46,108 , , 62–46 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 109 , , October 3 , , , ,

, , W 7–2 , , Welch (9–5) , , Niekro (9–9) , , – , , 42,272 , , 63–46 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 110 , , October 4 , , , ,

, , L 3–5 , ,

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

(5–3) , ,

(2–7) , , – , , 47,072 , , 63–47 , , , - , - , Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Dodgers team member

Postseason Game log

, -style=background:#fbb , 1 , , October 6 , , , , @

, , L 1–3 , , Ryan (1–0) , , Stewart (0–1) , , – , , 44,836 , , 0–1 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 2 , , October 7 , , , , @

, , L 0–1 (11) , , Sambito (1–0) , , Stewart (0–2) , , – , , 42,398 , , 0–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 3 , , October 9 , , , ,

, , W 6–1 , , Hooton (1–0) , , Knepper (0–1) , , – , , 46,820 , , 1–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 4 , , October 10 , , , ,

, , W 2–1 , ,

(1–0) , , Ruhle (0–1 , , – , , 55,983 , , 2–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 5 , , October 11 , , , ,

, , W 4–0 , , Reuss (1–0) , , Ryan (1–1) , , – , , 55,979 , , 3–2 , , , - , -style=background:#cfc , 1 , , October 13 , , , ,

, , W 5–1 , , Hooton (1–0) , , Gullickson (0–1) , , – , , 51,273 , , 1–0 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 2 , , October 14 , , , ,

, , L 0–3 , , Burris (1–0) , ,

(0–1) , , – , , 53,463 , , 1–1 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 3 , , October 16 , , , , @

, , L 1–4 , , Rogers (1–0) , , Reuss (0–1) , , – , , 54,372 , , 1–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 4 , , October 17 , , , , @

, , W 7–1 , , Hooton (2–0) , , Gullickson (0–2) , , – , , 54,499 , , 2–2 , , , -style=background:#bbb , , –, , October 18 , , , , @

, , colspan="7" , Postponed (Rain) ''(Makeup date: October 19)'' , -style=background:#cfc , 5 , , October 19 , , , , @

, , W 2–1 , ,

(1–1) , , Rogers (1–1) , , Welch (1) , , 36,491 , , 3–2 , , , - , -style=background:#fbb , 1 , , October 20 , , , , @

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, , L 3–5 , , Guidry (1–0) , , Reuss (0–1) , ,

Gossage Gossage is a family name of soapmakers and alkali manufacturers. Their company eventually became part of the Unilever group. During World War II, all soap brands were abolished by British government decree in 1942, in favour of a generic soap. Whe ...

(1) , , 56,470 , , 0–1 , , , -style=background:#fbb , 2 , , October 21 , , , , @

, , L 0–3 , ,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(1–0) , , Hooton (0–1) , ,

(2) , , 56,505 , , 0–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 3 , , October 23 , , , ,

, , W 5–4 , ,

(1–0) , , Frazier (0–1) , , – , , 56,236 , , 1–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 4 , , October 24 , , , ,

, , W 8–7 , , Howe (1–0) , , Frazier (0–2) , , – , , 56,242 , , 2–2 , , , -style=background:#cfc , 5 , , October 25 , , , ,

, , W 2–1 , , Reuss (1–1) , ,

Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry (; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitch ...

(1–1) , , – , , 56,115 , , 3–2 , , , -style=background:#bbb , , –, , October 27 , , , , @

, , colspan="7" , Postponed (Rain) ''(Makeup date: October 28)'' , -style=background:#cfc , 6 , , October 28 , , , , @

, , W 9–2 , , Hooton (1–1) , , Frazier (0–3) , , Howe (1) , , 56,513 , , 4–2 , , , - , - , Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Dodgers team member

Starting pitchers stats

Relief pitchers stats

Batting stats

Postseason

1981 National League Division Series

In the divisional series, the Dodgers fell behind the Houston Astros two games to zero but came back to win the next three games to take the series and advance to the LCS.

Game 1

October 6, The Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Game 2

October 7, The Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Game 3

October 9,

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Game 4

October 10,

Game 5

October 11,

1981 National League Championship Series

The Dodgers faced the

in the 1981 NLCS and beat them three games to two, thanks to a ninth-inning home run by

Rick Monday Robert James "Rick" Monday Jr. (born November 20, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player who now serves as a broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder from 1966 to 1984, most notably as a member ...

in Game 5.

Game 1

October 13,

Game 2

October 14,

Game 3

October 16,

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Game 4

October 17,

Game 5

October 19,

1981 World Series

The Dodgers met the

in the World Series once again, this time beating them in six games to claim their first championship since 1965.

Game 1

October 20,

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

, New York

Game 2

October 21,

, New York

Game 3

October 23,

Game 4

October 24,

Game 5

October 25,

Game 6

October 28,

, New York

1981 awards

starter **

Davey Lopes David Earle Lopes (; born May 3, 1945) is an American former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. He played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Houston ...

starter **

Dusty Baker Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Lo ...

reserve **

Steve Garvey Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987. Garvey was the National ...

reserve ** Pedro Guerrero reserve **

Burt Hooton Burt Carlton Hooton (born February 7, 1950), nicknamed "Happy", is an American former right-handed starting pitcher and former coach in Major League Baseball. He won 151 games over a 15-year career, mostly with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dod ...

reserve * National League Rookie of the Year **

* National League Cy Young Award **

NLCS Most Valuable Player The League Championship Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players deemed to have the most impact on their teams' performances in each of the two respective League Championship Series that ...

World Series Most Valuable Player The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the World Series, which is the final round of the MLB postseason. The aw ...

Ron Cey Ronald Charles Cey (; born February 15, 1948), nicknamed "Penguin", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from through , most notably as an integral member of the Los Angeles Do ...

** Pedro Guerrero **

Steve Yeager Stephen Wayne Yeager (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his Major League Baseball career, from 1972 through 1985, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last year, 1986, ...

* Gold Glove Award **

Roberto Clemente Award The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans a ...

* Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star ** Dave Stewart **

* TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award **

* TSN Pitcher of the Year Award **

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

* TSN Major League Player of the Year Award **

* TSN National League All-Star **

** Pedro Guerrero * NL Pitcher of the Month **

(April 1981) * NL Player of the Week **

(Apr. 6–12) **

(May 11–17) **

(Aug. 31 – Sep. 6)

Farm system

Teams in BOLD won League Championships

Major League Baseball Draft

The Dodgers drafted 33 players in the June draft and 18 in the January draft. Of those, eight players would eventually play in the Major Leagues. They received an extra pick in the 2nd round from the Houston Astros as compensation for the loss of free agent pitcher

. The Dodgers first round pick in the June draft was shortstop Dave Anderson from the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...

. He played 10 seasons in the Majors (8 of them with the Dodgers), primarily as a utility infielder. The draft also included pitchers

Sid Fernandez Charles Sidney Fernandez (born October 12, 1962) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, and ...

(round 3) and

John Franco John Anthony Franco (born September 17, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher between and . Franco established himself as an All-Star player with the Cincinn ...

(round 5), both of whom would have lengthy Major League careers primarily with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

after the Dodgers traded them.

Notes

References

Baseball-Reference season pageBaseball Almanac season page

External links

1981 Los Angeles Dodgers uniformLos Angeles Dodgers official website
{{Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers seasons Los Angeles Dodgers season National League West champion seasons National League champion seasons World Series champion seasons

Los LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...