The 1981

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

season was the franchise's 13th overall season and 12th season based in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. The Brewers finished first in

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

during the second half of the

split season A split season is a schedule format implemented in a variety of sports leagues. The season is divided into two parts, with the winners of both halves playing each other at the end for the overall championship. Split seasons are usually found in sp ...

(caused by the

1981 Major League Baseball strike The 1981 Major League Baseball strike was the first work stoppage in Major League Baseball since the 1972 Major League Baseball strike that resulted in regular season games being cancelled. Overall, it was the fourth work stoppage since 1972, bu ...

) and compiled an overall record of 62 wins and 47 losses. The team advanced to the postseason for the first time in franchise history due to their second-half first-place finish, but lost to the

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

in the

American League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring ea ...

Rollie Fingers Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is an American former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985, when his effectiveness helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseba ...

became the first relief pitcher in the history of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

to win the MVP Award.

Offseason

* December 12, 1980:

Sixto Lezcano Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras (born November 28, 1953) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons (1974–1985). He played for five MLB teams and won a Gold Glove during ...

David Green David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

Lary Sorensen Lary Alan Sorensen (born October 4, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1977–1980), St. Louis Cardinals (1981), Cleveland Indians (1982–1983), Oakland Athletics (1984), Chica ...

and

Dave LaPoint David Jeffrey LaPoint (born July 29, 1959) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the manager of the Rockland Boulders, an American professional baseball team based in Pomona, New York and member of the Canadian American Association o ...

were traded by the Brewers to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

for

Ted Simmons Ted Lyle Simmons (born August 9, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A switch-hitter, Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1980), the Milwau ...

and

Pete Vuckovich Peter Dennis Vuckovich ''(VOO-koh-vich)'' (born October 27, 1952) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1975 to 1986. He came across as an intimidating presence on ...

. * January 13, 1981:

Ernest Riles Ernest Riles (born October 2, 1960) is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman. From 1985 through 1993, Riles played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1985–1988), San Francisco Giants (1988–1990), Oakland Athletics (1991 ...

was drafted by the Brewers in the 3rd round of the

1981 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. Compensation Picks Other notable players *Darrin Jackson, 2nd round, 28th overall by the Chicago Cubs *Mike Gallego, 2nd round, 33r ...

(Secondary phase). * February 21, 1981:

Paul Hartzell Paul F. Hartzell is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in all or part of six seasons, between 1976 and 1984. During that time, he pitched for the California Angels, Minnesota Twins, Balt ...

was signed as a free agent by the Brewers.Paul Hartzell
at ''Baseball-Reference'' * March 20, 1981:

Bob Galasso Robert Joseph Galasso (born January 13, 1952) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in three seasons in the Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest ma ...

was released by the Brewers.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

* April 1, 1981:

John Poff John William Poff (born October 23, 1952) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played parts of two seasons in the Major League Baseball (MLB), for the Philadelphia Phillies and for the Milwaukee Brewers of the Major Leag ...

was traded by the Brewers to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

for

Thad Bosley Thaddis Bosley Jr. (born September 17, 1956) is an American former professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, California Angels (, ), Chicago White Sox (–), Milwaukee Brewers (), Seattle Mariners (), Chicago Cubs (–), Kansas ...

. * April 4, 1981:

Bill Lyons William Allen Lyons (born April 26, 1958 in Alton, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played in parts of two seasons in the majors, and , for the St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professio ...

was released by the Brewers. * April 5, 1981:

Dan Boitano Danny Jon Boitano (born March 22, 1953) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to . Boitano holds the distinction of having been the Philadelphia Phillies' first round pick in the sec ...

was purchased from the Brewers by 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 ...

from the Milwaukee Brewers. * June 8, 1981:

Bryan Clutterbuck Bryan Richard Clutterbuck (December 17, 1959 – August 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he appeared in 34 games in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers during the and seasons. The nat ...

was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 7th round of the 1981 amateur draft. * July 8, 1981: Paul Hartzell was released by the Brewers.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

ALDS

New York wins series, 3-2.

Awards and honors

Cecil Cooper Cecil Celester Cooper (born December 20, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, manager and sports agent. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1971 to 1987 for the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee ...

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 cons ...

, American League Cy Young Award * Rollie Fingers, American League MVP

Farm system

The Brewers'

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

consisted of five

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

affiliates in 1981. The

Butte Copper Kings __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word meani ...

won the Pioneer League championship.

Notes

References

1981 Milwaukee Brewers team
at ''Baseball-Reference''
1981 Milwaukee Brewers
at ''Baseball Almanac'' {{Milwaukee Brewers Milwaukee Brewers seasons Milwaukee Brewers season Mil