1981 Los Angeles Dodgers season

1981 Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series champions National League champions National League West co-champion
League	National League
Division	West
Ballpark	Dodger Stadium
City	Los Angeles
Record	63–47 (.573) (Overall) 36–21 (.632) (First half) 27–26 (.509) (Second half)
Divisional place	2nd (Overall) 1st (First half) 4th (Second half)
Owners	Peter O'Malley
General managers	Al Campanis
Managers	Tommy Lasorda
Television	KTTV–TV 11 (Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett, Ross Porter) ONTV (Geoff Witcher, Al Downing)
Radio	KABC–AM 790 (Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett, Ross Porter) KTNQ–AM 1020 (Jaime Jarrín, Rudy Hoyos)
Seasons

The 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 92nd season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 24th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 20th season playing their home games at Dodger Stadium. The season got off to a strong start when rookie pitcher Fernando Valenzuela 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 Awards.

The season was divided into two halves because of a two-month long mid-season players' strike. The Dodgers won the National League West in the first half and advanced to the playoffs. They beat the Houston Astros in the NLDS and the Montreal Expos in the NLCS before beating the New York Yankees to win the World Series.

• December 4, 1980: Don Sutton signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent.
• March 30, 1981: Acquired Ken Landreaux^[1] from the Minnesota Twins for Mickey Hatcher and Matt Reeves^[2]

NL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Cincinnati Reds	66	42	.611	—	32‍–‍22	34‍–‍20
Los Angeles Dodgers	63	47	.573	4	33‍–‍23	30‍–‍24
Houston Astros	61	49	.555	6	31‍–‍20	30‍–‍29
San Francisco Giants	56	55	.505	11½	29‍–‍24	27‍–‍31
Atlanta Braves	50	56	.472	15	22‍–‍27	28‍–‍29
San Diego Padres	41	69	.373	26	20‍–‍35	21‍–‍34

1981 National League record Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MON	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
Atlanta	—	3–2–1	6–5	4–8	7–7	3–7	3–3	4–5	2–3	9–6	5–7	4–3
Chicago	2–3–1	—	1–5	1–6	6–4	4–7	5–8–1	2–10	4–10	3–3	5–5	5–4–1
Cincinnati	5–6	5–1	—	8–4	8–8	5–4	7–3	5–2	4–2	10–2	9–5	0–5
Houston	8–4	6–1	4–8	—	4–8	5–2	6–3	4–6	2–4	11–3	9–6	2–4
Los Angeles	7–7	4–6	8–8	8–4	—	5–2	5–1	3–3	5–1	6–5	7–5	5–5
Montreal	7–3	7–4	4–5	2–5	2–5	—	9–3	7–4	10–3	4–2	2–5	6–9
New York	3–3	8–5–1	3–7	3–6	1–5	3–9	—	7–7	3–6–1	2–5	2–4	6–5
Philadelphia	5-4	10–2	2–5	6–4	3–3	4–7	7–7	—	7–5	4–2	4–3	7–6
Pittsburgh	3–2	10–4	2–4	4–2	1–5	3–10	6–3–1	5–7	—	6–4	3–7	3–8
San Diego	6–9	3–3	2–10	3–11	5–6	2–4	5–2	2–4	4–6	—	6–7	3–7
San Francisco	7–5	5–5	5–9	6–9	5–7	5–2	4–2	3–4	7–3	7–6	—	2–3
St. Louis	3–4	4–5–1	5–0	4–2	5–5	9–6	5–6	6–7	8–3	7–3	3–2	—

Opening Day starters
Name	Position
Davey Lopes	Second baseman
Ken Landreaux	Center fielder
Dusty Baker	Left fielder
Steve Garvey	First baseman
Ron Cey	Third baseman
Pedro Guerrero	Right fielder
Mike Scioscia	Catcher
Bill Russell	Shortstop
Fernando Valenzuela	Starting pitcher

1981 Los Angeles Dodgers
Roster
Pitchers 37 Bobby Castillo 51 Terry Forster 38 Dave Goltz 46 Burt Hooton 57 Steve Howe 49 Tom Niedenfuer 26 Alejandro Peña 25 Ted Power 41 Jerry Reuss 48 Dave Stewart 43 Rick Sutcliffe 34 Fernando Valenzuela 35 Bob Welch		Catchers  9 Jerry Grote 14 Mike Scioscia  7 Steve Yeager Infielders 10 Ron Cey 36 Pepe Frías  6 Steve Garvey 15 Davey Lopes  5 Mike Marshall 45 Jack Perconte 18 Bill Russell 52 Steve Sax  8 Reggie Smith 30 Derrel Thomas  1 Gary Weiss		Outfielders 12 Dusty Baker 22 Mark Bradley 13 Joe Ferguson 28 Pedro Guerrero 21 Jay Johnstone 44 Ken Landreaux 47 Candy Maldonado 17 Bobby Mitchell 16 Rick Monday 50 Ron Roenicke		Manager  2 Tommy Lasorda Coaches 54 Monty Basgall 58 Mark Cresse 11 Manny Mota 33 Danny Ozark 29 Ron Perranoski

Legend
	Dodgers win
	Dodgers loss
	Postponement
	Clinched division
Bold	Dodgers team member

1981 regular season game log: 63–47 (Home: 33–23; Away: 30–24)[3]
April: 14–5 (Home: 7–3; Away: 7–2) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box Streak 1 April 9 1:11 p.m. PST Astros W 2–0 Valenzuela (1–0) Niekro (0–1) — 2:17 50,511 1–0 W1 2 April 11 7:08 p.m. PST Astros W 7–4 Hooton (1–0) Sutton (0–1) — 2:56 51,691 2–0 W2 3 April 12 1:08 p.m. PST Astros W 3–2 Sutcliffe (1–0) Ruhle (0–1) Howe (1) 2:16 50,734 3–0 W3 4 April 13 7:35 p.m. PST @ Giants W 4–3 Stewart (1–0) Ripley (0–1) Castillo (1) 2:54 20,698 4–0 W4 5 April 14 7:37 p.m. PST @ Giants W 7–1 Valenzuela (2–0) Blue (0–1) — 2:27 23,790 5–0 W5 6 April 15 7:35 p.m. PST @ Giants W 4–2 Hooton (2–0) Whitson (0–1) Castillo (2) 2:45 20,775 6–0 W6 10 April 20 5:35 p.m. PDT @ Astros W 5–2 Hooton (3–0) Andújar (0–1) Goltz (1) 2:34 21,730 9–1 W3 11 April 21 5:35 p.m. PDT @ Astros L 0–1 Knepper (1–0) Reuss (0–1) — 1:48 21,904 9–2 L1 12 April 22 5:35 p.m. PDT @ Astros W 1–0 Valenzuela (4–0) Sutton (0–3) — 2:24 22,830 10–2 W1 17 April 27 7:35 p.m. PDT Giants W 5–0 Valenzuela (5–0) Griffin (1–2) — 2:54 49,478 14–3 W3 18 April 28 7:35 p.m. PDT Giants L 1–6 Ripley (1–2) Sutcliffe (2–1) — 2:09 39,899 14–4 L1 19 April 29 7:35 p.m. PDT Giants L 2–3 Blue (2–2) Welch (1–1) Minton (3) 2:27 39,110 14–5 L2
May: 19–10 (Home: 9–3; Away: 10–7) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 20 May 1 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Expos L 8–9 (13) Lee (1–0) Castillo (0–2) — 4:18 28,179 14–6 L3 21 May 2 1:05 p.m. PDT @ Expos W 4–0 Reuss (2–1) Sanderson (3–1) — 2:23 22,820 15–6 W1 22 May 3 10:35 a.m. PDT @ Expos W 6–1 (10) Valenzuela (6–0) Gullickson (1–2) — 2:55 46,405 16–6 W2 23 May 4 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Expos L 3–4 Rogers (3–1) Sutcliffe (2–2) Sosa (2) 3:04 21,507 16–7 L1 24 May 5 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Phillies L 7–8 Lyle (2–1) Castillo (0–3) — 2:58 27,241 16–8 L2 25 May 6 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Phillies W 2–1 Hooton (4–0) Espinosa (1–2) — 2:09 25,850 17–8 W1 26 May 7 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Phillies W 2–1 Reuss (3–1) Bystrom (2–1) — 2:12 29,259 18–8 W2 27 May 8 5:05 p.m. PDT @ Mets W 1–0 Valenzuela (6–0) Scott (1–3) — 2:42 39,848 19–8 W3 28 May 9 11:15 a.m. PDT @ Mets L 4–7 Allen (2–0) Castillo (0–4) Reardon (1) 2:53 16,776 19–9 L1 29 May 10 11:05 a.m. PDT @ Mets W 5–3 Welch (2–1) Jones (0–5) Howe (3) 2:43 12,102 20–9 W1 30 May 12 7:35 p.m. PDT Expos W 5–0 Hooton (5–0) Burris (2–3) Howe (4) 2:46 34,367 21–9 W2 31 May 13 7:35 p.m. PDT Expos W 8–6 Howe (2–1) Fryman (2–1) — 2:52 42,712 22–9 W3 32 May 14 7:35 p.m. PDT Expos W 3–2 Valenzuela (8–0) Ratzer (1–1) — 2:22 53,906 23–9 W4 33 May 15 7:35 p.m. PDT Mets W 6–5 Howe (3–1) Allen (2–1) — 2:35 49,860 24–9 W5 34 May 16 7:05 p.m. PDT Mets W 9–0 Hooton (6–0) Roberts (0–3) — 2:21 51,000 25–9 W6 35 May 17 1:05 p.m. PDT Mets W 6–1 Reuss (4–1) Zachry (3–5) — 2:17 50,746 26–9 W7 36 May 18 7:35 p.m. PDT Phillies L 0–4 Bystrom (3–2) Valenzuela (8–1) — 2:16 52,439 26–10 L1 37 May 19 7:35 p.m. PDT Phillies L 2–3 Ruthven (6–1) Welch (2–2) — 2:30 43,812 26–11 L2 38 May 20 7:35 p.m. PDT Phillies W 3–2 (10) Howe (4–1) McGraw (1–4) — 2:30 50,917 27–11 W1 39 May 22 5:35 p.m. PDT @ Reds W 4–2 (12) Stewart (2–0) Bair (1–1) — 3:15 27,943 28–11 W2 40 May 23 12:15 p.m. PDT @ Reds W 9–6 (10) Stewart (3–0) Mosaku (1–1) Castillo (4) 3:17 40,928 29–11 W3 41 (1) May 24 10:15 a.m. PDT @ Reds L 2–3 Mosaku (2–1) Welch (2–3) Price (1) 2:33 — 29–12 L1 42 (2) May 24 1:18 p.m. PDT @ Reds W 10–3 Castillo (1–4) Berenyi (4–2) — 2:33 36,113 30–12 W1 46 May 29 7:35 p.m. PDT Reds W 5–2 Welch (3–3) LaCoss (2–5) Howe (5) 2:44 45,749 32–14 W1 47 May 30 1:05 p.m. PDT Reds L 1–9 Pastore (2–2) Hooton (7–1) — 2:46 43,582 32–15 L1 48 May 31 1:05 p.m. PDT Reds W 16–4 Goltz (1–0) Soto (4–6) — 3:08 46,411 33–15 W1
June: 3–6 (Home: 1–2; Away: 2–4) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 52 June 5 11:25 a.m. PDT @ Cubs L 3–4 Reuschel (3–7) Reuss (4–2) Tidrow (4) 2:23 7,815 34–18 L3 53 June 6 11:15 a.m. PDT @ Cubs L 5–11 McGlothen (1–3) Valenzuela (9–3) — 2:58 30,556 34–19 L4 54 June 7 11:15 a.m. PDT @ Cubs W 7–0 Welch (4–3) Martz (2–5) — 2:35 20,024 35–19 W1 55 June 9 5:38 p.m. PDT @ Cardinals L 1–6 Forsch (6–2) Hooton (7–3) Sutter (10) 2:34 19,654 35–20 L1 56 June 10 5:37 p.m. PDT @ Cardinals W 4–1 Reuss (5–2) Sorenson (5–5) — 2:05 17,779 36–20 W1 57 June 11 5:39 p.m. PDT @ Cardinals L 1–2 Martínez (2–4) Valenzuela (9–4) Sutter (11) 2:01 39,250 36–21 L1 — June 12 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Pirates Canceled (Strike) — June 13 11:15 a.m. PDT @ Pirates Canceled (Strike) — June 14 10:35 a.m. PDT @ Pirates Canceled (Strike) — June 15 7:35 p.m. PDT Cubs Canceled (Strike) — June 16 7:35 p.m. PDT Cubs Canceled (Strike) — June 17 7:35 p.m. PDT Cardinals Canceled (Strike) — June 18 7:35 p.m. PDT Cardinals Canceled (Strike) — June 19 7:35 p.m. PDT Pirates Canceled (Strike) — June 20 7:05 p.m. PDT Pirates Canceled (Strike) — June 21 1:05 p.m. PDT Pirates Canceled (Strike) — June 26 5:35 p.m. PDT @ Astros Canceled (Strike) — June 27 5:35 p.m. PDT @ Astros Canceled (Strike) — June 28 3:00 p.m. PDT @ Astros Canceled (Strike)
July: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Away: 0–0) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak — July 3 7:35 p.m. PDT @ Giants Canceled (Strike) — July 4 1:05 p.m. PDT @ Giants Canceled (Strike) — July 5 1:05 p.m. PDT @ Giants Canceled (Strike) — July 7 7:30 p.m. PDT Astros Canceled (Strike) — July 8 7:30 p.m. PDT Astros Canceled (Strike) — July 9 1:05 p.m. PDT Astros Canceled (Strike) — July 10 7:35 p.m. PDT Giants Canceled (Strike) — July 11 7:05 p.m. PDT Giants Canceled (Strike) — July 12 1:05 p.m. PDT Giants Canceled (Strike) — July 16 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Expos Canceled (Strike) — July 17 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Expos Canceled (Strike) — July 18 4:05 p.m. PDT @ Phillies Canceled (Strike) — July 19 10:35 a.m. PDT @ Phillies Canceled (Strike) — July 20 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Phillies Canceled (Strike) — July 21 5:05 p.m. PDT @ Mets Canceled (Strike) — July 22 5:05 p.m. PDT @ Mets Canceled (Strike) — July 23 5:05 p.m. PDT @ Mets Canceled (Strike) — July 24 7:35 p.m. PDT Expos Canceled (Strike) — July 25 7:05 p.m. PDT Expos Canceled (Strike) — July 26 1:05 p.m. PDT Expos Canceled (Strike) — July 27 7:35 p.m. PDT Mets Canceled (Strike) — July 28 7:35 p.m. PDT Mets Canceled (Strike) — July 29 7:35 p.m. PDT Mets Canceled (Strike) — July 31 7:35 p.m. PDT Phillies Canceled (Strike)
August: 12–9 (Home: 6–6; Away: 6–3) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak — August 1 1:05 p.m. PDT Phillies Canceled (Strike) — August 2 1:05 p.m. PDT Phillies Canceled (Strike) — August 4 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Reds Canceled (Strike) — August 5 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Reds Canceled (Strike) — August 9 5:35 p.m. PDT 52nd All-Star Game National League vs. American League (Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio) 58 August 10 5:40 p.m. PDT Reds W 4–0 Reuss (6–2) Pastore (3–3) Howe (6) 2:08 35,120 37–21 W1 59 August 11 7:39 p.m. PDT Reds L 6–7 Brown (1–0) Forster (0–1) Hume (6) 2:50 45,817 37–22 L1 60 August 12 7:39 p.m. PDT Reds W 8–5 Stewart (4–1) Seaver (7–2) Howe (7) 2:48 36,494 38–22 W1 65 August 17 11:30 a.m. PDT @ Cubs L 1–3 Bird (7–1) Welch (4–4) — 2:23 10,153 40–25 L1 66 August 18 11:30 a.m. PDT @ Cubs W 5–0 Hooton (8–4) Griffin (0–1) — 2:33 15,973 41–25 W1 67 August 19 11:30 a.m. PDT @ Cubs L 3–4 Krokow (4–6) Goltz (2–1) Martz (2) 2:27 26,860 41–26 L1 68 August 21 5:38 p.m. PDT @ Cardinals W 4–0 Reuss (7–3) Andújar (3–4) — 2:05 33,375 42–26 W1 69 August 22 5:07 p.m. PDT @ Cardinals W 3–2 Valenzuela (10–4) Forsch (7–3) Stewart (2) 2:21 38,751 43–26 W2 70 August 23 11:07 a.m. PDT @ Cardinals L 7–11 Shirley (5–3) Welch (4–5) Sutter (15) 2:54 18,189 43–27 L1 71 August 24 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Pirates W 3–0 Hooton (9–4) Jones (1–1) — 2:14 12,308 44–27 W1 72 August 25 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Pirates W 9–7 (11) Peña (1–0) Tekulve (4–5) Niedenfuer (1) 3:32 16,770 45–27 W2 73 August 26 9:35 a.m. PDT @ Pirates W 16–6 Reuss (8–3) Rhoden (7–2) — 3:07 11,144 46–27 W3 74 August 27 7:35 p.m. PDT Cubs W 6–0 Valenzuela (11–4) Martz (4–6) — 2:23 48,191 47–27 W4 75 August 28 7:35 p.m. PDT Cubs W 6–1 Welch (5–5) Krokow (4–7) Stewart (3) 2:37 42,160 48–27 W5 76 August 29 8:09 p.m. PDT Cubs L 1–3 Griffin (1–1) Hooton (9–5) Smith (1) 2:35 47,424 48–28 L1 77 August 30 1:08 p.m. PDT Cubs L 1–2 Bird (8–2) Goltz (2–2) Tidrow (7) 2:19 34,284 48–29 L2 78 August 31 7:30 p.m. PDT Pirates L 4–5 (10) Jones (2–1) Stewart (4–2) Robinson (1) 2:58 35,862 48–30 L3
September: 13–15 (Home: 6–6; Away: 7–9) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 79 September 1 7:30 p.m. PDT Pirates W 3–2 (14) Niedenfuer (2–0) Jones (2–2) — 4:01 50,134 49–30 W1 80 September 2 7:30 p.m. PDT Pirates W 6–2 Welch (6–5) Long (0–1) Peña (2) 2:47 32,027 50–30 W2 81 September 3 7:37 p.m. PDT Cardinals L 3–5 Littell (1–1) Howe (4–3) Sutter (19) 2:19 30,122 50–31 L1 82 September 4 7:37 p.m. PDT Cardinals L 2–7 Martin (5–2) Goltz (2–3) — 2:19 48,114 50–32 L2 83 September 5 7:08 p.m. PDT Cardinals W 4–3 (11) Niedenfuer (3–0) Kaat (6–3) — 3:32 36,058 51–32 W1 84 September 6 1:08 p.m. PDT Cardinals W 5–0 Valenzuela (12–4) Forsch (7–5) — 2:27 46,780 52–32 W2 85 September 7 5:05 p.m. PDT Giants W 5–1 Welch (7–5) Whitson (5–7) Niedenfuer (2) 2:35 49,561 53–32 W3 86 September 8 7:35 p.m. PDT Giants W 4–0 Hooton (10–5) Alexander (8–6) Stewart (4) 2:33 31,702 54–32 W4 87 September 9 7:35 p.m. PDT Giants L 3–6 (11) Holland (6–4) Niedenfuer (3–1) — 3:36 31,482 54–33 L1 88 September 11 4:35 p.m. PDT @ Reds L 2–3 (10) Price (5–1) Peña (1–1) — 2:42 25,237 54–34 L2 89 September 12 4:00 p.m. PDT @ Reds L 5–6 (11) LaCoss (4–7) Power (1–1) — 3:32 34,090 54–35 L3 90 September 13 11:15 a.m. PDT @ Reds W 4–2 Castillo (2–4) Pastore (3–7) Stewart (5) 3:07 27,858 55–35 W1 95 September 18 7:35 p.m. PDT Reds L 4–5 Price (6–1) Stewart (4–3) Hume (10) 2:48 44,258 58–37 L1 96 September 19 7:05 p.m. PDT Reds L 3–7 Edelen (2–0) Hooton (10–6) — 3:22 48,352 58–38 L2 97 September 20 1:05 p.m. PDT Reds L 1–5 Soto (9–9) Power (1–2) — 2:45 39,560 58–39 L3 98 September 22 7:35 p.m. PDT @ Giants L 2–5 Whitson (6–8) Valenzuela (13–5) Minton (17) 3:11 28,046 58–40 L4 99 September 23 7:35 p.m. PDT @ Giants L 4–8 Lavelle (1–6) Goltz (2–5) Breining (1) 2:53 13,058 58–41 L5 100 September 24 7:35 p.m. PDT @ Giants W 7–3 Welch (8–5) Griffin (8–8) — 3:05 12,726 59–41 W1 101 September 25 5:35 p.m. PDT @ Astros W 3–0 Hooton (11–6) Ruhle (4–5) — 2:18 35,481 60–41 W2 102 September 26 11:20 a.m. PDT @ Astros L 0–5 Ryan (10–5) Power (1–3) — 2:46 32,115 60–42 L1 103 September 27 3:00 p.m. PDT @ Astros L 1–4 Sutton (11–8) Valenzuela (13–6) — 2:23 41,686 60–43 L2
October: 2–2 (Home: 2–2; Away: 0–0) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 108 October 2 7:35 p.m. PDT Astros W 6–1 Reuss (10–4) Sutton (11–9) — 2:30 46,108 62–46 W1 109 October 3 12:50 p.m. PDT Astros W 7–2 Welch (9–5) Niekro (9–9) — 2:43 42,272 63–46 W2 110 October 4 1:05 p.m. PDT Astros L 3–5 Smith (5–3) Goltz (2–7) — 3:17 47,072 63–47 L1

National League
Opponent	Home	Away	Total	Pct.	Runs scored	Runs allowed
NL East
Chicago Cubs	2–2	2–4	4–6	.400	38	28
Montreal Expos	3–0	2–2	5–2	.714	37	22
New York Mets	3–0	2–1	5–1	.833	31	16
Philadelphia Phillies	1–2	2–1	3–3	.500	16	19
Pittsburgh Pirates	2–1	3–0	5–1	.833	41	22
St. Louis Cardinals	2–2	3–3	5–5	.500	34	37
	13–7	14–11	27–18	.600	197	144
NL West
Atlanta Braves	5–4	2–3	7–7	.500	48	49
Cincinnati Reds	4–5	4–3	8–8	.500	84	69
Houston Astros	5–1	3–3	8–4	.667	38	26
Los Angeles Dodgers	—	—	—	—	—	—
San Diego Padres	3–3	3–2	6–5	.545	35	30
San Francisco Giants	4–2	3–3	7–5	.583	48	38
	21–14	15–14	36–29	.554	253	212

1981 Postseason game log: 10–6 (Home: 7–1; Away: 3–5)
NL Western Division Series vs. Houston Astros 3–2 (Home: 3–0; Away: 0–2) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Series Box Streak 1 October 6 5:15 p.m. PDT @ Astros L 1–3 Ryan (1–0) Stewart (0–1) — 2:22 44,836 HOU 1–0 L1 2 October 7 10:05 a.m. PDT @ Astros L 0–1 (11) Sambito (1–0) Stewart (0–2) — 3:39 42,398 HOU 2–0 L2 3 October 9 1:05 p.m. PDT Astros W 6–1 Hooton (1–0) Knepper (0–1) — 2:35 46,820 HOU 2–1 W1 4 October 10 5:15 p.m. PDT Astros W 2–1 Valenzuela (1–0) Ruhle (0–1) — 2:00 55,983 TIE 2–2 W2 5 October 11 1:05 p.m. PDT Astros W 4–0 Reuss (1–0) Ryan (1–1) — 2:52 55,979 LAN 3–2 W3
NL Championship Series vs. Montreal Expos 3–2 (Home: 1–1; Away: 2–1) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Series Box Streak 1 October 13 1:05 p.m. PDT Expos W 5–1 Hooton (1–0) Gullickson (0–1) — 2:47 51,273 LAN 1–0 W1 2 October 14 5:20 p.m. PDT Expos L 0–3 Burris (1–0) Valenzuela (0–1) — 2:48 53,463 TIE 1–1 L1 3 October 16 5:20 p.m. PDT @ Expos L 1–4 Rogers (1–0) Reuss (0–1) — 2:27 54,372 MTL 2–1 L2 4 October 17 10:05 a.m. PDT @ Expos W 7–1 Hooton (2–0) Gullickson (0–2) — 3:14 54,199 TIE 2–2 W1 — October 18 1:05 p.m. PDT @ Expos Postponed (rain); Makeup: October 19 5 October 19 10:05 a.m. PDT @ Expos W 2–1 Valenzuela (1–1) Rogers (1–1) Welch (1) 2:41 36,491 LAN 3–2 W2
World Series vs. New York Yankees 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Away: 1–2) # Date Time (PT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Series Box Streak 1 October 20 5:30 p.m. PDT @ Yankees L 3–5 Guidry (1–0) Reuss (0–1) Gossage (1) 2:32 56,470 NYA 1–0 L1 2 October 21 5:20 p.m. PDT @ Yankees L 0–3 John (1–0) Hooton (0–1) Gossage (2) 2:29 56,505 NYA 2–0 L2 3 October 23 5:30 p.m. PDT Yankees W 5–4 Valenzuela (1–0) Frazier (0–1) — 3:04 56,236 NYA 2–1 W1 4 October 24 1:25 p.m. PDT Yankees W 8–7 Howe (1–0) Frazier (0–2) — 3:32 56,242 TIE 2–2 W2 5 October 25 1:45 p.m. PST Yankees W 2–1 Reuss (1–1) Guidry (1–1) — 2:19 56,115 LAN 3–2 W3 — October 27 5:20 p.m. PST @ Yankees Postponed (rain); Makeup: October 28 6 October 28 5:20 p.m. PST @ Yankees W 9–2 Hooton (1–1) Frazier (0–3) Howe (1) 3:09 56,513 LAN 4–2 W4

= Indicates league leader

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; ERA = Earned run average; W/L = Wins/Losses; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; CG = Complete games

Name	G	GS	IP	ERA	W/L	BB	SO	CG
Fernando Valenzuela	25	25	192.1	2.48	13-7	61	180	11
Burt Hooton	23	23	142.1	2.28	11-6	33	74	5
Bob Welch	23	23	141.1	3.44	9-5	41	88	2
Jerry Reuss	22	22	152.2	2.30	10-4	27	51	8

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; ERA = Earned run average; W/L = Wins/Losses; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; SV = Saves

Name	G	GS	IP	ERA	W/L	BB	SO	SV
Steve Howe	41	0	54.0	2.50	5-3	18	32	8
Bobby Castillo	34	1	50.2	5.33	2-4	18	32	5
Dave Stewart	32	0	43.1	2.49	4-3	14	29	6
Terry Forster	21	0	30.2	4.11	0-1	15	17	0
Dave Goltz	26	8	77.0	4.09	2-7	25	48	1
Rick Sutcliffe	14	6	47.0	4.02	2-2	20	16	0
Tom Niedenfuer	17	0	26.0	3.81	3-1	6	12	2
Alejandro Peña	14	0	25.1	2.84	1-1	11	14	2
Ted Power	5	2	14.1	3.14	1-3	7	7	0

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

Player	Pos	GP	AB	Avg.	R	H	HR	RBI	SB
Mike Scioscia	C	93	290	.276	27	80	2	29	0
Steve Yeager	C	42	86	.209	5	18	3	7	0
Jerry Grote	C	2	2	.000	0	0	0	0	0
Steve Garvey	1B	110*	431	.283	63	122	10	64	3
Davey Lopes	2B	58	214	.289	35	44	5	17	20
Bill Russell	SS	82	262	.233	20	61	0	22	2
Ron Cey	3B	85	312	.288	42	90	13	50	0
Derrel Thomas	2B/3B/SS/OF	80	218	.248	25	54	4	24	7
Steve Sax	2B	31	119	.277	15	33	2	9	5
Pepe Frías	SS/2B/3B	25	36	.250	6	9	0	3	0
Reggie Smith	1B	41	35	.200	5	7	1	8	0
Mike Marshall	1B/3B/OF	14	25	.200	2	5	0	1	0
Gary Weiss	SS	14	19	.105	2	2	0	1	0
Jack Perconte	2B	8	9	.222	2	2	0	1	1
Dusty Baker	OF	103	400	.320	48	128	9	49	10
Pedro Guerrero	OF/3B/1B	98	347	.300	46	104	12	48	5
Ken Landreaux	OF	99	390	.251	48	98	7	41	18
Rick Monday	OF	66	130	.315	24	41	11	25	1
Jay Johnstone	OF/1B	61	83	.205	8	17	3	6	0
Ron Roenicke	OF	22	47	.234	6	11	0	0	1
Joe Ferguson	OF	17	14	.143	2	2	0	1	0
Candy Maldonado	OF	11	12	.093	0	1	0	0	0
Bobby Mitchell	OF	10	5	.125	0	1	0	0	0
Mark Bradley	OF	9	6	.167	2	1	0	0	0

• Tied with Ozzie Smith (San Diego)

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.

October 6, The Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	0
Houston	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	3	8	0
W: Nolan Ryan (1-0)  L: Dave Stewart (0-1)
HRs: LA – Steve Garvey (1)  HOU – Alan Ashby (1)

October 7, The Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	1
Houston	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	9	0
W: Joe Sambito (1-0)  L: Dave Stewart (0-2)
HRs: LA – none   HOU – none

October 9, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	2
Los Angeles	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	X	6	10	0
W: Burt Hooton (1-0)  L: Bob Knepper (0-1)
HRs: HOU – Art Howe (1)  LA – Steve Garvey (2)

October 10, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	0
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	X	2	4	0
W: Fernando Valenzuela (1-0)  L: Vern Ruhle (0-1)
HRs: HOU – none  LA – Pedro Guerrero (1)

October 11, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	3
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	X	4	7	2
W: Jerry Reuss (1-0)  L: Nolan Ryan (1-1)
HRs: HOU – none  LA – none

The Dodgers faced the Montreal Expos in the 1981 NLCS and beat them three games to two, thanks to a ninth-inning home run by Rick Monday in Game 5.

October 13, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Montreal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	9	0
Los Angeles	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	X	5	8	0
W: Burt Hooton (1-0)  L: Bill Gullickson (0-1)
HRs: MON – None  LAD – Pedro Guerrero (1), Mike Scioscia (1)
Pitchers: MON – Gullickson, Reardon (8)  LAD – Hooton, Welch (8), Howe (9)
Attendance: 51,273

October 14, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Montreal	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	10	1
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
W: Ray Burris (1-0)  L: Fernando Valenzuela (0-1)
HRs: MON – None  LAD – None
Pitchers: MON – Burris  LAD – Valenzuela, Niedenfuer (7), Forster (7), Pena (7), Castillo (9)
Attendance: 53,463

October 16, Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
Montreal	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	X	4	7	1
W: Steve Rogers (1-0)  L: Jerry Reuss (0-1)
HRs: LAD – None  MON – Jerry White (1)
Pitchers: LAD – Reuss, Pena (8)  MON – Rogers
Attendance: 54,372

October 17, Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	4	7	12	1
Montreal	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	1
W: Burt Hooton (2-0)  L: Bill Gullickson (0-2)
HRs: LAD – Steve Garvey (1)  MON – None
Pitchers: LAD – Hooton, Welch (8), Howe (9)  MON – Gullickson, Fryman (8), Sosa (9), Lee (9)
Attendance: 54,499

October 19, Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	6	0
Montreal	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1
W: Fernando Valenzuela (1-1)  L: Steve Rogers (1-1)  SV: Bob Welch (1)
HRs: LAD – Rick Monday (1)  MON – None
Pitchers: LAD – Valenzuela, Welch (9)  MON – Burris, Rogers (9)
Attendance: 36,491

The Dodgers met the New York Yankees in the World Series once again, this time beating them in six games to claim their first championship since 1965.

October 20, Yankee Stadium, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	3	5	0
New York	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	X	5	6	0
W: Ron Guidry (1-0)  L: Jerry Reuss (0-1)  SV: Goose Gossage (1)
HRs: LAD – Steve Yeager (1)  NY – Bob Watson (1)

October 21, Yankee Stadium, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2
New York	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	X	3	6	1
W: Tommy John (1-0)  L: Burt Hooton (0-1)  SV: Goose Gossage (2)
HRs: LAD – none  NY – none

October 23, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	9	0
Los Angeles	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	X	5	11	1
W: Fernando Valenzuela (1-0)  L: George Frazier (0-1)  SV: none)
HRs: NY – Rick Cerone (1), Bob Watson (2)  LA – Ron Cey (1)

October 24, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	2	1	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	7	13	1
Los Angeles	0	0	2	0	1	3	2	0	X	8	14	2
W: Steve Howe (1-0)  L: George Frazier (0-2)  SV: none)
HRs: NY – Willie Randolph (1), Reggie Jackson (1)  LA – Jay Johnstone (1)

October 25, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	X	2	4	3
W: Jerry Reuss (1-1)  L: Ron Guidry (1-1)  SV: none
HRs: NY – none   LA – Pedro Guerrero (1), Steve Yeager (2)

October 28, Yankee Stadium, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	1	3	4	0	1	0	9	13	1
New York	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	7	2
W: Burt Hooton (1-1)  L: George Frazier (0-3)  SV: Steve Howe (1)
HRs: LAD – Pedro Guerrero (2)   NY – Willie Randolph (2)

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Albuquerque Dukes	Pacific Coast League	Del Crandall
AA	San Antonio Dodgers	Texas League	Don LeJohn
High A	Lodi Dodgers	California League	Terry Collins
High A	Vero Beach Dodgers	Florida State League	Stan Wasiak
Rookie	Lethbridge Dodgers	Pioneer League	Gary LaRocque

Teams in BOLD won League Championships

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 Don Sutton.

The Dodgers first round pick in the June draft was shortstop Dave Anderson from the University of Memphis. 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 (round 3) and John Franco (round 5), both of whom would have lengthy Major League careers primarily with the New York Mets after the Dodgers traded them.

1981 draft picks

January draft [4] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Kelvin White RHP Cosumnes River College No 2 Robert Seymour OF Sacramento City College Yes 1981–1982 A 3 Frederick Bass 3B Sacramento City College Yes 1981 A 4 John Sylvia SS College of the Sequoias Yes 1981–1982 A 5 Jack Loop 1B Pasadena City College No 6 Eugene Steinbach C Georgia Perimeter College Yes 1981–1994 AA 7 Brad Harlow SS Cosumnes River College No 8 Brett Radland RHP Valencia Community College No 9 Jon Van Dort OF Chaffey College No 10 Larry Riddle RHP Alvin Community College No Red Sox-1984 1984 A 11 Andy Hargrove RHP Barstow Community College No 12 James Sewell OF Sacramento City College No 13 Ronnie Chapman 2B Louisburg College No Blue Jays-1982 1982–1986 AA 14 James Woods IF San Jacinto College No 15 Charles Byers 3B Chaffey College No 16 Benny Distefano 1B Alvin Community College No Pirates-1982 1982–1993 MLB January secondary phase [5] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Shayne Hammond LHP Southeastern Illinois College Yes 1981–1983 AA 2 Tom DiCeglio SS Gulf Coast Community College No Twins-1984 1984–1986 A June draft [6] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Dave Anderson SS University of Memphis Yes 1981–1992 MLB 2 Sid Bream 1B Liberty University Yes 1981–1994 MLB 2 Lemmie Miller OF Arizona State University Yes 1981–1989 MLB 3 Sid Fernandez LHP Kaiser High School No Angels-1984 1981–2001 MLB 4 Steven Boncore C University of La Verne Yes 1981–1983 A 5 John Franco LHP St. John's University Yes 1981–2005 MLB 6 Brian Williams OF South High School Yes 1981–1986 A 7 Michael Beuder LHP Santa Clara University Yes 1981–1983 A 8 Gregory Chinn OF California State University, Sacramento Yes 1981–1983 A 9 Stu Pederson OF University of Southern California Yes 1981–1992 MLB 10 Mark Pirruccello C California State University, Fullerton No Royals-1982 1982–1984 AA 11 Gregory Carne RHP Redondo High School Yes 1981–1984 A 12 Peyton Mosher RHP University of Georgia Yes 1981–1984 A 13 David Anderson RHP University of Nevada, Reno Yes 1982–1990 AAA 14 Dean Rennicke RHP University of Wisconsin–Madison Yes 1981–1985 AAA 15 Jimmy Guillen RHP Roosevelt High School No 16 Harold Perkins SS California State University, Los Angeles Yes 1981–1991 AAA 17 Christopher Chavez SS University of Nebraska at Lincoln Yes 1981–1982 AA 18 Jerry Bendorf SS Gonzaga University Yes 1981–1982 AA 19 Jeffrey Greene SS University of Vermont Yes 1981 Rookie 20 Tim Criswell RHP Carrollton High School No Dodgers-1983 1983–1987 AA 21 John Gregory 1B Lake Worth High School Yes 1981–1984 A 22 Craig Thompson OF Dallas Baptist University Yes 1981–1982 A 23 William Murray 2B University of San Francisco Yes 1981 A 24 Steven Young OF Chambersburg High School Yes 1981 Rookie 25 Robert Philps RHP Carmichaels High School No 26 Charles Beard RHP California State University, Sacramento Yes 1981–1983 A 27 David Dunlap IF California State University, Sacramento No 28 Brett Davis OF Pearland High School No 29 Jeff Carter IF Evanston Township High School No Giants-1985 1985–1996 AAA 30 Ronald Robbins RHP Louisiana State University at Alexandria No Blue Jays-1983 1983–1984 A June secondary phase [7] Round Name Position School Signed Career span Highest level 1 Ralph Bryant OF Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Yes 1981–1996 MLB 2 Michael Moore C Edmonds Community College Yes 1981–1982 A 3 Ethan McHenry RHP Yakima Valley Community College No

• 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers uniform
• Los Angeles Dodgers official website
• Baseball-Reference season page
• Baseball Almanac season page