1981 in baseball


Champions

Major League Baseball

NOTE: Due to a strike in mid-season, the season was divided into a first half and a second half. The division winner of the first half played the division winner of the second half.
International
Winter Leagues
College
Youth

Major league Baseball final standings

First half of season

Second half of season

Overall record

Events

January

  • January 4 – The New York Mets sign left-handed pitcher Dave Roberts, granted free agency from the Seattle Mariners November 4, 1980.
  • January 7 – The Chicago Cubs sign relief pitcher Rawly Eastwick, released by the Kansas City Royals on August 21, 1980.
  • January 12:
  • *The Atlanta Braves sign 42-year-old future Baseball Hall of Fame hurler Gaylord Perry, granted free agency from the New York Yankees last October 23.
  • *The Cincinnati Reds sign first baseman Larry Biittner, granted free agency from the Chicago Cubs, also on October 23. The Reds become the last team to sign a free agent under the system established in 1976.
  • January 14:
  • *Frank Robinson, who became MLB's first African-American manager in with the Cleveland Indians of the American League, becomes the National League's first black pilot as well, when the San Francisco Giants name him to succeed Dave Bristol at the team's helm. Although the future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger never played for the Giants, Robinson, now 45, grew up in cross-bay Oakland, where he starred at McClymonds High School.
  • *Southern California real estate mogul George Argyros, 43, purchases controlling interest in the four-year-old Seattle Mariners for a price between $10.4 million and $12.5M. Four of the six original owners of the expansion team, including Danny Kaye, remain as limited partners.
  • January 15:
  • *In his first year of eligibility, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson is the only person elected this year to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, gathering 337 votes. Players falling short of the 301 votes needed for election include Don Drysdale, Gil Hodges, Harmon Killebrew, Hoyt Wilhelm and Juan Marichal.
  • *The Toronto Blue Jays purchase the contract of utilityman Ken Macha from the Montreal Expos.
  • January 21 – The Cincinnati Reds deal veteran centerfielder, two-time World Series champion and 4× Gold Glove Award winner César Gerónimo to the Kansas City Royals for second baseman Germán Barranca.
  • January 23:
  • *In the midst of an arbitration hearing that could grant him total free agency, six-time American League All-Star centerfielder Fred Lynn is hurriedly traded by the Boston Red Sox to the California Angels with veteran pitcher Steve Renko for southpaw Frank Tanana, right-hander Jim Dorsey and 34-year-old outfielder Joe Rudi. The self-inflicted crisis is triggered by the Red Sox' front office, which mailed Lynn's 1981 contract to him two days after the mandated deadline. The Angels immediately sign Lynn to a four-year, $5.25 million contract.
  • *With Lynn's trade, catcher Carlton Fisk's arbitration hearing continues in New York. Fisk is also seeking free agency from the Red Sox, stemming from the same contract blunder that forced Boston to trade Lynn while he was still under club control.
  • *Granted free agency from the Pittsburgh Pirates last October 22, first baseman John Milner opts to return to Pittsburgh for 1981.
  • January 26 – The California Angels sign pitchers Jesse Jefferson and Bill Travers. Jefferson had been granted free agency from the Pirates October 22, while Travers gained free-agent status from the Milwaukee Brewers one month later.
  • January 29 – Bill Veeck sells the Chicago White Sox to Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn for a reported $20 million. "Sportshirt Bill," 66, who bought the franchise in December 1975, had placed it on the market in July 1980. The deal ends Veeck's ownership career in Major League Baseball, which began in 1946.

    February

  • February 4 – The Chicago White Sox sign free agent shortstop Bill Almon, released by the New York Mets in December 1980. The former first overall pick in the 1974 June amateur draft will hit.301 in 103 games for the 1981 Pale Hose.
  • February 5 – The Mets release 33-year-old outfielder Elliott Maddox. He'll play 1981 at Triple-A in the Philadelphia Phillies' system, but never return to the majors.
  • February 9 – The San Francisco Giants sign free-agent second baseman Joe Morgan. The future Hall of Famer, now 37, will give the Giants two strong seasons, finishing in the team's top five in wins above replacement each year.
  • February 10 – The Oakland Athletics obtain infielder Jimmy Sexton from the Houston Astros for a player to be named later ; pitcher Rick Lysander will be added to the deal October 20, 1981.
  • February 11 – The Houston Astros trade catcher Bruce Bochy to the New York Mets for two players to be named later. Minor league shortstop Randy Rogers and catcher Stan Hough will be sent to Houston on April 3 to complete the trade.
  • February 12:
  • *Arbitrator Raymond Goetz rules that catcher Carlton Fisk is a free agent. In December, the Boston Red Sox had mailed his 1981 contract two days late, triggering a grievance, arbitration hearing, and Goetz' ruling. Future Hall-of-Famer Fisk will agree to a five-year, $2.9 million contract with the Chicago White Sox on March 9.
  • *The White Sox sign catcher Marc Hill, granted free agency from the Seattle Mariners last November 28. Hill will end up as Fisk's backup receiver into May 1986.
  • February 16 – The St. Louis Cardinals acquire shortstop prospect Rafael Santana, 23, from the New York Yankees for pitcher George Frazier, a "PTBNL" who will complete the transaction on June 7, 1981.
  • February 17 – Former NL All-Star outfielder Jerry Morales returns to the Chicago Cubs. He had been granted free agency from the New York Mets on October 31, 1980.
  • February 18 – The Cleveland Indians release catcher Manny Sanguillén, bringing a close to the three-time All-Star's career.
  • February 20 – Louis Nippert, 77, chairman and 90% owner of the Cincinnati Reds, sells control of the franchise to a partnership headed by brothers William Williams and James Williams. Minority partners include future Reds owners Marge Schott and Carl Lindner Jr., as well as Nippert himself. The team's baseball operations remain under the supervision of president and general manager Dick Wagner.
  • February 23 – The Pittsburgh Pirates sign pitcher Luis Tiant, 40, granted free agency from the New York Yankees last October 27.
  • February 28 – The New York Mets reacquire Dave Kingman from the Chicago Cubs for Steve Henderson and cash. Henderson had come to the Mets from the Cincinnati Reds as part of the infamous "Midnight Massacre" on June 15,, the same day the Mets traded Kingman to the San Diego Padres for Paul Siebert and Bobby Valentine.

    March

  • March 1:
  • *The Milwaukee Brewers trade outfielder Dick Davis to the Philadelphia Phillies for left-hander Randy Lerch.
  • *Pitcher Ed Figueroa signs with the Texas Rangers, returning to the team after being granted free agency last October 22.
  • March 3 – The St. Louis Cardinals sign spare outfielder/pinch hitter Steve Braun, granted free agency from the Toronto Blue Jays on November 5.
  • March 4 – The San Francisco Giants sell the contract of outfielder Terry Whitfield to the Seibu Lions of the Pacific League in Japan.
  • March 7 – The Seattle Mariners obtain veteran slugger Jeff Burroughs from the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Carlos Diaz. Burroughs, the American League MVP in, is traded on his 30th birthday.
  • March 11 – Johnny Mize and Rube Foster are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Mize hit.312 with 359 home runs in 15 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and New York Yankees; Foster was a star pitcher, manager and pioneer of the Negro leagues during the first quarter of the 20th century.
  • March 18 – Free-agent catcher Carlton Fisk officially signs with the Chicago White Sox. He plays the remainder of his Hall of Fame career in Chicago, before retiring at age 45 in June of.
  • March 25 – The Atlanta Braves trade outfielder Gary Matthews to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Bob Walk.
  • March 27 – The Oakland Athletics obtain third baseman Kevin Bell and second baseman/outfielder Tony Phillips, then a minor-league prospect, from the San Diego Padres for pitcher Bob Lacey. Two minor-league pitchers, Roy Moretti and Eric Mustad, also change teams.
  • March 28 – Chicago's MLB teams collaborate on a trade in which the Cubs acquire left-handed hurler Ken Kravec from the White Sox for right-hander Dennis Lamp.
  • March 30:
  • *The Minnesota Twins deal centerfielder Ken Landreaux to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Mickey Hatcher and two prospects, pitcher Mathew Reeves and first baseman Kelly Snider. Landreaux, 26, a native Angeleno, was an American League All-Star in 1980; he'll play seven seasons as a Dodger.
  • *The Philadelphia Phillies sell the contract of slugging first baseman and native Chicagoan Greg Luzinski to the White Sox. He'll be the ChiSox' primary designated hitter for the next four seasons.
  • March 31:
  • *The New York Yankees and San Diego Padres make a six-player trade. The Yankees acquire pitcher John Pacella and outfielder Jerry Mumphrey from the Padres for southpaw pitchers Tim Lollar and Chris Welsh and outfielders Ruppert Jones and Joe Lefebvre.
  • *The Kansas City Royals trade outfielder Marvell Wynne and minor-league pitcher John Skinner to the New York Mets for pitcher Juan Berenguer.