The 1981 MLB season was shortened due to a midyear players’ strike that wiped out games from June 12 through July 31. The campaign was ultimately split into two halves, as play resumed on Aug. 10 — just one day after the All-Star Game was held in Cleveland, Ohio.
Despite the season being interrupted, the Los Angeles Dodgers never lost sight of their goal of advancing deep into October. They sat atop the National League West standings in the first half, and overall, finished the year with a 63-47 record.
The Dodgers went on to defeat the Houston Astros and Montreal Expos in the first two rounds of the playoffs, advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1978.
It set the stage for a showdown against the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic — a matchup that baseball fans were treated to on 10 different occasions dating back to 1941.
While the Yankees had gone 8-2 against the Dodgers in previous World Series matchups, the roles were reversed this time around. L.A. defeated New York in six games to claim their first championship since 1965.
Regular season
The Dodgers began the regular season with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Opening Day. It was the first of six consecutive wins for L.A., who swept the Astros and San Francisco Giants in separate three-game series.
The Dodgers finished April with a superb 14-5 record and continued to take care of business in May. A 19-10 showing during the month further cemented L.A.’s first-place lead in the NL West, which wound up being pivotal as a work stoppage loomed.
Just nine games into June, the nearly two month-long players’ strike came into effect. The Dodgers wouldn’t resume play until Aug. 10, when they shutout the Cincinnati Reds in a 4-0 win.
The Dodgers posted an overall 12-9 record in August but struggled over the final five weeks of play, going a combined 15-17 in September and October. Despite the late-season slumber, the club qualified for a spot in the playoffs.
Postseason
The Dodgers began postseason play with a best-of-five matchup against the Astros. L.A. dropped the first two games of the series but pulled off an improbable comeback by winning the next three contests.
As a result, the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS for a meeting with the Expos. L.A. took the first two games of the series but were in jeopardy of potentially suffering the same fat as the Astros.
Montreal won the next games at Stade Olympique, paving the way for a winner-take-all Game 5. Though the Expos jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, it was the Dodgers that punched their tickets to the World Series.
Fernando Valenzuela tossed 8.2 innings of one-run ball before Bob Welch recorded the final out of the game. Rick Monday delivered the game-winning blast with a two-out, solo home run in the ninth off Steve Rogers.
The Dodgers, just four wins away from ending their 16-year championship drought, renewed their longtime rivalry with the Yankees in the Fall Classic.
New York, with homefield advantage, defeated L.A. in the first two games at Yankee Stadium. As the series shifted to Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers looked to return the favor.
The club won the next three at Chavez Ravine and found themselves just one victory away from being the last team standing. The elimination Game 6 in New York saw the Yankees take an early 1-0 behind Willie Randolph’s solo home run in the third.
L.A. quickly responded in the top half of the fourth with an RBI single off the bat of Steve Yeager before tacking on three more runs in the top of the fifth — giving them their first lead of the game.
The Dodgers went on to defeat the Yankees, 9-2, giving manager Tommy Lasorda his first of two World Series championships at the helm.
Pedro Guerrero finished Game 6 with three hits in five at-bats, one run scored and a team-high five RBI. In six games against the Yankees, he hit an overall .333/.417/.762 with one double, one triple, one home run and seven RBI across 21 at-bats.
Guerrero was one of three Dodgers players to share 1981 World Series MVP honors, joining teammates Ron Cey and Steve Yeager. On the pitching side, Burt Hooton improved to 4-1 during the 1981 postseason after providing L.A. 5.1 innings of two-run ball.
Steve Howe recorded the final 10 outs, allowing just two hits and one walk with three strikeouts. He was credited with his first and only save of the 1981 World Series.
