On Oct. 28, 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers cruised to a clinching 9-2 win over the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. It marked L.A.’s fourth consecutive victory in the Fall Classic after dropping each of the first two contests.
The Yankees, looking to force a winner-take-all Game 7, jumped out to a 1-0 lead against the Dodgers in the bottom of the third courtesy of Willie Randolph’s solo home run with two outs.
L.A. quickly responded in the top half of the fourth with an RBI single off the bat of Steve Yeager. Dusty Baker came around to score the tying run after Rick Monday extended the inning with a two-out single.
The Dodgers tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth, giving them their first lead of the game in which they would not relinquish. Ron Cey drove home Davey Lopes with a two-out single and would later advance to third base following Baker’s second single of the night.
Pedro Guerrero then cleared the bases with a two-run triple, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 4-1. The club would add four more in the sixth via Bill Russell’s RBI single, an RBI groundout by Derrel Thomas and a single from Guerrero that brought two more runs across the plate.
The five-time National League All-Star provided another insurance run in the top of the eighth for good measure, hitting a solo home run off Rudy May to give the Dodgers a commanding 9-2 advantage over the Yankees.
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 Cey and 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.
With their 9-2 win over the Yankees, the Dodgers captured their fifth World Series championship in franchise history and first since 1965. Cey, Guerrero and Yeager were named World Series tri-MVPs.
