1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

1981 American baseball competition November 2013 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game logo.png 175 1981 National League 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 5 9 1 American League 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 11 1 August 9, 1981 Cleveland Stadium Cleveland, Ohio Dallas Green PHI Jim Frey KC Gary Carter MON NBC Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek and Bryant Gumbel CBS Vin Scully, Win Elliot and Herb Score 72,086 Vice President George H. W. Bush The 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 52nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on Sunday, August 9, 1981, at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, the home of the Cleveland Indians of the American League. As of 2024, it is the only MLB All-Star Game that was played on a Sunday. This was one of only two All-Star Games to be played outside the month of July (the other being the second 1959 game). The game was originally to be played on Tuesday, July 14, but was cancelled due to the players' strike lasting from June 12 to July 31. It was then brought back as a prelude to the second half of the season, which began the following day. At 72,086 people in attendance, it broke the stadium's own record of 69,751 set in 1954, setting the still-standingAugust 2025 record for the highest attendance in an All Star Game.The More Things Change, The More... Sheldon Ocker Sheldon Ocker The Akron Beacon Journal July 6, 1997 6 Cleveland Stadium set a new All-Star Game record by hosting its fourth (and ultimately, final) Midsummer Classic. By the time Indians played host to the All-Star Game for the fifth time in 1997, they had moved to Progressive Field (then known as Jacobs Field), where they also hosted the 2019 game. Cleveland Stadium's record still standsAugust 2025, though the original Yankee Stadium would host its fourth and final All-Star Game in 2008, while Wrigley Field will host its fourth All-Star Game in 2027. Rosters Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. National League StartersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPFernando ValenzuelaDodgers1CGary CarterExpos41BPete RosePhillies152BDavey LopesDodgers43BMike SchmidtPhillies6SSDave ConcepciónReds8OFAndre DawsonExpos1OFGeorge FosterReds5OFDave ParkerPirates4 PitchersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPVida BlueGiants6PSteve CarltonPhillies9PBurt HootonDodgers1PBob KnepperAstros1PDick RuthvenPhillies2PNolan RyanAstros6PTom SeaverReds12PBruce SutterCardinals5 ReservesPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCBruce BenedictBraves1CTerry KennedyPadres11BBill BucknerCubs11BSteve GarveyDodgers82BPhil GarnerPirates32BManny TrilloPhillies23BBill MadlockPirates2SSOzzie SmithPadres1OFDusty BakerDodgers1OFMike EaslerPirates1OFPedro GuerreroDodgers1OFTim RainesExpos1OFJoel YoungbloodMets1 American League StartersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPJack MorrisTigers1CCarlton FiskWhite Sox81BRod CarewAngels152BWillie RandolphYankees43BGeorge BrettRoyals6SSBucky DentYankees3OFReggie JacksonYankees11OFKen SingletonOrioles3OFDave WinfieldYankees5 PitchersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPLen BarkerIndians1PBritt BurnsWhite Sox1PDoug CorbettTwins1PRon DavisYankees1PRollie FingersBrewers6PKen ForschAngels2PRich GossagePlayer declined or was unable to play.Yankees6PScott McGregorOrioles1PMike NorrisAthletics1PDave StiebBlue Jays2 ReservesPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCBo DíazIndians1CTed SimmonsBrewers71BEddie MurrayOrioles21BAl OliverRangers52BFrank WhiteRoyals33BBuddy BellRangers3SSRick BurlesonAngels4OFTony ArmasAthletics1OFDwight EvansRed Sox2OFFred LynnAngels7OFTom PaciorekMariners1OFGorman ThomasBrewers1 Game Umpires Home plate Bill Haller (AL) First base Ed Vargo (NL) Second base Lou DiMuro (AL) Third base Bob Engel (NL) Left field Greg Kosc (AL) Right field Jim Quick (NL) Starting lineups no National League American League Pete Rose Phillies 1B Dave Concepción Reds SS Dave Parker Pirates RF Mike Schmidt Phillies 3B George Foster Reds LF Andre Dawson Expos CF Gary Carter Expos C Davey Lopes Dodgers 2B Fernando Valenzuela Dodgers P Rod Carew Angels 1B Willie Randolph Yankees 2B George Brett Royals 3B Dave Winfield Yankees CF Ken Singleton Orioles LF Reggie Jackson Yankees RF Carlton Fisk White Sox C Bucky Dent Yankees SS Jack Morris Tigers P Game summary Sunday, August 9, 1981 8:25pm (ET) Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio National League NL 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 5 9 1 American League AL 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 11 1 Vida Blue (1-0) Rollie Fingers (0-1) Bruce Sutter (1) Gary Carter 2 (1, 2), Dave Parker (1), Mike Schmidt (1) Ken Singleton (1) The American League started with four shutout innings, two apiece by starter Jack Morris and Len Barker. Meanwhile, Fernando Valenzuela, only the second rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game, pitched a scoreless first with two strikeouts. The AL got on the board in the second when Ken Singleton homered off Tom Seaver. Gary Carter broke the scoring drought for the NL and tied the game with a shot off Ken Forsch in the fifth. Dave Parker gave the senior circuit the lead with a homer in the sixth off Mike Norris. Burt Hooton came in for the NL in the AL-half of the sixth and promptly loaded the bases on three successive singles by Singleton, Dwight Evans, and Carlton Fisk. Fred Lynn lined another single, but only Singleton came home to tie it at 2-2. Buddy Bell followed with a sacrifice fly to give the AL a 3-2 lead. Eddie Murray then bounced what looked to be a double-play grounder to Steve Garvey at first, but Garvey's low throw combined with a great play by Ozzie Smith at second and a rolling slide by Lynn resulted in only a force at second. Fisk went to third and Ted Simmons singled him in to make it 4-2. Al Oliver then lifted a bloop fly ball to left that looked like it would drop, but Dusty Baker hustled in and made a sliding catch for the third out, saving a run and possibly more. In the seventh, Carter got one of the runs back with his second homer, this one off Ron Davis. Then, in the eighth, Rollie Fingers walked Ozzie Smith. Smith stole second and attempted to take third when Bo Díaz' throw went into center field. Dave Winfield hustled the ball back to the infield and Smith was caught in a rundown and tagged out by Fingers. Mike Easler walked and Mike Schmidt homered off Fingers to give the National League their winning runs. Footnotes and references External links Baseball-Reference.com Baseball Almanac Category:Major League Baseball All-Star Game Major League Baseball All-Star Game Category:Baseball competitions in Cleveland Category:August 1981 sports events in the United States Category:1980s in Cleveland Category:1981 in sports in Ohio