On This Date in Sports October 4, 1981: Splitting Headache
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The tumultuous 1981 Major League season comes to an end as the four divisions have different winners than those that were declared the winners of the first half when the season was halted due to a players' strike. The strike stopped the season for nearly two months, leading MLB to declare a split season with the winners in each half playing in a five-game division series. This created a topsy turvy result in the National League, as the Cincinnati Reds had the best overall record in baseball but did not finish in first place in either half and missed the postseason. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals, with an overall losing record, played for the American League West Division title.
The 1981 baseball season will be forever remembered for the two-month strike that saw the players drop their bats in favor of picket signs. It was the second in-season strike. The players walked out at the start of the 1972 season; only a few games were lost as the dispute was quickly settled. The 1981 strike was not as simple as it involved the lingering issue of Free Agency compensation. There had nearly been a work stoppage in 1980, but a deal was completed with just the compensation issue remaining. When the issue was not settled, players walked on June 12th. The strike was not settled until July 31st, with the season resuming with the All-Star Game on August 9th in Cleveland.
When the season resumed, the leagues decided to create a split season, with the winners of the first half facing the winners of the second half in each division. The National League first experimented with a split season in 1892. Split seasons have also been utilized in various minor leagues since the early days of professional baseball. In a season in which two months were lost, the split season would create an extra round of playoffs and made the second half a new chance for all teams to get in the pennant race.
When the season was stopped on June 12th, the New York Yankees were in first place in the American League East with a record of 34-22; they had a two-game lead on the Baltimore Orioles and a three-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Oakland Athletics playing "Billy Ball" started the season like a house on fire, winning their first 11 games on the way to a 17-1 start. They struggled through May but were still in first place at 37-23, holding a game and a half lead over the Texas Rangers.
In the National League, the reigning World Champion Philadelphia Phillies were in first place in the Eastern Division, when the strike stopped the season, holding a record of 34-21, as the St. Louis Cardinals were a game and a half back. In the West, the Los Angeles Dodgers riding the wave of "Fernando Mania" were in first place with a record of 36-21, a half-game in front of the Cincinnati Reds.
When the season resumed, everyone was starting from scratch. If a team won both halves, they would not get an automatic bye to the League Championship Series. Instead, the second-best overall team would play in the Division Series.
In the American League East, the Yankees, who were in first place at the time of the strike, struggled in the second half of the season. Hovering near .500, as they were already assured of the Division Series, winning the first half. The Yankees were in sixth place in the second half at 25-26, as Bob Lemon replaced manager Gene Michael before the playoffs. The Milwaukee Brewers managed by Buck Rodgers would emerge as the best team in the American League East, posting a record of 31-22 after the strike. The Brewers finished a game and a half ahead of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox to earn their first postseason appearance, as they had the best overall record in the division at 62-47.
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In the American League West, the Oakland A's came closest to winning both halves, posting the best overall record in the American League at 64-45. Down the stretch, Billy Martin had Oakland in a nip and tuck battle with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals suffering a World Series hangover, had a terrible first half and sat in fifth place at 20-30 when the strike began. On August 31st, Jim Frey was fired as manager and replaced by Dick Howser. Howser had been the Yankees manager in 1980 and was fired after losing to the Royals in the ALCS. Howser helped the Royals post a record of 30-23 to beat the Athletics by one game. The Royals were in the playoffs despite an overall 50-53 record.
In the National League, the divisions were flipped on their head in the second half. Like the Yankees and Royals, the Montreal Expos made a managerial change as Jim Fanning a longtime member of the Montreal front office, replaced Dick Williams. The Expos won 16 of their last 27 games and won the second half with a record of 30-23. The Expos finished a half-game better than the St. Louis Cardinals to earn their first postseason berth, as the Phillies posted a record of 25-27 in the second half. Overall the Expos had a record of 60-48. The Cardinals had the best overall record in the East at 59-43 but did not finish in first place in either half and were left on the outside looking in when the Division Series began.
No team was more frustrated than the Cincinnati Reds managed by John McNamara. The Reds were a half-game behind the Dodgers when the season was halted, holding a record of 35-21. The Reds had the best overall record in baseball at 66-42. However, with a record of 31-21, they finished a game and a half behind Bill Virdon's Houston Astros, who posted a record of 33-20 after the strike. Meanwhile, the Dodgers, managed by Tommy Lasorda, hovered near .500, posting a record of 27-26 in the second half, as they finished 63-47 overall.
The first half winners won three of the four division series, with the Yankees beating the Brewers in five games, the Athletics sweeping the Royals, and the Dodgers rallying from 0-2 to beat the Astros in five games. It was the first time a team rallied from 0-2 in a best-of-five series in MLB history. The Expos were the only second-half team to win a Division Series, beating the Phillies in four games.
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The 1981 Reds were the last hurrah for the "Big Red Machine," as the team was broken up in the off-season with George Foster being traded to the New York Mets and Ken Griffey going to the New York Yankees. The Reds went from the best team in baseball to the worst in the National League 1982, posting a record of 61-101. The Cardinals, who also were screwed by the split season, went the opposite direction, winning the Eastern Divison in 1982 and winning the World Series.