1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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Date | August 9, 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Venue | Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek and Bryant Gumbel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radio | CBS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radio announcers | Vin Scully, Win Elliot and Herb Score | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 52nd playing of the midsummer classic between the
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-standing record for the highest attendance in an All Star Game.
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
Rosters
Players in italics have since been inducted into the
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
National League | American League | ||||||
Order | Player | Team | Position | Order | Player | Team | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pete Rose | Phillies | 1B | 1 | Rod Carew | Angels |
1B |
2 | Dave Concepción | Reds | SS | 2 | Willie Randolph | Yankees | 2B |
3 | Dave Parker | Pirates | RF | 3 | George Brett | Royals | 3B |
4 | Mike Schmidt | Phillies | 3B | 4 | Dave Winfield | Yankees | CF |
5 | George Foster | Reds | LF | 5 | Ken Singleton | Orioles | LF |
6 | Andre Dawson | Expos | CF | 6 | Reggie Jackson | Yankees | RF |
7 | Gary Carter | Expos | C | 7 | Carlton Fisk | White Sox | C |
8 | Davey Lopes | Dodgers | 2B | 8 | Bucky Dent | Yankees | SS |
9 | Fernando Valenzuela | Dodgers | P | 9 | Jack Morris | Tigers | P |
Game summary
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Vida Blue (1-0) LP: Rollie Fingers (0-1) Sv: Bruce Sutter (1) Home runs: NL: Gary Carter 2 (1, 2), Dave Parker (1), Mike Schmidt (1) AL: 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.
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
- ^ Player declined or was unable to play.