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| Date | August 9, 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Cleveland Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Cleveland,Ohio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Gary Carter (MON) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 72,086 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonial first pitch | Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Television | NBC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Joe Garagiola,Tony Kubek andBryant Gumbel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Radio | CBS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Radio announcers | Vin Scully,Win Elliot andHerb Score | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 52nd playing of the midsummer classic between theall-stars of theAmerican League (AL) andNational League (NL), the two leagues comprisingMajor League Baseball. The game was held on Sunday, August 9, 1981, atCleveland Stadium inCleveland, Ohio, the home of theCleveland 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 thesecond 1959 game). The game was originally to be played on Tuesday, July 14, but was cancelled due to theplayers' 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 in1954, setting the still-standing[when?] record for the highest attendance in an All Star Game.[1]
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 in1997, they had moved toProgressive Field (then known asJacobs Field), where they also hosted the2019 game. Cleveland Stadium's record still stands[when?], though the originalYankee Stadium would host its fourth and final All-Star Game in2008, whileWrigley Field will host its fourth All-Star Game in2027.
Players initalics have since been inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame.
| 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) |
| 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 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 starterJack Morris andLen 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 whenKen Singleton homered offTom Seaver.
Gary Carter broke the scoring drought for the NL and tied the game with a shot offKen Forsch in the fifth.Dave Parker gave the senior circuit the lead with a homer in the sixth offMike 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, andCarlton 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 toSteve Garvey at first, but Garvey's low throw combined with a great play byOzzie Smith at second and a rolling slide by Lynn resulted in only a force at second. Fisk went to third andTed 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, butDusty 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 offRon Davis. Then, in the eighth,Rollie Fingers walkedOzzie Smith. Smith stole second and attempted to take third whenBo 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 andMike Schmidt homered off Fingers to give the National League their winning runs.