Champions
Major League Baseball World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Milwaukee Brewers (4-3)
World Series MVP: Darrell Porter American League Championship Series MVP: Fred Lynn National League Championship Series MVP: Darrell Porter All-Star Game, July 13 at Olympic Stadium: National League, 4–1; Dave Concepción, MVP
Other champions Amateur World Series: South Korea Caribbean World Series: Leones del Caracas (Venezuela) College World Series: Miami (Florida) Cuban National Series: Vegueros Japan Series: Seibu Lions over Chunichi Dragons (4–3) Korean Series: OB Bears over Samsung Lions Big League World Series: Puerto Rico Junior League World Series: Tampa, Florida Little League World Series: Kirkland National, Kirkland, Washington Senior League World Series: Santa Barbara, California
Awards and honors Baseball Hall of Fame Hank Aaron Happy Chandler Travis Jackson Frank Robinson Most Valuable Player Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers, SS (AL) Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves, OF (NL) Cy Young Award Pete Vuckovich, Milwaukee Brewers (AL) Steve Carlton, Philadelphia Phillies (NL) Rookie of the Year Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles, SS (AL) Steve Sax, Los Angeles Dodgers, 2B (NL) Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league) Linda Pereria, San Jose Missions, California League Gold Glove Award (P) Ron Guidry, New York Yankees (AL); Phil Niekro, Atlanta Braves (NL) (C) Bob Boone, California Angels (AL); Gary Carter, Montreal Expos (NL) (1B) Eddie Murray, Baltimore Orioles (AL); Keith Hernandez, St. Louis Cardinals (NL) (2B) Frank White, Kansas City Royals (AL); Manny Trillo, Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (3B) Buddy Bell, Texas Rangers (AL); Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (SS) Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers (AL); Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals (NL) (OF) Dwight Evans, Boston Red Sox (AL); Andre Dawson, Montreal Expos (NL) (OF) Dwayne Murphy, Oakland Athletics (AL); Garry Maddox, Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (OF) Dave Winfield, New York Yankees (AL); Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves (NL)
MLB statistical leaders American League National League Type Name Stat Name Stat AVG Willie Wilson KC .332 Al Oliver MON .331 HR Reggie Jackson CALGorman Thomas MIL 39 Dave Kingman NYM 37 RBI Hal McRae KC 133 Dale Murphy ATL 109 Wins LaMarr Hoyt CWS 22 Steve Carlton PHI 23 ERA Rick Sutcliffe CLE 2.96 Steve Rogers MON 2.40
Major league baseball final standings
American League Rank Club Wins Losses Win % GB East Division 1st Milwaukee Brewers 95 67 .586 – 2nd Baltimore Orioles 94 68 .580 1.0 3rd Boston Red Sox 89 73 .549 6.0 4th Detroit Tigers 83 79 .512 12.0 5th New York Yankees 79 83 .488 16.0 6th Cleveland Indians 78 84 .481 17.0 6th Toronto Blue Jays 78 84 .481 17.0 West Division 1st California Angels 93 69 .574 – 2nd Kansas City Royals 90 72 .556 3.0 3rd Chicago White Sox 87 75 .537 6.0 4th Seattle Mariners 76 86 .469 17.0 5th Oakland Athletics 68 94 .420 25,0 6th Texas Rangers 64 98 .395 29.0 7th Minnesota Twins 60 102 .370 33.0
National League Rank Club Wins Losses Win % GB East Division 1st St. Louis Cardinals 92 70 .568 – 2nd Philadelphia Phillies 89 73 .549 3.0 3rd Montreal Expos 86 76 .531 6.0 4th Pittsburgh Pirates 84 78 .519 8.0 5th Chicago Cubs 73 89 .451 19.0 6th New York Mets 65 97 .401 27.0 West Division 1st Atlanta Braves 89 73 .549 – 2nd Los Angeles Dodgers 88 74 .543 1.0 3rd San Francisco Giants 87 75 .537 2.0 4th San Diego Padres 81 81 .500 8.0 5th Houston Astros 77 85 .475 12.0 6th Cincinnati Reds 61 101 .377 28.0
Events
January January 6 – The Texas Rangers sign starting pitcher Frank Tanana, granted free agency from the Boston Red Sox on November 13, 1981. January 8 – The New York Mets obtain shortstop Tom Veryzer from the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Ray Searage. January 9 – Tony Conigliaro, whose auspicious career was forever derailed in at age 22 when he was hit in the face by a pitch, suffers a massive heart attack while being driven to Boston's airport. The heart attack leaves Conigliaro, now 37, in an unresponsive state, in which he'll remain until his death in 1990. January 12 – The Minnesota Twins select outfielder Kirby Puckett out of Bradley University with their first pick, third overall, in the January edition of the 1980 amateur draft. Future ten-time All-Star Puckett will win two World Series rings and be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in .
January 13 – Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson become the 12th and 13th players elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in their first year of eligibility. Aaron falls nine votes shy of becoming the first unanimous selection, and his 97.8% share of the vote is second only to Ty Cobb's 98.2% in the inaugural 1936 election. January 15 – The Texas Rangers sign designated hitter/first baseman Lamar Johnson, granted free agency from the Chicago White Sox the previous November. January 20 – The Philadelphia Phillies re-sign relief pitcher Ron Reed. The 39-year-old veteran of 16 MLB seasons, a Phillie since , is a key member of their bullpen. He was among those granted free agency November 13. January 22 – Reggie Jackson, 35, signs with the California Angels after being granted free agency from the New York Yankees on November 13. His five-year stay in the Bronx yields four AL East titles, three American League pennants, and two World Series (1977, 1978) championships; in that half-decade, Jackson contributes 144 regular-season home runs, plus eight in the Fall Classic and four in the ALCS. January 25 – The Phillies re-sign another longtime pitcher, starter Larry Christenson. The right-hander, 28, who's won 72 games in a Philadelphia uniform since his debut in April , had been granted free agency the previous November. January 27 – The Chicago Cubs complete a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in which the Cubs obtain veteran shortstop Larry Bowa, a five-time National League All-Star, and 22-year-old second base prospect Ryne Sandberg from Philadelphia for shortstop Iván DeJesús. The coup, engineered by the Cubs' new general manager, Dallas Green, formerly the Phillies' field manager, nets a future Hall of Famer in Sandberg, whose 15 years in Chicago will see him selected 's NL MVP, named to ten All-Star teams, and win ten Gold Glove Awards and seven Silver Slugger Awards. January 28 – The Baltimore Orioles deal veteran third baseman Doug DeCinces and southpaw Jeff Schneider to the California Angels for outfielder Dan Ford. DeCinces, 31, will bash 30 homers for the Angels and finish third in AL MVP Award balloting in 1982.
February February 2 – The first-ever "Type A" free-agent compensation draft, implemented by the CBA following the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, results in one transaction: the Chicago White Sox select 20-year-old catcher prospect Joel Skinner as compensation for losing free-agent hurler Ed Farmer to the Philadelphia Phillies. Skinner, however, is not selected from the Phillies, but from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had placed him in a multi-team pool of available players. February 8 – The Los Angeles Dodgers trade away Davey Lopes to the Oakland Athletics, breaking up the starting infield of Lopes (second base), Ron Cey (third base), Bill Russell (shortstop), and Steve Garvey (first base), which had been together since 1974—the longest continuously intact infield in Major League Baseball history. Lopes, though 36, has six productive MLB seasons ahead of him. Los Angeles receives minor-league infielder Lance Hudson, a 19-year-old prospect drafted by Oakland in the fourth round of 1981's January amateur draft, in return. February 10 – The New York Mets acquire premier power-hitter George Foster from the Cincinnati Reds for three players: pitchers Greg Harris and Jim Kern and catcher Alex Treviño. Foster, 33, is a five-time National League All-Star, the NL MVP, and author of 221 home runs since he became a regular outfielder for the Reds in . He is the only player to crack 50 or more home runs (52 in 1977) since Willie Mays in . But he's been embroiled in a contract dispute with Cincinnati's front office all winter. On February 11, the Mets will sign Foster to a five-year pact worth at least $10 million. February 13 – The Cleveland Indians re-sign veteran right-hander John Denny, 29, who went 10–6 (3.15) in 19 starts for them in 1981. Denny had been among November 13's free agent class. February 16 – The Indians acquire veteran outfielder Bake McBride from the Philadelphia Phillies for southpaw pitcher Sid Monge. February 19 – Right-hander Dick Tidrow rejoins the Chicago Cubs. He had been granted free agency from them in November 1981. February 25 – The Boston Red Sox sign former All-Star and rookie phenom Mark Fidrych, released by the Detroit Tigers last October 5. The Massachusetts native, now 27, will appear in 32 games for Triple-A Pawtucket in 1982–, but he cannot overcome his sore arm and regain his effectiveness. February 27 – The San Francisco Giants sign seven-time All-Star outfielder Reggie Smith, granted free agency from the Los Angeles Dodgers last November 13.
March March 4 – The San Francisco Giants trade infielder Enos Cabell and cash to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder and pinch hitter Champ Summers. March 5: The Seattle Mariners sign future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry, 43, released by the Atlanta Braves last October 5. Seattle is Perry's eighth MLB address during his 22-year career to date. He's three wins short of the 300-victory mark. "At this point, I can't be too choosy," he says after signing with the still-struggling, six-year-old expansion team. The Mariners also obtain outfielder Thad Bosley from the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Mike Parrott. March 6 – The San Diego Padres sign starting pitcher John Montefusco, granted free agency from the Atlanta Braves last November 13.
March 10 – Former New York Giants shortstop Travis Jackson and former Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Jackson hit .291 in 15 seasons between the 1920s and 1930s, while Chandler was the second commissioner and oversaw – and encouraged—the dismantling of the color barrier in 1947. March 21 – The Chicago White Sox deal pitchers Ross Baumgarten and Butch Edge to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Ernie Camacho and shortstop/third baseman Vance Law. March 24 – The Kansas City Royals obtain two players in two transactions: infielder Greg Pryor from the White Sox for pitcher Jeff Schattinger, and first baseman Dennis Werth from the New York Yankees for 20-year old minor-league hurler Scot Beahan. March 25 – The Toronto Blue Jays acquire lefty-swinging third baseman Rance Mulliniks from the Royals for right-handed pitcher Phil Huffman. Mulliniks, 26, will play all or parts of 11 seasons in a Toronto uniform, and bat over .300 three times. The Jays also sign another left-handed bat, designated hitter Glenn Adams, 34, granted free agency from the Minnesota Twins last November 13. March 26: The Chicago Cubs acquire second baseman Bump Wills from the Texas Rangers for pitcher Paul Mirabella, a player to be named later (PTBNL), and cash. Wills, 29, is the son of the Dodgers' star shortstop of the 1960s and a former Rangers' first-round draft pick. The Rangers receive minor-league hurler Paul Semall on April 21 to complete the deal. The Cincinnati Reds trade Joe Nolan, their most-used catcher in , to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Dallas Williams and minor-league hurler Brooks Carey. March 27 – The first game is played in the history of the KBO League, the major professional baseball league of South Korea. March 30: