The 1981 Kansas City Royals season was their 13th in Major League Baseball. The 1981 season was interrupted by a players strike from June 12 to July 31, and resumed on August 10. Major League Baseball officials decided to split the season, and the division winners of both halves would advance to the playoffs. The Royals were 20–30 and in fifth place in the American League West when the strike began, but won the second half with a 30–23 mark. Dick Howser replaced Jim Frey as manager on August 31. Kansas City's overall 50-53 record made the Royals the first team in MLB history to reach the postseason with a losing mark. Kansas City lost to the first half American League West winner Oakland Athletics 3–0 in the ALDS.
| 1981 Kansas City Royals | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Division | West | |
| Ballpark | Royals Stadium | |
| City | Kansas City, Missouri | |
| Owners | Ewing Kauffman | |
| General managers | Joe Burke | |
| Managers | Jim Frey and Dick Howser | |
| Television | WDAF-TV 4 (Al Wisk, Denny Trease) | |
| Radio | WIBW–AM 580 KMBZ–AM 980 (Denny Matthews, Fred White) | |
| ||
Offseason
edit- January 6, 1981: Derek Botelho was signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals.[1]
Regular season
edit- August 10, 1981: Cal Ripken Jr. made his major league debut for the Baltimore Orioles in a game against the Royals.[2]
Season standings
edit| AL West | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 64 | 45 | 0.587 | — | 35–21 | 29–24 |
| Texas Rangers | 57 | 48 | 0.543 | 5 | 32–24 | 25–24 |
| Chicago White Sox | 54 | 52 | 0.509 | 8½ | 25–24 | 29–28 |
| Kansas City Royals | 50 | 53 | 0.485 | 11 | 19–28 | 31–25 |
| California Angels | 51 | 59 | 0.464 | 13½ | 26–28 | 25–31 |
| Seattle Mariners | 44 | 65 | 0.404 | 20 | 20–37 | 24–28 |
| Minnesota Twins | 41 | 68 | 0.376 | 23 | 24–36 | 17–32 |
| AL West First Half Standings | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 37 | 23 | .617 | — |
| Texas Rangers | 33 | 22 | .600 | 1+1⁄2 |
| Chicago White Sox | 31 | 22 | .585 | 2+1⁄2 |
| California Angels | 31 | 29 | .517 | 6 |
| Kansas City Royals | 20 | 30 | .400 | 12 |
| Seattle Mariners | 21 | 36 | .368 | 14+1⁄2 |
| Minnesota Twins | 17 | 39 | .304 | 18 |
| AL West Second Half Standings | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | 30 | 23 | .566 | — |
| Oakland Athletics | 27 | 22 | .551 | 1 |
| Texas Rangers | 24 | 26 | .480 | 4+1⁄2 |
| Minnesota Twins | 24 | 29 | .453 | 6 |
| Seattle Mariners | 23 | 29 | .442 | 6+1⁄2 |
| Chicago White Sox | 23 | 30 | .434 | 7 |
| California Angels | 20 | 30 | .400 | 8+1⁄2 |
Record vs. opponents
editSources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 2–2 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 4–2 | 6–7 | 5–3 | 2–4 | 6–0 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 5–2 |
| Boston | 2–2 | — | 2–4 | 5–4 | 7–6 | 6–1 | 3–3 | 6–7 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 3–6 | 4–0 |
| California | 6–6 | 4–2 | — | 6–7 | 7–5 | 3–3 | 0–6 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 2–8 | 6–4 | 2–4 | 6–6 |
| Chicago | 6–3 | 4–5 | 7–6 | — | 2–5 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 7–5 |
| Cleveland | 2–4 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 5–2 | — | 1–5 | 4–4 | 3–6 | 2–1 | 7–5 | 3–2 | 8–4 | 2–2 | 4–2 |
| Detroit | 7–6 | 1–6 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 5–1 | — | 3–2 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 3–7 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 6–4 |
| Kansas City | 3–5 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 0–2 | 4–4 | 2–3 | — | 4–5 | 9–4 | 2–10 | 3–3 | 6–7 | 3–4 | 5–3 |
| Milwaukee | 4–2 | 7–6 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 6–3 | 8–5 | 5–4 | — | 9–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 4–5 | 6–4 |
| Minnesota | 0–6 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 3–9 | 4–9 | 3–9 | — | 3–3 | 2–8 | 3–6–1 | 5–8 | 5–1 |
| New York | 6–7 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–3 | 10–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | — | 4–3 | 2–3 | 5–4 | 2–3 |
| Oakland | 5–7 | 5–7 | 8–2 | 6–7 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 8–2 | 3–4 | — | 6–1 | 4–2 | 10–2 |
| Seattle | 2–4 | 3–9 | 4–6 | 3–3 | 4–8 | 1–5 | 7–6 | 2–2 | 6–3–1 | 3–2 | 1–6 | — | 5–8 | 3–3 |
| Texas | 1–2 | 6–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 3–9 | 4–3 | 5–4 | 8–5 | 4–5 | 2–4 | 8–5 | — | 6–2 |
| Toronto | 2–5 | 0–4 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 2–4 | 4–6 | 3–5 | 4–6 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 2–10 | 3–3 | 2–6 | — |
Notable transactions
edit- April 3, 1981: Bombo Rivera was signed as a free agent by the Royals.[3]
- June 8, 1981: 1981 Major League Baseball draft
- Dave Leeper was drafted by the Royals in the 1st round (23rd pick). Player signed June 10, 1981.[4]
- David Cone was drafted by the Royals in the 3rd round. Player signed June 10, 1981.[5]
Roster
edit| 1981 Kansas City Royals roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers
Infielders
| Outfielders
Other batters
| Manager
Coaches | ||||||
Game log
editRegular season
editFirst half
edit| 1981 regular season game log: 20–30 (Home: 8–16; Away: 12–14) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April: 3–10 (Home: 1–6; Away: 2–4)
| ||||||||||||
May: 12–15 (Home: 4–5; Away: 8–10)
| ||||||||||||
June: 5–5 (Home: 3–5; Away: 2–0)
| ||||||||||||
| Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Royals team member |
Canceled games
edit| 1981 regular season game log: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Away: 0–0) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
August: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Away: 0–0)
| ||||||||||||
| Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Royals team member |
Second half
edit| 1981 regular season game log: 30–23 (Home: 11–12; Away: 19–11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
August: 10–11 (Home: 1–3; Away: 9–8)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
September: 18–10 (Home: 9–7; Away: 9–3)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
October: 2–2 (Home: 1–2; Away: 1–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Royals team member | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Postseason Game log
edit| 1981 Postseason game log: 0–3 (Home: 0–2; Away: 0–1) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AL Western Division Series: vs. Oakland Athletics 0–3 (Home: 0–2; Away: 0–1)
| ||||||||||||
| Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Royals team member |
Player stats
editBatting
editStarters by position
editNote: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | John Wathan | 89 | 301 | 76 | .252 | 1 | 19 |
| 1B | Willie Aikens | 101 | 349 | 93 | .266 | 17 | 53 |
| 2B | Frank White | 94 | 364 | 91 | .250 | 9 | 38 |
| SS | U L Washington | 98 | 339 | 77 | .227 | 2 | 29 |
| 3B | George Brett | 89 | 347 | 109 | .314 | 6 | 43 |
| LF | Willie Wilson | 102 | 439 | 133 | .303 | 1 | 32 |
| CF | Amos Otis | 99 | 372 | 100 | .269 | 9 | 57 |
| RF | Darryl Motley | 42 | 125 | 29 | .232 | 2 | 8 |
| DH | Hal McRae | 101 | 389 | 106 | .272 | 7 | 36 |
Other batters
editNote: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| César Gerónimo | 59 | 118 | 29 | .246 | 2 | 13 |
| Jamie Quirk | 46 | 100 | 25 | .250 | 0 | 10 |
| Clint Hurdle | 28 | 76 | 25 | .329 | 4 | 15 |
| Jerry Grote | 22 | 56 | 17 | .304 | 1 | 9 |
| Lee May | 26 | 55 | 16 | .291 | 0 | 8 |
| Dave Chalk | 27 | 49 | 11 | .224 | 0 | 5 |
| Rance Mulliniks | 24 | 44 | 10 | .227 | 0 | 5 |
| Ken Phelps | 21 | 22 | 3 | .136 | 0 | 1 |
| Danny Garcia | 12 | 14 | 2 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Sheridan | 3 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Ireland | 4 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
| Onix Concepción | 2 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Keatley | 2 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
editStarting pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Leonard | 26 | 201.2 | 13 | 11 | 2.99 | 107 |
| Larry Gura | 23 | 172.1 | 11 | 8 | 2.72 | 61 |
| Rich Gale | 19 | 101.2 | 6 | 6 | 5.40 | 47 |
| Paul Splittorff | 21 | 99.0 | 5 | 5 | 4.36 | 48 |
| Mike Jones | 12 | 75.2 | 6 | 3 | 3.21 | 29 |
Other pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Wright | 17 | 52.0 | 2 | 3 | 3.46 | 27 |
| Atlee Hammaker | 10 | 39.0 | 1 | 3 | 5.54 | 11 |
| Juan Berenguer | 8 | 19.2 | 0 | 4 | 8.69 | 20 |
Relief pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Quisenberry | 40 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 1.73 | 20 |
| Renie Martin | 29 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2.77 | 25 |
| Ken Brett | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4.18 | 7 |
| Bill Paschall | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 1 |
| Jeff Schattinger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
ALDS
editOakland wins series, 3-0.
| Game | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland 4, Kansas City 0 | October 6 |
| 2 | Oakland 2, Kansas City 1 | October 7 |
| 3 | Oakland 4, Kansas City 1 | October 9 |
Farm system
editLEAGUE CHAMPIONS: GCL Royals Gold
Notes
edit- ^ "Derek Botelho Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Cal Ripken, Jr. at Baseball Reference
- ^ Bombo Rivera at Baseball Reference
- ^ Dave Leeper at Baseball Reference
- ^ David Cone at Baseball Reference
References
edit- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
External links
edit- 1981 Kansas City Royals at Baseball Reference
- 1981 Kansas City Royals at Baseball Almanac
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