1981 San Francisco Giants season
Encyclopedia
The 1981 season
was the 99th season in Giants
history. Giants manager Frank Robinson
became the first black manager in the history of the National League
. Robinson was also the first black manager in the history of the American League
.
All-Star Game
1981 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees ; Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, and Steve Yeager, co-MVPsNOTE: Due to a strike in mid-season, the season was divided into a first half and a second half...
was the 99th season in Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
history. Giants manager Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
became the first black manager in the history of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. Robinson was also the first black manager in the history of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
Offseason
- December 8, 1980: Chris BourjosChris BourjosChristopher Bourjos is a retired professional baseball player who played part of one season for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He has worked as an Arizona-based scout for the Baltimore Orioles since 2010...
and Bob KnepperBob KnepperRobert Wesley Knepper is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1976 to 1990. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of the National League....
were traded by the Giants to the Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
for Enos CabellEnos CabellEnos Milton Cabell, Jr. is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cabell is a cousin of center fielder Ken Landreaux.Cabell was...
. - December 9, 1980: DeWayne Buice was drafted from the Giants by the Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in the 1980 minor league draft. - December 12, 1980: John MontefuscoJohn MontefuscoJohn Joseph Montefusco Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1974 to 1986 for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees. Named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1975, Montefusco's nickname was "The Count", a pun on his last name which...
and Craig Landis (minors) were traded by the Giants to the Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
for Doyle AlexanderDoyle AlexanderDoyle Lafayette Alexander is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers...
. - December 12, 1980: Joe StrainJoe StrainJoseph Allan Strain , was a professional baseball player who was an infielder in the Major Leagues from to for the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.He was born in Denver, Colorado.-External links:...
and Philip NastuPhilip NastuPhilip "Phil" Nastu is former Major League Baseball pitcher. Nastu played for the San Francisco Giants from to .-External links:*...
were traded by the Giants to the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
for Jerry MartinJerry MartinJerry Lindsey Martin is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is the son of major league pitcher Barney Martin....
, Jesús FigueroaJesus FigueroaJesús Maria Figueroa is a former Major League Baseball player. He played in the 1980 baseball season with the Chicago Cubs. Figueroa batted and threw left-handed....
, and a player to be named later. The Cubs completed the deal by sending Mike Turgeon (minors) to the Giants on August 11, 1981. - February 9, 1981: Joe MorganJoe MorganJoe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
was signed as a free agent by the Giants. - March 23, 1981: Billy SmithBilly Smith (second baseman)Billy Edward Smith is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He played all or part of six seasons in the majors between and . He also played one season in Japan for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in ....
was purchased by the Giants from the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. - March 31, 1981: Gorman HeimuellerGorman HeimuellerGorman John Heimueller is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Heimueller pitched parts of two seasons for the Oakland Athletics in and .-Sources:...
was released by the Giants.
Opening Day starters
- Vida BlueVida BlueVida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
- Enos CabellEnos CabellEnos Milton Cabell, Jr. is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cabell is a cousin of center fielder Ken Landreaux.Cabell was...
- Jack ClarkJack Clark (baseball)Jack Anthony Clark , also known as "Jack the Ripper," is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1975 through 1992, Clark played for the San Francisco Giants , St. Louis Cardinals , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox...
- Darrell EvansDarrell EvansDarrell Wayne Evans is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1969 to 1989 with the Atlanta Braves , San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers . He is also the former manager and director of player personnel for the Victoria Seals of the Golden Baseball...
- Larry HerndonLarry HerndonLarry Darnell Herndon is a former Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals , San Francisco Giants , and Detroit Tigers...
- Johnnie LeMasterJohnnie LeMasterJohnnie Lee LeMaster is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played for 12 seasons for four teams, including 10 seasons for the San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right-handed....
- Milt MayMilt MayMilton Scott May is a former professional baseball player and coach who played in the Major Leagues from to for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and San Francisco Giants. May was a catcher who hit for a fairly high batting average during the era in which...
- Joe MorganJoe MorganJoe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
- Billy NorthBilly NorthWilliam Alex North is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1971 to 1981, he played for the Chicago Cubs , Oakland Athletics , Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants...
Notable transactions
- May 17, 1981: Phil OuellettePhil OuellettePhilip Roland Ouellette is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in 10 games for the San Francisco Giants in .Ouellettee was originally signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent in , and was released by them following the season. He later played in the Seattle Mariners, Houston...
was signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent. - August 3, 1981: Mike SadekMike SadekMichael George Sadek is a former Major League Baseball catcher. Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1969, he spent his entire major league career with the San Francisco Giants. He was a backup throughout his eight-year major league career, which spanned the years and through .-Sources:...
was released by the Giants.
Roster
| 1981 San Francisco Giants | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders | Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In| = Indicates team leader |
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 97 | 316 | 98 | .310 | 2 | 33 | |
| 1B | 96 | 396 | 101 | .255 | 2 | 36 | |
| 2B | 90 | 308 | 74 | .240 | 8 | 31 | |
| 3B | 102 | 357 | 92 | .258 | 12 | 48 | |
| SS | 104 | 324 | 82 | .253 | 0 | 28 | |
| LF | 99 | 385 | 103 | .268 | 17 | 53 | |
| CF | 96 | 364 | 105 | .288 | 5 | 41 | |
| RF | 72 | 241 | 58 | .241 | 4 | 25 |
Other batters
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 145 | 37 | .255 | 3 | 13 | |
| 46 | 131 | 29 | .221 | 1 | 12 | |
| 37 | 127 | 39 | .307 | 4 | 26 | |
| 38 | 87 | 20 | .230 | 1 | 7 | |
| 50 | 68 | 11 | .162 | 1 | 7 | |
| 36 | 61 | 11 | .180 | 1 | 5 | |
| 19 | 45 | 15 | .333 | 1 | 4 | |
| 19 | 36 | 6 | .167 | 0 | 3 | |
| 18 | 32 | 6 | .188 | 0 | 1 | |
| 35 | 29 | 2 | .069 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10 | 20 | 4 | .200 | 0 | 2 | |
| 7 | 17 | 5 | .294 | 0 | 3 | |
| 8 | 15 | 2 | .133 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | 15 | 4 | .267 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 152.3 | 11 | 7 | 2.89 | 77 | |
| 22 | 129.3 | 8 | 8 | 3.76 | 83 | |
| 22 | 123.0 | 6 | 9 | 4.02 | 65 | |
| 18 | 124.7 | 8 | 6 | 2.45 | 63 | |
| 19 | 90.7 | 4 | 4 | 4.07 | 47 |
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 18.7 | 1 | 2 | 4.34 | 6 |
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 84.1 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 2.88 | 29 | |
| 45 | 77.2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2.55 | 37 | |
| 47 | 100.2 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2.41 | 78 | |
| 34 | 65.2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3.84 | 45 | |
| 11 | 15.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.52 | 12 | |
| 9 | 15.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.45 | 8 | |
| 10 | 11.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.94 | 11 |
Awards and honors
- 1981 Larry HerndonLarry HerndonLarry Darnell Herndon is a former Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals , San Francisco Giants , and Detroit Tigers...
LF, Willie Mac AwardWillie Mac AwardThe Willie Mac Award is named in honor of Willie McCovey. It has been presented annually since 1980. It is awarded to the player on the San Francisco Giants who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by McCovey throughout his long career, voted upon by the players and...
All-Star Game
1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 52nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on August 9, 1981, at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, the home of...
- Vida BlueVida BlueVida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
, reserve