1981 Philadelphia Phillies season

The 1981 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 99th season in the history of the franchise, and the 11th season for the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium.

Offseason

November 25, 1980: Rick Schu was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies.
December 8, 1980: George Bell was drafted from the Phillies by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1980 rule 5 draft.
December 22, 1980: Del Unser was signed as a free agent by the Phillies.
March 1, 1981: Randy Lerch was traded by the Phillies to the Milwaukee Brewers for Dick Davis.
March 25, 1981: Bob Walk was traded by the Phillies to the Atlanta Braves for Gary Matthews.

Regular season

April 29, 1981: Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton struck out Tim Wallach of the Montreal Expos for the 3000th strikeout of his career.
August 10, 1981: First baseman Pete Rose records his 3,631st hit of his career, passing Stan Musial to become the all-time hit leader in the National League.

Season standings

v
t
e
NL East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
St. Louis Cardinals	59	43	.578	—	32‍–‍21	27‍–‍22
Montreal Expos	60	48	.556	2	38‍–‍18	22‍–‍30
Philadelphia Phillies	59	48	.551	2½	36‍–‍19	23‍–‍29
Pittsburgh Pirates	46	56	.451	13	22‍–‍28	24‍–‍28
New York Mets	41	62	.398	18½	24‍–‍27	17‍–‍35
Chicago Cubs	38	65	.369	21½	27‍–‍30	11‍–‍35

NL East First Half Standings	W	L	Pct.	GB
Philadelphia Phillies	34	21	.618	—
St. Louis Cardinals	30	20	.600	1+1⁄2
Montreal Expos	30	25	.545	4
Pittsburgh Pirates	25	23	.521	5+1⁄2
New York Mets	17	34	.333	15
Chicago Cubs	15	37	.288	17+1⁄2

NL East Second Half Standings	W	L	Pct.	GB
Montreal Expos	30	23	.566	—
St. Louis Cardinals	29	23	.558	1⁄2
Philadelphia Phillies	25	27	.481	4+1⁄2
New York Mets	24	28	.462	5+1⁄2
Chicago Cubs	23	28	.451	6
Pittsburgh Pirates	21	33	.389	9+1⁄2

Record vs. opponents

1981 National League record v t e Sources:
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MON	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
Atlanta	—	3–2–1	6–5	4–8	7–7	3–7	3–3	4–5	2–3	9–6	5–7	4–3
Chicago	2–3–1	—	1–5	1–6	6–4	4–7	5–8–1	2–10	4–10	3–3	5–5	5–4–1
Cincinnati	5–6	5–1	—	8–4	8–8	5–4	7–3	5–2	4–2	10–2	9–5	0–5
Houston	8–4	6–1	4–8	—	4–8	5–2	6–3	4–6	2–4	11–3	9–6	2–4
Los Angeles	7–7	4–6	8–8	8–4	—	5–2	5–1	3–3	5–1	6–5	7–5	5–5
Montreal	7–3	7–4	4–5	2–5	2–5	—	9–3	7–4	10–3	4–2	2–5	6–9
New York	3–3	8–5–1	3–7	3–6	1–5	3–9	—	7–7	3–6–1	2–5	2–4	6–5
Philadelphia	5-4	10–2	2–5	6–4	3–3	4–7	7–7	—	7–5	4–2	4–3	7–6
Pittsburgh	3–2	10–4	2–4	4–2	1–5	3–10	6–3–1	5–7	—	6–4	3–7	3–8
San Diego	6–9	3–3	2–10	3–11	5–6	2–4	5–2	2–4	4–6	—	6–7	3–7
San Francisco	7–5	5–5	5–9	6–9	5–7	5–2	4–2	3–4	7–3	7–6	—	2–3
St. Louis	3–4	4–5–1	5–0	4–2	5–5	9–6	5–6	6–7	8–3	7–3	3–2	—

Notable transactions

June 8, 1981: Vince Coleman was drafted by the Phillies in the 20th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.
July 12, 1981: Mike LaValliere was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent.

1981 Game Log

Legend
	Phillies win
	Phillies loss
	Postponement
Bold	Phillies team member

1981 Game Log
First Half: 34–21; Second Half: 25–27; Overall Record: 59–48

April (12–6)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
1	April 8	@ Reds	2–3	Tom Hume (1–0)	Sparky Lyle (0–1)	None	51,716	0–1
2	April 11	@ Cardinals	5–2	Dick Ruthven (1–0)	Bob Forsch (0–1)	None	38,473	1–1
3	April 12	@ Cardinals	3–7	Lary Sorensen (1–0)	Larry Christenson (0–1)	Bruce Sutter (1)	21,462	1–2
4	April 13	Pirates	5–1	Steve Carlton (1–0)	John Candelaria (0–1)	None	60,404	2–2
5	April 15	Pirates	4–3 (11)	Tug McGraw (1–0)	Enrique Romo (0–1)	None	27,450	3–2
6	April 16	Pirates	5–3	Dick Ruthven (2–0)	Don Robinson (0–1)	Tug McGraw (1)	26,780	4–2
7	April 17	Cubs	6–2	Larry Christenson (1–1)	Ken Kravec (0–1)	None	21,948	5–2
8	April 18	Cubs	4–3 (10)	Steve Carlton (2–0)	Lee Smith (0–1)	None	27,780	6–2
9	April 19	Cubs	7–3	Nino Espinosa (1–0)	Rick Reuschel (0–2)	None	30,204	7–2
10	April 20	@ Expos	8–9	Steve Rogers (1–0)	Tug McGraw (1–1)	Woodie Fryman (2)	24,817	7–3
11	April 21	@ Expos	3–10	Scott Sanderson (2–0)	Dick Ruthven (2–1)	None	10,887	7–4
12	April 22	@ Expos	3–4 (11)	Elías Sosa (1–0)	Tug McGraw (1–2)	None	14,176	7–5
13	April 24	@ Cubs	6–4	Steve Carlton (3–0)	Rick Reuschel (0–3)	Ron Reed (1)	6,274	8–5
14	April 25	@ Cubs	7–5	Sparky Lyle (1–1)	Dick Tidrow (1–2)	None	10,990	9–5
15	April 26	@ Cubs	6–2	Marty Bystrom (1–0)	Bill Caudill (0–1)	None	10,093	10–5
16	April 27	Expos	3–1	Dick Ruthven (3–1)	Bill Gullickson (1–1)	None	27,347	11–5
17	April 28	Expos	3–6	Steve Ratzer (1–0)	Larry Christenson (1–2)	Elías Sosa (1)	26,192	11–6
18	April 29	Expos	6–2	Steve Carlton (4–0)	Steve Rogers (2–1)	None	30,142	12–6

May (15–13)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
–	May 1	Giants	Postponed (rain); Makeup: May 2 as a traditional double-header
19	May 2 (1)	Giants	2–6	Doyle Alexander (4–1)	Nino Espinosa (1–1)	Greg Minton (4)	see 2nd game	12–7
20	May 2 (2)	Giants	3–1	Marty Bystrom (2–0)	Ed Whitson (0–3)	None	27,376	13–7
21	May 3	Giants	7–5	Dick Ruthven (4–1)	Gary Lavelle (0–2)	Tug McGraw (2)	41,283	14–7
22	May 4	Giants	6–4	Steve Carlton (5–0)	Allen Ripley (1–3)	None	25,492	15–7
23	May 5	Dodgers	8–7	Sparky Lyle (2–1)	Bobby Castillo (0–3)	None	27,241	16–7
24	May 6	Dodgers	1–2	Burt Hooton (4–0)	Nino Espinosa (1–2)	None	25,850	16–8
25	May 7	Dodgers	1–2	Jerry Reuss (3–1)	Marty Bystrom (2–1)	None	29,259	16–9
26	May 8	Padres	11–7	Sparky Lyle (3–1)	Gary Lucas (2–3)	None	30,830	17–9
27	May 9	Padres	9–6	Steve Carlton (6–0)	Tim Lollar (1–3)	None	30,907	18–9
28	May 10	Padres	4–8	Steve Mura (1–4)	Larry Christenson (1–3)	Gary Lucas (5)	40,447	18–10
29	May 12	@ Giants	0–4	Doyle Alexander (5–2)	Nino Espinosa (1–3)	None	10,307	18–11
30	May 13	@ Giants	2–5	Allen Ripley (3–3)	Marty Bystrom (2–2)	Greg Minton (6)	6,946	18–12
31	May 14	@ Giants	3–1	Dick Ruthven (5–1)	Vida Blue (3–3)	Tug McGraw (3)	6,561	19–12
32	May 15	@ Padres	2–1	Steve Carlton (7–0)	Steve Mura (1–5)	None	15,939	20–12
33	May 16	@ Padres	1–2	John Littlefield (1–2)	Tug McGraw (1–3)	None	40,656	20–13
34	May 17	@ Padres	6–3	Nino Espinosa (2–3)	Juan Eichelberger (3–2)	None	18,330	21–13
35	May 18	@ Dodgers	4–0	Marty Bystrom (3–2)	Fernando Valenzuela (8–1)	None	52,439	22–13
36	May 19	@ Dodgers	3–2	Dick Ruthven (6–1)	Bob Welch (2–2)	None	43,812	23–13
37	May 20	@ Dodgers	2–3 (10)	Steve Howe (4–1)	Tug McGraw (1–4)	None	50,917	23–14
38	May 22	@ Pirates	1–3	Pascual Pérez (1–0)	Larry Christenson (1–4)	None	20,695	23–15
39	May 23	@ Pirates	6–4	Mike Proly (1–0)	Kent Tekulve (0–3)	Ron Reed (2)	20,340	24–15
40	May 24	@ Pirates	1–7	Jim Bibby (3–2)	Marty Bystrom (3–3)	Víctor Cruz (1)	21,771	24–16
41	May 25	@ Mets	3–13	Greg A. Harris (1–0)	Dick Ruthven (6–2)	Jeff Reardon (2)	20,469	24–17
42	May 26	@ Mets	7–5	Ron Reed (1–0)	Neil Allen (3–2)	Tug McGraw (4)	13,973	25–17
43	May 27	@ Mets	1–3	Pat Zachry (5–5)	Larry Christenson (1–5)	None	10,930	25–18
44	May 29	Cardinals	4–11	Bob Forsch (5–2)	Nino Espinosa (2–4)	Mark Littell (1)	32,358	25–19
45	May 30	Cardinals	10–2	Dick Ruthven (7–2)	Lary Sorensen (4–4)	None	35,034	26–19
46	May 31	Cardinals	6–1	Steve Carlton (8–0)	Silvio Martínez (1–4)	None	54,103	27–19

June (7–2)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
47	June 1	Mets	5–4	Sparky Lyle (4–1)	Neil Allen (3–3)	Tug McGraw (5)	27,631	28–19
48	June 2	Mets	9–7	Mike Proly (2–0)	Ed Lynch (1–3)	Ron Reed (3)	25,375	29–19
49	June 3	Mets	2–6	Greg A. Harris (2–1)	Dick Ruthven (7–3)	Neil Allen (5)	27,588	29–20
50	June 5	@ Braves	1–4	Rick Mahler (3–1)	Steve Carlton (8–1)	Rick Camp (8)	17,059	29–21
51	June 6	@ Braves	3–0	Larry Christenson (2–5)	Tommy Boggs (1–9)	Mike Proly (1)	15,291	30–21
52	June 7	@ Braves	7–5	Sparky Lyle (5–1)	Gaylord Perry (5–4)	Ron Reed (4)	23,482	31–21
53	June 8	Astros	4–3	Dick Ruthven (8–3)	Don Sutton (4–6)	Tug McGraw (6)	31,664	32–21
54	June 9	Astros	10–3	Marty Bystrom (4–3)	Joe Niekro (6–5)	Ron Reed (5)	33,978	33–21
55	June 10	Astros	5–4	Steve Carlton (9–1)	Frank LaCorte (3–2)	Tug McGraw (7)	57,386	34–21
–	June 12	Braves	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 13	Braves	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 14	Braves	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 15	Reds	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 16	Reds	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 17	@ Astros	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 18	@ Astros	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 19	@ Reds	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 20	@ Reds	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 21	@ Reds	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 23	@ Cubs	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 24	@ Cubs	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 25	@ Cubs	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 26	Pirates	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 27	Pirates	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 28	Pirates	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 29	@ Cardinals	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 30 (1)	@ Cardinals	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	June 30 (2)	@ Cardinals	Game cancelled: players' strike

July (0–0)

#	Date	Opponent	Score
–	July 1	@ Cardinals	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 2	@ Cardinals	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 3	Expos	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 4	Expos	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 5	Expos	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 7	@ Pirates	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 8	@ Pirates	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 9	@ Pirates	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 10	Mets	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 11 (1)	Mets	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 11 (2)	Mets	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 12	Mets	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 14	1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland Cancelled (players' strike), then postponed to August 9
–	July 16	Giants	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 17	Giants	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 18	Dodgers	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 19	Dodgers	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 20	Dodgers	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 21	Padres	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 22	Padres	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 23	Padres	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 24	@ Giants	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 25	@ Giants	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 26	@ Giants	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 27	@ Padres	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 28	@ Padres	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 29	@ Padres	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	July 31	@ Dodgers	Game cancelled: players' strike

August (7–13)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record (Overall Record)
–	August 1	@ Dodgers	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 2	@ Dodgers	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 4	Cubs	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 5	Cubs	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 6	Cubs	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 7	@ Expos	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 8	@ Expos	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 9 (1)	@ Expos	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 9 (2)	@ Expos	Game cancelled: players' strike
–	August 9	1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland
56	August 10	Cardinals	3–7	Bob Forsch (7–2)	Larry Christenson (2–6)	Bruce Sutter (12)	60,561	0–1 (34–22)
57	August 11	Cardinals	6–5 (10)	Ron Reed (2–0)	Jim Kaat (3–2)	None	24,549	1–1 (35–22)
58	August 12	Cardinals	3–11	Bob Sykes (1–0)	Dick Ruthven (8–4)	Mark Littell (2)	23,566	1–2 (35–23)
59	August 13	Cardinals	2–5	John Martin (4–1)	Steve Carlton (9–2)	Bruce Sutter (13)	26,783	1–3 (35–24)
60	August 14	@ Mets	8–4	Larry Christenson (3–6)	Mike Scott (3–5)	Mike Proly (2)	34,136	2–3 (36–24)
61	August 15	@ Mets	1–3	Pete Falcone (2–3)	Nino Espinosa (2–5)	Neil Allen (8)	14,309	2–4 (36–25)
62	August 16	@ Mets	2–5	Pat Zachry (6–7)	Dick Ruthven (8–5)	Neil Allen (9)	21,635	2–5 (36–26)
63	August 18	@ Reds	1–3	Tom Seaver (8–2)	Steve Carlton (9–3)	Tom Hume (8)	25,363	2–6 (36–27)
64	August 19	@ Reds	3–6	Tom Hume (6–2)	Sparky Lyle (5–2)	None	23,133	2–7 (36–28)
65	August 21	Astros	5–4	Sparky Lyle (6–2)	Vern Ruhle (1–3)	Tug McGraw (8)	31,693	3–7 (37–28)
66	August 22	Astros	8–4	Dick Ruthven (9–5)	Joe Niekro (7–7)	None	35,199	4–7 (38–28)
67	August 23	Astros	6–0	Steve Carlton (10–3)	Bob Knepper (6–3)	None	30,630	5–7 (39–28)
68	August 24	Braves	7–5 (13)	Tug McGraw (2–4)	Al Hrabosky (0–1)	None	23,383	6–7 (40–28)
69	August 25	Braves	2–12	Phil Niekro (6–4)	Mark Davis (0–1)	None	33,383	6–8 (40–29)
70	August 26	Braves	3–5 (10)	Rick Camp (7–1)	Ron Reed (2–1)	None	28,283	6–9 (40–30)
71	August 28	@ Astros	2–3 (10)	Dave Smith (2–3)	Sparky Lyle (6–3)	None	29,482	6–10 (40–31)
72	August 29 (1)	@ Astros	1–6	Vern Ruhle (2–3)	Mark Davis (0–2)	None	see 2nd game	6–11 (40–32)
73	August 29 (2)	@ Astros	1–2	Billy Smith (1–0)	Dickie Noles (0–1)	Frank LaCorte (4)	33,327	6–12 (40–33)
74	August 30	@ Astros	4–5 (10)	Dave Smith (3–3)	Sparky Lyle (6–4)	None	23,102	6–13 (40–34)
75	August 31	@ Braves	11–8	Dick Ruthven (10–5)	Gaylord Perry (6–5)	Ron Reed (6)	8,207	7–13 (41–34)

September (16–12)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record (Overall Record)
76	September 1	@ Braves	3–0	Steve Carlton (11–3)	Rick Mahler (4–5)	None	3,374	8–13 (42–34)
77	September 2	@ Braves	2–3	Gene Garber (4–3)	Warren Brusstar (0–1)	None	6,232	8–14 (42–35)
78	September 3	Reds	3–9	Bruce Berenyi (7–4)	Mark Davis (0–3)	None	26,540	8–15 (42–36)
79	September 4	Reds	7–6	Sparky Lyle (7–4)	Doug Bair (2–2)	Tug McGraw (9)	25,020	9–15 (43–36)
80	September 5	Reds	5–4	Ron Reed (3–1)	Mario Soto (8–8)	None	41,845	10–15 (44–36)
81	September 6	Reds	4–5	Tom Hume (7–3)	Sparky Lyle (7–5)	Joe Price (2)	30,366	10–16 (44–37)
82	September 7	Expos	4–5	Woodie Fryman (5–2)	Mike Proly (2–1)	Jeff Reardon (5)	31,401	10–17 (44–38)
83	September 8	Expos	10–5	Dan Larson (1–0)	Scott Sanderson (7–6)	None	11,812	11–17 (45–38)
84	September 9	Expos	11–8	Ron Reed (4–1)	Woodie Fryman (5–3)	Sparky Lyle (1)	25,468	12–17 (46–38)
85	September 11	@ Pirates	8–0	Steve Carlton (12–3)	Rick Rhoden (8–3)	None	12,799	13–17 (47–38)
86	September 12	@ Pirates	2–6	Eddie Solomon (7–4)	Dickie Noles (0–2)	Rod Scurry (5)	11,370	13–18 (47–39)
87	September 13	@ Pirates	2–3	Odell Jones (4–2)	Ron Reed (4–2)	Kent Tekulve ()	16,493	13–19 (47–40)
–	September 15	@ Mets	Postponed (rain); Makeup: September 16 as a traditional double-header
88	September 16 (1)	@ Mets	3–1	Dick Ruthven (11–5)	Pat Zachry (7–12)	None	see 2nd game	14–19 (48–40)
89	September 16 (2)	@ Mets	4–5	Mike Marshall (3–2)	Steve Carlton (12–4)	Neil Allen (17)	4,353	14–20 (48–41)
90	September 17	@ Mets	3–2	Dickie Noles (1–2)	Mike Scott (4–9)	Ron Reed (7)	5,501	15–20 (49–41)
91	September 18	Pirates	6–7	Rod Scurry (4–5)	Ron Reed (4–3)	Mark Lee (2)	24,537	15–21 (49–42)
92	September 19	Pirates	8–2	Dan Larson (2–0)	Odell Jones (4–3)	Larry Christenson (1)	30,446	16–21 (50–42)
93	September 20	Pirates	5–4	Sparky Lyle (8–5)	Eddie Solomon (7–5)	None	31,489	17–21 (51–42)
94	September 21	@ Expos	0–1 (17)	Bryn Smith (1–0)	Jerry Reed (0–1)	None	24,161	17–22 (51–43)
95	September 22	@ Expos	2–6	Steve Rogers (11–7)	Dick Ruthven (11–6)	None	21,797	17–23 (51–44)
96	September 23	@ Cardinals	9–4	Dickie Noles (2–2)	John Martin (6–5)	Sparky Lyle (2)	16,845	18–23 (52–44)
97	September 24	@ Cardinals	14–6	Mark Davis (1–3)	Lary Sorensen (7–7)	None	11,758	19–23 (53–44)
98	September 25	@ Cubs	9–2	Dan Larson (3–0)	Ken Kravec (1–6)	None	4,482	20–23 (54–44)
–	September 26	@ Cubs	Postponed (rain); Makeup: September 27 as a traditional double-header
99	September 27 (1)	@ Cubs	5–2	Steve Carlton (13–4)	Doug Bird (9–6)	None	see 2nd game	21–23 (55–44)
100	September 27 (2)	@ Cubs	0–14	Mike Krukow (9–9)	Dick Ruthven (11–7)	None	18,783	21–24 (55–45)
101	September 28	Mets	12–4	Larry Christenson (4–6)	Ed Lynch (4–5)	None	20,403	22–24 (56–45)
102	September 29	Mets	0–7	Pete Falcone (4–3)	Mark Davis (1–4)	None	20,110	22–25 (56–46)
103	September 30	Cardinals	8–5	Sparky Lyle (9–5)	Luis DeLeón (0–1)	Ron Reed (8)	21,382	23–25 (57–46)

October (2–2)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record (Overall Record)
104	October 1	Cardinals	2–3 (10)	Doug Bair (4–2)	Larry Christenson (4–7)	None	20,482	23–26 (57–47)
105	October 2	Cubs	9–7	Ron Reed (5–3)	Dick Tidrow (3–10)	None	20,453	24–26 (58–47)
106	October 3	Cubs	4–8	Jay Howell (2–0)	Sparky Lyle (9–6)	Randy Martz (6)	35,169	24–27 (58–48)
107	October 4	Cubs	2–1	Dick Ruthven (12–7)	Lee Smith (3–6)	Tug McGraw (10)	21,912	25–27 (59–48)

Roster

1981 Philadelphia Phillies
Roster
Pitchers 40 Warren Brusstar 50 Marty Bystrom 32 Steve Carlton 38 Larry Christenson 43 Mark Davis 35 Nino Espinosa 49 Dan Larson 28 Sparky Lyle 45 Tug McGraw 48 Dickie Noles 30 Mike Proly 35 Jerry Reed 42 Ron Reed 44 Dick Ruthven		Catchers 8 Bob Boone 17 Don McCormack 6 Keith Moreland 11 Ozzie Virgil Infielders 16 Luis Aguayo 15 Ramón Avilés 10 Larry Bowa 24 Len Matuszek 14 Pete Rose 37 Ryne Sandberg 20 Mike Schmidt 9 Manny Trillo 25 Del Unser 18 John Vukovich		Outfielders 26 Dick Davis 22 Bob Dernier 23 Greg Gross 31 Garry Maddox 34 Gary Matthews 21 Bake McBride 27 Lonnie Smith 29 George Vukovich		Manager 46 Dallas Green Coaches 12 Rubén Amaro 2 Billy DeMars 3 Lee Elia 5 Mike Ryan 4 Herm Starrette 7 Bobby Wine

1981 Philadelphia Phillies

Roster

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

46 Dallas Green

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: 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	Bob Boone	76	227	48	.211	4	24
1B	Pete Rose	107	431	140	.325	0	33
2B	Manny Trillo	94	349	100	.287	6	36
SS	Larry Bowa	103	360	102	.283	0	31
3B	Mike Schmidt	102	354	112	.316	31	91
LF	Gary Matthews	101	359	108	.301	9	67
CF	Garry Maddox	94	323	85	.263	5	40
RF	Bake McBride	58	221	60	.271	2	21

Other batters

Note: 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
Keith Moreland	61	196	50	.255	6	37
Lonnie Smith	62	176	57	.324	2	11
Greg Gross	83	102	23	.225	0	7
Dick Davis	45	96	32	.333	2	19
Luis Aguayo	45	84	18	.214	1	7
Del Unser	62	59	9	.153	0	6
Ramón Avilés	38	28	6	.214	0	3
George Vukovich	20	26	10	.385	1	4
Len Matuszek	13	11	3	.273	0	1
Ozzie Virgil Jr.	6	6	0	.000	0	0
Ryne Sandberg	13	6	1	.167	0	0
Bob Dernier	10	4	3	.750	0	0
Don McCormack	3	4	1	.250	0	0
John Vukovich	11	1	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Steve Carlton	24	190.0	13	4	2.42	179
Dick Ruthven	23	146.2	12	7	5.15	80
Larry Christenson	20	106.2	4	7	3.54	70
Nino Espinosa	14	73.2	2	5	6.11	22
Marty Bystrom	9	53.2	4	3	3.35	24
Mark Davis	9	43.0	1	4	7.74	29

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Dickie Noles	13	58.1	2	2	4.17	34
Dan Larson	5	28.0	3	0	4.18	15

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Tug McGraw	34	2	4	10	2.66	26
Sparky Lyle	48	9	6	2	4.44	29
Ron Reed	39	5	3	8	3.08	40
Mike Proly	35	2	1	2	3.86	19
Warren Brusstar	14	0	1	0	4.38	8
Jerry Reed	4	0	1	0	7.71	5

1981 National League Division Series

Main article: 1981 National League Division Series

Montreal Expos vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Montreal wins series, 3–2.

Game	Score	Date
1	Montreal 3, Philadelphia 1	October 7
2	Montreal 3, Philadelphia 1	October 8
3	Philadelphia 6, Montreal 2	October 9
4	Philadelphia 6, Montreal 5 (10 innings)	October 10
5	Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0	October 11

1981 Postseason Game Log

Legend
	Phillies win
	Phillies loss
	Postponement
Bold	Phillies team member

1981 Postseason Game Log
Overall Record: 2–3

National League Divisional Series (2–3)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
1	October 7	@ Expos	1–3	Steve Rogers (1–0)	Steve Carlton (0–1)	Jeff Reardon (1)	34,237	0–1
2	October 8	@ Expos	1–3	Bill Gullickson (1–0)	Dick Ruthven (0–1)	Jeff Reardon (2)	45,896	0–2
3	October 9	Expos	6–2	Larry Christenson (1–0)	Ray Burris (0–1)	None	36,835	1–2
4	October 10	Expos	6–5 (10)	Tug McGraw (1–0)	Jeff Reardon (0–1)	None	38,818	2–2
5	October 11	Expos	0–3	Steve Rogers (2–0)	Steve Carlton (0–2)	None	47,384	2–3

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Oklahoma City 89ers	American Association	Jim Snyder
AA	Reading Phillies	Eastern League	Ron Clark
A	Peninsula Pilots	Carolina League	Bill Dancy
A	Spartanburg Traders	South Atlantic League	Tom Harmon
A-Short Season	Bend Phillies	Northwest League	P. J. Carey
Rookie	Helena Phillies	Pioneer League	Roly de Armas

Notes

Rick Schu at Baseball Reference
George Bell at Baseball Reference
Del Unser at Baseball Reference
Dick Davis at Baseball Reference
at Baseball Reference
Steve Carlton | The Baseball Page
"Pete Rose Significant Hits | Baseball Almanac".
Vince Coleman at Baseball Reference
Mike LaValliere at Baseball Reference
^ "1981 Philadelphia Phillies Schedule, Box Scores and Splits". Baseball-Reference.com.
"For the Record: National League". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. May 2, 1981. p. 6, part 2. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
"In The Majors". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 16, 1981. p. D3. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
"Scoreboard". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. September 28, 1981. p. 46. Retrieved November 21, 2014.

References

1981 Philadelphia Phillies season at Baseball Reference
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.

1981 MLB season by team

AL East	Baltimore Boston Cleveland Detroit Milwaukee New York Toronto
AL West	California Chicago Kansas City Minnesota Oakland Seattle Texas

NL East	Chicago Montréal New York Philadelphia Pittsburgh St. Louis
NL West	Atlanta Cincinnati Houston Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco

Philadelphia Phillies

Established in 1883
Formerly the Philadelphia Quakers and the Philadelphia Blue Jays
Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Franchise

Ballparks

Spring training: Cape May Athletic Park; The Ballpark (Gainesville); Latta Park Baseball Field; Broad Street Park; Bolton Street Park; Southern Pines Country Club; Rickwood Field; Fogel Field; Sunset Ball Park; Coffee Pot Park; Wearn Field; Fleming Field; Cooke Field; Ninth Street Park; Denison Field; Biloxi Stadium; Landa Park; Flamingo Field; Wilmington Park; Clearwater Athletic Field; Jack Russell Stadium; Carpenter Complex/BayCare Ballpark

Culture

Lore

Rivalries

Retired numbers

Key personnel

Owner: Limited partnership (John S. Middleton, Jim & Pete Buck, Stanley Middleman, Estate of David Montgomery, & Pat Gillick)
President: David Dombrowski
General Manager: Preston Mattingly
Manager: Rob Thomson

World Series
championships (2)

1980
2008

NL pennants (8)

Division
championships (12)

Wild Card titles (2)

2022
2023

Minor league
affiliates

Triple-A: Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Double-A: Reading Fightin Phils
High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws
Single-A: Clearwater Threshers
Rookie: FCL Phillies; DSL Phillies Red; DSL Phillies White
Rosters: Minor league rosters

Broadcasting

Television	NBC Sports Philadelphia WCAU
Radio	94 WIP (English flagship station) El Pasaporte (Spanish flagship station) Phillies radio network affiliates
Broadcasters	Tom McCarthy John Kruk Ben Davis Mike Schmidt Rubén Amaro Jr. Scott Franzke Larry Andersen Kevin Stocker

Seasons (143)
1880s	1880 · 1881 · 1882 · 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889
1890s	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
1900s	1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s	1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s	1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s	1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s	1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Category

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