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1981 Houston Astros season

Summary

The 1981 Houston Astros season was the 20th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas. The season was divided into two halves because of a players' strike in mid-season. The Astros won the National League West in the second half with a loss by the Cincinnati Reds on October 3, the penultimate day of the season.[1] The Astros advanced to the playoffs, which matched the winners of the two halves in a Division Series (the name would be re-introduced fourteen years later). However, they were defeated in five games by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

1981 Houston Astros
National League West Co-Champions
LeagueNational League
DivisionWest
BallparkAstrodome
CityHouston, Texas
Record61–49 (55.5%)
Divisional place3rd (first half); 1st (second half)
OwnersJohn McMullen
General managersAl Rosen
ManagersBill Virdon
TelevisionKRIV–TV 26
(Gene Elston, Dewayne Staats, Larry Dierker)
RadioKENR–AM 1070
(Gene Elston, Dewayne Staats, Larry Dierker)
← 1980 Seasons 1982 →

Offseason

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  • December 4, 1980: Don Sutton was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[2]
  • December 8, 1980: Chris Bourjos was traded by the San Francisco Giants with Bob Knepper to the Houston Astros for Enos Cabell.[3]
  • March 27, 1981: Julio González was released by the Astros.[4]

Regular season

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Season standings

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NL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cincinnati Reds 66 42 .611 — 32‍–‍22 34‍–‍20
Los Angeles Dodgers 63 47 .573 4 33‍–‍23 30‍–‍24
Houston Astros 61 49 .555 6 31‍–‍20 30‍–‍29
San Francisco Giants 56 55 .505 11½ 29‍–‍24 27‍–‍31
Atlanta Braves 50 56 .472 15 22‍–‍27 28‍–‍29
San Diego Padres 41 69 .373 26 20‍–‍35 21‍–‍34
NL West
First Half Standings 		W L Pct. GB
Los Angeles Dodgers 36 21 .632 —
Cincinnati Reds 35 21 .625 1⁄2
Houston Astros 28 29 .491 8
Atlanta Braves 25 29 .463 9+1⁄2
San Francisco Giants 27 32 .458 10
San Diego Padres 23 33 .411 12+1⁄2
NL West
Second Half Standings 		W L Pct. GB
Houston Astros 33 20 .623 —
Cincinnati Reds 31 21 .596 1+1⁄2
San Francisco Giants 29 23 .558 3+1⁄2
Los Angeles Dodgers 27 26 .509 6
Atlanta Braves 25 27 .481 7+1⁄2
San Diego Padres 18 36 .333 15+1⁄2

Record vs. opponents

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1981 National League record
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Sources: [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
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

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Nolan Ryan's 5th No-Hitter

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On September 26, 1981, Nolan Ryan no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-0, on national television. The 34-year-old right-hander became the first pitcher to throw five career no-hitters.[10] It had been six years since Ryan's last no-hitter; he pitched for the California Angels for the last of four no-hitters.

Roster

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1981 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Game log

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Regular season (First half)

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1981 regular season game log: 28–29 (home: 14–14; away: 14–15)
April: 7–12 (home: 4–9; away: 3–3)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
1 April 9 3:05 p.m. CST @ Dodgers L 0–2 Valenzuela (1–0) Niekro (0–1) – 2:17 50,511 0–1 L1
2 April 11 9:05 p.m. CST @ Dodgers L 4–7 Hooton (1–0) Sutton (0–1) – 2:56 51,691 0–2 L2
3 April 12 3:05 p.m. CST @ Dodgers L 2–3 Sutcliffe (1–0) Ruhle (0–1) Howe (1) 2:16 50,734 0–3 L3
4 April 13 7:35 p.m. CST Braves L 1–2 (10) Camp (1–0) Sambito (0–1) Bradford (1) 2:57 34,961 0–4 L4
5 April 14 7:35 p.m. CST Braves W 8–2 Niekro (1–1) Walk (0–1) – 2:38 21,440 1–4 W1
6 April 15 7:35 p.m. CST Braves W 2–0 Ryan (1–0) Boggs (0–1) LaCorte (1) 2:00 22,365 2–4 W2
7 April 17 7:35 p.m. CST Pirates L 3–4 Rhoden (2–0) Sutton (0–2) Romo (2) 2:28 39,119 2–5 L1
8 April 18 12:50 p.m. CST Pirates L 3–6 (11) Jackson (1–0) Smith (0–1) – 3:06 29,790 2–6 L2
9 April 19 2:05 p.m. CST Pirates L 0–2 Scurry (1–0) Niekro (1–2) Solomon (1) 2:21 30,394 2–7 L3
10 April 20 7:35 p.m. CST Dodgers L 2–5 Hooton (3–0) Andújar (0–1) Goltz (1) 2:34 21,370 2–8 L4
11 April 21 7:35 p.m. CST Dodgers W 1–0 Knepper (1–0) Reuss (0–1) – 1:48 21,904 3–8 W1
12 April 22 6:05 p.m. CST Dodgers L 0–1 Valenzuela (4–0) Sutton (0–3) – 2:24 22,830 3–9 L1
13 April 23 7:35 p.m. CST Reds L 4–5 (10) Price (1–0) Smith (0–2) Moskau (1) 3:06 23,173 3–10 L2
14 April 24 7:35 p.m. CST Reds L 0–3 Pastore (1–0) Niekro (1–3) – 2:23 27,087 3–11 L3
15 April 25 12:50 p.m. CST Reds L 1–2 Berenyi (2–0) Ryan (1–1) Hume (1) 2:45 19,957 3–12 L4
16 April 26 2:05 p.m. CDT Reds W 1–0 Knepper (2–0) Soto (1–3) – 2:21 23,428 4–12 W1
17 April 28 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Braves W 2–1 Sutton (1–3) Montefusco (1–2) Smith (1) 2:34 8,669 5–12 W2
18 April 29 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Braves W 5–4 LaCorte (1–0) Camp (2–1) – 3:18 8,334 6–12 W3
19 April 30 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Braves W 5–1 Niekro (2–3) Boggs (1–3) – 2:19 10,006 7–12 W4
May: 17–12 (home: 8–4; away: 9–8)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
20 May 1 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Pirates W 5–3 Sambito (1–1) Solomon (0–1) – 3:01 7,012 8–12 W5
21 May 2 6:05 p.m. CDT @ Pirates L 4–5 (12) Solomon (1–1) Smith (0–3) – 3:56 21,993 8–13 L1
22 May 3 12:35 p.m. CDT @ Pirates W 3–1 Sutton (2–3) Bibby (1–1) Smith (2) 3:15 10,438 9–13 W1
23 May 4 1:35 p.m. CDT @ Cubs W 5–4 Andújar (1–1) Krukow (1–2) Sambito (1) 3:02 2,941 10–13 W2
24 May 5 1:35 p.m. CDT @ Cubs W 4–3 Smith (1–3) Smith (0–2) – 2:41 2,092 11–13 W3
25 May 6 1:35 p.m. CDT @ Cubs L 1–2 (11) Smith (1–2) LaCorte (1–1) – 3:27 2,572 11–14 W4
26 May 7 1:35 p.m. CDT @ Cubs W 6–0 Knepper (3–0) Martz (1–1) – 2:40 3,112 12–14 L1
27 May 8 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Reds L 0–4 Seaver (3–1) Sutton (2–4) – 2:21 31,961 12–15 L1
28 May 9 1:15 p.m. CDT @ Reds L 5–9 Berenyi (3–1) Andújar (1–2) – 2:38 30,860 12–16 L2
29 May 10 1:35 p.m. CDT @ Reds W 7–5 Niekro (3–3) Pastore (1–1) LaCorte (2) 2:44 31,903 13–16 W1
30 May 11 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Reds W 5–0 Ryan (2–1) LaCoss (1–4) – 2:36 11,795 14–16 W2
31 May 12 7:35 p.m. CDT Cardinals L 2–3 (10) Sutter (1–1) Sambito (1–2) Kaat (2) 2:26 20,020 13–17 L1
32 May 13 7:35 p.m. CDT Cardinals W 3–0 Sutton (3–4) Shirley (4–1) – 2:24 21,705 14–17 W1
33 May 14 7:35 p.m. CDT Cardinals L 6–7 Otten (1–0) Sambito (1–3) Sutter (6) 2:54 20,042 14–18 L1
34 May 15 7:35 p.m. CDT Cubs W 5–0 Niekro (4–3) Caudill (0–3) – 2:16 23,718 16–18 W1
35 May 16 7:35 p.m. CDT Cubs W 6–1 Ryan (3–1) Martz (1–2) Sambito (2) 2:48 43,726 17–18 W2
36 May 17 2:35 p.m. CDT Cubs W 6–1 Knepper (4–0) Krukow (1–4) – 2:34 34,068 18–18 W3
37 May 19 7:35 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals L 12–15 Kaat (2–0) Sprowl (0–1) – 3:03 14,585 18–19 L1
38 May 20 7:35 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals W 4–3 (11) Niekro (5–3) Sutter (1–2) Sambito (3) 2:47 19,175 19–19 W1
39 May 21 7:35 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals L 1–3 Martin (1–0) Ryan (3–2) – 2:13 19,823 19–20 L1
40 May 22 7:35 p.m. CDT Giants L 3–6 (15) Minton (2–2) Andújar (1–3) – 4:38 30,377 19–21 L2
41 May 23 7:35 p.m. CDT Giants W 5–3 LaCorte (2–1) Whitson (1–5) – 3:09 38,586 20–21 W1
42 May 24 5:00 p.m. CDT Giants L 1–2 Blue (4–3) Sutton (3–5) Minton (9) 2:26 34,922 20–22 L1
43 May 25 7:35 p.m. CDT Padres W 6–3 Niekro (6–3) Mura (1–7) Sambito (4) 2:41 19,025 21–22 W1
44 May 26 7:35 p.m. CDT Padres W 1–0 Ryan (4–2) Eichelberger (4–3) Sambito (5) 2:23 17,709 22–22 W2
45 May 27 7:35 p.m. CDT Padres W 1–0 Knepper (5–0) Welsh (2–3) – 1:50 21,256 23–22 W3
46 May 29 9:35 p.m. CDT @ Giants L 1–3 Blue (5–3) Sutton (3–6) Holland (2) 2:22 8,397 23–23 L1
47 May 30 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Giants W 9–8 (14) Andújar (2–3) Breining (1–1) Ruhle (1) 4:33 8,869 24–23 W1
48 May 31 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Giants L 1–6 Griffin (4–3) Ryan (4–3) Holland (3) 2:34 20,626 24–24 L1
June: 4–5 (home: 2–1; away: 2–4)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
49 June 2 9:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres W 2–1 LaCorte (3–1) Welsh (2–4) Sambito (6) 2:19 9,671 25–24 W1
50 June 3 9:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres W 6–1 Sutton (4–6) Wise (2–5) – 2:25 10,023 26–24 W2
51 June 4 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres L 5–7 Mura (3–7) Niekro (6–4) Lucas (8) 2:31 12,403 26–25 L1
52 June 5 7:35 p.m. CDT Mets W 3–0 Ryan (5–3) Jones (1–6) – 2:09 28,085 27–25 W1
53 June 6 7:35 p.m. CDT Mets W 6–2 Ruhle (1–1) Zachry (5–6) Smith (3) 2:17 42,478 28–25 W2
54 June 7 7:35 p.m. CDT Mets L 1–3 Scott (3–4) Knepper (5–1) Allen (6) 2:13 29,873 28–26 L1
55 June 8 7:35 p.m. CDT @ Phillies L 3–4 Ruthven (8–3) Sutton (4–7) McGraw (6) 2:41 31,664 28–27 L2
56 June 9 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Phillies L 3–10 Bystrom (4–3) Niekro (6–5) Reed (5) 2:17 33,978 28–28 L3
57 June 10 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Phillies L 4–5 Carlton (9–1) LaCorte (3–2) McGraw (7) 2:22 57,386 28–29 L4
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Astros team member

Regular season (games canceled by the 1981 Major League Baseball strike)

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1981 regular season game log
June
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
– June 12 @ Mets Canceled (Strike)
– June 13 @ Mets Canceled (Strike)
– June 14 @ Mets Canceled (Strike)
– June 15 @ Expos Canceled (Strike)
– June 16 @ Expos Canceled (Strike)
– June 17 Phillies Canceled (Strike)
– June 18 Phillies Canceled (Strike)
– June 19 Expos Canceled (Strike)
– June 20 Expos Canceled (Strike)
– June 21 Expos Canceled (Strike)
– June 23 @ Pirates Canceled (Strike)
– June 24 @ Pirates Canceled (Strike)
– June 25 @ Pirates Canceled (Strike)
– June 26 Dodgers Canceled (Strike)
– June 27 Dodgers Canceled (Strike)
– June 28 Dodgers Canceled (Strike)
– June 29 Reds Canceled (Strike)
– June 30 Reds Canceled (Strike)
July
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
– July 1 Reds Canceled (Strike)
– July 3 @ Braves Canceled (Strike)
– July 4 @ Braves Canceled (Strike)
– July 5 @ Braves Canceled (Strike)
– July 7 @ Dodgers Canceled (Strike)
– July 8 @ Dodgers Canceled (Strike)
– July 9 @ Dodgers Canceled (Strike)
– July 10 Braves Canceled (Strike)
– July 11 Braves Canceled (Strike)
– July 12 Braves Canceled (Strike)
– July 16 @ Reds Canceled (Strike)
– July 17 @ Reds Canceled (Strike)
– July 18 @ Reds Canceled (Strike)
– July 19 @ Cubs Canceled (Strike)
– July 20 @ Cubs Canceled (Strike)
– July 21 Pirates Canceled (Strike)
– July 22 Pirates Canceled (Strike)
– July 23 Pirates Canceled (Strike)
– July 24 Cardinals Canceled (Strike)
– July 25 Cardinals Canceled (Strike)
– July 26 Cardinals Canceled (Strike)
– July 27 Cubs Canceled (Strike)
– July 28 Cubs Canceled (Strike)
– July 29 Cubs Canceled (Strike)
– July 31 @ Cardinals Canceled (Strike)
August
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
– August 1 @ Cardinals Canceled (Strike)
– August 2 @ Cardinals Canceled (Strike)
– August 3 Giants Canceled (Strike)
– August 4 Giants Canceled (Strike)
– August 5 Giants Canceled (Strike)
– August 7 Padres Canceled (Strike)
– August 8 Padres Canceled (Strike)
– August 9 Padres Canceled (Strike)
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Astros team member

Regular season (Second half)

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1981 regular season game log: 33–20 (home: 17–6; away: 16–14)
August: 13–8 (home: 7–1; away: 6–7)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
52nd All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio
1 {58) August 10 9:35 p.m. CDT @ Giants W 6–5 Sambito (2–3) Breining (2–2) LaCorte (3) 3:08 11,115 1–0 (29–29) W1
2 (59) August 11 9:35 p.m. CDT @ Giants L 2–3 Griffin (5–5) Niekro (6–6) Minton (10) 2:36 12,354 1–1 (29–30) L1
3 (60) August 12 2:05 p.m. CDT @ Giants W 5–4 Sambito (3–3) Holland (3–3) Smith (1) 2:51 8,707 2–1 (30–30) W1
4 (61) August 13 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres L 1–9 Welsh (4–4) Knepper (5–2) – 2:29 4,899 2–2 (30–31) L1
5 (62) August 14 9:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres W 5–1 Ryan (6–3) Lollar (1–5) – 2:24 8,414 3–2 (31–31) W1
6 (63) August 15 9:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres W 5–0 Sutton (5–7) Eichelberger (6–4) – 1:59 5,852 4–2 (32–31) W2
7 (64) August 16 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres W 3–0 Niekro (7–6) Mura (4–9) Smith (4) 2:16 5,880 5–2 (33–31) W3
8 (65) August 17 7:35 p.m. CDT Expos L 2–6 Burris (5–5) Ruhle (1–2) Fryman (4) 2:19 24,203 5–3 (33–32) L1
9 {66) August 18 7:35 p.m. CDT Expos W 4–2 Knepper (6–2) Rogers (8–5) Sambito (7) 2:04 23,306 6–3 (34–32) W1
10 (67) August 19 7:35 p.m. CDT Expos W 9–1 Ryan (7–3) Sanderson (6–4) Smith (5) 2:39 27,169 7–3 (35–32) W2
11 (68) August 21 7:05 p.m. CDT @ Phillies L 4–5 Lyle (6–2) Ruhle (1–3) McGraw (8) 2:41 31,693 7–4 (35–33) L1
12 (69) August 22 1:15 p.m. CDT @ Phillies L 4–8 Ruthven (9–5) Niekro (7–7) – 2:16 35,199 7–5 (35–34) L2
13 (70) August 23 6:05 p.m. CDT @ Phillies L 0–6 Carlton (10–3) Knepper (6–3) – 1:51 30,630 7–6 (35–35) L3
14 (71) August 25 7:05 p.m. CDT @ Mets L 1–2 Marshall (1–0) Sambito (3–4) – 2:32 15,622 7–7 (35–36) L4
15 (72) August 26 7:05 p.m. CDT @ Mets W 9–3 Sutton (6–7) Zachry (6–9) – 2:34 16,731 8–7 (36–36) W1
16 (73) August 27 1:05 p.m. CDT @ Mets L 2–3 Marshall (2–0) Sambito (3–5) Allen (12) 2:28 17,488 8–8 (36–37) L1
17 (74) August 28 7:35 p.m. CDT Phillies W 3–2 (10) Smith (2–3) Lyle (6–3) – 2:37 29,482 9–8 (37–37) W1
18 (75) August 29 (1) 5:35 p.m. CDT Phillies W 6–1 Ruhle (2–3) Davis (0–2) – 2:22 N/A 10–8 (38–37) W2
19 (76) August 29 (2) 8:32 p.m. CDT Phillies W 2–1 Smith (1–0) Noles (0–1) LaCorte (4) 2:01 33,327 11–8 (39–37) W3
20 77) August 30 7:35 p.m. CDT Phillies W 5–4 (10) Smith (3–3) Lyle (6–4) – 2:53 23,102 12–8 (40–37) W4
21 (78) August 31 7:35 p.m. CDT Mets W 6–1 Sutton (7–7) Zachry (6–10) – 2:27 10,669 13–8 (41–37) W5
September: 18–10 (home: 10–5; away: 8–5)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
22 (79) September 1 7:35 p.m. CDT Mets W 3–2 Sambito (4–5) Marshall (2–1) – 2:39 16,339 14–8 (42–37) W6
23 (80) September 2 7:35 p.m. CDT Mets W 8–0 Knepper (7–3) Scott (4–8) – 2:21 18,938 15–8 (43–37) W7
24 {81) September 3 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 2–1 Ruhle (3–3) Sanderson (7–5) Smith (6) 2:20 24,833 16–8 (44–37) W8
25 (82) September 4 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 5–0 Ryan (8–3) Gullickson (4–7) Sambito (8) 2:54 32,580 17–8 (45–37) W9
26 (83) September 5 1:15 p.m. CDT @ Expos L 2–5 Burris (7–5) Sutton (7–8) – 2:13 30,471 17–9 (45–38) L1
27 (84) September 6 12:35 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 4–3 (12) LaCorte (4–2) Sosa (1–2) – 3:33 47,193 18–9 (46–38) W1
28 (85) September 7 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Braves W 3–2 Smith (4–3) Camp (7–2) Sambito (9) 2:40 7,358 19–9 (47–38) W2
29 (86) September 8 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Braves L 2–3 Camp (8–2) Smith (1–1) – 2:13 2,800 19–10 (47–39) L1
30 (87) September 9 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Braves L 0–9 Niekro (7–5) Ryan (8–4) – 2:34 4,482 19–11 (47–40) L2
31 (88) September 11 7:35 p.m. CDT Giants W 6–0 Sutton (8–8) Blue (8–6) – 2:30 23,677 20–11 (48–40) W1
32 (89) September 12 7:35 p.m. CDT Giants W 5–2 Niekro (8–7) Whitson (5–8) Smith (7) 2:39 35,867 21–11 (49–40) W2
33 (90) September 13 5:00 p.m. CDT Giants W 3–0 Knepper (8–3) Alexander (8–7) LaCorte (5) 2:32 19,642 22–11 (50–40) W3
34 (91) September 14 7:35 p.m. CDT Reds L 2–4 Berenyi (8–5) Ruhle (3–4) – 2:30 19,742 22–12 (50–41) L1
35 (92) September 15 5:00 p.m. CDT Reds L 0–4 Leibrandt (1–0) Ryan (8–5) – 2:26 16,354 22–13 (50–42) L2
36 (93) September 16 9:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres W 5–2 Sutton (9–8) Lollar (1–8) Sambito (10) 2:35 4,241 23–13 (51–42) W1
37 (94) September 17 9:05 p.m. CDT @ Padres W 9–0 Niekro (9–7) Mura (5–13) – 2:14 2,428 24–13 (52–42) W2
38 (95) September 18 9:35 p.m. CDT @ Giants L 2–5 Alexander (9–7) Knepper (8–4) Holland (7) 2:26 8,183 24–14 (52–43) L1
39 (96) September 19 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Giants W 8–1 Ruhle (4–4) Griffin (8–7) – 2:26 11,522 25–14 (53–43) W1
40 (97) September 20 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Giants W 7–3 Ryan (9–5) Lavelle (0–6) – 3:04 16,824 26–14 (54–43) W2
41 (98) September 22 7:35 p.m. CDT Braves W 3–0 Sutton (10–8) Perry (7–8) – 2:16 22,564 27–14 (55–43) W3
42 (99) September 23 7:35 p.m. CDT Braves L 1–3 Mahler (6–6) Niekro (9–8) – 2:13 24,142 27–15 (55–44) L1
43 (100) September 24 7:35 p.m. CDT Braves W 5–3 Knepper (9–4) McWilliams (1–1) Smith (8) 2:17 23,341 28–15 (56–44) W1
44 (101) September 25 7:35 p.m. CDT Dodgers L 0–3 Hooton (11–6) Ruhle (4–5) – 2:18 35,481 28–16 (56–45) L1
45 (102) September 26 1:20 p.m. CDT Dodgers W 5–0 Ryan (10–5) Power (1–3) – 2:46 32,115 29–16 (57–45) W1
46 (103) September 27 5:05 p.m. CDT Dodgers W 4–1 Sutton (11–8) Valenzuela (13–6) – 2:23 41,686 30–16 (58–45) W2
47 (104) September 28 7:35 p.m. CDT Padres W 2–1 Sambito (5–5) Eichelberger (8–8) – 2:07 21,576 31–16 (59–45) W3
48 (105) September 29 7:35 p.m. CDT Padres L 1–2 Wise (4–8) Knepper (9–5) Lucas (12) 2:19 34,732 31–17 (59–46) L1
49 (106) September 30 6:35 p.m. CDT @ Reds L 2–3 Soto (11–9) Ruhle (4–6) Hume (13) 2:14 24,394 31–18 (59–47) L2
October: 2–2 (home: 0–0; away: 2–2)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
50 (107) October 1 4:00 p.m. CDT @ Reds W 8–1 Ryan (11–5) Berenyi (9–6) – 3:12 26,484 32–18 (60–47) W1
51 (108) October 2 9:30 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 1–6 Reuss (10–4) Sutton (11–9) – 2:30 46,108 32–19 (60–48) L1
52 (109) October 3 2:50 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 2–7 Welch (9–5) Niekro (9–9) – 2:43 42,272 32–20 (60–49) L2
53 (110) October 4 3:00 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers W 5–3 Smith (5–2) Goltz (2–7) – 3:17 47,072 33–20 (61–49) W1
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Astros team member

Postseason Game log

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1981 Postseason game log: 2–3 (home: 2–0; away: 0–3)
NL Western Division Series: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 2–3 (home: 2–0; away: 0–3)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Series Box/
Streak
1 October 6 7:15 p.m. CDT Dodgers W 3–1 Ryan (1–0) Stewart (0–1) – 2:22 44,836 HOU 1–0 W1
2 October 7 12:05 p.m. CDT Dodgers W 1–0 (11) Sambito (1–0) Stewart (0–2) – 3:39 42,398 HOU 2–0 W2
3 October 9 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 1–6 Hooton (1–0) Knepper (0–1) – 2:35 46,820 HOU 2–1 L1
4 October 10 7:15 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 1–2 Valenzuela (1–0) Ruhle (0–1) – 2:00 55,983 Tied 2–2 L2
5 October 11 3:05 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 0–4 Reuss (1–0) Ryan (1–1) – 2:52 55,979 LA 3–2 L3
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Astros team member

Player stats

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Batting

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Starters by position

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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 Alan Ashby 83 255 69 .271 4 33
1B César Cedeño 82 306 83 .271 5 34
2B Joe Pittman 52 135 38 .281 0 7
SS Craig Reynolds 87 323 84 .260 4 31
3B Art Howe 103 361 107 .296 3 36
LF José Cruz 107 409 109 .267 13 55
CF Tony Scott 55 225 66 .293 2 22
RF Terry Puhl 96 350 88 .251 3 28

Other batters

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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
Denny Walling 65 158 37 .234 5 23
Kiko Garcia 48 136 37 .272 0 15
Luis Pujols 40 117 28 .239 1 14
Phil Garner 31 113 27 .239 0 6
Gary Woods 54 110 23 .209 0 12
Danny Heep 33 96 24 .250 0 11
Dickie Thon 49 95 26 .274 0 3
Rafael Landestoy 35 74 11 .149 0 4
Dave Roberts 27 54 13 .241 1 5
Mike Ivie 19 42 10 .238 0 6
Harry Spilman 28 34 10 .294 0 1
Jeffrey Leonard 7 18 3 .167 0 3
Tim Tolman 4 8 1 .125 0 0
Scott Loucks 10 7 4 .571 0 0
Alan Knicely 3 7 4 .571 2 2
Dave Bergman 6 6 1 .167 1 1
Bert Peña 4 2 1 .500 0 0

Pitching

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Starting pitchers

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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Joe Niekro 24 166.0 9 9 2.82 77
Don Sutton 23 158.2 11 9 2.61 104
Bob Knepper 22 156.2 9 5 2.18 75
Nolan Ryan 21 149.0 11 5 1.69 140
Vern Ruhle 20 102.0 4 6 2.91 39

Other pitchers

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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Joaquín Andújar 9 23.2 2 3 4.94 18

Relief pitchers

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

Player G IP W L SV ERA SO
Joe Sambito 49 63.2 5 5 10 1.84 41
Dave Smith 42 75.0 5 3 8 2.76 52
Frank LaCorte 37 42.0 4 2 5 3.64 40
Bobby Sprowl 15 28.2 0 1 0 5.97 18
Billy Smith 10 20.2 1 1 1 3.05 3
Gordie Pladson 2 4.0 0 0 0 9.00 3

1981 National League Division Series

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Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros

Los Angeles wins series, 3-2.

Game Score Date
1 Houston 3, Los Angeles 1 October 6
2 Houston 1, Los Angeles 0 (11 innings) October 7
3 Los Angeles 6, Houston 1 October 9
4 Los Angeles 2, Houston 1 October 10
5 Los Angeles 4, Houston 0 October 11

Farm system

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Level Team League Manager
AAA Tucson Toros Pacific Coast League Jimmy Johnson
AA Columbus Astros Southern League Matt Galante
A Daytona Beach Astros Florida State League Carlos Alfonso
Rookie GCL Astros Blue Gulf Coast League Eric Swanson
Rookie GCL Astros Orange Gulf Coast League Lyle Olsen

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Daytona Beach

References

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  1. ^ "The Story Of The 1981 Houston Astros". October 18, 2014.
  2. ^ Don Sutton at Baseball Reference
  3. ^ a b "Chris Bourjos Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ^ Julio González at Baseball Reference
  5. ^ Gary Rajsich at Baseball Reference
  6. ^ David Clyde at Baseball Reference
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ Joaquín Andújar at Baseball Reference
  9. ^ "Eric Bullock Stats".
  10. ^ "Big Days in Astros History – September 26, 1981 – Nolan Ryan pitches his fifth no-hitter". AstrosDaily.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
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  • 1981 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference

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