The 1981 baseball strike was the fifth work stoppage in Major League Baseball history. The strike began on June 12 and forced the cancellation of 713 (or 38 percent of the Major League schedule) games in the middle of the regular season. MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ... June 12 is the 163rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (164th in leap years), with 202 days remaining. ...

An estimated $146 million was lost in player salaries, ticket sales, broadcast revenues, and concession revenues. The players lost $4 million a week in salaries while the owners suffered a total loss of $72 million.

The Executive Board of the Players' Association voted unanimously to strike on May 29 due to the unresolved issue of free agent compensation. The deadline was extended briefly, however, after the Players' Association's unfair labor complaint was heard by the National Labor Relations Board. May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... In the United States the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is a five-person appointed federal agency charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor pratices. ...

The strike was called in response to the owners desperatingly wanting to win back the prerogatives over the players. The owners had already lost at the bargaining table and in the courts on the issue of the free agency draft. At issue during the seven week long negotations was the owners demanding compensation for losing a free agent player to another team. The compensation in question was a player who was selected from the signing team's roster (not including 12 "protected" players). The players maintained that any form of compensation would undermine the value of free agency. Free agency can be: In Latter-day Saint theology, free agency is the name of the human capacity to make choices for themselves and to choose between right and wrong. ...

Although the strike was called by the players, many sportswriters and even fans placed most of the blame on the owners. Sports Illustrated reflected this particular opinion loud and clear with the cover headline that read "Strike! The Walkout The Owners Provoked." One of the reasons the owners doled out such hefty contracts from 1978-1981 (43 players each negotiated contracts worth over $1 million during this period) was because they were afraid of losing disgrunted stars in the free agency reentry draft. So the owners paid their players the so-called new going rate in order to keep them from going elsewhere. July 1999 cover showing soccer star Brandi Chastain Sports Illustrated is a popular weekly American sports magazine owned by media giant Time Warner. ...

On July 31, 1981, a compromise was reached. In the settlement, teams that lost a "premium" free agent could be compensated by drawing from a pool of players left unprotected from all of the clubs rather than just the signing club. The settlement gave the owners a limited victory on the compensation issue. July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Reportedly, the negotiations were so bitter that when a settlement was finally reached, Major League Baseball Players Association representive Marvin Miller and the owners' negotiator, Ray Grebey, refused to pose with each other for the traditional "peace ceremony" photograph. The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union of professional major-league baseball players. ... Marvin Julian Miller (born April 14, 1917 in The Bronx, New York City) is the former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 - 1982. ...

The All-Star Game

Major League Baseball resumed on August 9 with the All-Star Game in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. The All-Star Game, which was originally scheduled to be held on July 14, now served as a prelude to play resuming on August 10. August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game between the best players from the National League and the American League. ... City nickname: The Forest City Location in Cuyahoga County, Ohio County Cuyahoga Mayor Jane Campbell Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 213. ... Cleveland Stadium (also known as Municipal Stadium, Cleveland Municipal Stadium and The Mistake on the Lake) was a baseball and American football stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

When play resumed, attendance dropped in 17 of 26 cities and television ratings slumped sharply. Ironically, despite the disgruntled fans, the All-Star Game surprisingly had the largest crowd ever in attendance (72,086). When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are generally referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by the New York City-based firm Nielsen Media Research to determine which shows television viewers watch at what times. ...

The split-season format

Due to the two-month strike, the owners tried to create an equitable solution. So the owners decided to split the 1981 season into two halves, with the first-place teams from each half in each division meeting in a best-of-five divisional playoff series. The four survivors would then move on to the two best-of-five League Championship Series. The League Championship Series is the official name for a round of playoffs in Major League Baseball. ...

The split-season idea wasn't without its flaws and criticism. A proviso was added that if a team won its division in both halves of the season, it would still face a playoff round against the second-place club in the second half. All of the first-half winners lacked incentive (as opposed to the minor leagues where if the same team did win both halves it was given a bye into the next round) to repeat and ultimately dawdled through the second-half of the season with a composite record of only three games above .500. To make matters worse, the Cincinnati Reds failed to make the playoffs even though they had the best full-season record in 1981. In contrast to the Reds' bad luck, the Kansas City Royals made the postseason despite owning the fourth-best full-season record in their division. A Class A California League game in San Jose, California (1994) Minor baseball leagues are North American professional baseball leagues that compete at a level below that of Major League Baseball. ... The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. ... The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. ...

1981 American League

First Half of Season

East Division

Team

W L WL% GB

1. NewYorkY NYY 34 22 .607 --
2. Baltmore BAL 31 23 .574 --
3. Milwakee MIL 31 25 .554 --
4. Detroit DET 31 26 .544 --
5. BostonRS BOS 30 26 .536 --
6. Clevelnd CLE 26 24 .520 --
7. Toronto TOR 16 42 .276 --

West Division The New York Yankees are a Major League baseball team based in The Bronx, New York City. ... The Baltimore Orioles are a Major League Baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. ... The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Cleveland Indians are a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. ... The Toronto Blue Jays are a Major League Baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, notable for being the first team from outside the United States to win the World Series. ...

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Oakland OAK 37 23 .617 --
2. Texas TEX 33 22 .600 --
3. ChicagoW CHW 31 22 .585 --
4. Califrna CAL 31 29 .517 --
5. KansasCy KCR 20 30 .400 --
6. Seattle SEA 21 36 .368 --
7. Minnesta MIN 17 39 .304 --

Second Half of Season This article is about the baseball team currently active in the American League. ... The Texas Rangers are a Major League Baseball team based in Arlington, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. ... The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... For the Pacific Coast League franchise see: Los Angeles Angels (PCL). ... The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. ... The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. ... The Minnesota Twins are a Major League Baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ...

East Division

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Milwakee MIL 31 22 .585 --
2. BostonRS BOS 29 23 .558 --
3. Detroit DET 29 23 .558 --
4. Baltmore BAL 28 23 .549 --
5. Clevelnd CLE 26 27 .491 --
6. NewYorkY NYY 25 26 .490 --
7. Toronto TOR 21 27 .438 --

West Division The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. ... The Baltimore Orioles are a Major League Baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. ... The Cleveland Indians are a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. ... The New York Yankees are a Major League baseball team based in The Bronx, New York City. ... The Toronto Blue Jays are a Major League Baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, notable for being the first team from outside the United States to win the World Series. ...

Team

W L WL% GB

1. KansasCy KCR 30 23 .566 --
2. Oakland OAK 27 22 .551 --
3. Texas TEX 24 26 .480 --
4. Minnesta MIN 24 29 .453 --
5. Seattle SEA 23 29 .442 --
6. ChicagoW CHW 23 30 .434 --
7. Califrna CAL 20 30 .400 --

Overall Record The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. ... This article is about the baseball team currently active in the American League. ... The Texas Rangers are a Major League Baseball team based in Arlington, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. ... The Minnesota Twins are a Major League Baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. ... The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... For the Pacific Coast League franchise see: Los Angeles Angels (PCL). ...

East Division

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Milwakee MIL 62 47 .569 --
2. Baltmore BAL 59 46 .562 1.0
3. NewYorkY NYY 59 48 .551 2.0
4. Detroit DET 60 49 .550 2.0
5. BostonRS BOS 59 49 .546 2.5
6. Clevelnd CLE 52 51 .505 7.0
7. Toronto TOR 37 69 .349 23.5

West Division The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... The Baltimore Orioles are a Major League Baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. ... The New York Yankees are a Major League baseball team based in The Bronx, New York City. ... The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Cleveland Indians are a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. ... The Toronto Blue Jays are a Major League Baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, notable for being the first team from outside the United States to win the World Series. ...

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Oakland OAK 64 45 .587 --
2. Texas TEX 57 48 .543 5.0
3. ChicagoW CHW 54 52 .509 8.5
4. KansasCy KCR 50 53 .485 11.0
5. Califrna CAL 51 59 .464 13.5
6. Seattle SEA 44 65 .404 20.0
7. Minnesta MIN 41 68 .376 23.0

This article is about the baseball team currently active in the American League. ... The Texas Rangers are a Major League Baseball team based in Arlington, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. ... The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. ... For the Pacific Coast League franchise see: Los Angeles Angels (PCL). ... The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. ... The Minnesota Twins are a Major League Baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ...

1981 National League

First Half of Season

East Division

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Phildlpa PHI 34 21 .618 --
2. St.Louis STL 30 20 .600 --
3. Montreal MON 30 25 .545 --
4. Pittsbgh PIT 25 23 .521 --
5. NewYorkM NYM 17 34 .333 --
6. ChicagoC CHC 15 37 .288 --

West Division The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The St. ... The Montréal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 to 2004. ... The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... The New York Mets are a Major League Baseball team based in Flushing, Queens, New York. ... The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ...

Team

W L WL% GB

1. LosAngls LAD 36 21 .632 --
2. Cincnnti CIN 35 21 .625 --
3. Houston HOU 28 29 .491 --
4. Atlanta ATL 25 29 .463 --
5. SanFranc SFG 27 32 .458 --
6. SanDiego SDP 23 33 .411 --

Second Half of Season Brooklyn Dodgers redirects here. ... The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. ... The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team based in Houston, Texas. ... The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California. ... The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. ...

East Division

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Montreal MON 30 23 .566 --
2. St.Louis STL 29 23 .558 --
3. Phildlpa PHI 25 27 .481 --
4. NewYorkM NYM 24 28 .462 --
5. ChicagoC CHC 23 28 .451 --
6. Pittsbgh PIT 21 33 .389 --

West Division The Montréal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 to 2004. ... The St. ... The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The New York Mets are a Major League Baseball team based in Flushing, Queens, New York. ... The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Houston HOU 33 20 .623 --
2. Cincnnti CIN 31 21 .596 --
3. SanFranc SFG 29 23 .558 --
4. LosAngls LAD 27 26 .509 --
5. Atlanta ATL 25 27 .481 --
6. SanDiego SDP 18 36 .333 --

Overall Record The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team based in Houston, Texas. ... The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. ... The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California. ... Brooklyn Dodgers redirects here. ... The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. ...

East Division

Team

W L WL% GB

1. St.Louis STL 59 43 .578 --
2. Montreal MON 60 48 .556 2.0
3. Phildlpa PHI 59 48 .551 2.5
4. Pittsbgh PIT 46 56 .451 13.0
5. NewYorkM NYM 41 62 .398 18.5
6. ChicagoC CHC 38 65 .369 21.5

West Division The St. ... The Montréal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 to 2004. ... The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... The New York Mets are a Major League Baseball team based in Flushing, Queens, New York. ... The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ...

Team

W L WL% GB

1. Cincnnti CIN 66 42 .611 --
2. LosAngls LAD 63 47 .573 4.0
3. Houston HOU 61 49 .555 6.0
4. SanFranc SFG 56 55 .505 11.5
5. Atlanta ATL 50 56 .472 15.0
6. SanDiego SDP 41 69 .373 26.0