October 7, 2026
October 7, 2026
1981 Milwaukee Brewers: First Brewing
The 1980s turned out to be a kind decade for the Milwaukee Brewers organization overall, as this young organization was still trying to find its way to winning baseball games more consistently. Thankfully, with the help of key moves, the 1981 Milwaukee Brewers put themselves in a position to compete for the World Series Championship. Though that opportunity wouldn’t come for them in 1981, the seeds were planted for them to go far in future seasons.
In 1981, the Milwaukee Brewers went 62-47 for the whole season. In the first half of the season, the Brewers went 31-25, finishing 3 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. In the second half, the Brewers went 31-22, winning the American League East by 1.5 games over the Boston Red Sox. In head-to-head play, the Brewers went 4-2 against the Baltimore Orioles, 7-6 against the Red Sox, and 3-3 against the Yankees. The Brewers went 28-21 at their home ballpark, Milwaukee County Stadium, and they went 34-26 on the road. Taking the month of July off, the Brewers stayed consistent through each month, going 9-7 in April, 18-12 in May, 13-9 in August, and 16-12 in September.
The key offseason move that would set the tone for the 1981 Milwaukee Brewers was a trade that occurred on December 12, 1980, involving the Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers sent right fielder Sixto Lezcano, outfielder David Green, and pitchers Larry Sorensen and Dave LaPoint to the Cardinals in exchange for catcher Ted Simmons, relief pitcher Rollie Fingers, and starting pitcher Pete Vuckovich.
First baseman Cecil Cooper batted .320 with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs off 133 hits, 35 doubles, and 5 stolen bases. Shortstop Robin Yount batted .273 with 10 home runs, 103 hits, 15 doubles, 5 triples, and 4 stolen bases. Left fielder Ben Oglivie had 14 home runs and 72 RBIs off 97 hits and 15 doubles. Second baseman Jim Gantner had 94 hits and 14 doubles. Right fielder Gorman Thomas had 21 home runs and 65 RBIs off 94 hits, 22 doubles, and 4 stolen bases. Catcher Ted Simmons had 14 home runs and 61 RBIs off 82 hits, 13 doubles, and 3 stolen bases. Center fielder Paul Molitor had 67 hits, 11 doubles, and 10 stolen bases in 64 games. Third baseman Roy Powell had 6 home runs, 58 hits, and 13 doubles in 76 games. Third baseman Don Money had 40 hits and 7 doubles in 60 games. Right fielder Mark Brouhard batted .274 with 51 hits, 6 doubles, and 3 triples in 60 games.
Emerging as the best starting pitcher on the staff, Pete Vuckovich went 14-4 with 84 strikeouts and a 3.55 ERA, recording 2 complete games and 1 shutout. Bryan Edmund “Moose” Haas went 11-7 with 64 strikeouts and 5 complete games. Mike Caldwell went 11-9 with a 3.93 ERA and 3 complete games.
Rollie Fingers proved to be an effective closer for Milwaukee, as he went 6-3 with 28 saves, 61 strikeouts, and a 1.04 ERA. Relief pitcher Jamie Easterly went 3-3 with 4 saves and a 3.19 ERA. Jerry Augustine went 2-2 with 2 saves. Reggie Cleveland recorded 1 save despite going 2-3. Rickey Keeton went 1-0 from the bullpen.
A couple of Brewers would win individual awards. Cecil Cooper would win a Silver Slugger Award for his great performance as a first baseman. Along with winning the American League Cy Young Award, Rollie Fingers made history by becoming the first-ever relief pitcher to win the AL Most Valuable Player Award.
The Brewers enjoyed a modest 6-game winning streak in the regular season. This streak began with a 3-0 shutout victory over the Oakland Athletics on May 15, and it ended with an 8-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on May 21.
The 1981 Milwaukee Brewers got their first hint of what postseason baseball was all about, and they would be ousted by the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, 3 games to 2. Down 2 games to none and facing elimination, the Brewers would fight back.
In Game 3 on October 9 at Yankee Stadium II, the Brewers beat the Yankees 5-3. Randy Lerch pitched 6 innings and gave up 3 hits and 4 walks while recording 3 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 4th inning, first baseman Bob Watson had an RBI single. In the top of the 7th, Ted Simmons belted a 2-run home run, and third baseman Sal Bando followed with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 7th, catcher Rick Cerone and second baseman Willie Randolph both had RBI singles to tie the game at 3-3. Milwaukee pulled away in the top of the 8th with a solo home run hit by Paul Molitor and an RBI double hit by Simmons.
The Brewers then tied the series at 2 games apiece with a 2-1 win in Game 4 on October 10. Pete Vuckovich pitched 5 innings and gave up 2 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run while recording 4 strikeouts. For the Yankees, Rick Reuschel presented an equal challenge from the mound, as he pitched 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs while recording 3 strikeouts. In the top of the 4th inning, Cecil Cooper hit a sacrifice fly that scored Paul Molitor, and then Ben Oglivie followed with an RBI double. In the bottom of the 6th, pinch-hitting left fielder Lou Piniella grounded into a fielder’s choice to score center fielder Jerry Mumphrey, but New York would fall 1 run short.
The Yankees would win the deciding Game 5 to send the Milwaukee Brewers home for the offseason, but the Brewers had all the motivation they needed to get back to contending. In the very next year of 1982, the Brewers would not only contend, but actually appear in the World Series. 1981 was only the team’s first brewing of consistent winning.
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