The following are the baseball events of the year 1881 throughout the world.
Inter-league playoff: New York Mets (ECA) defeat Chicago (NL), 2 games to 1.
| National League | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Player | Total | 
| AVG | Cap Anson (CHI) | .399 | 
| HR | Dan Brouthers (BUF) | 8 | 
| RBI | Cap Anson (CHI) | 82 | 
| W | Larry Corcoran (CHI) Jim Whitney (BOS) | 31 | 
| ERA | Stump Weidman (DET) | 1.80 | 
| K | George Derby (DET) | 212 | 
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