1981 Houston Astros season

1981  Houston Astros
National League West co-champions [a]
League	National League
Division	West
Ballpark	Astrodome
City	Houston, Texas
Record	1st half: 28–29 (.491) 2nd half: 33–20 (.623) Overall: 61–49 (.555)
Divisional place	1st half: 3rd (8 GB) 2nd half: 1st
Owners	John McMullen
General managers	Al Rosen
Managers	Bill Virdon
Television	KRIV–TV 26 (Gene Elston, Dewayne Staats, Larry Dierker)
Radio	KENR–AM 1070 (Gene Elston, Dewayne Staats, Larry Dierker)
←  1980 Seasons 1982  →

The 1981 Houston Astros season was the 20th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 17th as the Astros, 20th in the National League (NL), 13th in the NL West division, and 17th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season as defending NL West division-champions with a 93–70 record for their first-ever division title and playoff appearance, ultimately losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1980 National League Championship Series (NLCS).

On April 9 at Dodger Stadium, Joe Niekro made his first Opening Day start for Houston, who were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2–0. The Astros attained a record of 28–29, in third place and 8 games behind behind Los Angeles in the NL West until a players' strike interrupted the season, later classified as the season's first half. In the amateur draft, Houston's top selection was outfielder Curtis Burke in the third round.

With nearly one-third of the season eventually lost (52 games for Houston), a one-time modified format with a split regular season and a new opening round to the playoffs, the Division Series (DS), was introduced. ^{[Note 1]} Pitchers Bob Knepper (first career selection) and Nolan Ryan (sixth) represented the Astros at the MLB All-Star Game. The Astros acquired second baseman Phil Garner, another All-Star that year, after the event.

On September 26, Ryan pitched the seventh no-hitter in franchise history, a 5–0 victory over the Dodgers. The fifth no-hitter of Ryan's career, this surpassed Sandy Koufax for most in major league history.

Houston won the NL West in the second half with a loss by the Cincinnati Reds on October 3, the penultimate day of the season. ^[1] With a 33–20 record, the Astros claimed an NL West division title and advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive season, to the first-ever National League Division Series (NLDS). Here, they faced the Dodgers, the NL West-division winners of the first half of the season. However, the Astros were defeated in five games, ending their season, and the Dodgers became World Series champions.

Following the season, Knepper was named The Sporting News NL Comeback Player of the Year, the first Houston Astros to win ths awards. Ryan led the major leagues in earned run average (1.69 ERA), the first time in his career winning the title.

Offseason

• 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

Summary

Right-hander Don Sutton, a key free agent acquisition in the prior off-season, made his Astros debut on April 11 against his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. He surrendered six in runs in a 7–4 loss. ^[5]

On May 24, Art Howe tripled off Vida Blue to extend his hitting streak to 23 games, which at the time set the franchise record for the Astros. However, the San Francisco Giants won a close contest, 2–1. Luis Pujols hit a solo home run to account for Houston's only run. ^[6] During the hitting streak, Howe batted .460. His club record was tied in 1997 by Luis Gonzalez and stood until 2000, when Tony Eusebio reached in 24 straight. ^[7]

With a second base on balls allowed on June 5, Nolan Ryan passed Early Wynn for all-time most walks issued in major league history with 1,776. In this game, Ryan also struck out 10 and tossed a 3–0 shutout of the New York Mets. ^[8]

Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies singled off Ryan on June 10 to tie St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial for fourth-place all-time in hits. Following Rose's hit, Houston blew a four-run lead and lost, 5–4, one day prior to the onset of the players' strike. ^[9]

On September 26, 1981, Ryan no-hit the Dodgers, 5–0, on national television. The 34-year-old right-hander became the first pitcher to throw five career no-hitters, which surpassed former Dodgers great Sandy Koufax, one of the most dominant left-handers in major league history. ^[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.

While at bat against Jerry Reuss on October 2, Sutton sustained a patella fracture on contact of a hit by pitch, instantly ending his season. Houston would also lose the game to the Dodgers, 6–1. Entering the contest, Sutton's second-half effort had been a leading factor on the pitching staff and Houston's resurgence, having gone 7–1 W–L and 1.86 earned run average (ERA). ^[11]

Ryan, who posted an ERA of 1.69 for the season, and Knepper, whose ERA was 2.18, surpassed left-hander Mike Cuellar for the club record, which he set in 1966 with a 2.22 mark. ^{[12] [13]} The 1981 Astros pitching staff also set an all-time franchise mark in ERA at 2.66. ^[14]

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

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

1981 National League record v t e Sources:
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MTL	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

• April 1, 1981: Chris Bourjos was traded by the Houston Astros with cash to the Baltimore Orioles for Kiko Garcia. ^[3]
• April 3, 1981: Gary Rajsich was traded by the Astros to the New York Mets for John Csefalvay (minors). ^[15]
• April 17, 1981: David Clyde was signed as a free agent by the Astros. ^[16]
• April 20, 1981 - Dave Bergman and Jeffrey Leonard were traded by the Astros to the San Francisco Giants for Mike Ivie. ^[17]
• June 7, 1981: Joaquín Andújar was traded by the Astros to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tony Scott. ^[18]
• June 8, 1981: Eric Bullock was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 1st round (20th pick) of the 1981 amateur draft (secondary phase). ^[19]

Roster

1981 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers 47 Joaquín Andújar 39 Bob Knepper 31 Frank LaCorte 36 Joe Niekro 26 Gordie Pladson 48 Vern Ruhle 34 Nolan Ryan 35 Joe Sambito 27 Billy Smith 45 Dave Smith 41 Bobby Sprowl 20 Don Sutton		Catchers 14 Alan Ashby 11 Alan Knicely  6 Luis Pujols Infielders 16 Dave Bergman 28 César Cedeño 23 Kiko Garcia  3 Phil Garner 24 Danny Heep 18 Art Howe 15 Mike Ivie 17 Rafael Landestoy 30 Jeffrey Leonard  1 Bert Peña  9 Joe Pittman 12 Craig Reynolds  8 Dave Roberts 16 Harry Spilman 10 Dickie Thon 29 Denny Walling		Outfielders 25 José Cruz 26 Scott Loucks 21 Terry Puhl 30 Tony Scott 38 Tim Tolman 15,22 Gary Woods		Manager  7 Bill Virdon Coaches  4 Deacon Jones 43 Don Leppert  5 Bob Lillis  2 Mel Wright

Game log

Regular season (First half)

Legend
	Astros win
	Astros loss
	Postponement
Bold	Astros team member

1981 regular season game log (First half): 28–29 (home: 14–14; away: 14–15) [20]
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

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

Legend
	Canceled (Strike)
Bold	Astros team member

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 7:35 p.m. CDT Dodgers Canceled (Strike) — June 27 7:35 p.m. CDT Dodgers Canceled (Strike) — June 28 5:00 p.m. CDT 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 9:30 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers Canceled (Strike) — July 8 9:30 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers Canceled (Strike)(Makeup date: May 17) — July 9 3:05 p.m. CDT @ 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)

Regular season (Second half)

Legend
	Astros win
	Astros loss
	Postponement
	Clinched division
Bold	Astros team member

1981 regular season game log (Second half): 33–20 (home: 17–6; away: 16–14) [21]
August: 13–8 (home: 7–1; away: 6–7) # Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak — August 9 7:15 p.m. CDT 52nd All-Star Game in Cleveland, OH 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

Detailed records

National League Opponent W L WP RS RA NL East Chicago Cubs 6 1 0.857 33 11 Montreal Expos 5 2 0.714 28 18 New York Mets 6 3 0.667 39 16 Philadelphia Phillies 4 6 0.400 34 46 Pittsburgh Pirates 2 4 0.333 18 21 St. Louis Cardinals 2 4 0.333 28 31 Div Total 25 20 0.556 180 143 NL West Atlanta Braves 8 4 0.667 37 30 Cincinnati Reds 4 8 0.333 35 42 Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers 4 8 0.333 26 38 San Diego Padres 11 3 0.786 52 27 San Francisco Giants 9 6 0.600 64 51 Div Total 36 29 0.554 214 188 Season Total 61 49 0.555 394 331

Month Games Won Lost Win % RS RA April 19 7 12 0.368 44 50 May 29 17 12 0.586 118 100 June 9 4 5 0.444 33 33 August 21 13 8 0.619 84 67 September 28 18 10 0.643 99 64 October 4 2 2 0.500 16 17 Total 110 61 49 0.555 394 331 Games Won Lost Win % RS RA Home 51 31 20 0.608 166 106 Away 59 30 29 0.508 228 225 Total 110 61 49 0.555 394 331

Postseason Game log

Legend
	Astros win
	Astros loss
Bold	Astros team member

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) [22] # 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 LAN 3–2 L3
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement Bold = Astros team member

Major League Baseball draft

See also: 1981 Major League Baseball draft

Houston Astros 1981 MLB draft selections ^[23]

• Round 1: ^{[Compensation 1]}
• Round 3 – no. 75: Curtis Burks – OF • Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee • Signed • Career

Statistics

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	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

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

= Indicates league leader

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
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

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

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

See also: 1981 National League Division Series

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

Awards and achievements

Awards

• MLB All-Star Game:
  • Bob Knepper—Reserve pitcher
  • Nolan Ryan—Reserve pitcher
• NL Player of the Month—May: Art Howe
• NL Player of the Week—April 26: Bob Knepper
• The Sporting News NL Comeback Player of the Year: Bob Knepper

Individual batting leaders Triples: Craig Reynolds (12)

Individual pitching leaders Earned run average: Nolan Ryan (1.69) Walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP): Don Sutton (1.015)

Minor league system

See also: Minor League Baseball

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

See also

• Texas portal
• Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
• List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
• List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls allowed leaders

References

Footnotes

1. Division title winners for the second half of the season.

1. The DS initially was intended as an additional round only for the 1981 playoffs, to be discontinued the following year and revert to the previous four-team format that was implemented in 1969. The four-team tournament remained in placed until 1995; as part of divisional realignment, MLB permanently re-introduced the DS, with different criteria for qualifying.

1. First round pick was forfeited to the Texas Rangers as compensation for signing third baseman Dave Roberts in free agency.

Sources

1. "The story of the 1981 Houston Astros". October 18, 2014.
2. Don Sutton at Baseball Reference
3. "Chris Bourjos Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
4. Julio González at Baseball Reference
5. Hulsey, Bob. "This date in Astros history". Astros Daily. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
6. Schwartzberg, Seth (May 24, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 24". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation . Retrieved August 8, 2025.
7. Clack (May 8, 2012). "Astros History: A 30 Game Hitting Streak in 2006". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
8. Schwartzberg, Seth (June 5, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 5". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
9. Schwartzberg, Seth (June 10, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 10". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation . Retrieved July 2, 2025.
10. "Big Days in Astros History – September 26, 1981 – Nolan Ryan pitches his fifth no-hitter". Astros Daily. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
11. Rappoport, Ken (October 3, 1981). "Astros lose game, and Don Sutton". The Day . Associated Press . Retrieved August 31, 2025.
12. "Astros history – Timeline". MLB.com . Retrieved August 28, 2025.
13. "Houston Astros top 10 single-season pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
14. McTaggart, Brian (October 5, 2022). "106-win Astros rack up milestones in final game". MLB.com. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
15. Gary Rajsich at Baseball Reference
16. David Clyde at Baseball Reference
18. Joaquín Andújar at Baseball Reference
19. "Eric Bullock Stats".
20. "1981 Houston Astros Schedule & Results (First half)". Baseball Reference . Retrieved May 4, 2025.
21. "1981 Houston Astros Schedule & Results (Second half)". Baseball Reference . Retrieved May 4, 2025.
22. "1981 National League Western Division Series". Baseball Reference . Retrieved May 4, 2025.
23. "1981 Houston Astros picks in the MLB June amateur draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2025.

External links

• 1981 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference