Top 5 Players of the 1981 World Series

Originally published on Jun. 24, 2019

By Zane Miller

On Wednesday, October 28th, 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York to win the 78th World Series four games to two. It was the fifth World Series championship for the Dodgers franchise and the 26th that was won in New York. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #25 Tommy John (Yankees)- P

John, well-known for the elbow surgery named after him, earned player of the game in game two, allowing no earned runs on three hits and no walks over seven innings pitched as the Yankees won it 3-0.

4. #15 Davey Lopes (Dodgers)- 2B

Lopes grabbed player of the game in game four, taking two RBIs with a pair of runs and a pair of hits in the Dodgers’ 8-7 victory.

3. #10 Ron Cey (Dodgers)- 3B

Cey got player of the game honors in game three, knocking in three RBIs with two runs, two hits and two walks as the Dodgers went on to win the game 5-4.

2. #28 Pedro Guerrero (Dodgers)- CF

Guerrero picked up player of the game honors in game six, as he earned five RBIs with a run and three hits as the Dodgers went on to win 9-2 to clinch the series victory.

1. #41 Jerry Reuss (Dodgers)- P

Reuss got player of the game honors in game five, pitching all nine innings while allowing just one earned run on five hits and three walks in the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

 

Link to stats database: https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1981_WS.shtml