1981 Dodgers vs. Yankees: What has changed since their last World Series clash?
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are about to square off in yet another World Series. They're two of the most historic franchises, not just in MLB, but in all of American sport. Combined, the two teams have 34 World Series championships and dozens of League pennants.
But, it's been a while since these teams saw each other in October. Their last World Series meeting was in 1981 — when the Dodgers won 4 games to 2.
RELATED: 2024 World Series schedule released: Where to watch
Here's how the world looked back then:
1. Only one active MLB player was alive during the 1981 World Series
Rich Hil of the Boston Red Sox on August 29, 2024 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
It's been 43 years since the 1981 World Series. That's an eternity in sports time. Especially when, according to the Princeton Review, the average MLB career lasts less than three years.
There are just six active MLB players over 40, and only one who would have been alive to see the Dodgers' win.
Rich Hill was born on March 11, 1980. Hill's been in the big leagues for 20 seasons, and pitched in just four games for the Boston Red Sox in 2024. MLB's next oldest player is Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros.
Compare that to the youngest player currently in MLB, Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers. Chourio was born on March 11, 2004.
2. The Dodger lineup featured some familiar names
The 1981 Dodgers finished 63-47, finishing second in the National League West, behind the Cincinnati Reds. Many of the players on that team have stuck around in MLB's collective memory.
- Fernando Valenzuela — "Fernandomania" was in full swing in 1981. After winning the Cy Young and MVP awards, Valenzuela was the winning pitcher in Game 3. The Dodgers retired his number in 2023.
RELATED: Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela dies at 63
- Mike Scioscia — Scioscia was in his second year with the Dodgers in ‘81. He’d go on to play in 13 seasons for the Boys in Blue, before managing the now-Los Angeles Angels for 19 seasons.
Steve Howe #57, Steve Yeager #7 and Steve Garvey #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the New York Yankees in game 6 of the 1981 World Series at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
- Dusty Baker — The inventor of the high five, Dusty Baker hit .320 in 1981, before going just 4-for-24 in the World Series. He played for 19 seasons between the Dodgers, Braves, A's and Giants, before going on to manage five clubs over 26 seasons, eventually winning it all with the Houston Astros in 2022.
- Steve Garvey — MVP-turned-Senate candidate Steve Garvey mashed at the plate in the 1981 World Series, going 10-for-24 (.417).
3. There were three World Series MVPs
The Most Valuable Player award went to three Dodgers in 1981, for the only time in MLB history.
Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager were all jointly given the award, each hitting key home runs in the series to bring the Dodgers to victory.
Pedro Guerrero #28, Steve Yeager #7 and Ron Cey #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hold up the number 1 sign after being named co-MVP's of the 1981 World Series. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
There's only been one other MLB season in history where multiple players were awarded World Series MVP. Pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling won the award with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.
4. Who was topping the charts?
Tattoo You Tour, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Feyenoord Stadion (De Kuip), Rotterdam, Holland, 05/06/1982. (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)
In the fall of 1981, the airwaves were full of the Rolling Stones. The Stones' 16th album, "Tattoo You," was released on Aug. 24, 1981. After that, the album spent nine straight weeks atop the Billboard 200 list, including the week of Oct. 28, when the Dodgers clinched the title. REO Speedwagon's "High Fidelity" was the only album that spent more weeks in the top spot in 1981.
5. And the Oscar goes to…
L-R: Best Actor winner Robert DeNiro ('Raging Bull'), Best Actress winner Sissy Spacek ('Coal Miner's Daughter'), Robert L. Schwary, producer of the Best Picture ('Ordinary People'), and Best Director winner Robert Redford ('Ordinary People') hold th
The 53rd Academy Awards were held on March 11, 1981.
Robert Redford's "Ordinary People," starring Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore, took home the Oscar for Best Picture.
That year, Robert De Niro won Best Actor for his role in "Raging Bull," and Sissy Spacek took home Best Actress for "Coal Miner's Daughter".
6. These LA County cities weren't incorporated yet
The City of Los Angeles celebrated its bicentennial in 1981. But Los Angeles County looked different then. Several of the cities we're all familiar with hadn't even been incorporated yet.
- Westlake Village — incorporated Dec. 11, 1981
- Agoura Hills — incorporated Dec. 8, 1982
- West Hollywood — incorporated Nov. 29, 1984
- Santa Clarita — incorporated Dec. 15, 1987
- Diamond Bar — incorporated April 18, 1989
- Malibu — incorporated March 28, 1991
- Calabasas — incorporated April 5, 1991
7. Prices have gone up…
It's no secret that things have gotten more expensive over the last 40+ years.
From October 1981 to August 2024, the median sale price for homes in the U.S. has gone up from $69,600 to $420,600 — an increase of more than 500%.
The average sale price has gone up similarly in line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, from $82,500 in October 1981 to $492,700 in August 2024.
Gas prices have also gone up dramatically in the last four decades.
According to the LA Almanac, the average gas price in LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties was just $1.43 a gallon in October 1981. Compare that to today's average of $4.30, and that's a 200% increase.
8. The Birth of Metallica
James Hetfield and Kirk Hemmett of Metallica at the Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, July 13, 1986. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
The Dodgers won the 1981 World Series on Oct. 28, 1981. That same day, one of the biggest bands in rock and roll history was founded.
According to their official history, Metallica was founded in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, 1981, "when drummer Lars Ulrich and guitar player/singer James Hetfield got together via Ulrich’s LA Recycler newspaper ad. Soon, the two recruited Hetfield’s friend and housemate Ron McGovney to play bass, [and] Dave Mustaine to play lead guitar."
In the 43 years since, Metallica has won nine Grammys and been nominated 21 times, and the Dodgers have won one World Series and five National League pennants, including in 2024.