The 1981 Major League Baseball season had been interrupted by a players' strike from June 12 to August 10, forcing the cancellation of 713 regular-season games, or 38 percent of the schedule.

As a result of this unique situation, the MLB team owners met at the O'Hare Hilton in Chicago on August 6 and decided to split the season into two halves.

In the other ALDS, Oakland's superb pitching staff of Mike Norris, Steve McCatty, and Rick Langford allowed the Royals only two runs total as they swept aside Kansas City in three straight games.

Davis then threw ball four to walk Johnson and called Cerone out again to talk (presumably to give closer Goose Gossage time to warm up).

Next inning, three consecutive one-out singles put Oakland up 2–1 and knock Yankees' starter Rudy May out of the game.

George Frazier intentionally walked Keith Drumright before Fred Stanley's RBI single made it 3–1 Oakland, who were poised to tie the series going home.

Dave Beard came on in relief and proceeded to give up an RBI single to Larry Milbourne, a two-run double to Winfield, and a three-run homer to Lou Piniella.

Prior to the game, Bob Lemon inexplicably dropped Willie Randolph from the leadoff spot in the batting order to ninth.

Randolph kept any ill feelings to himself and broke a scoreless pitching duel between Dave Righetti and Matt Keough with a homer in the sixth.

Series MVP Graig Nettles plated three more runs in the ninth with a bases-loaded double resulting when A's center fielder Rick Bosetti turned the wrong way on his fly ball.