He went 12-13 during the season with a 3.20 ERA and on a then career-high 222.1 innings pitched; the rotation of him, Nolan Ryan, Joe Niekro, and J. R. Richard was slated to make a run at the National League West title, which they missed winning by one game the previous year.

However, a single and a subsequent error set the stage for a Ron Cey base hit with two out to send the game into the 10th inning.

Facing Steve Carlton at Veterans Stadium, Forsch went eight innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with a walk and five strikeouts, as the Phillies broke through in the 6th on a two-run home run by Greg Luzinski and an pinch hit RBI single by Greg Gross in the 7th that got the Phillies a 3-1 victory.

They were leading 5-2 in the 8th inning, but Nolan Ryan had been taken out after allowing three hits and a walk to make the score 5-3 with the bases loaded.

He struck out Mike Schmidt, but when facing Del Unser, Forsch allowed a base hit to right field that tied the game at 5.

Now facing Manny Trillo, Forsch delivered a pitch that was smacked for a triple to left to clear the bases and give the Phillies a 7-5 lead.

In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Forsch went 11-7 with a 2.88 ERA in 153 innings, pitching a league high four shutouts while having 55 strikeouts.