A three-run pinch-homer by Bobby Murcer in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Yankees to a 6-4 victory over the Orioles. Trailing, 4-3, the Yanks began their winning surge when Rick Cerone walked and was sacrificed to second by Bobby Brown.

Baltimore third baseman Doug DeCinces then booted a grounder by Willie Randolph to set the stage for Murcer, who drilled a ball into the right-center field bleachers. The Orioles had used solo homers by Gary Roenicke in the seventh and Jose Morales in the eighth to assume the 4-3 margin. [The Sporting News]



New York Yankees 6, Baltimore Orioles 4
Game Played on Saturday, September 26, 1981 (Night game) at Yankee Stadium I
Orioles      0  0  0    0  2  0    1  1  0  -   4  8  2
Yankees      0  0  0    1  2  0    0  0  3  -   6  6  3


Orioles              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Yankees              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Bumbry cf             5   0   0   1     0   0   .274      Randolph 2b           3   2   0   0     2   0   .234
Dauer 2b              4   0   1   0     1   0   .260      Milbourne ss          3   0   1   2     1   1   .310
Singleton rf          1   0   0   0     0   1   .282        Murcer ph           1   1   1   3     0   0   .280
  Corey rf            2   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Winfield lf           1   0   0   0     3   0   .295
  Lowenstein ph,lf    1   0   0   0     0   0   .246      Piniella dh           2   0   1   0     0   1   .281
Murray 1b             4   0   0   0     0   0   .285        Gamble ph,dh        0   0   0   0     0   0   .254
Morales dh            4   1   1   1     0   0   .269        Balboni ph,dh       2   0   0   0     0   2   .286
DeCinces 3b           4   0   2   0     0   0   .269      Jackson rf            4   1   1   1     0   1   .238
Sakata ss             4   1   1   0     0   1   .244      Nettles 3b            2   0   1   0     2   0   .244
Roenicke lf,rf        4   2   2   1     0   0   .291      Watson 1b             4   0   0   0     0   0   .204
Dempsey c             4   0   1   1     0   1   .223      Cerone c              3   2   1   0     1   0   .249
Flanagan p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Brown cf              3   0   0   0     0   0   .211
  Stewart p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      May p                 0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  T. Martinez p       0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Davis p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Stone p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Stoddard p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               37   4   8   4     1   3             Totals               28   6   6   6     9   5

Time of Game: 2:48   Attendance: 31,993
Left on Base: Orioles 7, Yankees 7
DP: Orioles 3, Yankees 0
Errors: DeCinces, Stewart, Milbourne 3
Doubles: Dauer (23), DeCinces (23), Milbourne (7)
Triples: DeCinces (2)
Home Runs: Roenicke (3), Morales (2), Jackson (13), Murcer (6)
Sacrifice Hits: Brown (1)
GIDP: Watson 2 (9)


Orioles                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Flanagan                4.1   5   3   3   3   1   1  20   4.29
Stewart                 0     0   0   0   1   0   0   1   2.11
T. Martinez             4     0   1   1   5   4   0  15   2.67
Stone L(4-7)            0     0   1   0   0   0   0   1   4.47
Stoddard                0     1   1   1   0   0   1   1   4.36
Totals                  8.1   6   6   5   9   5   2  38

Yankees                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
May                     6.2   6   3   3   1   1   1  29   4.15
Davis W(4-5)            2.1   2   1   1   0   2   1   9   2.79
Totals                  9     8   4   4   1   3   2  38

Wild Pitches: Flanagan (5), May (6)

Umpires: HP - Mike Reilly, 1B - Al Clark, 2B - Larry Barnett, 3B - Nick Bremigan


ORIOLES 1ST: Bumbry grounded out (shortstop to first); Dauer
grounded out (shortstop to first); Singleton struck out (catcher
to first); Ken Singleton fouled a ball off his toe; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 0, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 1ST: COREY REPLACED SINGLETON (PLAYING RF); Randolph
grounded out (third to first); Milbourne grounded out (third to
first); Winfield walked; Flanagan threw a wild pitch [Winfield
to second]; Piniella singled to second [Winfield to third];
Jackson grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Orioles 0, Yankees 0.

ORIOLES 2ND: Murray flied out to left; Morales flied out to
left; DeCinces flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Orioles 0, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 2ND: Nettles popped to catcher in foul territory; Watson
grounded out (shortstop to first); Cerone grounded out (third to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 0, Yankees 0.

ORIOLES 3RD: Sakata flied out to left; Roenicke flied out to
left; Dempsey popped to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Orioles 0, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 3RD: Brown flied out to left; Randolph grounded out
(shortstop to first); Milbourne walked; Winfield flied out to
right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles 0, Yankees 0.

ORIOLES 4TH: Bumbry flied out to left; Dauer walked; Corey
reached on an error by Milbourne [Dauer to second]; Murray flied
out to center; Morales grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H,
1 E, 2 LOB.  Orioles 0, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 4TH: Piniella struck out; Jackson homered; Nettles
singled to left; Watson grounded into a double play (pitcher to
second to first) [Nettles out at second]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Orioles 0, Yankees 1.

ORIOLES 5TH: DeCinces grounded out (pitcher to first); Sakata
singled to left; On a bunt Roenicke singled [Sakata to second];
May threw a wild pitch [Sakata to third, Roenicke to second];
Dempsey singled to shortstop [Sakata scored, Roenicke to third];
Bumbry reached on an error by Milbourne [Roenicke scored,
Dempsey to second]; Dauer lined to shortstop [Dempsey to third
(error by Milbourne), Bumbry to second]; Corey grounded out
(third to first); 2 R, 3 H, 2 E, 2 LOB.  Orioles 2, Yankees 1.

YANKEES 5TH: Cerone singled to left; Brown flied out to right;
Randolph walked [Cerone to second]; Milbourne doubled [Cerone
scored, Randolph scored]; STEWART REPLACED FLANAGAN (PITCHING);
Milbourne was picked off second but was safe on an error by
Stewart [Milbourne to third]; Winfield was walked intentionally;
GAMBLE BATTED FOR PINIELLA; T. MARTINEZ REPLACED STEWART
(PITCHING); BALBONI BATTED FOR GAMBLE; Balboni struck out;
Jackson grounded out (first unassisted); 2 R, 2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
Orioles 2, Yankees 3.

ORIOLES 6TH: BALBONI STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING DH); Murray
grounded out (pitcher unassisted); Morales grounded out (pitcher
to first); DeCinces tripled; Sakata grounded out (pitcher to
first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles 2, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 6TH: Nettles walked; Watson lined into a double play
(first unassisted) [Nettles out at first]; Cerone grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 2, Yankees
3.

ORIOLES 7TH: Roenicke homered; Dempsey flied out to right;
Bumbry flied out to left; Dauer doubled to left; DAVIS REPLACED
MAY (PITCHING); LOWENSTEIN BATTED FOR COREY; Lowenstein popped
to third; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles 3, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 7TH: LOWENSTEIN STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING LF); ROENICKE
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING RF); Brown flied out to center;
Randolph walked; Milbourne struck out; Winfield walked [Randolph
to second]; Balboni struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Orioles
3, Yankees 3.

ORIOLES 8TH: Murray flied out to right; Morales homered;
DeCinces doubled; Sakata was called out on strikes; Roenicke
flied out to left; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles 4, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 8TH: Jackson struck out; Nettles walked; Watson grounded
into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Nettles out
at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 4, Yankees 3.

ORIOLES 9TH: Dempsey struck out; Bumbry flied out to center;
Dauer grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Orioles 4, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 9TH: Cerone walked; Brown out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Cerone to second]; STONE REPLACED T.
MARTINEZ (PITCHING); Randolph reached on an error by DeCinces;
STODDARD REPLACED STONE (PITCHING); MURCER BATTED FOR MILBOURNE;
Murcer homered [Cerone scored, Randolph scored (unearned)]; 3 R
(2 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 4, Yankees 6.