Boston RED SOX at New York YANKEES 9/12/81 Original NBC Broadcast

Original NBC Game of the week with Merle Harmon and Ron Luciano from Yankee Stadium which includes the NBC pre-Game show Major League Baseball an Inside Look with Bryant Gumble.
Recorded and Digitalized off some pre-recorded DVDs and was recently restored/remastered and making its debut on the Phenia Film MLB Archival Channel here on KZbin
Second half of the 1981 MLB strike season as the pennant race starts to take shape for all four Divisions both in the American and National Leagues as the Yankees and Red Sox classic rival takes place with starting pitchers Bob Ojeda (4-2) for Boston and veteran Rick Reuschel for home New York Red Sox SS Dave Stapleton goes 2 for 4 including his 7th Home Run of the season a solo HR in the 2nd inning, and proved to-be the game winner as Bob Ojeda pitches one of the best outings of his career, a 2 hitter and giving up one run in the 9th before being relived by Mark Clear earning his 8th save of the season as Ojeda with the big win as Reuschel with the loss
Boxscore
www.retrosheet...

[@robertbird6387]

Someone else might have already commented on this but maybe the best part of these old broadcasts is not only the beauty of the baseball but the nice clear screen not cluttered with constant graphics, stats, viewers aids, and flashy transitions. The presentation is so much simpler and cleaner.

[@wajahatali1234]

Man, these 80's games are such a joy to watch and reflect back on that decade of 80's which were so simpler and beautiful times, when our game was so pure and absolutely perfect. Today's game is unrecognizable from what we grew up watching. Much thanks once again Sir.

[@zxccxz164]

Wwf slam pipes in crowd noise gambling fest that is now baseball blows. Amass enough retro games to compensate. Most I have never seen

[@The-Red-Pat]

Couldn't agree more. Late 70's and early 80's MLB is just magic!

[@allencollins6031]

​​@@The-Red-PatThe kneeling, pitch count clock, limiting throws to first, glorifying themselves after a homerun...pretty much done.

[@nap871]

The good old days fallacy strikes again! Can you believe this guy. Beautiful and simpler times my azz. The yuppies were in control for starters.

[@prismspec]

No shift. No exit velocity. No pitch count. Love it.

[@ogvektor]

perhaps worth mentioning ted williams put out a book preaching launch angle & exit velocity less than a decade before this. he was way ahead of his time, but still

[@briangreenberg6021]

The opening theme used by NBC is the best baseball theme ever.

[@OldWorldNewYork]

That thene is called "The Chase" by Giorgio Moroder, which was in the soundtrack for the "Midnight Express" movie. Love it!

[@mattmcclelland2372]

This was great. Love the game love the broadcast and commercials. Such a better time

[@zcorpalpha2462]

Happy you put the 1981 Yankee Stadium 🏟️ in the Thumbnail Thank You 🥃🔥🇺🇸

[@MatthewBaumgarten]

Over 40 years ago, nobody knew back then that this was the best era of baseball ⚾️ it was a simpler time, no bills and living at home with my parents who were still living then

[@fjr70ify]

I agree BUT it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the Bronx for a Yankees Redsox game and the stadium looks 65% full. It would be totally packed today and for the past 25 years. Interesting

[@JohnMartin-yj3gv]

That time passed quickly, and now we cherish those days.

[@tomtalley2192]

Most of the stadiums built in the 60’s and 70’s were trash.

[@3b1d5c]

I can watch these games. Good pace and good coverage and announcer. Not so much today. Not at all today

[@benedictdonald4338]

Indeed. Sterling and Waldman were an appalling team. Just terrible in more ways than can easily count.

[@jasonbertalotto2355]

Ojeda’s pace and Reuschel’s was smooth and compact. We do not see pitchers like that anymore. Now it is K after K and the big homers.

[@thescatman5029]

Andre Robertson was supposed to be the Original Derek Jeter. He had that much hype!

[@14ls98]

I miss MLB on NBC. MLB on FOX Stinks.

[@jayhpaq]

The news on Fox is even worse.

[@ericradford2142]

So does TBS

[@joes3844]

I miss the old stadium

[@atgn70]

I watched this game when it happened as a 10 year old....I really thought Ojeda was going to get the no no...I remember seeing Yankee fans cheering for him at the end...I never had seen a home team cheer like that for an opponent going for a no hitter until that point...I thought about this game recently,and low and behold here it is! Thank you for the posting!

[@Paul_Craig]

Thanks so much for posting this

[@bobbowie9350]

Thr biggest difference visually is the absence of sponsorship signage everywhere.

[@gljm]

The beauty of the "House that Ruth Built" . The new stadium is OK but I preferred going to the old one with its history and beer smell.

[@2011e92M3]

There was just something about walking out from the tunnels to the seat and just seeing that beautiful field come into sight. It’s a lot different than the open space and no more tunnels type of layout.

[@lawrencebenjamin502]

I was at this game. The following day would be the first day of school in NYC. My last Summer hurrah.

[@adamsoboleski6857]

Game was on a Saturday

[@josephbell2160]

The first day of school in NYC that year was September 10, 1981. Pretty awkward that it started on a Thursday but I was entering the 7th grade and remember it well

[@ronaldbutler9687]

I was glad to see Ojeda go to the Mets where they had All those good pitchers and world series in 86.

[@stickman1742]

And I despised Lou Gorman for trading Ojeda away for 2 bozos named Calvin Schiraldi and Wes Gardner. One of many horrible moves by Lou Gorman who came to Boston from the Mets. That one move probably cost the Sox the '86 series. Gorman had already traded away John Tudor for little return who also would have been quite a help to the staff. Another in this game, Carney Lansford was traded away for little too. The players received for Tudor and Lansford were retired by '86, absurd. Gardner never did anything and Schiraldi helped lose the world series. And these weren't even close to the worst moves Gorman made. The most infamous is probably trading away prospect Jeff Bagwell for 2 months of Larry Andersen.

[@KNS1996DFS]

Can you imagine a time when Red Sox-Yankees was just another game?

[@zaius316]

Interesting that Bryant Gumbel said that Ron Cey would be out for the season, of course he was back and went to share WS MVP.

[@lenninreyes9552]

And he got hurt again when Goose Gossage beaned him during the 1981 WS. Luckily, the rain delay allowed for Cey to rest up well enough to play Game 6 at Yankee Stadium.

[@princenamor1939]

RIP Jerry Remy

[@justinmejia9468]

Old Yankee Stadium. It's a friggin crime that they tore that place down. Steinbrenner and his greed and ego destroyed one of the greatest sports shrines in history. All for more corporate boxes and that cold and soulless dump that stands now.

[@2011e92M3]

I remember shortly after the new stadium opened you’d see all those high priced seats behind the plate empty.lol My Dad used to always take us to games growing up, now the only time I’ll go is when my company provides us with free seats from their insanely expensive corporate suite.

[@bobbowie9350]

This was renovated yankee stadium but I get what you're saying

[@alessandrodorsi9800]

1981 ? Those were real good times

[@bshaker1188]

Keep ‘em coming! Looking for Twins GOW from late 70’s and early 80’s especially from Met Stadium. Thank you. 👍⚾️

[@dp9606]

Licensing music must've been economical back then, they used commercial songs (2 of which were by Giorgio Moroder and The Beatles no less) throughout the broadcast. I also love the fact that the advertisers are named upfront right at the beginning and scattered in the stands in the outfield, today there's a green screen right behind the plate so you have to see them on every pitch and even worse, they're now on the uniforms, so you get to see it in-between; you have to pay for those exorbitant salaries somehow.

[@stickman1742]

When I was young, the local morning show would use "Good Day Sunshine" as the intro song every day. The real Beatles version, no lame cover. It seems back then they hadn't all gotten incredibly greedy yet.

[@williamdunphy352]

Bryant Gumbel (pre-game) Commentators: Merle Harmon & Ron Luciano

[@thefrase7884]

The Umpire Strikes Back

[@stevenmarcus2181]

I remember going to this game. A beautiful fall day.

[@andrewgier8152]

How ironic is that?

[@jacktorrance2633]

That was still summer. Autumn doesn't begin until the last full week of September. Usually around the 22nd-23rd of September.

[@davidahlstrom7533]

I was there too. I remember in the 9th (right before Cerone's double), shouting out "c'mon Yankees, I didn't pay 9 dollars to see this sh*t." And a man with his kid looked back at me, and I apologized. Shows you how long ago that was (and the 9 dollars, I think the tickets actually cost 6 or 7 dollars and I bought them on the street, as the game was mostly sold out that day). Pretty good year for the Yanks in '81, though they couldn't finish LA in the Series.

[@peteralcuri4205]

That's when baseball was good 👍

[@ronaldbutler9687]

This is nice.thanks I thought fred lynn would have never left Boston

[@stickman1742]

That was because the cheap Yawkeys hated free agency. Players like Lynn, Burleson and Fisk put up a little walkout around 1976 in support of free agency for all players. The Yawkeys never forgave them and made sure to ship them out of town when their contracts ran out.

[@williamdunphy352]

Umpires HP Don Denkinger (Crew Chief) 1B Rich Garcia 2B Jim McKean 3B Dan Morrison

[@tomfoolery815]

New Yorkers of a certain age remember the late, great Merle Harmon as the voice of the Jets. I am old enough to remember when Merle was the Brewers' play by play man and the late, great Bob Uecker was the color guy.

[@natch27]

Merle actually announced Milwaukee Braves games through ‘65. When they moved to Atlanta they fired Harmon and chose Milo Hamilton. You’re correct about his work with the Jets. He put up with Dick Young for two years before finishing with Sam DeLuca for the final five years. Young openly despised Joe Namath for his perceived lack of work ethic and celebrity status.

[@thegreenbird795]

Didn't he also announce for the WFL?

[@zcorpalpha2462]

32:01 Reggie Jackson signed with California Angels in 1982 🥃🔥🇺🇸⚾️ Wasn’t money 💵, he wanted him & his family to enjoy warmer west cost for his family Can’t say I didn’t blame him

[@jct6758]

Love the 70s and early 80s games and broadcasts

[@gato7908]

I like Randolph, but it seems like Mumphrey with his .316 BA would be the better choice to lead off

[@davidfriedman6324]

2:39 Cedeno charged a fan in the stands for calling him a murderer! Can’t make this stuff up

[@benedictdonald4338]

LOVE Rick Cerone's afro!!!

[@ericponce8740]

Loved those deep dimensions.

[@SteveG-f1e]

20 years to the day. (After) 😔

[@michaeldamore7733]

Jerry Mumphery was a solid player.

[@michaelnelson7522]

Ojeda was a lefty. No Bobby Murcer in the lineup. My favorite player.

[@bigbadbruins1]

I loved Tony Kubek

[@Ontariosound]

He was so good here with my Blue Jays. Chevrier, Kubek and Olver. Just a joy to guide a game

[@wheelinthesky300]

Reuschel is not throwing sinkers. Those are sliders. They break diagonal and down.

[@Robert-ki7bz]

Merle Harmon was an excellent play by play guy.

[@briangreenberg6021]

I noticed plenty of empty seats. Is it a fan boycott from the summer strike?

[@williamcallahanlll2924]

Love it

[@looseoutaturn2]

And the suckers in NYC paid for the new stadium today! And it's a piece of crap!!

[@wm.columbus8629]

“Rick looks like he’s overweight.” 💀

[@skatalyst00]

Ron, dishing the truth at 51 minutes. But he forgot one: When they say the Ump has a "large strike zone" it actually means he's blind as a bat!

[@danfuller478]

2:54 : "The suspension was lifted due to unmitigated circumstances." Oh, Bryant. It's 'mitigating circumstances.' Mitigating....

[@peterburke8388]

hopefully more videos of Red Sox games will start showing up. It's amazing to me that the Sox played 1000 televised regular season games in the 70s, and copies of only a couple games survived (not including a few fragments and WS games).

[@joenylv]

They spoke about a guy getting a new deal. 6 years 5 million. Before crazy money ruined the game.

[@kingcassius2586]

26:25 uhh.. Mickey Rivers?

[@weevie833]

Yeah, right? What was that?? This must have been before the Internet. 🙂

[@jacktorrance2633]

Yeah! What the hell?

[@jasonrfoss248]

Mantle wasn’t even that big of a base stealer. His career high was 21. Rivers had 43 one year and 25 another. So he wasn’t all that prolific either. Base stealing has never been the Yankees MO until George made a concerted effort to bring in speed in 82.

[@HalfintheBagGolfer]

Did you know that Yankee Stadium was tax exempt as it belonged to the Roman Catholic Church?

[@mrchitlin6255]

Colorful umpires don’t make good announcers. Wow did Luciano suck.

[@thegreenbird795]

Nobody likes umpires...lol

[@Tommy_Atlas]

😂😂😂 Cey ended up being the MVP of the World Series that year.

[@JamesDMoorhead]

Dwight Evans and Jim Rice are not that different. One in hall one not.