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VIDEO LINESCORE		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
	Yankees	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	9	0
	Dodgers	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	X	5	11	1

Listen to the radio broadcast Starters: Dave Righetti vs. Fernando Valenzuela WP: Fernando Valenzuela   LP: George Frazier HR: NYY: Rick Cerone (3rd), Bob Watson (4th); LA: Ron Cey (1st) DEF: Ron Cey's diving catch of bunt, doubles up runner at 1st (8th)

The familiar foes, who had met in both the 1977 and 1978 Series, brought slightly different looks to the 1981 tilt. The long-running Dodgers infield of Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey was still intact, but L.A.'s new-look rotation featured NL Rookie of the Year Fernando Valenzuela. On the New York side, the Yanks featured a hot young lefty of their own in Dave Righetti, while free agent acquisition Dave Winfield was the centerpiece of the offense.

The more that things had changed, though, the more they appeared to stay the same. The Yankees took the first two games at home in the Bronx, with Ron Guidry winning the opener and former Dodger Tommy John combining with Goose Gossage on a three-hit shutout in Game 2.

The scene shifted to Chavez Ravine for the third game, a must-win contest for the NL Champs, who sent Valenzuela to the mound to try to shift the momentum. The Yanks countered with Righetti, who had dominated both the Brewers and Athletics in the extended playoffs leading up to the World Series.

Both rookies got off to shaky starts in their World Series debuts. Valenzuela wiggled out of a jam in the top of the first, but Righetti was unable to match him in the bottom half and Ron Cey blasted a three-run bomb to give the Dodgers their first lead of the World Series. The Yankees stormed right back with two runs in the second as catcher Rick Cerone joined the fireworks with a two-run blast and the Yankees picked up two more in the third as Bob Watson belted his second circuit clout of the Series.

Righetti continued to struggle on the mound, forcing manager Bob Lemon to pull him in the bottom of the third, with the Yanks holding a 4-3 lead. The Dodgers rallied in the bottom of the fifth, scoring twice off reliever George Frazier and Valenzuela shut down the Yankees for the remainder of the game, allowing only three hits over the last six innings.

The pivotal victory put L.A. back in the series and set the stage for the Dodgers' run of four straight wins and their first championship since 1965.

Copyright 1981 by the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball