The 1981 American League Championship Series was a best-of-five series between the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics. Background Due to a strike-shortened season, each team had to win two playoff series to reach the World Series. Oakland had swept the Kansas City Royals three games to zero and the Yankees had beaten the Milwaukee Brewers three games to two in the 1981 American League Division Series. The Yankees swept the Athletics three games to zero in the ALCS and moved on to the 1981 World Series, where they would lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Summary Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees Game summaries Game 1 In Billy Martin's return to Yankee Stadium (for the first time since the Yankees fired him in 1979), the Yankees drew first blood in front of their old skipper. Graig Nettles' three-run bases-loaded double in the first inning was all the run support that Tommy John needed. John gave way to Ron Davis after six innings. Davis had an easy seventh, but the A's mounted a threat in the eighth where Martin tried some of his "Billyball" tactics. After Dwayne Murphy walked with one out, Davis ran up a 1–2 count on the next batter, Cliff Johnson. During the at-bat, Johnson stepped in and out of the batter's box (on Martin's orders) on each pitch to break Davis' rhythm. After fouling off a pitch, Johnson showed his bat to plate umpire Nick Bremigan and asked to get a new one. Johnson walked slowly to and from the A's dugout in the process, and Bremigan ordered him to get back to the plate more quickly. This prompted an argument from Johnson and Yankee manager Bob Lemon came out of the dugout as well. Bremigan then ordered Johnson into the batter's box, but also ordered Davis to resume pitching immediately. This, in turn, infuriated Davis, who was angry that Johnson had delayed the game so long. Both Graig Nettles and Lemon tried to calm Davis down, and Bremigan exacerbated the situation by charging Lemon with a mound visit. A clearly rattled Davis threw two pitches well out of the strike zone, after which Yankee catcher Rick Cerone came out to talk to Davis. 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). Martin then stormed out of the