1980 National League West tie-breaker game

The 1980 National League West tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1980 regular season, played between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers to decide the winner of the National League's (NL) West Division. The game was played on October 6, 1980, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. It was necessary after the Dodgers overcame a three-game deficit in the final three games of the season and both teams finished with identical win–loss records of 92–70. The Dodgers won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule at the time, awarded them home field for the game.

The Astros won the game, 7–1, with Houston starter Joe Niekro throwing a complete game. This victory advanced the Astros to the 1980 NL Championship Series (NLCS), in which they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, ending the Astros' season. In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.

The Cincinnati Reds won the West division the previous season with the Astros finishing 1.5 games back in second, and the Dodgers 11.5 back in third. However, the Reds went on to lose the 1979 NLCS in three games to the Pittsburgh Pirates, ending their season. The Astros acquired Joe Morgan and Nolan Ryan via free agency during the offseason and the Dodgers signed Dave Goltz. Dave Kindred of the Washington Post, George Vecsey of The New York Times, and Astros' relief pitcher Joe Sambito all credited Morgan's leadership with the Astros' success in 1980.

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