By pitching well at AA San Antonio (Texas League) during the 1981 major league baseball strike, Niedenfuer earned a promotion to the Dodgers for the second half of the season. He capped a successful rookie season with 5-2/3 scoreless postseason innings. His 94-mph fastball made him the Dodgers’ bullpen stopper after Steve Howe‘s departure. Niedenfuer gave up two notorious homers to Ozzie Smith and Jack Clark in the final two games of the 1985 NLCS, with Clark’s home run sending the Cardinals to the World Series.
