Template:1981 AL East standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | 62 | 47 | .569 | — | 28–21 | 34–26 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 59 | 46 | .562 | 1 | 33–22 | 26–24 |
| New York Yankees | 59 | 48 | .551 | 2 | 32–19 | 27–29 |
| Detroit Tigers | 60 | 49 | .550 | 2 | 32–23 | 28–26 |
| Boston Red Sox | 59 | 49 | .546 | 2½ | 30–23 | 29–26 |
| Cleveland Indians | 52 | 51 | .505 | 7 | 25–29 | 27–22 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 37 | 69 | .349 | 23½ | 17–36 | 20–33 |
| AL East First Half Standings |
W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 34 | 22 | .607 | — |
| Baltimore Orioles | 31 | 23 | .574 | 2 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 31 | 25 | .554 | 3 |
| Detroit Tigers | 31 | 26 | .544 | 3+1⁄2 |
| Boston Red Sox | 30 | 26 | .536 | 4 |
| Cleveland Indians | 26 | 24 | .520 | 5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 16 | 42 | .276 | 19 |
| AL East Second Half Standings |
W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | 31 | 22 | .585 | — |
| Boston Red Sox | 29 | 23 | .558 | 1+1⁄2 |
| Detroit Tigers | 29 | 23 | .558 | 1+1⁄2 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 28 | 23 | .549 | 2 |
| Cleveland Indians | 26 | 27 | .491 | 5 |
| New York Yankees | 25 | 26 | .490 | 5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 21 | 27 | .438 | 7+1⁄2 |