Template:1981 AL West standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 64 | 45 | .587 | — | 35–21 | 29–24 |
| Texas Rangers | 57 | 48 | .543 | 5 | 32–24 | 25–24 |
| Chicago White Sox | 54 | 52 | .509 | 8½ | 25–24 | 29–28 |
| Kansas City Royals | 50 | 53 | .485 | 11 | 19–28 | 31–25 |
| California Angels | 51 | 59 | .464 | 13½ | 26–28 | 25–31 |
| Seattle Mariners | 44 | 65 | .404 | 20 | 20–37 | 24–28 |
| Minnesota Twins | 41 | 68 | .376 | 23 | 24–36 | 17–32 |
| AL West First Half Standings |
W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 37 | 23 | .617 | — |
| Texas Rangers | 33 | 22 | .600 | 1+1⁄2 |
| Chicago White Sox | 31 | 22 | .585 | 2+1⁄2 |
| California Angels | 31 | 29 | .517 | 6 |
| Kansas City Royals | 20 | 30 | .400 | 12 |
| Seattle Mariners | 21 | 36 | .368 | 14+1⁄2 |
| Minnesota Twins | 17 | 39 | .304 | 18 |
| AL West Second Half Standings |
W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | 30 | 23 | .566 | — |
| Oakland Athletics | 27 | 22 | .551 | 1 |
| Texas Rangers | 24 | 26 | .480 | 4+1⁄2 |
| Minnesota Twins | 24 | 29 | .453 | 6 |
| Seattle Mariners | 23 | 29 | .442 | 6+1⁄2 |
| Chicago White Sox | 23 | 30 | .434 | 7 |
| California Angels | 20 | 30 | .400 | 8+1⁄2 |