1985 Detroit Tigers season
Major League Baseball season
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The 1985 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 85th season and the 74th season at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers entered the season as the reigning World Series champions. The 1985 Detroit Tigers finished in third place in the American League East with a record of 84–77 (.522), 15 games behind the Blue Jays. The Tigers outscored their opponents 729 to 688. The Tigers drew 2,286,609 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1985, ranking 3rd of the 14 teams in the American League.
LeagueAmerican League
OwnersTom Monaghan
TelevisionWDIV-TV
(George Kell, Al Kaline)
PASS
(Bill Freehan, Larry Osterman, Jim Northrup)
(George Kell, Al Kaline)
PASS
(Bill Freehan, Larry Osterman, Jim Northrup)
| 1985 Detroit Tigers | |
|---|---|
| League | American League |
| Division | East |
| Ballpark | Tiger Stadium |
| City | Detroit |
| Owners | Tom Monaghan |
| General managers | Bill Lajoie |
| Managers | Sparky Anderson |
| Television | WDIV-TV (George Kell, Al Kaline) PASS (Bill Freehan, Larry Osterman, Jim Northrup) |
| Radio | WJR (Ernie Harwell, Paul Carey) |
Regular season
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | 99 | 62 | .615 | — | 54–26 | 45–36 |
| New York Yankees | 97 | 64 | .602 | 2 | 58–22 | 39–42 |
| Detroit Tigers | 84 | 77 | .522 | 15 | 44–37 | 40–40 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 83 | 78 | .516 | 16 | 45–36 | 38–42 |
| Boston Red Sox | 81 | 81 | .500 | 18½ | 43–37 | 38–44 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 71 | 90 | .441 | 28 | 40–40 | 31–50 |
| Cleveland Indians | 60 | 102 | .370 | 39½ | 38–43 | 22–59 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 5–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 1–12 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 10–2 | 4–8 |
| Boston | 8–5 | — | 5–7 | 4–8–1 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 9–4 |
| California | 5–7 | 7–5 | — | 8–5 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 4–9 | 9–3 | 9–4 | 3–9 | 6–7 | 9–4 | 9–4 | 5–7 |
| Chicago | 4–8 | 8–4–1 | 5–8 | — | 10–2 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 9–4 | 10–3 | 3–9 |
| Cleveland | 5–8 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 2–10 | — | 5–8 | 2–10 | 7–6 | 4–8 | 6–7 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 4–9 |
| Detroit | 7–6 | 7–6 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 8–5 | — | 5–7 | 9–4 | 3–9 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 6–7 |
| Kansas City | 6–6 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 10–2 | 7–5 | — | 8–4 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 8–5 | 3–10 | 6–7 | 7–5 |
| Milwaukee | 4–9 | 8–5 | 3–9 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 4–9 | 4–8 | — | 9–3 | 7–6 | 3–9 | 4–8 | 8–3 | 4–9 |
| Minnesota | 6–6 | 5–7 | 4–9 | 7–6 | 8–4 | 9–3 | 6–7 | 3–9 | — | 3–9 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 8–5 | 4–8 |
| New York | 12–1 | 8–5 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 3–9 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 9–3 | — | 7–5 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 6–7 |
| Oakland | 5–7 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 5–8 | 5–7 | — | 8–5 | 6–7 | 5–7 |
| Seattle | 6–6 | 6–6 | 4–9 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 10–3 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 3–9 | 5–8 | — | 6–7 | 2–10 |
| Texas | 2–10 | 7–5 | 4–9 | 3–10 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 3–8 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 7–6 | — | 3–9 |
| Toronto | 8–4 | 4–9 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 9–4 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 9–4 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 10–2 | 9–3 | — |
Notable transactions
- April 5, 1985: Roger Mason was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the San Francisco Giants for Alejandro Sánchez.[1]
- June 3, 1985: 1985 Major League Baseball draft
- Scott Lusader was drafted by the Tigers in the 6th round.[2]
- Mark Lee was drafted by the Tigers in the 15th round.[3]
- Andy Stankiewicz was drafted by the Tigers in the 18th round, but did not sign.[4]
- John Smoltz was drafted by the Tigers in the 22nd round. Player signed September 22, 1985.[5]
Roster
| 1985 Detroit Tigers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
Other batters
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
| = Indicates league leader |
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Lance Parrish | 140 | 549 | 150 | .273 | 28 | 98 |
| 1B | Darrell Evans | 151 | 505 | 125 | .248 | 40 | 94 |
| 2B | Lou Whitaker | 152 | 609 | 170 | .279 | 21 | 73 |
| 3B | Tom Brookens | 156 | 485 | 115 | .237 | 7 | 47 |
| SS | Alan Trammell | 149 | 605 | 156 | .258 | 13 | 57 |
| RF | Kirk Gibson | 154 | 581 | 167 | .287 | 29 | 97 |
| CF | Chet Lemon | 145 | 517 | 137 | .265 | 18 | 68 |
| LF | Larry Herndon | 137 | 442 | 108 | .244 | 12 | 37 |
| DH | Johnny Grubb | 78 | 155 | 38 | .245 | 5 | 25 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Simmons | 75 | 251 | 60 | .239 | 10 | 33 |
| Bárbaro Garbey | 86 | 237 | 61 | .257 | 6 | 29 |
| Dave Bergman | 69 | 140 | 25 | .179 | 3 | 7 |
| Alejandro Sánchez | 71 | 133 | 33 | .248 | 6 | 12 |
| Marty Castillo | 57 | 84 | 10 | .119 | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Melvin | 41 | 82 | 18 | .220 | 0 | 4 |
| Chris Pittaro | 28 | 62 | 15 | .242 | 0 | 7 |
| Doug Flynn | 32 | 51 | 13 | .255 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Laga | 9 | 36 | 6 | .167 | 2 | 6 |
| Doug Baker | 15 | 27 | 5 | .185 | 0 | 1 |
| Scotti Madison | 6 | 11 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 |
| Jim Weaver | 12 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
| Rusty Kuntz | 5 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Morris | 35 | 257.0 | 16 | 11 | 3.33 | 191 |
| Dan Petry | 34 | 238.2 | 15 | 13 | 3.36 | 109 |
| Walt Terrell | 34 | 229.0 | 15 | 10 | 3.85 | 130 |
| Frank Tanana | 20 | 137.1 | 10 | 7 | 3.34 | 107 |
| Milt Wilcox | 8 | 39.0 | 1 | 3 | 4.85 | 20 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Berenguer | 31 | 95.0 | 5 | 6 | 5.59 | 82 |
| Randy O'Neal | 28 | 94.1 | 5 | 5 | 3.24 | 52 |
| Mickey Mahler | 3 | 20.2 | 1 | 2 | 1.74 | 14 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W= Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games Finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | GF | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willie Hernández | 74 | 8 | 10 | 31 | 64 | 2.70 | 76 |
| Aurelio López | 51 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 4.80 | 53 |
| Bill Scherrer | 48 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4.36 | 46 |
| Doug Bair | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6.24 | 30 |
| Chuck Cary | 16 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.42 | 22 |
| Bob Stoddard | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6.75 | 11 |
Players ranking among top 100 all time at position
The following members of the 1985 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their position, as ranked by The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract:
- Lance Parrish: 19th best catcher of all time
- Lou Whitaker: 13th best second baseman of all time
- Darrell Evans: 10th best third baseman of all time
- Alan Trammell: 9th best shortstop of all time
- Kirk Gibson: 36th best left fielder of all time
- Chet Lemon: 48th best center fielder of all time
Award winners and league leaders
- AL leader in errors by a third baseman (23)
- #9 in AL in doubles (34)
- Tiger of the Year Award, by Detroit baseball writers
- MLB leader in home runs (40)
- MLB leader in at bats per home run (12.6)
- Finished 14th in AL MVP voting
- #4 in AL in intentional walks (12)
- #5 in AL in slugging percentage (.519)
- #7 in AL in bases on balls (85)
- #8 in AL in OPS (.875)
- AL leader in errors by an outfielder (11)
- Finished 18th in AL MVP voting
- #2 in AL in Power/Speed Number (29.5)
- #2 in AL in intentional walks (16)
- #3 in AL in extra base hits (71)
- #4 in AL in sacrifice flies (10)
- #4 in AL in strikeouts (137)
- #6 in AL in slugging percentage (.518)
- #6 in AL in total bases (301)
- #6 in AL in runs created (118)
- #7 in AL in OPS (.882)
- #7 in AL in doubles (37)
- #8 in AL in strikeouts (30)
- #9 in AL in home runs (29)
- #10 in MLB in total bases (301)
- #10 in MLB in doubles (37)
- #10 in MLB in runs created (118)
- AL All Star Team, pitcher
- #2 in MLB in games finished (64)
- #3 in AL in saves (31)
- #3 in AL in games (74)
- #5 in AL in times hit by pitch (10)
- AL All Star Team, starting pitcher
- AL leader in wild pitches (15)
- #2 in AL in shutouts (4)
- #2 in AL in bases on balls allowed (110)
- #3 in AL in strikeouts (191)
- #4 in AL in hits allowed per 9 innings pitched (7.42)
- #4 in AL in strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (6.69)
- #5 in AL in complete games (13)
- #10 in MLB in batters faced (1077)
- AL Gold Glove Award, catcher
- AL All Star Team, catcher
- AL All Star Team, pitcher
- #3 in AL in hits allowed per 9 innings (7.16)
- #5 in AL in walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) (1.135)
- #3 in AL in strikeout to walk ratio (2.79)
- #5 in AL in strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (6.66)
- #4 in AL in shutouts (3)
- AL All Star Team, shortstop
- #7 in AL in sacrifice hits (11)
- #8 in AL in outs (480)
- #9 in AL in sacrifice flies (9)
- AL Gold Glove Award, second base
- AL Silver Slugger Award, second base
- AL All Star Team, starting second baseman
- #7 in AL in triples (8)
- #9 in AL in plate appearances (701)
- #9 in AL in runs created (107)
- #9 in AL in times on base (252)
- #10 in AL in runs (102)
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Nashville Sounds | American Association | Lee Walls, Leon Roberts, and Gordon Mackenzie |
| AA | Birmingham Barons | Southern League | Gordon Mackenzie, Mark DeJohn, Frank Franchi, and Jerry Grote |
| A | Lakeland Tigers | Florida State League | Jerry Grote and Moby Benedict |
| Rookie | Bristol Tigers | Appalachian League | Tom Burgess |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Bristol
