1985 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1985 Major League Baseball season ended with the Kansas City Royals defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh game of the I-70 World Series. Bret Saberhagen, the regular season Cy Young Award winner, was named MVP of the Series. The National League won the All-Star Game for the second straight year.
| 1985 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 8 – October 27, 1985 |
| Games | 162 |
| Teams | 26 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | B. J. Surhoff |
| Picked by | Milwaukee Brewers |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | NL: Willie McGee (STL) AL: Don Mattingly (NYY) |
| Postseason | |
| AL champions | Kansas City Royals |
| AL runners-up | Toronto Blue Jays |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Kansas City Royals |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
| World Series MVP | Bret Saberhagen (KC) |
The League Championship Series playoffs were expanded to a best-of-seven format beginning this year,[1] and both leagues ended up settling their pennant winners in more than five games, with the Royals beating the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games, and the Cardinals beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. This was the first full season for Peter Ueberroth as commissioner.
The 56th All-Star Game was played on July 16 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, the home of the Minnesota Twins, with the National League winning 6–1. LaMarr Hoyt was named MVP.[2]
There was a brief interruption during the regular season. The 1985 Major League Baseball strike occurred August 6 and 7, lasting only two days. The 25 cancelled games were for the most part made up later on in the season on open dates or parts of doubleheaders.
Standings
American League
| 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 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | 91 | 71 | .562 | — | 50–32 | 41–39 |
| California Angels | 90 | 72 | .556 | 1 | 49–30 | 41–42 |
| Chicago White Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 6 | 45–36 | 40–41 |
| Minnesota Twins | 77 | 85 | .475 | 14 | 49–35 | 28–50 |
| Oakland Athletics | 77 | 85 | .475 | 14 | 43–36 | 34–49 |
| Seattle Mariners | 74 | 88 | .457 | 17 | 42–41 | 32–47 |
| Texas Rangers | 62 | 99 | .385 | 28½ | 37–43 | 25–56 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 101 | 61 | .623 | — | 54–27 | 47–34 |
| New York Mets | 98 | 64 | .605 | 3 | 51–30 | 47–34 |
| Montreal Expos | 84 | 77 | .522 | 16½ | 44–37 | 40–40 |
| Chicago Cubs | 77 | 84 | .478 | 23½ | 41–39 | 36–45 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 75 | 87 | .463 | 26 | 41–40 | 34–47 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 57 | 104 | .354 | 43½ | 35–45 | 22–59 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 48–33 | 47–34 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 89 | 72 | .553 | 5½ | 47–34 | 42–38 |
| Houston Astros | 83 | 79 | .512 | 12 | 44–37 | 39–42 |
| San Diego Padres | 83 | 79 | .512 | 12 | 44–37 | 39–42 |
| Atlanta Braves | 66 | 96 | .407 | 29 | 32–49 | 34–47 |
| San Francisco Giants | 62 | 100 | .383 | 33 | 38–43 | 24–57 |
Postseason
Bracket
| League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | ||||||||
| East | Toronto | 3 | |||||||
| West | Kansas City | 4 | |||||||
| AL | Kansas City | 4 | |||||||
| NL | St. Louis | 3 | |||||||
| East | St. Louis | 4 | |||||||
| West | Los Angeles | 2 | |||||||
Managers
American League
| Team | Manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | Joe Altobelli, Cal Ripken, Sr., Earl Weaver | |
| Boston Red Sox | John McNamara | First season as Red Sox manager |
| California Angels | Gene Mauch | |
| Chicago White Sox | Tony La Russa | |
| Cleveland Indians | Pat Corrales | |
| Detroit Tigers | Sparky Anderson | |
| Kansas City Royals | Dick Howser | Won World Series |
| Milwaukee Brewers | George Bamberger | First season as Brewers manager |
| Minnesota Twins | Billy Gardner, Ray Miller | |
| New York Yankees | Yogi Berra, Billy Martin | |
| Oakland Athletics | Jackie Moore | |
| Seattle Mariners | Chuck Cottier | Cottier's final season as a Major League manager |
| Texas Rangers | Doug Rader, Bobby Valentine | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Bobby Cox | Won AL East |
National League
| Team | Manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | Eddie Haas, Bobby Wine | |
| Chicago Cubs | Jim Frey | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Pete Rose | |
| Houston Astros | Bob Lillis | Lillis' final season with the Astros |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Tommy Lasorda | Won NL West |
| Montreal Expos | Buck Rodgers | |
| New York Mets | Davey Johnson | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | John Felske | First season as Phillies manager |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Chuck Tanner | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Whitey Herzog | Won National League Pennant |
| San Diego Padres | Dick Williams | Williams' final season with the Padres |
| San Francisco Giants | Jim Davenport, Roger Craig |
League leaders
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVG | Wade Boggs BOS | .368 | Willie McGee STL | .353 |
| HR | Darrell Evans DET | 40 | Dale Murphy ATL | 37 |
| RBI | Don Mattingly NYY | 145 | Dave Parker CIN | 125 |
| Wins | Ron Guidry NYY | 22 | Dwight Gooden NYM | 24 |
| ERA | Dave Stieb TOR | 2.48 | Dwight Gooden NYM | 1.53 |
| SO | Bert Blyleven CLE/MIN | 206 | Dwight Gooden NYM | 268 |
| SV | Dan Quisenberry KC | 37 | Jeff Reardon MON | 41 |
| SB | Rickey Henderson NYY | 80 | Vince Coleman STL | 110 |
Milestones
Batters
- Rod Carew (CAL):
- Recorded his 3,000th career hit with a single in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins on August 4. He became the 16th player to reach this mark.[3]
- Pete Rose (CIN):
Pitchers
- Nolan Ryan (HOU):
- Recorded his 4,000th career strikeout on July 11 by striking out Danny Heep of the New York Mets in the sixth inning. Ryan became the first player to reach this mark.[5][6]
- Tom Seaver (CWS):
- Became the 17th member of the 300-win club, defeating the New York Yankees on August 4, winning 4–1.[3][7]
- Phil Niekro (NYY):
- Became the 18th member of the 300-win club, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays on October 6, winning 8–0.[7] He also became the oldest pitcher (age 46) to record a shutout as a member of the New York Yankees.[8]
Miscellaneous
- New York Mets:
- Set a major league record for most runs scored in the 19th inning, by scoring five runs against the Atlanta Braves on July 4.[9]
Awards and honors
Other awards
- Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: Don Baylor (NYY)
- Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Don Baylor (NYY)
- Rolaids Relief Man Award: Dan Quisenberry (KC, American); Jeff Reardon (MON, National).
Player of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Mike Davis | Dale Murphy |
| May | George Brett | Dave Parker |
| June | Rickey Henderson | Pedro Guerrero |
| July | George Brett | Keith Hernandez |
| August | Don Mattingly | Willie McGee |
| September | Don Mattingly | Gary Carter |
Pitcher of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Charlie Leibrandt | Fernando Valenzuela |
| May | Dave Stieb | Andy Hawkins |
| June | Jay Howell | John Tudor |
| July | Bret Saberhagen | Fernando Valenzuela |
| August | Dave Righetti | Shane Rawley |
| September | Charlie Leibrandt | Dwight Gooden |
Umpires
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Home field attendance and payroll
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers[10] | 95 | 20.3% | 3,264,593 | 4.1% | 40,304 | $10,967,917 | |
| New York Mets[11] | 98 | 8.9% | 2,761,601 | 49.9% | 34,094 | $10,834,762 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals[12] | 101 | 20.2% | 2,637,563 | 29.5% | 32,563 | $11,817,083 | |
| California Angels[13] | 90 | 11.1% | 2,567,427 | 6.8% | 32,499 | $14,427,894 | |
| Toronto Blue Jays[14] | 99 | 11.2% | 2,468,925 | 17.0% | 30,862 | $9,329,217 | |
| Detroit Tigers[15] | 84 | −19.2% | 2,286,609 | −15.5% | 28,230 | $10,348,143 | |
| New York Yankees[16] | 97 | 11.5% | 2,214,587 | 21.6% | 27,682 | $14,238,204 | |
| San Diego Padres[17] | 83 | −9.8% | 2,210,352 | 11.4% | 27,288 | $11,191,583 | |
| Kansas City Royals[18] | 91 | 8.3% | 2,162,717 | 19.5% | 26,375 | $10,565,346 | |
| Chicago Cubs[19] | 77 | −19.8% | 2,161,534 | 2.6% | 26,686 | $12,702,917 | |
| Baltimore Orioles[20] | 83 | −2.4% | 2,132,387 | 4.2% | 26,326 | $12,085,712 | |
| Cincinnati Reds[21] | 89 | 27.1% | 1,834,619 | 43.8% | 22,650 | $8,359,917 | |
| Philadelphia Phillies[22] | 75 | −7.4% | 1,830,350 | −11.3% | 22,597 | $10,644,966 | |
| Boston Red Sox[23] | 81 | −5.8% | 1,786,633 | 7.5% | 22,057 | $10,897,560 | |
| Chicago White Sox[24] | 85 | 14.9% | 1,669,888 | −21.9% | 20,616 | $9,846,178 | |
| Minnesota Twins[25] | 77 | −4.9% | 1,651,814 | 3.3% | 19,664 | $5,764,821 | |
| Montreal Expos[26] | 84 | 7.7% | 1,502,494 | −6.5% | 18,549 | $9,470,166 | |
| Milwaukee Brewers[27] | 71 | 6.0% | 1,360,265 | −15.4% | 17,003 | $11,284,107 | |
| Atlanta Braves[28] | 66 | −17.5% | 1,350,137 | −21.7% | 16,668 | $14,807,000 | |
| Oakland Athletics[29] | 77 | 0.0% | 1,334,599 | −1.4% | 16,894 | $9,058,606 | |
| Houston Astros[30] | 83 | 3.8% | 1,184,314 | −3.7% | 14,621 | $9,993,051 | |
| Seattle Mariners[31] | 74 | 0.0% | 1,128,696 | 29.7% | 13,599 | $4,613,000 | |
| Texas Rangers[32] | 62 | −10.1% | 1,112,497 | 0.9% | 13,906 | $7,676,500 | |
| San Francisco Giants[33] | 62 | −6.1% | 818,697 | −18.3% | 10,107 | $8,221,714 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[34] | 57 | −24.0% | 735,900 | −4.9% | 9,199 | $9,267,500 | |
| Cleveland Indians[35] | 60 | −20.0% | 655,181 | −10.7% | 8,089 | $6,551,666 |
Media
Television
| Network | Day of week | Announcers |
|---|---|---|
| ABC | Monday nights Sunday afternoons |
Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Howard Cosell,[n1 1] Tim McCarver, Don Drysdale |
| NBC | Saturday afternoons | Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola, Bob Costas, Tony Kubek |