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1985 Major League Baseball season

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1985 MLB season
LeagueMajor League Baseball
SportBaseball
DurationApril 8 – October 27, 1985
Games162
Teams26
TV partner(s)ABC, NBC
Draft
Top draft pickB. J. Surhoff
Picked byMilwaukee Brewers
Regular season
Season MVPNL: Willie McGee (STL)
AL: Don Mattingly (NYY)
Postseason
AL championsKansas City Royals
  AL runners-upToronto Blue Jays
NL championsSt. Louis Cardinals
  NL runners-upLos Angeles Dodgers
World Series
ChampionsKansas City Royals
  Runners-upSt. Louis Cardinals
World Series MVPBret Saberhagen (KC)
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1982–1988 American League seasons
West   East
Locations of teams for the 1977–1992 National League seasons
West   East

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.

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

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American League

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AL East
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Toronto Blue Jays 9962 .615 — 54‍–‍26 45‍–‍36
New York Yankees 9764 .602 2 58‍–‍22 39‍–‍42
Detroit Tigers 8477 .522 15 44‍–‍37 40‍–‍40
Baltimore Orioles 8378 .516 16 45‍–‍36 38‍–‍42
Boston Red Sox 8181 .500 18½ 43‍–‍37 38‍–‍44
Milwaukee Brewers 7190 .441 28 40‍–‍40 31‍–‍50
Cleveland Indians 60102 .370 39½ 38‍–‍43 22‍–‍59
AL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Kansas City Royals 9171 .562 — 50‍–‍32 41‍–‍39
California Angels 9072 .556 1 49‍–‍30 41‍–‍42
Chicago White Sox 8577 .525 6 45‍–‍36 40‍–‍41
Minnesota Twins 7785 .475 14 49‍–‍35 28‍–‍50
Oakland Athletics 7785 .475 14 43‍–‍36 34‍–‍49
Seattle Mariners 7488 .457 17 42‍–‍41 32‍–‍47
Texas Rangers 6299 .385 28½ 37‍–‍43 25‍–‍56

National League

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NL East
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
St. Louis Cardinals 10161 .623 — 54‍–‍27 47‍–‍34
New York Mets 9864 .605 3 51‍–‍30 47‍–‍34
Montreal Expos 8477 .522 16½ 44‍–‍37 40‍–‍40
Chicago Cubs 7784 .478 23½ 41‍–‍39 36‍–‍45
Philadelphia Phillies 7587 .463 26 41‍–‍40 34‍–‍47
Pittsburgh Pirates 57104 .354 43½ 35‍–‍45 22‍–‍59
NL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Los Angeles Dodgers 9567 .586 — 48‍–‍33 47‍–‍34
Cincinnati Reds 8972 .553 5½ 47‍–‍34 42‍–‍38
Houston Astros 8379 .512 12 44‍–‍37 39‍–‍42
San Diego Padres 8379 .512 12 44‍–‍37 39‍–‍42
Atlanta Braves 6696 .407 29 32‍–‍49 34‍–‍47
San Francisco Giants 62100 .383 33 38‍–‍43 24‍–‍57

Postseason

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Bracket

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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

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The Oakland Athletics hosting a game at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in 1985.

American League

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TeamManagerNotes
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

[edit]
TeamManagerNotes
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

[edit]
Statistic American League National League
AVGWade Boggs BOS.368Willie McGee STL.353
HRDarrell Evans DET40Dale Murphy ATL37
RBIDon Mattingly NYY145Dave Parker CIN125
WinsRon Guidry NYY22Dwight Gooden NYM24
ERADave Stieb TOR2.48Dwight Gooden NYM1.53
SOBert Blyleven CLE/MIN206Dwight Gooden NYM268
SVDan Quisenberry KC37Jeff Reardon MON41
SBRickey Henderson NYY80Vince Coleman STL110

Milestones

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Batters

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Pitchers

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Miscellaneous

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Awards and honors

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Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award National League American League
Rookie of the Year Vince Coleman (STL) Ozzie Guillen (CWS)
Cy Young Award Dwight Gooden (NYM) Bret Saberhagen (KC)
Manager of the Year Whitey Herzog (STL) Bobby Cox (TOR)
Most Valuable Player Willie McGee (STL) Don Mattingly (NYY)
Gold Glove Awards
Position National League American League
Pitcher Rick Reuschel (PIT) Ron Guidry (NYY)
Catcher Tony Peña (PIT) Lance Parrish (DET)
First Baseman Keith Hernandez (NYM) Don Mattingly (NYY)
Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg (CHC) Lou Whitaker (DET)
Third Baseman Tim Wallach (MON) George Brett (KC)
Shortstop Ozzie Smith (STL) Alfredo Griffin (OAK)
Outfielders Andre Dawson (MON) Dwight Evans (BOS)
Willie McGee (STL) Dwayne Murphy (OAK)
Dale Murphy (ATL) Gary Pettis (CAL)
Dave Winfield (NYY)
Silver Slugger Awards
Pitcher/Designated Hitter Rick Rhoden (PIT) Don Baylor (NYY)
Catcher Gary Carter (NYM) Carlton Fisk (CWS)
First Baseman Jack Clark (STL) Don Mattingly (NYY)
Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg (CHC) Lou Whitaker (DET)
Third Baseman Tim Wallach (MON) George Brett (KC)
Shortstop Hubie Brooks (MON) Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL)
Outfielders Willie McGee (STL) George Bell (TOR)
Dale Murphy (ATL) Rickey Henderson (NYY)
Dave Parker (CIN) Dave Winfield (NYY)

Other awards

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Player of the Month

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MonthAmerican LeagueNational League
April Mike DavisDale Murphy
May George BrettDave Parker
June Rickey HendersonPedro Guerrero
July George BrettKeith Hernandez
August Don MattinglyWillie McGee
September Don MattinglyGary Carter

Pitcher of the Month

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MonthAmerican LeagueNational League
April Charlie LeibrandtFernando Valenzuela
May Dave StiebAndy Hawkins
June Jay HowellJohn Tudor
July Bret SaberhagenFernando Valenzuela
August Dave RighettiShane Rawley
September Charlie LeibrandtDwight Gooden

Umpires

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Home field attendance and payroll

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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

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Television

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NetworkDay of weekAnnouncers
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

References

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  1. ↑ ABC replaced Howard Cosell with Tim McCarver in the booth alongside Al Michaels and Jim Palmer for the 1985 World Series due to the controversy surrounding Cosell's book, I Never Played the Game.
  1. ↑ "League playoffs expand to seven games". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. staff and wire reports. April 4, 1985. p. C2.
  2. ↑ "AL is kept at arm's length". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Knight-Ridder. July 17, 1985. p. C1.
  3. 1 2 "Carew, Seaver have a Super Sunday". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 5, 1985. p. C1.
  4. ↑ Richmond, Peter (September 12, 1985). "Rose finally breaks the Ty". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (Cincinnati Herald). p. C1.
  5. ↑ "NYM@HOU: Ryan becomes the first pitcher to fan 4,000 | 07/11/1985". MLB.com. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Ryan becomes first pitcher to reach 4,000 career strikeouts | Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Randhawa, Manny (May 10, 2020). "300-game winners in MLB history". MLB.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Niekro blanks Jays for 300th". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 7, 1985. p. C1.
  9. ↑ DeRosa, Theo. "The most runs scored in each inning, from the 1st to the 26th(!)". MLB.com. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ "New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Toronto Blue Jays Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ↑ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ↑ "San Diego Padres Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Kansas City Royals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Washington Nationals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Milwaukee Brewers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Houston Astros Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Seattle Mariners Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  33. ↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
[edit]
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