1985 in baseball
The following are the baseball events of the year 1985 throughout the world.
Contents |
Champions
Major League Baseball
- World Series: Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals (4-3); Bret Saberhagen, MVP
League Championship Series | World Series | |||||||
East | Toronto Blue Jays | 3 | ||||||
West | Kansas City Royals | 4 | ||||||
AL | Kansas City Royals | 4 | ||||||
NL | St. Louis Cardinals | 3 | ||||||
East | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | ||||||
West | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 |
- American League Championship Series MVP: George Brett
- National League Championship Series MVP: Ozzie Smith
- All-Star Game, July 16 at the Metrodome: National League, 6-1; LaMarr Hoyt, MVP
Other champions
- Caribbean World Series: Tigres del Licey (Dominican Republic)
- College World Series: Miami (Fla.)
- Japan Series: Hanshin Tigers over Seibu Lions (4-2)
- Little League World Series: Seoul National, Seoul, South Korea
Awards and honors
- Most Valuable Player
- Don Mattingly, New York Yankees, 1B (AL)
- Willie McGee, St. Louis Cardinals, OF (NL)
- Cy Young Award
- Bret Saberhagen, Kansas City Royals (AL)
- Dwight Gooden, New York Mets (NL)
- Rookie of the Year
- Ozzie Guillén, Chicago White Sox, SS (AL)
- Vince Coleman, St. Louis Cardinals, OF (NL)
- Manager of the Year Award
- Bobby Cox, Toronto Blue Jays (AL)
- Whitey Herzog, St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
MLB Statistical Leaders
|
Major League Baseball final standings
American League | |||||
Rank | Club | Wins | Losses | Win % | GB |
East Division | |||||
1st | Toronto Blue Jays | 99 | 62 | .615 | -- |
2nd | New York Yankees | 97 | 64 | .602 | 2.0 |
3rd | Detroit Tigers | 84 | 77 | .522 | 15.0 |
4th | Baltimore Orioles | 83 | 78 | .516 | 16.0 |
5th | Boston Red Sox | 81 | 81 | .500 | 18.5 |
6th | Milwaukee Brewers | 71 | 90 | .441 | 28.0 |
7th | Cleveland Indians | 60 | 102 | .370 | 39.5 |
West Division | |||||
1st | Kansas City Royals | 91 | 71 | .562 | -- |
2nd | California Angels | 90 | 72 | .556 | 1.0 |
3rd | Chicago White Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 6.0 |
4th | Minnesota Twins | 77 | 85 | .475 | 14.0 |
4th | Oakland Athletics | 77 | 85 | .475 | 14.0 |
6th | Seattle Mariners | 74 | 88 | .457 | 17.0 |
7th | Texas Rangers | 62 | 99 | .385 | 28.5 |
National League | |||||
Rank | Club | Wins | Losses | Win % | GB |
East Division | |||||
1st | St. Louis Cardinals | 101 | 61 | .623 | -- |
2nd | New York Mets | 98 | 64 | .605 | 3.0 |
3rd | Montréal Expos | 84 | 77 | .522 | 16.5 |
4th | Chicago Cubs | 77 | 84 | .478 | 23.5 |
5th | Philadelphia Phillies | 75 | 87 | .463 | 26.0 |
6th | Pittsburgh Pirates | 57 | 104 | .354 | 43.5 |
West Division | |||||
1st | Los Angeles Dodgers | 95 | 67 | .586 | -- |
2nd | Cincinnati Reds | 89 | 72 | .553 | 5.5 |
3rd | Houston Astros | 83 | 79 | .512 | 12.0 |
3rd | San Diego Padres | 83 | 79 | .512 | 12.0 |
5th | Atlanta Braves | 66 | 96 | .407 | 29.0 |
6th | San Francisco Giants | 62 | 100 | . 383 | 33.0 |
Events
- January 7 - Outfielder Lou Brock and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, with Wilhelm becoming the first relief pitcher ever selected. Second baseman Nellie Fox is named on 295 of the 395 ballots (74.7%), but the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame committee decline to round Fox's percentage to the necessary 75%.
- March 6 - Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
- March 28 - The April 1 issue of Sports Illustrated comes out, including George Plimpton's hoax article on Sidd Finch.
- June 11 - In a 26-7 romp over the New York Mets, Von Hayes of the Philadelphia Phillies becomes the first player in MLB history to hit two home runs in the first inning of a game. Hayes led off the bottom of the first with a homer, then hit a grand slam later in the frame. Those were the only two home runs hit in the high-scoring affair.
- July 2 - Pitcher Joe Niekro of the Houston Astros wins his 200th career game, 3–2 over the San Diego Padres. Joe and Phil Niekro join Jim Perry and Gaylord Perry as the only pitching brother combinations to each win at least 200 games.
- July 4-5 - In a bizarre game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 16-13 in a 19-inning game that featured Keith Hernandez hitting for the cycle, and the Braves coming back to tie the game twice in extra innings, most notably in the bottom of the 18th. Pitcher Rick Camp, a career .074 hitter batting only because the Braves had no position players left, shockingly hit a solo home run in the 18th to re-tie the game at 11-11. At the end of the game, even though it was July 5, 3:15 am, the Braves went ahead and shot off their scheduled Fourth of July post-game fireworks for the fans who endured to the end.
- July 11 - Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros becomes the first pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts, fanning Danny Heep in the 6th inning of Houston's 4–3 win over the New York Mets.
- July 16 - The National League beats the American League 6–1 at Minnesota's Metrodome for its 13th win in the last 14 All-Star Games. The San Diego Padres' LaMarr Hoyt allows one unearned run in three innings and is named MVP.
- August 4
- Tom Seaver of the Chicago White Sox records his 300th career win.
- Rod Carew of the California Angels gets his 3000th career hit.
- October 6 - Phil Niekro of the New York Yankees becomes the second pitcher this year to record his 300th career win, in a 6-0 shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays.
- October 27 - The Kansas City Royals rout the St. Louis Cardinals 11–0 in Game Seven of the 1985 World Series to become only the sixth team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win the WS. Bret Saberhagen pitches the shutout and wins the Series MVP honors.
Movies
Births
January-April
- January 7 - José García
- January 20 - Fabio Castro
- February 5 - Eric O'Flaherty
- February 8 - Félix Pie
- February 14 - Tyler Clippard
- February 20 - Ryan Sweeney
- March 2 - Brandon Wood
- March 9 - Jesse Litsch
- April 5 - Lastings Milledge
- April 15 - John Danks
May-August
- May 2 - Jarrod Saltalamacchia
- May 21 - Andrew Miller
- May 22 - Rick VandenHurk
- August 1 - Adam Jones
- August 22 - Ryan Feierabend
September-December
Deaths
- January 16 - Ken Chase, 71, pitcher for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and New York Giants between 1936 and 1943
- February 12 - Van Lingle Mungo, 73, All-Star pitcher whose antics delighted Brooklyn Dodgers fans; led NL in strikeouts, shutouts and innings once each
- February 26 - George Uhle, 86, pitcher for the Indians and Tigers who won 200 games and is credited with having developed the slider pitch in the 1920s; also batted .289, one of the highest averages for a pitcher
- March 10 - Bob Nieman, 58, left fielder for six teams who batted .300 twice for the Orioles; first player to hit home runs in his first two major league at-bats, later a scout
- May 6 - Kirby Higbe, 70, All-Star pitcher for five NL teams who won 22 games for the 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers
- June 10 - Bob Prince, 68, broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1948 to 1975
- July 2 - Guy Bush, 83, pitcher who won 176 games, most with the Chicago Cubs, but was best remembered for having given up Babe Ruth's last home run
- July 27 - Smokey Joe Wood, 95, pitcher for the Red Sox who posted a 34-5 record with an 1.91 ERA in 1912, and went on to win three games in the World Series against the New York Giants; after wearing out his arm by age 26 with a record of 117-57, returned as an outfielder with the Indians and batted .366 while platooning in 1921; later coached at Yale for 20 years
- October 14 - Ossie Bluege, 84, All-Star third baseman who played his entire 18-year career for the Washington Senators; later the team's manager, coach and farm director
- November 15 - Riggs Stephenson, 87, left fielder who batted .336 lifetime while usually platooning, mainly with the Cubs
- November 23 - Sam West, 81, All-Star center fielder for the Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns who batted .300 eight times
- November 25 - Ray Jablonski, 58, All-Star third baseman, mainly with the Cardinals, Reds and Giants, who had 100 RBI in his first two seasons
- December 6 - Burleigh Grimes, 92, Hall of Fame pitcher, most notably for the Dodgers, who won 270 games with five 20-win seasons using the spitball, of which he was the last permitted practitioner; later a manager and coach
- December 8 - Bill Wambsganss, 91, second baseman for the Cleveland Indians who made the only unassisted triple play in World Series history
- December 14 - Roger Maris, 51, All-Star right fielder who hit 61 home runs in 1961 to break Babe Ruth's long-standing record, earning his second consecutive MVP award, but whose career faltered under the public stress accompanying the accomplishment