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1985 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 8 - October 27, 1985
Draft
Top draft pick	B. J. Surhoff
Picked by	Milwaukee Brewers
Regular season
Season MVP	NL: Willie McGee (STL); AL: Don Mattingly (NYY)
League 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
Finals MVP	Bret Saberhagen (KC)
MLB seasons
	1986 ->

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.

Major league baseball final standings

American League

v t e AL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Toronto Blue Jays	99	62	0.615	--	54-26	45-36
New York Yankees	97	64	0.602	2	58-22	39-42
Detroit Tigers	84	77	0.522	15	44-37	40-40
Baltimore Orioles	83	78	0.516	16	45-36	38-42
Boston Red Sox	81	81	0.500	18½	43-37	38-44
Milwaukee Brewers	71	90	0.441	28	40-40	31-50
Cleveland Indians	60	102	0.370	39½	38-43	22-59

v t e AL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Kansas City Royals	91	71	0.562	--	50-32	41-39
California Angels	90	72	0.556	1	49-30	41-42
Chicago White Sox	85	77	0.525	6	45-36	40-41
Minnesota Twins	77	85	0.475	14	49-35	28-50
Oakland Athletics	77	85	0.475	14	43-36	34-49
Seattle Mariners	74	88	0.457	17	42-41	32-47
Texas Rangers	62	99	0.385	28½	37-43	25-56

National League

v t e NL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
St. Louis Cardinals	101	61	0.623	--	54-27	47-34
New York Mets	98	64	0.605	3	51-30	47-34
Montreal Expos	84	77	0.522	16½	44-37	40-40
Chicago Cubs	77	84	0.478	23½	41-39	36-45
Philadelphia Phillies	75	87	0.463	26	41-40	34-47
Pittsburgh Pirates	57	104	0.354	43½	35-45	22-59

v t e NL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Los Angeles Dodgers	95	67	0.586	--	48-33	47-34
Cincinnati Reds	89	72	0.553	5½	47-34	42-38
Houston Astros	83	79	0.512	12	44-37	39-42
San Diego Padres	83	79	0.512	12	44-37	39-42
Atlanta Braves	66	96	0.407	29	32-49	34-47
San Francisco Giants	62	100	0.383	33	38-43	24-57

Managers

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

American League

Team	Manager	Notes
Baltimore Orioles	Joe Altobelli, Cal Ripken, Sr., Earl Weaver
Boston Red Sox	John McNamara
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
Minnesota Twins	Billy Gardner, Ray Miller
New York Yankees	Yogi Berra, Billy Martin
Oakland Athletics	Jackie Moore
Seattle Mariners	Chuck Cottier
Texas Rangers	Doug Rader, Bobby Valentine
Toronto Blue Jays	Bobby Cox

National League

Team	Manager	Notes
Atlanta Braves	Eddie Haas, Bobby Wine
Chicago Cubs	Jim Frey
Cincinnati Reds	Pete Rose
Houston Astros	Bob Lillis
Los Angeles Dodgers	Tommy Lasorda
Montreal Expos	Buck Rodgers
New York Mets	Davey Johnson
Philadelphia Phillies	John Felske
Pittsburgh Pirates	Chuck Tanner
St. Louis Cardinals	Whitey Herzog	Won National League Pennant
San Diego Padres	Dick Williams
San Francisco Giants	Jim Davenport, Roger Craig

Postseason

World Series: Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals (4-3); Bret Saberhagen, MVP

League Championship Series NBC			World Series ABC

East	Toronto	3
West	Kansas City	4
			AL	Kansas City	4
			NL	St. Louis	3
East	St. Louis	4
West	Los Angeles	2

All-Star game

All-Star Game, July 16 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis: National League, 6-1; LaMarr Hoyt, MVP.^[2]

Milestones

On August 4, at Yankee Stadium, Tom Seaver won his 300th game as a member of the Chicago White Sox.^[3]
On September 11, Pete Rose reached 4,192 hits, breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league career hits record.^[4]
On October 6, Phil Niekro won his 300th game and became the oldest pitcher (age 46) to record a shutout as a member of the New York Yankees.^[5]

Television coverage

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

Awards and honors

Baseball Hall of Fame

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)
Gold Glove Award
- Don Mattingly (1B) (AL)
- Lou Whitaker (2B) (AL)
- George Brett (3B) (AL)
- Alfredo Griffin (SS) (AL)
- Dwight Evans (OF) (AL)
- Dave Winfield and Gary Pettis (OF) (AL)
- Dwayne Murphy (OF) (AL)
- Lance Parrish (C) (AL)
- Ron Guidry (P) (AL)

Statistical 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 MTL	41
SB	Rickey Henderson NYY	80	Vince Coleman STL	110

References

^ 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.

^ "League playoffs expand to seven games". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). staff and wire reports. April 4, 1985. p. C2.
^ "AL is kept at arm's length". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Knight-Ridder. July 17, 1985. p. C1.
^ "Carew, Seaver have a Super Sunday". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 5, 1985. p. C1.
^ Richmond, Peter (September 12, 1985). "Rose finally breaks the Ty". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (Cincinnati Herald). p. C1.
^ "Niekro blanks Jays for 300th". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 7, 1985. p. C1.

External links

1985 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference

[n6-6] 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.

[lgposr-1] "League playoffs expand to seven games". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). staff and wire reports. April 4, 1985. p. C2.

[sralkaal-2] "AL is kept at arm's length". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Knight-Ridder. July 17, 1985. p. C1.

[csvrss-3] "Carew, Seaver have a Super Sunday". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 5, 1985. p. C1.

[rfbtt-4] Richmond, Peter (September 12, 1985). "Rose finally breaks the Ty". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (Cincinnati Herald). p. C1.

[nbjft-5] "Niekro blanks Jays for 300th". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 7, 1985. p. C1.

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