1885 Season

16 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1885 Major League Baseball season was played by 16 teams. The Chicago White Stockings won the World Series, defeating the St. Louis Browns. Harry Stovey led with 13 home runs, Cap Anson led with 108 RBI, and Pete Browning led with 174 hits. This page carries the 1885 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1885 Bracket
World Series CHN def. SL4 (3-3)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1885 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 347 plate appearances at 112 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Roger Connor .371 2 Pete Browning .362 3 Dan Brouthers .359 4 Dave Orr .342 5 Henry Larkin .329

OPS qualified

1 Dan Brouthers .951 2 Roger Connor .929 3 Pete Browning .923 4 Dave Orr .901 5 Henry Larkin .899

Home Runs all players

1 Harry Stovey 13 2 Abner Dalrymple 11 3 Frank Fennelly 10 4 Pete Browning 9 5 King Kelly 9

RBI all players

1 Cap Anson 108 2 Frank Fennelly 89 3 Henry Larkin 88 4 Dave Orr 77 5 King Kelly 75

Hits all players

1 Pete Browning 174 2 Roger Connor 169 3 Charley Jones 157 4 Harry Stovey 153 5 Dave Orr 152

Runs all players

1 Harry Stovey 130 2 King Kelly 124 3 Jim O'Rourke 119 4 George Gore 115 5 Henry Larkin 114

Stolen Bases all players

1 Billy Alvord 0 2 Ed Andrews 0 3 Wyman Andrus 0 4 Cap Anson 0 5 George Baker 0
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1885 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 112 innings at 112 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Tim Keefe 1.57 2 Mickey Welch 1.66 3 John Clarkson 1.85 4 Lady Baldwin 1.86 5 Bob Caruthers 2.07

WHIP qualified

1 Lady Baldwin 0.92 2 John Clarkson 0.95 3 Ed Morris 0.96 4 Tim Keefe 1.00 5 Bob Caruthers 1.01

Wins all pitchers

1 John Clarkson 53 2 Mickey Welch 44 3 Bob Caruthers 40 4 Ed Morris 39 5 Dave Foutz 33

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 John Clarkson 308 2 Ed Morris 298 3 Bobby Mathews 286 4 Hardie Henderson 263 5 Mickey Welch 258

Saves all pitchers

1 Thomas Burns 3 2 Fred Pfeffer 2 3 Ed Williamson 2 4 Lady Baldwin 1 5 John Corkhill 1
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

National League

Chicago White Stockings ★ 87-25 New York Giants 85-27 Philadelphia Quakers 56-54 Providence Grays 53-57 Boston Beaneaters 46-66 Detroit Wolverines 41-67 Buffalo Bisons 38-74 St. Louis Maroons 36-72

AA

St. Louis Browns ★ 79-33 Cincinnati Red Stockings 63-49 Pittsburg Alleghenys 56-55 Philadelphia Athletics 55-57 Brooklyn Grays 53-59 Louisville Colonels 53-59 New York Metropolitans 44-64 Baltimore Orioles 41-68

The 1885 season in brief

1885 belonged, by record, to the Chicago White Stockings: 87-25. At the other end, the St. Louis Maroons went 36-72. Race by race in 1885, the Chicago White Stockings topped the National League at 87-25, a few games clear of the New York Giants and the St. Louis Browns ran away with the American Association at 79-33. The St. Louis Browns reached the 1885 World Series and lost it to the Chicago White Stockings, 3 games to 3. The home run board is topped by Harry Stovey at 13, ahead of Abner Dalrymple with 11. Among qualified hitters, Roger Connor had the top batting average, .371, with Pete Browning next at .362. Roger Connor cleared the 347-plate-appearance line that 1885's 112 team games set. Among qualified pitchers, Tim Keefe had the lowest ERA, 1.57; Mickey Welch followed at 1.66. First place on the remaining pitching boards: John Clarkson in wins (53) and John Clarkson in strikeouts (308). The 1885 leaders page lists every qualified line, and each club links to its own 1885 page.

1885 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1885?
The Chicago White Stockings won the 1885 World Series, beating the St. Louis Browns.
How many teams played in 1885?
16 teams played in the 1885 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1885?
Harry Stovey led with 13 home runs in 1885.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1885?
Cap Anson led with 108 RBI in 1885.
Who led MLB in hits in 1885?
Pete Browning led with 174 hits in 1885.
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