1985 Season

26 teams competing across 6 divisions

The 1985 Major League Baseball season was played by 26 teams. The Kansas City Royals won the World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals. Darrell Evans led with 40 home runs, Don Mattingly led with 145 RBI, and Wade Boggs led with 240 hits. This page carries the 1985 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

1985 Bracket
World Series KCA def. SLN (4-3)
AL Championship KCA def. TOR (4-3)
NL Championship SLN def. LAN (4-2)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1985 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 — 502 plate appearances at 162 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Wade Boggs .368 2 Willie McGee .353 3 George Brett .335 4 Don Mattingly .324 5 Pedro Guerrero .320

OPS qualified

1 George Brett 1.022 2 Pedro Guerrero .999 3 Don Mattingly .939 4 Rickey Henderson .934 5 Wade Boggs .928

Home Runs all players

1 Darrell Evans 40 2 Carlton Fisk 37 3 Dale Murphy 37 4 Steve Balboni 36 5 Don Mattingly 35

RBI all players

1 Don Mattingly 145 2 Dave Parker 125 3 Eddie Murray 124 4 Dave Winfield 114 5 Harold Baines 113

Hits all players

1 Wade Boggs 240 2 Willie McGee 216 3 Don Mattingly 211 4 Bill Buckner 201 5 Kirby Puckett 199

Runs all players

1 Rickey Henderson 146 2 Dale Murphy 118 3 Cal Ripken 116 4 Tim Raines 115 5 Willie McGee 114

Stolen Bases all players

1 Vince Coleman 110 2 Rickey Henderson 80 3 Tim Raines 70 4 Willie McGee 56 5 Gary Pettis 56
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1985 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 162 innings at 162 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Dwight Gooden 1.53 2 John Tudor 1.93 3 Orel Hershiser 2.03 4 Rick Reuschel 2.27 5 Bob Welch 2.31

WHIP qualified

1 John Tudor 0.94 2 Dwight Gooden 0.97 3 Dennis Eckersley 0.97 4 Orel Hershiser 1.03 5 Bob Welch 1.05

Wins all pitchers

1 Dwight Gooden 24 2 Ron Guidry 22 3 Joaquin Andujar 21 4 John Tudor 21 5 Tom Browning 20

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Dwight Gooden 268 2 Mario Soto 214 3 Nolan Ryan 209 4 Fernando Valenzuela 208 5 Bert Blyleven 206

Saves all pitchers

1 Jeff Reardon 41 2 Dan Quisenberry 37 3 Lee Smith 33 4 Bob James 32 5 Willie Hernandez 31
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

AL East

Toronto Blue Jays ★ 99-62 New York Yankees 97-64 Detroit Tigers 84-77 Baltimore Orioles 83-78 Boston Red Sox 81-81 Milwaukee Brewers 71-90 Cleveland Indians 60-102

AL West

Kansas City Royals ★ 91-71 California Angels 90-72 Chicago White Sox 85-77 Minnesota Twins 77-85 Oakland Athletics 77-85 Seattle Mariners 74-88 Texas Rangers 62-99

NL East

St. Louis Cardinals ★ 101-61 New York Mets 98-64 Montreal Expos 84-77 Chicago Cubs 77-84 Philadelphia Phillies 75-87 Pittsburgh Pirates 57-104

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers ★ 95-67 Cincinnati Reds 89-72 Houston Astros 83-79 San Diego Padres 83-79 Atlanta Braves 66-96 San Francisco Giants 62-100

The 1985 season in brief

Of every club in the 1985 standings, the St. Louis Cardinals won most often, going 101-61. 57-104 left the Pittsburgh Pirates with the lowest winning percentage of 1985. In the standings, the Kansas City Royals (91-71) edged the California Angels (90-72) in the American League West, the New York Yankees (97-64) chased the Toronto Blue Jays (99-62) to the end in the American League East, the St. Louis Cardinals topped the National League East at 101-61, a few games clear of the New York Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers owned the National League West with a 95-67 mark, the Cincinnati Reds next at 89-72. The 1985 title went to the Kansas City Royals, who defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, 4 games to 3. The other series results were the Kansas City Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series (4-3) and the St. Louis Cardinals over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series (4-2). The home run board is topped by Darrell Evans at 40, ahead of Carlton Fisk with 37. Among qualified hitters, Wade Boggs had the top batting average, .368, with Willie McGee next at .353. The board counts only hitters with 502 or more plate appearances, which is what 162 team games require. For the complete tables behind these tiles, see the 1985 leaders page.

1985 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1985?
The Kansas City Royals won the 1985 World Series, beating the St. Louis Cardinals.
How many teams played in 1985?
26 teams played in the 1985 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1985?
Darrell Evans led with 40 home runs in 1985.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1985?
Don Mattingly led with 145 RBI in 1985.
Who led MLB in hits in 1985?
Wade Boggs led with 240 hits in 1985.
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