1985 Kansas City Royals season

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1985  Kansas City Royals
World Series Champions
American League Champions
American League West Champions
League American League
Division West
Ballpark Royals Stadium
City Kansas City, Missouri
Record91–71 (.562)
Divisional place1st
Owners Ewing Kauffman
General managers John Schuerholz
Managers Dick Howser
Television WDAF-TV 4
(Denny Matthews, Denny Trease, Fred White)
Sports Time
(Phil Stone, Dwayne Mosley)
Radio WIBW–AM 580
KCMO–AM 810
(Denny Matthews, Fred White)
←  1984 Seasons 1986  →

The 1985 Kansas City Royals season was the 17th season in Royals franchise history. It ended with the Royals' first World Series championship over their intra-state rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Royals won the American League West for the second consecutive season and the sixth time in ten years. The team improved its record to 91–71 on the strength of its pitching, led by Bret Saberhagen's Cy Young Award-winning performance.

Contents

In the postseason, the Royals went on to win the ALCS for just the second time and the World Series for the first time (they previously lost the 1980 World Series). Both the ALCS and the World Series were won in seven games after the Royals lost the first two games at home and three of the first four games overall. The championship series against the Cardinals was forever remembered in St. Louis by umpires' supposedly blown calls in Game Six: one that cost the Royals a run in the 4th, and a blown call by umpire Don Denkinger that allowed Jorge Orta to reach first. The World Series is remembered in Kansas City as the culmination of ten years of dominance by the Royals, during which they reached the playoffs seven times, with stars such as George Brett, Hal McRae and Willie Wilson.

The team was managed by Dick Howser in his fourth and final full season with the Royals.

The Royals did not return to the postseason until 2014 and won the World Series again in 2015.

Offseason

Offense

Team leaders
Statistic Player
Runs 108 George Brett
Hits 184George Brett
Doubles 38George Brett
Triples 21 # Willie Wilson
Home runs 36 3 Steve Balboni
Runs batted in 112George Brett
Stolen bases 43Willie Wilson
Batting average .335 2 George Brett
Notes:
  • ^# Led the majors
  • ^1 Led league
  • ^2 Second place
  • ^3 Third place

Pitching

Team leaders
Statistic Pitcher
Games pitched 84 # Dan Quisenberry
Innings pitched 237.2 Charlie Leibrandt
Wins 20 2 Bret Saberhagen
Strikeouts 158Bret Saberhagen
Complete games 10Bret Saberhagen
Shutouts 3 Danny Jackson &
Charlie Leibrandt
Saves 37 1 Dan Quisenberry
Earned run average 2.69 2 Charlie Leibrandt
Notes:
  • ^# Led the majors
  • ^1 Led league
  • ^2 Second place
  • ^3 Third place

Regular season

The Royals opened the season at home on Monday, April 8, in a three-game series versus the Toronto Blue Jays. In his second straight opening day start, Bud Black faced off against the Blue Jays' Dave Stieb and allowed only a single earned run on four hits as the Royals won, 2–1. Stieb held the Royals scoreless for 62⁄3 innings before giving up the game-winning runs on a double by Willie Wilson. Black exited the game in the eighth inning with two outs after giving up a single and a walk. Dan Quisenberry closed out the game for his first save of the new season. The attendance of 41,086 was the highest of any home opener and wasn't exceeded until the 2005 season. It was also the second highest of any of the Royals' regular season home games in 1985.

The Seattle Mariners had the strongest start in the division—winning their first six games at home by sweeping the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins. But the Mariners quickly faded into sixth place as they lost twelve of their next thirteen games. After their losses in Seattle, the Athletics returned home to win seven of their next nine games, and on April 21 were in a three-way tie for first with the Mariners and the California Angels. However, a seven-game losing streak at the end of April pushed them down into sixth place on May 1 and five games below the Angels. At the end of April the Royals had a record of 11–8 (.579), but they had fallen two games behind the Angels who had finished the month with a six-game winning streak and had a 14–7 record.

The Royals began the month of May by losing seven of their first eight games, culminating in an 11–3 loss on May 11 at home to the New York Yankees. The team was three games below .500, in fourth place and 51⁄2 games behind the Angels. Three days and three wins later, with a record of 15–15, the Royals would not drop below .500 at any time during the remainder of the season. (But they would have a .500 record as late as July 12 when they were 42–42.) With two six-game winning streaks, the team won thirteen of their next seventeen games to enter a first-place tie with the Angels on May 29, with a record of 25–19. This stretch of games was highlighted by three complete-game shutouts pitched by Bret Saberhagen, Bud Black, and Charlie Leibrandt in which they allowed only a combined 8 hits and 4 walks. And despite being on the road, from May 15 through May 17, the three starters each threw a complete game and allowed a combined two earned runs (a 0.67 ERA), 14 hits, and just one walk.

The Royals struggled to make headway in the divisional race through June and into late July. Between May 30 and July 21 they were 21–25 and fell to 71⁄2 games behind the Angels. With New York arriving in Kansas City to start a six-game home series on Monday, July 22, the Royals began a seven-game winning streak which was the longest in the season to that point. Dan Quisenberry picked up his 19th, 20th, and 21st saves as the Royals swept the Yankees, and he put in relief appearances in three of the next four games—picking up two more saves. On July 29, the Angels' lead had shrunk to 21⁄2 games. They would remain there through September 1 as the Royals were 16–14 during that period and the Angels were 17–15.

The eight-game winning streak (all at home) between September 2 and 8 was the longest of the season for the Royals. The streak included three games in extra innings. After winning five of their next seven games, the Royals achieved a 21⁄2-game lead over the Angels on September 15. However, the Mariners, who had given them trouble earlier in the year—winning five of their six previous contests—shut out the Royals twice in a four-game sweep in Kansas City, dropping the Royals into a tie for first place on September 19. Winning four of their next nine games, the Royals dropped a game behind the Angels on September 29.

After being swept at home in three games by the Twins and with only seven games remaining in the regular season, the Royals faced a four-game series at home versus the Angels. On September 30 the Royals won the first game 3–1 with Saberhagen pitching a complete game and giving up just one run on a home run by Doug DeCinces. Saberhagen collected ten strikeouts in the game and allowed only seven batters to reach first base. The Angels claimed the following game on October 1 by the score of 4–2 with Mike Witt pitching. The Royals won the third game on October 2 with Black pitching a complete-game shutout and allowing only five batters to reach first base. Three of the four runs scored by the Royals came in the bottom of the first inning with no outs as George Brett hit an inside-the-park home run to center field with two runners on base. The final game of the series on October 3 was won, 4–1, by the Royals with Quisenberry recording the final out of the game and his 36th save of the season. Starting pitcher Danny Jackson had given up just one run in 82⁄3 innings despite allowing 11 hits. The Royals' runs came on three home runs by Frank White, Steve Balboni, and Brett. With the win, the Royals had a one-game lead on the Angels.

The Royals hosted the Athletics for the final three games of the season while the Angels traveled to Arlington Stadium to battle the Rangers. On October 4, the Royals defeated the Athletics by the score of 4–2, and the Angels were shut out, 6–0, by the Rangers' starting pitcher Dave Schmidt. This gave the Royals a two-game lead and assured them of at least a tie for first. The division championship was claimed in a dramatic fashion on the following day as the Royals come from behind to defeat the Athletics in ten innings by the score of 5–4. The final game of the season on October 6 was a loss, and the Royals finished the season with a record of 91–71 (.562).

Season standings

AL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Kansas City Royals 9171.562—50‍–‍3241‍–‍39
California Angels 9072.556149‍–‍3041‍–‍42
Chicago White Sox 8577.525645‍–‍3640‍–‍41
Minnesota Twins 7785.4751449‍–‍3528‍–‍50
Oakland Athletics 7785.4751443‍–‍3634‍–‍49
Seattle Mariners 7488.4571742‍–‍4132‍–‍47
Texas Rangers 6299.38528½37‍–‍4325‍–‍56

Record vs. opponents

1985 American League record

Sources:
TeamBALBOSCALCWSCLEDETKCMILMINNYYOAKSEATEXTOR
Baltimore —5–87–58–48–56–76–69–46–61–127–56–610–24–8
Boston 8–5—5–74–8–18–56–75–75–87–55–88–46–65–79–4
California 5–77–5—8–58–48–44–99–39–43–96–79–49–45–7
Chicago 4–88–4–15–8—10–26–65–85–76–76–68–59–410–33–9
Cleveland 5–85–84–82–10—5–82–107–64–86–73–96–67–54–9
Detroit 7–67–64–86–68–5—5–79–43–99–38–45–77–56–7
Kansas City 6–67–59–48–510–27–5—8–47–65–78–53–106–77–5
Milwaukee 4–98–53–97–56–74–94–8—9–37–63–94–88–34–9
Minnesota 6–65–74–97–68–49–36–73–9—3–98–56–78–54–8
New York 12–18–59–36–67–63–97–56–79–3—7–59–38–46–7
Oakland 5–74–87–65–89–34–85–89–35–85–7—8–56–75–7
Seattle 6–66–64–94–96–67–510–38–47–63–95–8—6–72–10
Texas 2–107–54–93–105–75–77–63–85–84–87–67–6—3–9
Toronto 8–44–97–59–39–47–65–79–48–47–67–510–29–3—

Notable transactions

Opening Day Lineup

Opening Day Starters
#NamePosition
6 Willie Wilson CF
15 Pat Sheridan RF
5 George Brett 3B
3 Jorge Orta DH
45 Steve Balboni 1B
24 Darryl Motley LF
20 Frank White 2B
8 Jim Sundberg C
2 Onix Concepción SS
40 Bud Black P

[6]

Roster

1985 Kansas City Royals roster
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

All-Stars

Game log

Regular season

1985 regular season game log: 91–71 (Home: 50–32; Away: 41–39)
April: 11–8 (Home: 5–5; Away: 6–3)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
1 April 81:35 p.m. CST Blue Jays W 2–1 Black (1–0) Stieb (0–1) Quisenberry (1)2:3041,0861–0 W1
2 April 107:35 p.m. CST Blue Jays L 0–1 (10) Caudill (1–0) Beckwith (0–1) Lavelle (1)2:5214,7401–1 L1
3 April 117:35 p.m. CST Blue Jays L 3–4 (10) Caudill (2–0) Quisenberry (0–1) Acker (1)3:1417,7981–2 L2
4 April 1312:20 p.m. CST Tigers L 1–3 Morris (2–0) Black (1–1)—2:3521,8231–3 L3
5 April 141:35 p.m. CST Tigers L 1–5 Petry (2–0) Saberhagen (0–1) Hernández (2)2:3124,4471–4 L4
6 April 167:35 p.m. CST Red Sox W 2–0 Jackson (1–0) Clemens (1–1)—2:0916,8862–4 W1
7 April 177:35 p.m. CST Red Sox W 6–1 Leibrandt (1–0) Nipper (0–1)—2:3818,6853–4 W2
8 April 187:35 p.m. CST Red Sox L 3–4 (14) Ojeda (1–0) Jones (0–1)—4:1122,5873–5 L1
9 April 196:35 p.m. CST @ Tigers W 9–2 Saberhagen (1–1) Petry (2–1)—2:3535,4324–5 W1
10 April 2012:15 p.m. CST @ Tigers L 3–4 Hernández (2–0) Quisenberry (0–2)—2:3027,3394–6 L1
11 April 2112:30 p.m. CST @ Tigers W 3–2 (13) Quisenberry (1–2) Berenguer (0–1) Gura (1)4:0530,1685–6 W1
12 April 226:35 p.m. CST @ Blue Jays W 2–0 Leibrandt (2–0) Stieb (1–2)—2:1320,2816–6 W2
13 April 236:35 p.m. CST @ Blue Jays W 7–6 Beckwith (1–1) Caudill (3–2) Quisenberry (2)2:4618,4917–6 W3
14 April 2412:35 p.m. CST @ Blue Jays L 2–10 Leal (1–1) Saberhagen (1–2)—2:1718,0067–7 L1
15 April 266:35 p.m. CST @ Red Sox L 2–5 Clemens (2–2) Gubicza (0–1)—2:4026,6477–8 L2
16 April 2712:20 p.m. CST @ Red Sox W 5–4 Quisenberry (2–2) Stanley (0–2)—3:0324,4308–8 W1
17 April 281:05 p.m. CDT @ Red Sox W 5–2 Leibrandt (3–0) Boyd (2–1) Beckwith (1)2:4323,8829–8 W2
18 April 297:35 p.m. CDT Indians W 3–2 Black (2–1) Heaton (1–1) Quisenberry (3)2:3619,29510–8 W3
19 April 307:35 p.m. CDT Indians W 5–1 Saberhagen (2–2) Roan (0–4)—2:2716,28211–8 W4
May: 14–13 (Home: 7–5; Away: 7–8)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
20 May 17:35 p.m. CDT Indians L 5–6 Schulze (3–0) Gubicza (0–2) Waddell (5)3:2316,69911–9 L1
21 May 37:00 p.m. CDT @ Yankees L 1–7 Rasmussen (1–1) Jackson (1–1)—2:3620,60311–10 L2
22 May 41:00 p.m. CDT @ Yankees L 2–5 Guidry (2–3) Leibrandt (3–1)—2:1422,53211–11 L3
23 May 51:00 p.m. CDT @ Yankees L 2–6 Niekro (4–2) Black (2–2) Righetti (7)2:3350,20911–12 L4
24 May 77:35 p.m. CDT Orioles L 2–4 Dixon (3–0) Saberhagen (2–3) Stewart (5)2:1421,66411–13 L5
25 May 87:35 p.m. CDT Orioles W 9–8 LaCoss (1–0) McGregor (1–3)—2:5419,79312–13 W1
26 May 107:35 p.m. CDT Yankees L 4–6 Guidry (3–3) Leibrandt (3–2) Righetti (8)2:4834,00012–14 L1
27 May 113:05 p.m. CDT Yankees L 3–11 Rasmussen (2–1) Black (2–3)—2:3538,01112–15 L2
28 May 121:35 p.m. CDT Yankees W 6–5 Quisenberry (3–2) Righetti (1–2)—3:0431,00913–15 W1
29 May 136:35 p.m. CDT @ Orioles W 5–2 Jackson (2–1) Davis (1–1) Quisenberry (4)2:4124,61114–15 W2
30 May 146:35 p.m. CDT @ Orioles W 5–3 Gubicza (1–2) McGregor (1–4) Quisenberry (5)2:3222,20215–15 W3
31 May 156:35 p.m. CDT @ Indians W 5–1 Leibrandt (4–2) Schulze (3–3)—2:354,16916–15 W4
32 May 166:35 p.m. CDT @ Indians W 7–1 Black (3–3) Creel (0–1)—2:253,05117–15 W5
33 May 177:35 p.m. CDT @ Brewers W 3–0 Saberhagen (3–3) Darwin (3–3)—2:1410,58718–15 W6
34 May 181:35 p.m. CDT @ Brewers L 2–7 Haas (4–2) Jackson (2–2)—2:2820,33418–16 L1
35 May 191:35 p.m. CDT @ Brewers L 10–11 Gibson (4–1) Quisenberry (3–3)—3:3743,25618–17 L2
36 May 207:35 p.m. CDT @ Rangers L 7–8 Schmidt (2–2) Beckwith (1–2)—2:4918,94518–18 L3
37 May 217:35 p.m. CDT @ Rangers W 5–0 Black (4–3) Tanana (0–5)—2:0714,01819–18 W1
38 May 227:35 p.m. CDT @ Rangers W 6–3 Saberhagen (4–3) Noles (2–5) Quisenberry (6)2:2815,44720–18 W2
39 May 247:35 p.m. CDT White Sox W 8–4 Jackson (3–2) Burns (5–4) Quisenberry (7)3:0132,59921–18 W3
40 May 2512:20 p.m. CDT White Sox W 3–0 Leibrandt (5–2) Seaver (4–3)—2:0125,92022–18 W4
41 May 261:35 p.m. CDT White Sox W 3–2 Black (5–3) James (1–2) Quisenberry (8)2:3332,56323–18 W5
42 May 277:35 p.m. CDT Rangers W 4–2 Saberhagen (5–3) Noles (2–6) Quisenberry (9)2:1930,80324–18 W6
43 May 287:35 p.m. CDT Rangers L 1–6 Hooton (2–1) Gubicza (1–3)—2:3919,16024–19 L1
44 May 297:35 p.m. CDT Rangers W 6–2 Jackson (4–2) Hough (4–4) Quisenberry (10)2:1720,69225–19 W1
45 May 307:30 p.m. CDT @ White Sox L 3–4 Seaver (5–3) Leibrandt (5–3) James (9)2:4016,04125–20 L1
46 May 317:30 p.m. CDT @ White Sox L 3–8 Bannister (3–4) Black (5–4) Nelson (1)2:3925,49325–21 L2
June: 12–14 (Home: 5–6; Away: 7–8)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
47 June 16:00 p.m. CDT @ White Sox L 7–8 James (2–2) Jones (0–2)—3:1932,39825–22 L3
48 June 21:30 p.m. CDT @ White Sox L 1–4 Dotson (3–3) Gubicza (1–4) James (10)2:3323,15325–23 L4
—June 3 Brewers Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: September 5)
49 June 47:35 p.m. CDT Brewers W 4–3 Leibrandt (6–3) Vuckovich (1–3) LaCoss (1)2:2618,78826–23 W1
50 June 57:35 p.m. CDT Brewers L 2–10 Higuera (4–3) Black (5–5)—2:2518,66626–24 L1
51 June 79:30 p.m. CDT @ Angels W 6–0 Saberhagen (6–3) Witt (3–6)—2:2629,41427–24 W1
52 June 89:00 p.m. CDT @ Angels W 4–1 Gubicza (2–4) Slaton (4–4) Quisenberry (11)2:1946,39328–24 W2
53 June 93:00 p.m. CDT @ Angels L 0–1 Romanick (7–2) Jackson (4–3) Moore (12)2:0441,97328–25 L1
54 June 109:35 p.m. CDT @ Athletics L 1–2 (10) Howell (5–3) Quisenberry (3–4)—3:3316,50028–26 L2
55 June 119:35 p.m. CDT @ Athletics L 3–4 Howell (6–3) Black (5–6)—2:437,20128–27 L3
56 June 122:15 p.m. CDT @ Athletics W 3–2 (14) Jones (1–2) McCatty (2–3)—4:1911,01029–27 W1
57 June 139:35 p.m. CDT @ Mariners W 4–3 Gubicza (3–4) Wilkinson (0–1) Quisenberry (12)2:418,69130–27 W2
58 June 149:35 p.m. CDT @ Mariners L 5–13 Wills (2–0) Jackson (4–4)—3:1010,76530–28 L1
59 June 159:05 p.m. CDT @ Mariners L 1–2 Young (5–8) Leibrandt (6–4) Vande Berg (3)2:3426,06730–29 L2
60 June 163:35 p.m. CDT @ Mariners L 1–2 Best (2–1) Beckwith (1–3)—2:3414,10330–30 L3
61 June 177:35 p.m. CDT Twins W 10–3 Saberhagen (7–3) Viola (7–6)—2:1531,88531–30 W1
62 June 187:35 p.m. CDT Twins W 10–3 Gubicza (4–4) Smithson (5–6)—2:3621,66232–30 W2
63 June 197:35 p.m. CDT Twins W 3–2 Jackson (5–4) Filson (3–4) Quisenberry (13)2:1722,03333–30 W3
64 June 207:35 p.m. CDT Twins L 8–11 Eufemia (1–0) Beckwith (1–4) Whitehouse (1)3:3231,46133–31 L1
—June 21 Mariners Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: September 19)
65 June 227:35 p.m. CDT Mariners L 1–2 Swift (2–1) Saberhagen (6–4) Núñez (7)2:3535,95933–32 L2
66 June 231:35 p.m. CDT Mariners L 2–8 Moore (5–4) Black (5–7)—2:5431,08033–33 L3
67 June 247:35 p.m. CDT @ Twins W 12–6 Gubicza (5–4) Filson (3–5)—3:0824,03534–33 W1
68 June 257:35 p.m. CDT @ Twins W 3–0 Jackson (6–4) Butcher (4–7)—2:0431,88535–33 W2
69 June 267:35 p.m. CDT @ Twins L 1–2 Schrom (7–5) Leibrandt (6–5)—2:1420,06035–34 L1
70 June 287:35 p.m. CDT Angels W 5–4 (14) Quisenberry (4–4) Corbett (2–1)—4:5032,65136–34 W1
71 June 297:35 p.m. CDT Angels L 1–7 Lugo (3–1) Black (5–8)—2:4639,45136–35 L1
72 June 301:35 p.m. CDT Angels W 3–1 Gubicza (6–4) Romanick (8–4) Quisenberry (14)2:2333,17337–35 W1
July: 17–10 (Home: 9–4; Away: 8–6)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
73 July 17:35 p.m. CDT Athletics L 3–4 Atherton (4–4) Jackson (6–5) Howell (17)2:5931,78137–36 L1
74 July 27:35 p.m. CDT Athletics W 10–1 Leibrandt (7–5) Langford (0–2)—2:2919,67638–36 W1
75 July 37:35 p.m. CDT Athletics W 3–0 Saberhagen (8–4) Codiroli (8–4) Quisenberry (13)2:1722,14239–36 W2
76 July 47:35 p.m. CDT Orioles L 3–5 Martínez (7–5) Black (5–9) Snell (4)2:2640,61639–37 L1
77 July 57:35 p.m. CDT Orioles L 3–6 Boddicker (9–7) Gubicza (6–5) Stewart (6)2:4230,48839–38 L2
78 July 61:20 p.m. CDT Orioles L 3–8 McGregor (7–7) Jackson (6–6)—2:4426,89839–39 L3
79 July 71:35 p.m. CDT Orioles W 8–4 Leibrandt (8–5) Davis (1–1) Quisenberry (16)2:5224,13140–39 W1
80 July 87:10 p.m. CDT @ Yankees W 5–2 Saberhagen (9–4) Niekro (7–8)—2:1617,19341–39 W2
81 July 97:00 p.m. CDT @ Yankees L 4–6 Guidry (11–3) Black (5–10) Righetti (15)3:1124,52841–40 L1
82 July 1012 Noon CDT @ Yankees L 5–6 Righetti (7–6) Quisenberry (4–5)—2:5335,27441–41 L2
83 July 116:35 p.m. CDT @ Indians W 1–0 Jackson (7–6) Ruhle (2–4)—2:265,25642–41 W1
84 July 126:35 p.m. CDT @ Indians L 4–5 (11) Waddell (4–5) Quisenberry (4–6)—3:228,05842–42 L1
85 July 136:35 p.m. CDT @ Indians W 5–1 Saberhagen (10–4) Blyleven (8–9)—2:2012,79443–42 W1
86 July 1412:35 p.m. CDT @ Indians W 9–5 Black (6–10) Heaton (5–11) Quisenberry (17)3:1425,46644–42 W2
56th All-Star Game in Minneapolis, MN
87 July 186:35 p.m. CDT @ Orioles L 3–8 McGregor (8–7) Saberhagen (10–5) Stewart (7)2:5325,57944–43 L1
88 July 197:05 p.m. CDT @ Orioles W 10–3 Leibrandt (9–5) Boddicker (9–10)—2:4529,41045–43 W1
89 July 2012:20 p.m. CDT @ Orioles W 7–5 Jackson (8–6) Flanagan (0–1) Quisenberry (18)2:4026,36646–43 W2
90 July 211:05 p.m. CDT @ Orioles L 4–6 Martinez (2–2) Black (6–11) Aase (4)2:5131,27846–44 L1
91 July 227:10 p.m. CDT Yankees W 5–4 Jones (2–2) Rasmussen (3–5) Quisenberry (19)2:5640,93847–44 W1
92 July 237:35 p.m. CDT Yankees W 5–2 Saberhagen (11–5) Whitson (5–7) Quisenberry (20)2:4032,45048–44 W2
93 July 247:35 p.m. CDT Yankees W 5–3 Leibrandt (10–5) Cowley (8–4) Quisenberry (21)2:4531,58049–44 W3
94 July 267:35 p.m. CDT Indians W 7–1 Jackson (9–6) Romero (0–1)—2:4327,86050–44 W4
95 July 277:35 p.m. CDT Indians W 6–3 Black (7–11) Reed (0–3) Quisenberry (22)2:2333,47351–44 W5
96 July 281:35 p.m. CDT Indians W 7–4 Gubicza (7–5) Ruhle (2–7) Quisenberry (23)2:3638,35252–44 W6
97 July 297:10 p.m. CDT @ Tigers W 4–2 Saberhagen (12–5) Petry (11–10)—2:4836,06853–44 W7
98 July 306:35 p.m. CDT @ Tigers L 7–11 Morris (12–6) Leibrandt (10–6) Hernández (21)3:2734,26153–45 L1
99 July 3112:30 p.m. CDT @ Tigers W 5–2 Jackson (10–6) Terrell (10–6) Quisenberry (24)2:3034,27654–45 W1
August: 15–12 (Home: 8–7; Away: 7–5)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
100 August 27:35 p.m. CDT Red Sox W 4–3 (10) Quisenberry (5–6) Clear (1–2)—3:0437,21255–45 W2
101 August 37:35 p.m. CDT Red Sox L 4–5 Clemens (7–4) Gubicza (7–6) Crawford (4)3:1540,37055–46 L1
102 August 41:35 p.m. CDT Red Sox L 5–6 (12) Stanley (6–5) LaCoss (1–1) Clear (3)3:4831,02055–47 L2
103 August 57:35 p.m. CDT Tigers L 4–8 Terrell (11–6) Jackson (10–7) Hernández (22)2:5341,25155–48 L3
—August 6 Tigers Postponed (Strike)(Makeup date: August 8)
—August 7 Tigers Postponed (Strike)(Makeup date: August 19)
104 August 8
(1)		5:05 p.m. CDT Tigers W 10–3 Saberhagen (13–5) Tanana (6–11)—2:39—56–48 W1
105 August 8
(2)		8:19 p.m. CDT Tigers W 6–4 Gubicza (8–6) Petry (12–11) Quisenberry (25)3:0435,58557–48 W2
106 August 97:35 p.m. CDT Blue Jays W 4–2 Black (8–11) Stieb (10–8)—2:2125,86858–48 W3
107 August 107:35 p.m. CDT Blue Jays W 4–3 (10) Quisenberry (6–6) Caudill (4–5)—2:5434,44859–48 W4
108 August 111:35 p.m. CDT Blue Jays L 3–5 (10) Henke (3–0) Beckwith (1–5)—3:2727,45759–49 L1
109 August 126:35 p.m. CDT @ Red Sox W 3–2 Gubicza (9–6) Nipper (7–8) Quisenberry (26)2:3922,84360–49 W1
110 August 136:35 p.m. CDT @ Red Sox W 6–3 Saberhagen (14–5) Ojeda (5–7) Quisenberry (27)3:0323,18961–49 W2
111 August 146:35 p.m. CDT @ Red Sox L 3–16 Hurst (8–9) Black (8–12)—2:5622,87061–50 L1
112 August 166:35 p.m. CDT @ Blue Jays W 4–2 Leibrandt (11–6) Key (9–5)—2:3138,26962–50 W1
113 August 1712:20 p.m. CDT @ Blue Jays W 4–2 Jackson (11–7) Alexander (12–7) Quisenberry (28)2:2142,31363–50 W2
114 August 1812:35 p.m. CDT @ Blue Jays L 6–10 Gubicza (9–7) Filer (6–0)—3:0237,45863–51 L1
115 August 197:35 p.m. CDT Tigers W 2–1 (10) Saberhagen (15–5) Morris (13–7)—2:4220,92964–51 W1
116 August 207:30 p.m. CDT @ White Sox L 1–2 James (5–5) Quisenberry (6–7)—2:4619,31864–52 L1
117 August 217:30 p.m. CDT @ White Sox W 2–1 Leibrandt (12–6) Bannister (5–11) Quisenberry (29)2:5116,24365–52 W1
118 August 227:30 p.m. CDT @ White Sox W 7–3 Jackson (12–7) Davis (1–1) Quisenberry (30)3:0522,50566–52 W2
119 August 237:35 p.m. CDT Rangers L 3–4 Schmidt (5–3) Quisenberry (6–8)—3:0533,48366–53 L1
120 August 247:35 p.m. CDT Rangers W 8–2 Saberhagen (16–5) Hooton (5–8)—2:3339,10067–53 W1
121 August 251:35 p.m. CDT Rangers L 3–7 Hough (13–12) Black (8–13)—3:0028,35067–54 L1
122 August 267:35 p.m. CDT Rangers W 9–2 Leibrandt (13–6) Russell (1–4)—2:4428,08568–54 W1
123 August 277:35 p.m. CDT @ Brewers L 5–8 Cocanower (4–3) Jackson (12–8) Gibson (10)2:488,03468–55 L1
124 August 287:35 p.m. CDT @ Brewers W 8–2 Gubicza (10–7) Vuckovich (6–10)—2:387,62669–55 W1
—August 29@ Brewers Postponed (Rain; Site change)(Makeup date: September 6)
125 August 307:35 p.m. CDT @ Rangers L 1–4 Hough (14–12) Black (8–14)—2:1814,33069–56 L1
126 August 317:35 p.m. CDT @ Rangers L 4–6 Harris (4–3) Leibrandt (13–7)—2:3414,70969–57 L2
September: 18–12 (Home: 11–5; Away: 7–7)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
127 September 16:05 p.m. CDT @ Rangers L 3–5 Mason (6–12) Jackson (12–9) Henry (1)2:0410,58769–58 L3
128 September 27:35 p.m. CDT White Sox W 3–2 Gubicza (1–3) Nelson (8–9) Quisenberry (31)2:4632,68170–58 W1
129 September 37:35 p.m. CDT White Sox W 3–2 Saberhagen (17–5) Seaver (12–10)—2:1017,52171–58 W2
130 September 47:35 p.m. CDT White Sox W 6–5 (10) Jones (3–2) James (6–6)—3:3819,94072–58 W3
131 September 57:35 p.m. CDT Brewers W 4–1 Leibrandt (14–7) Haas (4–2)—2:142,52773–58 W4
132 September 6
(1)		5:05 p.m. CDT Brewers W 4–3 (11) Quisenberry (7–8) Fingers (1–5)—2:48—74–58 W5
133 September 6
(2)		8:28 p.m. CDT Brewers W 7–1 Farr (1–0) Burris (9–11)—2:3426,40375–58 W6
134 September 77:35 p.m. CDT Brewers W 7–4 Gubicza (12–7) Cocanower (4–5) Quisenberry (32)2:4629,51076–58 W7
135 September 81:35 p.m. CDT Brewers W 13–11 (11) Farr (2–0) Fingers (1–6)—3:4820,73777–58 W8
136 September 99:30 p.m. CDT @ Angels L 1–7 Candelaria (5–1) Saberhagen (17–6)—1:5729,68877–59 L1
137 September 109:30 p.m. CDT @ Angels W 6–0 Leibrandt (15–7) McCaskill (9–11)—2:1237,81378–59 W1
138 September 119:30 p.m. CDT @ Angels W 2–1 Jackson (13–9) Romanick (13–8) Quisenberry (33)2:4132,90679–59 W2
139 September 139:35 p.m. CDT @ Athletics W 5–2 Gubicza (13–7) Rijo (3–3) Quisenberry (34)2:4511,25380–59 W3
140 September 143:05 p.m. CDT @ Athletics W 2–1 Saberhagen (18–6) John (4–8)—2:2230,62881–59 W4
141 September 15
(1)		2:15 p.m. CDT @ Athletics L 2–4 Codiroli (12–12) Leibrandt (15–8) Howell (25)2:23—81–60 L1
142 September 15
(2)		5:13 p.m. CDT @ Athletics W 7–2 Black (9–14) Young (0–3)—2:3115,23682–60 W1
143 September 167:35 p.m. CDT Mariners L 1–5 Moore (15–8) Jackson (13–10)—2:3321,66682–61 L1
144 September 177:35 p.m. CDT Mariners L 0–7 Young (12–15) Farr (2–1)—2:3617,77082–62 L2
145 September 187:35 p.m. CDT Mariners L 0–6 Thomas (7–0) Gubicza (13–8)—2:5816,86382–63 L3
146 September 197:35 p.m. CDT Mariners L 4–6 Núñez (7–2) Quisenberry (7–9) Tobik (1)3:007,63382–64 L4
147 September 207:35 p.m. CDT Twins W 5–1 Leibrandt (16–8) Blyleven (14–16)—2:4222,84583–64 W1
148 September 217:35 p.m. CDT Twins W 6–5 (10) Huismann (1–0) Davis (2–6)—3:1125,10284–64 W2
149 September 221:35 p.m. CDT Twins L 3–7 Viola (16–14) Jackson (12–12)—2:3121,27784–65 L1
150 September 249:35 p.m. CDT @ Mariners L 2–5 Moore (16–8) Gubicza (13–9)—2:266,43384–66 L2
151 September 259:35 p.m. CDT @ Mariners W 5–4 Saberhagen (19–6) Young (12–17) Farr (1)2:556,58885–66 W1
152 September 269:35 p.m. CDT @ Mariners W 5–2 Leibrandt (17–8) Swift (5–10) Quisenberry (35)2:486,84086–66 W2
153 September 277:35 p.m. CDT @ Twins L 1–4 Viola (17–14) Black (9–15)—2:0113,03586–67 L1
154 September 2811:00 a.m. CDT @ Twins L 3–5 Burtt (2–1) Jackson (13–12) Davis (24)2:3113,25686–68 L2
155 September 291:15 p.m. CDT @ Twins L 3–6 Butcher (11–14) Gubicza (13–10) Davis (25)2:4311,29286–69 L3
156 September 307:35 p.m. CDT Angels W 3–1 Saberhagen (20–6) Candelaria (6–3)—2:0934,20087–69 W1
October: 4–2 (Home: 4–2; Away: 0–0)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
157 October 17:35 p.m. CDT Angels L 2–4 Witt (14–9) Leibrandt (17–9) Moore (30)2:3626,27387–70 L1
158 October 27:35 p.m. CDT Angels W 4–0 Black (10–15) Romanick (14–9)—2:0828,40188–70 W1
159 October 37:35 p.m. CDT Angels W 4–1 Jackson (14–12) Sutton (15–10) Quisenberry (36)2:2440,89489–70 W2
160 October 47:35 p.m. CDT Athletics W 4–2 Gubicza (14–10) Rijo (6–4) Quisenberry (37)2:3219,69490–70 W3
161 October 57:35 p.m. CDT Athletics W 5–4 (10) Quisenberry (8–9) Howell (9–8)—3:2332,94991–70 W4
162 October 61:35 p.m. CDT Athletics L 3–9 Codiroli (14–14) Jones (3–3) Mura (1)2:3620,93591–71 L1
*An MLB Players strike forced the cancellation of all regular season games on August 6 and 7. Most games were made up later in the season.
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement
Bold = Royals team member

Postseason Game log

1985 Postseason game log: 8–6 (Home: 4–3; Away: 4–3)
AL Championship Series: vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4–3 (Home: 2–1; Away: 2–2)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 87:30 p.m. CDT @ Blue Jays L 1–6 Stieb (1–0) Leibrandt (0–1)—2:2439,115TOR 1–0 L1
2 October 92:05 p.m. CDT @ Blue Jays L 5–6 (10) Henke (1–0) Quisenberry (0–1)—3:3934,029TOR 2–0 L2
3 October 117:15 p.m. CDT Blue Jays W 6–5 Farr (1–0) Clancy (0–1)—2:5140,224TOR 2–1 W1
4 October 127:15 p.m. CDT Blue Jays L 1–3 Henke (2–0) Leibrandt (0–2)—3:0241,112TOR 3–1 L1
5 October 133:35 p.m. CDT Blue Jays W 2–0 Jackson (1–0) Key (0–1)—2:2140,046TOR 3–2 W1
6 October 157:15 p.m. CDT @ Blue Jays W 5–3 Gubicza (1–0) Alexander (0–1) Quisenberry (1)3:1237,557Tied 3–3 W2
7 October 167:15 p.m. CDT @ Blue Jays W 6–2 Leibrandt (1–2) Stieb (1–1)—2:4932,084KC 4–3 W3
World Series: vs. St. Louis Cardinals 4–3 (Home: 2–2; Away: 2–1)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 197:35 p.m. CDT Cardinals L 1–3 Tudor (1–0) Jackson (0–1) Worrell (1)2:4841,650STL 1–0 L1
2 October 207:30 p.m. CDT Cardinals L 2–4 Dayley (1–0) Leibrandt (0–1) Lahti (1)2:4441,656STL 2–0 L2
3 October 227:35 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals W 6–1 Saberhagen (1–0) Andújar (0–1)—2:5953,634STL 2–1 W1
4 October 237:25 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals L 0–3 Tudor (2–0) Black (0–1)—2:1953,634STL 3–1 L1
5 October 247:25 p.m. CDT @ Cardinals W 6–1 Jackson (1–1) Forsch (0–1)—2:5253,634STL 3–2 W1
6 October 267:25 p.m. CDT Cardinals W 2–1 Quisenberry (1–0) Worrell (0–1)—2:4741,628Tied 3–3 W2
7 October 277:30 p.m. CST Cardinals W 11–0 Saberhagen (2–0) Tudor (2–1)—2:4641,658KC 4–3 W3
Legend:       = Win       = Loss     
Bold = Royals team member

Postseason

ALCS

Game 1

Tuesday, October 8, 1985, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario

Team123456789 R H E
Kansas City000000001151
Toronto02310000X6110
WP: Dave Stieb (1–0)   LP: Charlie Leibrandt (0–1)

Game 2

Wednesday, October 9, 1985, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario

Team12345678910 R H E
Kansas City00210000115103
Toronto00010201026100
WP: Tom Henke (1–0)   LP: Dan Quisenberry (0–1)
Home runs:
KCR: Willie Wilson (1), Pat Sheridan (1)
TOR: None

Game 3

Friday, October 11, 1985, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

Team123456789 R H E
Toronto0000500005131
Kansas City10011201X6101
WP: Steve Farr (1–0)   LP: Jim Clancy (0–1)
Home runs:
TOR: Rance Mulliniks (1), Jesse Barfield (1)
KCR: George Brett 2 (2), Jim Sundberg (1)

Game 4

Saturday, October 12, 1985, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

Team123456789 R H E
Toronto000000003370
Kansas City000001000120
WP: Tom Henke (2–0)   LP: Charlie Leibrandt (0–2)

Game 5

Sunday, October 13, 1985, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

Team123456789 R H E
Toronto000000000080
Kansas City11000000X280
WP: Danny Jackson (1–0)   LP: Jimmy Key (0–1)

Game 6

Tuesday, October 15, 1985, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario

Team123456789 R H E
Kansas City101012000581
Toronto101001000382
WP: Mark Gubicza (1–0)   LP: Doyle Alexander (0–1)   Sv: Dan Quisenberry (1)
Home runs:
KCR: George Brett (3)
TOR: None

Game 7

Wednesday, October 16, 1985, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario

Team123456789 R H E
Kansas City010104000680
Toronto000010001281
WP: Charlie Leibrandt (1–2)   LP: Dave Stieb (1–1)
Home runs:
KCR: Pat Sheridan (2)
TOR: None

World Series

Manager Dick Howser (to left of podium) presents President Ronald Reagan with a Royals jacket, hat, and bat at the White House. 1985 Kansas City Royals at White House.jpg
Manager Dick Howser (to left of podium) presents President Ronald Reagan with a Royals jacket, hat, and bat at the White House.

With the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the National League Championship Series, the 1985 World Series was destined to become one of the most memorable series for the cross-state rivals. It was popularly known as the Show-Me Series (Missouri is "the Show-Me State") and the I-70 Series. The 1985 World Series was played by National League rules, with no designated hitter, so the Royals were without the regular services of one of their best players, Hal McRae.

As they had done in the ALCS, the Royals lost three of their first four games with the Cardinals. The key game in the Royals' comeback was Game 6, a game famous for a tremendous Kansas City comeback, unfortunately belittled in St. Louis as due to supposed umpire errors. A call in the 4th inning cost the Royals their closest scoring opportunity when Frank White was called out after stealing second, and appearing on replay to have been safe, and the next batter, Pat Sheridan, got a hit. Facing elimination, the Royals trailed 1–0 in the bottom of the ninth inning before rallying to score two runs and win. In what has been called "one of the most controversial and famous plays in Series history", [7] Jorge Orta led off the bottom of the ninth with a ground ball to Cardinal first baseman Jack Clark, who flipped the ball to pitcher Todd Worrell covering first. First base umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe, but television replays showed that Worrell had beaten him to the base. Orta was later put out on the basepaths (the only out recorded in the inning), but Kansas City would go on to win as the Cardinals unravelled with a dropped pop up, a passed ball and poor pitching as the Royals capitalized on the opportunity. The Cardinals became completely undone in Game 7. The Royals' Bret Saberhagen pitched a five-hit shutout, allowing the Royals to win 11–0 and clinch the franchise's first World Series title as the Cardinals' pitchers fell apart. AL Kansas City Royals (4) vs NL St. Louis Cardinals (3)

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1St. Louis Cardinals – 3, Kansas City Royals – 1October 19 Royals Stadium 41,650 [8]
2St. Louis Cardinals – 4, Kansas City Royals – 2October 20 Royals Stadium 41,656 [9]
3Kansas City Royals – 6, St. Louis Cardinals – 1October 22 Busch Stadium II 53,634 [10]
4Kansas City Royals – 0, St. Louis Cardinals – 3October 23 Busch Stadium II 53,634 [11]
5Kansas City Royals – 6, St. Louis Cardinals – 1October 24 Busch Stadium II 53,634 [12]
6St. Louis Cardinals – 1, Kansas City Royals – 2October 26 Royals Stadium 41,628 [13]
7St. Louis Cardinals – 0, Kansas City Royals – 11October 27 Royals Stadium 41,658 [14]

Free agents

After the season these players became free agents:

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

PosPlayerGABRHHRRBIAvg.SB
C Jim Sundberg 11536738901035.2450
1B Steve Balboni 160600741463688.2431
2B Frank White 149563621402269.24910
3B George Brett 15555010818430112.3359
SS Onix Concepción 1313143264220.2044
LF Lonnie Smith 12044877115641.25740
CF Willie Wilson 14160587168443.27843
RF Darryl Motley 12338345851749.2226
DH Hal McRae 11232041831470.2590

[15]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

PlayerGABRHHRRBIAvg.SB
Jorge Orta 1103003280445.2672
Pat Sheridan 782061847317.22811
Lynn Jones 110152123209.2110
John Wathan 60145113419.2341
Buddy Biancalana 81138212616.1881
Dane Iorg 64130729121.2230
Greg Pryor 6311482513.2190
Omar Moreno 2470917212.2430
Jamie Quirk 195731604.2810
Dave Leeper 15341304.0880
Jim Scranton 641000.0000
Bob Hegman 100000----0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Walks allowed

PlayerGGSIPWLERASOBB
Charlie Leibrandt 3333237.21792.6910868
Bret Saberhagen 3232235.12062.8715838
Danny Jackson 3232208.014123.4211476
Bud Black 3333205.210154.3312259
Mark Gubicza 2928177.114104.069977

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLSVERASO
Steve Farr 1637.22113.1136

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGGSWLSVERASO
Dan Quisenberry 84089372.3754
Joe Beckwith 4901514.0780
Mike Jones 3313304.7832
Mike LaCoss 2101115.0926
Mark Huismann 901001.939
Larry Gura 3000112.462
Tony Ferreira 200007.945
Dennis Leonard 200000.001

Awards and honors

Cy Young Award
Bret Saberhagen
World Series MVP
Bret Saberhagen
Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award
Dan Quisenberry
ALCS MVP
George Brett
Gold Glove Award
Third base—George Brett
Silver Slugger Award
Third base—George Brett
Executive of the Year
General Manager John Schuerholz

Records and milestones

Batting

Triples

Home runs

Strikeouts

Pitching

Games pitched

Saves

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Omaha Royals American Association Gene Lamont
AA Memphis Chicks Southern League Tommy Jones
A Fort Myers Royals Florida State League Duane Gustavson
A-Short Season Eugene Emeralds Northwest League Frank Funk
Rookie GCL Royals Gulf Coast League Joe Jones

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Fort Myers

References

Notes:

  1. ↑ Danny Darwin Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  2. ↑ Jamie Quirk Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  3. ↑ Brian McRae Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  4. ↑ "Chris Jelic: Career Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  5. ↑ Deion Sanders Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  6. ↑ 1985 Opening Day Lineup at Baseball-Reference
  7. ↑ "Bad Call Gives Royals New Life". MLB.com. October 26, 1985. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  8. ↑ "1985 World Series Game 1 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  9. ↑ "1985 World Series Game 2 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  10. ↑ "1985 World Series Game 3 – Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  11. ↑ "1985 World Series Game 4 – Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  12. ↑ "1985 World Series Game 5 – Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  13. ↑ "1985 World Series Game 6 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  14. ↑ "1985 World Series Game 7 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  15. ↑ "1985 Kansas City Royals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
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