| 1985 World Series | ||||||||||
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| Dates | October 19–27 | |||||||||
| Venue(s) | Royals Stadium (Kansas City) Busch Stadium (St. Louis) | |||||||||
| MVP | Bret Saberhagen (Kansas City) | |||||||||
| Umpires | Don Denkinger (AL), Billy Williams (NL), Jim McKean (AL), Bob Engel (NL), John Shulock (AL), Jim Quick (NL) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Royals: John Schuerholz (GM) George Brett Cardinals: Whitey Herzog (manager) Ozzie Smith | |||||||||
| Broadcast | ||||||||||
| Television | ABC | |||||||||
| TV announcers | Al Michaels, Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver | |||||||||
| Radio | CBS WIBW (KC) KMOX (STL) | |||||||||
| Radio announcers | Jack Buck and Sparky Anderson (CBS, KMOX) Denny Matthews and Fred White (WIBW) | |||||||||
| Streaming | ||||||||||
| ALCS | Kansas City Royals over Toronto Blue Jays (4–3) | |||||||||
| NLCS | St. Louis Cardinals over Los Angeles Dodgers (4–2) | |||||||||
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The 1985 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1985 season. The 82nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Royals upset the heavily favored Cardinals in seven games. The Series was popularly known as the "Show-Me Series" or the "I-70 Showdown Series," as both cities are in the state of Missouri which is nicknamed the "Show Me State" and are connected by Interstate 70.
The Cardinals won the NL East division by three games over the New York Mets, then defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers four games to two in the NL Championship Series. The Royals won the AL West division by one game over the California Angels, then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays four games to three in the AL Championship Series.
The Cardinals were seeking to win their NL-leading 10th World Series title, while the Royals were seeking their first World Series title. The Royals were completing one of the most successful decades by any expansion team, with six division titles and two pennants from 1976 to 1985. This was the first World Series in which all games were played at night. Also, this was the second all-Missouri World Series; the first in 1944 was all-St. Louis series between the Cardinals and Browns (a decade later, they became the Baltimore Orioles). This was the second of five World Series played completely on artificial turf; the first was in 1980 and the others were in 1987, 1993 and 2020.
This is the most recent World Series in which the designated hitter was not used in an AL baseball park. From 1976 to 1985, the DH was used in all games in even-numbered years. In odd-numbered years, like this World Series, the pitchers from both were required to bat for themselves throughout the series, as in the National League. Beginning with the next World Series, the DH rule was used only at the AL representative's park.[1]
The 1985 World Series is best remembered for an incorrect safe call made by first base umpire Don Denkinger in Game 6. With St. Louis leading the World Series 3-2 and in possession of a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, Denkinger incorrectly called Jorge Orta safe. The Royals won the game 2-1 on a two-run walk-off single and then won Game 7 by a score of 11-0.[2]
The 1985 World Series marked the fifth time in World Series history that a team came back from a three games to one deficit to win a championship, and the first in which that team lost the first two games of the series at home (in the following year's Series, the New York Mets won after losing the first two series games at home). Bret Saberhagen's victories in Games 3 and 7, allowing only a single run across his two starts, earned him the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.
In their 17th season, the Royals won their first World Series title; their next appearance was 29 years later in 2014 against the San Francisco Giants, but they lost in seven games. A year later, the Royals won their second title, over the New York Mets.
- ^ Miller, Stuart (October 28, 2009). "In the D.H., No Obvious Advantage". New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
From 1976 through 1985, in a policy seemingly inspired by that era's gasoline shortages, the even-numbered years featured a D.H. in every World Series game and the odd-numbered years had no D.H. at all.
- ^ Blum, Ronald (May 13, 2023). "Don Denkinger, umpire whose stellar career was overshadowed by blown call, dead at 86". Associated Press News.