The 1985
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and ...
was a semifinal matchup in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
's
1985 postseason played between the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
and the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
from October 8 to 16.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
decided to extend the Championship Series in both leagues from its best-of-five (1969–1984) to the current best-of-seven format starting with this year, and it proved pivotal in the outcome of the ALCS. The Blue Jays seemingly put a stranglehold on the Series, earning a three games to one lead over the Royals after four games. However, Kansas City staged an improbable comeback, winning the next three games to win the American League Championship Series four games to three. The Royals would proceed to defeat their cross-state rivals, the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
, in the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
four games to three.
Background
The Royals had long been a contending team in the American League, with great regular season success but frustration in the playoffs. They won three consecutive
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams cu ...
division titles from 1976 to 1978, only to be defeated in the ALCS all three years by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. The Royals did manage to defeat the Yankees and win the ALCS in
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
; however, they lost the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
to the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
four games to two. In 1984, K.C. again won the West Division, but were swept in the ALCS by the eventual World champion
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, who won 20 more games during the regular season than the Royals. 1985 saw the
Royals post a record of 91–71 (.562) winning another West Division pennant, ahead of the
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
by a game.
By contrast, the Blue Jays franchise was established in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
, and the late 1970s and early 1980s for them were marked by the challenges faced by an expansion team. Beginning in
1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
, however, they played increasingly solid seasons, achieving their first winning season in
1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
and finishing second in the
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). T ...
in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
behind Detroit. 1985 proved to be a breakout year for Toronto, as they rode strong offense and pitching to the second-best record in Major League Baseball, at 99–62 (.615), winning the AL East by two games over the Yankees.
The playoff format was changed prior to this season to give the participating team with the better regular season record home field advantage for the ALCS. As a result, the Eastern division champion had the home-field advantage for the second consecutive year. From 1969–84 in the ALCS, the Western division champion automatically had home-field advantage in odd-numbered years and the Eastern division champion had it in even-numbered years.
Summary
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals
Game summaries
Game 1
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the series as the favorite to win the series. The first game featured Toronto pitcher
Dave Stieb and Kansas City pitcher
Charlie Leibrandt
Charles Louis Leibrandt Jr. (; born October 4, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1993 for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and Texas Rangers. Leibrandt was a member of the ...
at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Neither team was able to score runs in the first inning; however, in the second inning the Blue Jays offense became productive.
Jesse Barfield singled and advanced to second base when
Willie Upshaw was hit by a pitch.
Garth Iorg forced Barfield out at third, but with Iorg on first and Upshaw on second,
Ernie Whitt singled to score Upshaw with the first run of the series.
Tony Fernández singled to shortstop allowing Iorg to score, and a single by
Damaso Garcia loaded the bases with one out. Leibrandt induced a pop fly out by
Lloyd Moseby and a ground ball out by
George Bell.
After nearly breaking the game open in the second inning, the Blue Jays increased their lead in the third inning and Leibrandt was removed from the game. A double by
Cliff Johnson was followed by a base on balls to Barfield. The game was then forced into a rain delay. Whether the rain ended Leibrandt's effectiveness or the Jays simply figured him out, Upshaw's single loaded the bases with no outs and led to relief pitcher
Steve Farr entering the game.
Rance Mulliniks
Steven Rance Mulliniks (born January 15, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball player.
Playing career
Drafted as a shortstop, Mulliniks made his major league debut in for the California Angels, batting .269 in 78 games. He saw limi ...
singled to score Johnson and keep the bases loaded. A walk to Whitt scored Barfield to increase the score to 4–0. A sacrifice fly from Fernandez made it 5–0. Farr finally settled down and proceeded to get next two batters out; however, the Royals were down 5–0 en route to a 6–1 loss. The final Jays' run was scored when George Bell singled and scored on a throwing error by
Steve Balboni on a fielder's choice to the next batter, Cliff Johnson.
Willie Wilson scored the Royals' only run in the ninth inning when he singled, moved to third on a
George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
single, and scored on a fielders choice ground out by
Pat Sheridan. The Blue Jays scored six runs and left nine runners on base. Leibrandt was credited with the loss while Stieb pitched eight innings for the win and
Tom Henke
Thomas Anthony Henke (born December 21, 1957), nicknamed "the Terminator", is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Tex ...
pitched the ninth inning.
The victory gave the Jays a one-game to none lead in the ALCS.
Game 2
Game 2 produced excitement and controversy with the Blue Jays winning, 6–5, in ten innings. This game featured Royals' pitcher
Bud Black
Harry Ralston "Bud" Black (born June 30, 1957) is an American professional baseball manager and pitcher who most recently served as manager of the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 1981 through 1995, most not ...
against Toronto left-hander
Jimmy Key. The Royals scored in the third inning when
Buddy Biancalana singled and scored on an unexpected home run by the light-hitting
Willie Wilson to make the score 2–0. They increased their lead in the fourth inning when
Darryl Motley walked and scored on a double by
Jim Sundberg
James Howard Sundberg (born May 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player, television sports analyst, and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1974 to 1989, most prominently as a member of the Texas ...
. The Jays, trailing the game 3–0, got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning when
George Bell reached base on an error by
George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
and scored a run on
Cliff Johnson's double to decrease the gap to 3–1.
As in Game 1, rain interrupted the game with the Blue Jays at bat. In the sixth inning, with two outs and the Royals leading the game 3–1, Black hit Bell with a pitch, then Cliff Johnson singled to left field to put runners at first and second. Black threw a wild pitch, allowing the runners to advance. Blue Jays manager
Bobby Cox
Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...
pulled Johnson and sent in pinch-runner
Lou Thornton. This change was successful when Barfield singled up the middle to score both runners and tie the game at three runs apiece. Black retired Upshaw to end the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Royals manager
Dick Howser went to closer
Dan Quisenberry
Daniel Raymond Quisenberry (; February 7, 1953 – September 30, 1998), nicknamed "Quiz", was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Kansas City Royals. Notable for his Submarine (baseball), s ...
. With one out,
Lloyd Moseby singled, stole second base, and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher
Jim Sundberg
James Howard Sundberg (born May 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player, television sports analyst, and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1974 to 1989, most prominently as a member of the Texas ...
. When Moseby then scored on
George Bell's sacrifice fly, the Blue Jays were only three outs from a 2–0 series lead. Kansas City, however, would not go quietly. Leading off the ninth inning, reserve outfielder
Pat Sheridan pinch-hit for Motley and drilled a game-tying home run off
Tom Henke
Thomas Anthony Henke (born December 21, 1957), nicknamed "the Terminator", is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Tex ...
. Neither team scored over the rest of the ninth, and the game went into extra innings.
In the top of the tenth,
Willie Wilson hit a lead-off single and stole second with two outs.
Frank White then hit a low line drive on which center fielder Lloyd Moseby seemed to make a shoe-string catch. Replays showed that he may have made the play, but both Kubek and Costas agreed that it was very difficult to decide, even after watching it numerous times in slow motion. The play was ruled no catch, and White was credited with an RBI single. The Blue Jays then came to bat with a controversial one-run Kansas City lead.
The Blue Jays responded in their half of the tenth inning with an infield single by
Tony Fernández. Fernandez moved to second on Damaso Garcia's ground out and scored on Moseby's single, with Fernández running through third base coach
Jimy Williams
James Francis Williams (October 4, 1943 – January 26, 2024) was an American professional baseball infielder, Coach (baseball), coach and Manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 ...
' stop sign. Quisenberry then tried to pick off Moseby, but
Steve Balboni misplayed the throw to first base and Moseby advanced to second on the error.
Al Oliver
Albert Oliver Jr. (born October 14, 1946) is an Americans, American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams ...
's two out single brought Moseby home with the winning run and the Blue Jays headed to Kansas City with a two games to none series lead. Each closer was involved in the decision as Henke was credited the win and Quisenberry assigned the loss.
Game 3
In past years, a 2–0 hole would mean a must-win game, but the Royals entered Game 3 not having to win to keep playing but only to keep the series close. Game 3 saw the Royals send the 1985 Cy Young Award winner
Bret Saberhagen
Bret William Saberhagen (; born April 11, 1964) is an American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox fr ...
to the mound against
Doyle Alexander for the Blue Jays. And
George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
's one-man show put the Royals back into the series. Entering the game,
Dick Howser had an all-time postseason managerial record of 0–11.
With two outs in the first, Brett unloaded a home run to give the Royals a 1–0 lead. The Blue Jays threatened in the third when Garcia doubled and reached third on
Lonnie Smith's throwing error. Moseby grounded to Brett at third, who stunned everybody by gunning the ball home and getting Garcia to preserve the 1–0 Kansas City lead. In the fourth, Brett opened with a double, went to third on McRae's fly out to right, and scored on White's sacrifice fly to give the Royals a 2–0 lead.
But the Blue Jays fought back. In the fifth, Whitt singled and Barfield homered to tie the game at two. Garcia then doubled and scored when Moseby singled off of Saberhagen's leg.
Rance Mulliniks
Steven Rance Mulliniks (born January 15, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball player.
Playing career
Drafted as a shortstop, Mulliniks made his major league debut in for the California Angels, batting .269 in 78 games. He saw limi ...
then drilled a two-run homer and the Blue Jays were suddenly ahead 5–2 and were 15 defensive outs from taking a 3–0 series lead.
Bud Black
Harry Ralston "Bud" Black (born June 30, 1957) is an American professional baseball manager and pitcher who most recently served as manager of the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 1981 through 1995, most not ...
succeeded Saberhagen and promptly loaded the bases on singles by Johnson and Bell and a walk to Whitt. With Barfield, who had already homered, at the plate, Howser sent for
Steve Farr, who got the Royals out of the jam with a ground out.
The Royals fought back, getting a
Jim Sundberg
James Howard Sundberg (born May 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player, television sports analyst, and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1974 to 1989, most prominently as a member of the Texas ...
home run in the fifth to make it 5–3. In the sixth, Wilson singled and Brett hit his second homer of the night, tying the game at five.
Dennis Lamp replaced Alexander and retired the Royals without any further damage. In the eighth, Brett singled, went to second on McRae's bunt, went to third on White's infield grounder, and scored on Balboni's bloop single—Balboni's first hit of the series—to give the Royals a 6–5 lead. Howser stuck with Farr who got through the ninth in order, with the last out coming on a foul pop by
Lloyd Moseby, caught by Brett. With that, the Royals won, 6–5. Brett had arguably his best playoff performance ever, going 4 for 4 with a single, a double, two homers, three RBIs, four runs scored, and throwing out Garcia at the plate. The win narrowed the Blue Jays lead in the series to 2–1 entering Game 4 in Kansas City. It was Howser's first post-season win in 12 tries.
Game 4
In Game 4, Toronto prevailed 3–1, making it the second game of the series in which the Blue Jays won after trailing going into their final at bat. This gave Toronto a 3–1 lead in the best-of-seven series, and put them one win away from becoming the first team outside the United States to represent their league in the World Series.
The fourth game was a rematch of the pitchers who had started Game 1, with Stieb taking on Leibrandt. Entering the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Jays had only two hits and the Royals only one. A walk to
Lonnie Smith and a single to
Willie Wilson put runners at first and third with nobody out and the hot-hitting
George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
at the plate. Showing great respect for Brett's dominance in the series, Toronto manager
Bobby Cox
Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...
opted to intentionally walk him, loading the bases with nobody out. Initially, the play seemed to backfire, as Stieb walked
Hal McRae to give the Royals a 1–0 lead. Stieb got out of the inning by inducing a Sheridan pop out and a double play grounder from
Frank White.
Entering the ninth, it appeared the bases-loaded walk to McRae was going to be the difference in the game. Leibrandt opened the ninth having surrendered only four hits. A walk to
Damaso Garcia and a double by Moseby tied the game. Quisenberry entered the game and gave up a single to
George Bell and a double to
Al Oliver
Albert Oliver Jr. (born October 14, 1946) is an Americans, American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams ...
that scored Moseby and Bell, giving the Jays a 3–1 lead. The Royals did get two on with two out in the ninth, but Henke got out of the jam and emerged as the winning pitcher for the second time in three games.
Game 5
A well-rested
Danny Jackson pitched for Kansas City trying to stave off elimination in the ALCS. The Blue Jays sent in their own well-rested starter,
Jimmy Key, to pitch with the goal of playing in the World Series for the first time in franchise history.
In the bottom of the first inning,
Lonnie Smith doubled, stole third, and scored on a ground out by
George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
. In the second inning,
Frank White reached first on a bunt, advanced to third on a Balboni single, and scored on a
sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d):
"Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...
by
Darryl Motley.
Danny Jackson earned the victory. The Blue Jays scattered eight hits but couldn't score a run. In the fourth inning, the Jays led off with back to back singles but were unable to score after
George Bell was thrown out by Royals Left fielder
Lonnie Smith after trying to go first to third on a single to left. In the fifth inning, the Blue Jays had runners on second and third with no outs and were again unable to do anything. In the sixth inning, they loaded the bases with two outs and again failed to score. Through the final three innings, no Toronto hitter was able to reach base. Jackson pitched a complete-game shutout to cut the Blue Jays lead to three games to two, sending the series back to Toronto.
Game 6
A win for the Royals in the first ever LCS Game 6 would force the first ever Game 7 while a win for the Blue Jays would earn the franchise its first appearance in the World Series. Game 6 was the first series appearance for pitcher
Mark Gubicza, who started for the Royals against Blue Jays pitcher
Doyle Alexander, the Game 3 starter for Toronto.
In the top of the first inning, walks to Wilson and Brett allowed the Royals' Willie Wilson to score a run when Hal McRae singled. The Blue Jays tied the score in the bottom of the first inning when Garcia doubled, Moseby singled, and Garcia scored when Mulliniks grounded into a double play. In the top of the third inning, George Brett reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a double by
Hal McRae. The Blue Jays responded when Fernandez doubled to left field and moved up to third base on a wild pitch by Gubicza. Fernandez then scored on Moseby's ground out to tie the score at 2–2.
In the fifth inning, Brett hit his third home run of the series—all of them against Blue Jays' pitcher
Doyle Alexander—and the Royals led the game 3–2. In the sixth inning, Sundberg reached on a base on balls and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Sundberg subsequently scored on a double by
Buddy Biancalana. Biancalana advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on
Lonnie Smith's double. The Blue Jays scored one run when Moseby singled, advanced to second base with a base on balls to Upshaw. Moseby scored on
Cliff Johnson's single to make the score 5–3, but the Royals held on and tied the series at three wins apiece.
Game 7
Earlier in the day,
Jack Clark put the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
into the World Series with a three-run home run off the
Dodgers' reliever
Tom Niedenfuer. The American League opponent would be the winner of this ALCS Game 7, promising an intriguing match-up for the World Championship: either an
I-70 Series between Missouri's two major league teams, or the first appearance of a franchise from outside the United States. The Blue Jays sent
Dave Stieb to the mound for the third time in the series, as the Jays had won both of his previous starts. The Royals countered with
Bret Saberhagen
Bret William Saberhagen (; born April 11, 1964) is an American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox fr ...
, who was pitching for the first time since his injury in Game 3.
Up to this point, the Royals had scored the first run in every game except Game 1. This trend continued when
Pat Sheridan reached on a bunt, advanced to second base on a fielder's choice by Balboni, and scored on a single by
Jim Sundberg
James Howard Sundberg (born May 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player, television sports analyst, and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1974 to 1989, most prominently as a member of the Texas ...
. In the bottom of the third inning, the Blue Jays hit Saberhagen with a batted ball (off of his pitching hand) for the second time in the series, with Mulliniks winding up at second base. Saberhagen continued in the inning and retired the side, but as he started to warm up for the following inning, his pitching hand seemed to be bothering him, and in an abundance of caution with the Royals not wanting to risk losing him for a potential World Series, he was removed from the game, and Leibrandt came on to pitch for the Royals.
In the fourth inning, Sheridan homered, giving the Royals a 2–0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, the Blue Jays reduced the lead to one when Garcia singled and scored on Upshaw's double. With the score 2–1, the Royals came to bat in the sixth inning against a tiring Stieb. Wilson hit a fly ball out, Brett walked and McRae was hit by a pitch. Sheridan subsequently hit into a fielder's choice that forced Brett out at third base, putting runners at first and second with two outs. Stieb then walked Balboni to face the presumably lesser hitting threat, Jim Sundberg. Sundberg drilled a high drive toward right field that hit the top of the fence and bounced high in the air, landing in play next to
Jesse Barfield. All three runners, running on contact with two outs, scored easily and Sundberg stood at third base with a three-run triple, giving the Royals a 5–1 lead. Blue Jays relief pitcher
Jim Acker entered for Stieb and gave up a base hit single to
Frank White that allowed Sundberg to score, increasing the lead to 6–1.
Leibrandt was still on the mound to start the ninth inning. With one out, he gave up a single to Barfield and a double to Fernandez. Quisenberry made his third appearance of the series, and a chance to send the Royals to the World Series. He allowed one of the inherited runners to score on a ground out and closed out the game, giving the Royals a 6–2 win in Game 7. They became the first team to overcome a 3–1 deficit in the LCS. Kansas City Royals'
George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
was 8 for 23 with two doubles, three home runs, five RBIs, seven walks, and a .348 batting average. Brett was named the series MVP, having played a role in 11 of Kansas City's 26 runs, scoring six and driving in five.
This would be the last postseason game played at Exhibition Stadium; the next postseason appearance for the Blue Jays would come in
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
, their first season in the then-new
SkyDome
Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...
.
Composite box
1985 ALCS (4–3):
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
over
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
Aftermath

The seventh game of the series was the end of the line for Blue Jays' manager
Bobby Cox
Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...
. Six days after the game ended, he left the organization to become the general manager of the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
.
The Royals went on to win the
1985 World Series against the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
by again coming back from a 3–1 series deficit to take the title in seven games. 1985 would be the last ALCS for Kansas City for 30 years.
With their ALCS and World Series victories, the Royals would seemingly past their previous October misfortunate onto the Blue Jays, as 1985 was the start of a series of pennant race heartbreak for Toronto. In
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, the Blue Jays had been in first place by 3½ games over the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
with a week left to play, but they dropped their next seven games in a row, capped off by a sweep at the hands of the second-place Tigers at
Tiger Stadium on the last weekend of the season, and lost the division by two games. In
1988, the Jays mounted a 22-7 run in September/October, but again fell 2 games short of the AL East champion
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
. In
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
, their first full season in the
SkyDome
Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...
, the Blue Jays led the division by 1½ games over the
Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ch ...
with one week left in the season. However, they then proceeded to drop six of their last eight games, losing the division title to the Red Sox by a two-game margin, the third time in four seasons they finished two games back. Toronto won the
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). T ...
in
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
and
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
, but were quickly eliminated by
Oakland
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
(
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
) and
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
(
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
) in the ALCS, with both teams going on to win the World Series. Toronto would not break through for a World Series berth until
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
, when the team defeated former manager
Bobby Cox
Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...
and the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
in the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
. They won again in
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
, becoming the first champions to repeat since the
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
-
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
New York Yankees.
The two teams met again in the
2015 ALCS, with the Royals holding home-field advantage that time. In a reverse of the 1985 series, the Royals took a 3–1 lead, winning games 1, 2, and 4. There would be no series comeback, however, as the Royals won in a decisive sixth game on their way to a
second World Series title.
While both NLCS and ALCS had teams comeback from a 2-0 deficit in the first year of the expanded seven game series format in 1985, it would become increasingly more rare in the subsequent years afterwards. In the American League, it has only happened one other time under the seven game format, which was in the
2004 ALCS. In that series, the Red Sox actually came back from a
3-0 series deficit against the Yankees, also becoming the first team in MLB history to accomplish this feat.
References
External links
1985 ALCS at Baseball-ReferenceMLB Network Remembers: 1985 ALCS
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American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and ...
American League Championship Series
Kansas City Royals postseason
Toronto Blue Jays postseason
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and ...
History of Canada (1982–1992)
1985 in sports in Missouri
20th century in Kansas City, Missouri
1985 in Toronto
October 1985 sports events in the United States
Baseball competitions in Kansas City, Missouri
Baseball competitions in Toronto