1985 St. Louis Cardinals season

1985 St. Louis Cardinals
NL Champions NL East Champions
Major League affiliations
National League (since 1892)
Eastern Division (since 1969)
Location
Busch Memorial Stadium (since 1966)
St. Louis, Missouri (since 1882)
Results
Record	101–61 (.623)
Divisional place	1st
Other information
Owner(s)	August "Gussie" Busch
General manager(s)	Dal Maxvill
Manager(s)	Whitey Herzog
Local television	KSDK (Jack Buck, Mike Shannon, Jay Randolph, Al Hrabosky)
Local radio	KMOX (Jack Buck, Mike Shannon)
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The St. Louis Cardinals' 1985 season was the team's 104th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 94th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 101-61 during the season and finished in first place in the National League East division by three games over the New York Mets. After defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the NLCS, they lost in seven games in the World Series to their cross-state rivals, the Kansas City Royals in the I-70 Series. The World Series is known, somewhat unfortunately, for the infamous "safe" call on the Royals' Jorge Orta by umpire Don Denkinger.

The Cardinals switched back to their traditional gray road uniforms for the first time in ten seasons.

Outfielder Willie McGee won the National League MVP Award this year, batting .353 with 10 home runs and 82 RBIs. Outfielder Vince Coleman won the National League Rookie of the Year Award this year, batting .267 with 107 runs scored and 110 stolen bases. Shortstop Ozzie Smith and McGee both won Gold Gloves this year.

During the 1985 playoffs, the Cardinals used the slogan The Heat Is On, in reference to the song that was released earlier that year.

Offseason

• November 9, 1984: Dave Von Ohlen was released by the Cardinals.^[1]
• December 12, 1984: George Hendrick and Steve Barnard (minors) were traded by the Cardinals to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Brian Harper and John Tudor.^[2]
• January 3, 1985: Alex Cole was drafted by the Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 1985 amateur draft. Player signed May 6, 1985.^[3]
• January 23, 1985: Mike LaValliere was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals.^[4]
• February 1, 1985: Dave LaPoint, David Green, José Uribe and Gary Rajsich were traded by the Cardinals to the San Francisco Giants for Jack Clark^[5]

Regular season

Opening Day starters

• Steve Braun
• Jack Clark
• Bob Forsch
• Tom Herr
• Mike LaValliere
• Willie McGee
• Terry Pendleton
• Ozzie Smith
• Andy Van Slyke

Season standings

NL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
St. Louis Cardinals	101	61	0.623	—	54–27	47–34
New York Mets	98	64	0.605	3	51–30	47–34
Montreal Expos	84	77	0.522	16½	44–37	40–40
Chicago Cubs	77	84	0.478	23½	41–39	36–45
Philadelphia Phillies	75	87	0.463	26	41–40	34–47
Pittsburgh Pirates	57	104	0.354	43½	35–45	22–59

Record vs. opponents

1985 National League Records Sources:
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MON	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
Atlanta	—	5–7	7–11	8–10	5–13	3–9	2–10	10–2	6–6	7–11	10–8	3–9
Chicago	7–5	—	5–6	5–7	5–7	7–11	4–14	13–5	13–5	8–4	6–6	4–14
Cincinnati	11–7	6–5	—	11–7	7–11	8–4	4–8	7–5	9–3	9–9	12–6	5–7
Houston	10–8	7–5	7–11	—	6–12	6–6	4–8	4–8	6–6	12–6	15–3	6–6
Los Angeles	13–5	7–5	11–7	12–6	—	7–5	7–5	4–8	8–4	8–10	11–7	7–5
Montreal	9–3	11–7	4–8	6–6	5–7	—	9–9	8–10	9–8	5–7	7–5	11–7
New York	10–2	14–4	8–4	8–4	5–7	9–9	—	11–7	10–8	7–5	8–4	8–10
Philadelphia	2-10	5–13	5–7	8–4	8–4	10–8	7–11	—	11–7	5–7	6–6	8–10
Pittsburgh	6–6	5–13	3–9	6–6	4–8	8–9	8–10	7–11	—	4–8	3–9	3–15
San Diego	11–7	4–8	9–9	6–12	10–8	7–5	5–7	7–5	8–4	—	12–6	4–8
San Francisco	8–10	6–6	6–12	3–15	7–11	5–7	4–8	6–6	9–3	6–12	—	2–10
St. Louis	9–3	14–4	7–5	6–6	5–7	7–11	10–8	10–8	15–3	8–4	10–2	—

Notable transactions

• April 21, 1985: Matt Keough was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals.^[6]
• June 3, 1985: Steve Peters was drafted by the Cardinals in the 5th round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft.^[7]
• July 22, 1985: Gary Rajsich was purchased by the Cardinals from the San Francisco Giants.^[5]
• August 29, 1985: Mark Jackson (minors) was traded by the Cardinals to the Cincinnati Reds for César Cedeño.^[8]

Roster

1985 St. Louis Cardinals
Roster
Pitchers 13 Neil Allen 47 Joaquín Andújar 40 Doug Bair 36 Joe Boever 39 Bill Campbell 34 Danny Cox 46 Ken Dayley 31 Bob Forsch 44,41 Andy Hassler 49 Ricky Horton 33 Matt Keough 50 Kurt Kepshire 32 Jeff Lahti 37 Pat Perry 30 John Tudor 38 Todd Worrell		Catchers 10 Randy Hunt 10 Mike LaValliere 23 Tom Nieto 15 Darrell Porter Infielders  7 César Cedeño 22 Jack Clark 11 Iván DeJesús 28 Tom Herr  7 Art Howe 19 Mike Jorgensen 12 Tom Lawless  9 Terry Pendleton  1 Ozzie Smith		Outfielders 26 Steve Braun 29 Vince Coleman 27 Curt Ford 25 Brian Harper 21 Tito Landrum 51 Willie McGee 27 Lonnie Smith 18 Andy Van Slyke		Manager 24 Whitey Herzog Coaches  8 Hal Lanier 16 Nick Leyva  3 Dave Ricketts  4 Mike Roarke  2 Red Schoendienst

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

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

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Tom Nieto	95	253	57	.225	0	34
1B	Jack Clark	126	442	124	.281	22	87
2B	Tom Herr	159	596	180	.302	8	110
SS	Ozzie Smith	158	537	148	.276	6	54
3B	Terry Pendleton	149	559	134	.240	5	69
LF	Vince Coleman	151	636	170	.267	1	40
CF	Willie McGee	152	612	216	.353	10	82
RF	Andy Van Slyke	146	424	110	.259	13	55

Other batters

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Darrell Porter	84	240	53	.221	10	36
Tito Landrum	85	161	45	.280	4	21
Mike Jorgensen	72	112	22	.196	0	11
Lonnie Smith	28	96	25	.260	0	7
César Cedeño	28	76	33	.434	6	19
Steve Braun	64	67	16	.239	1	6
Iván DeJesús	59	72	16	.222	0	7
Tom Lawless	47	58	12	.207	0	8
Brian Harper	43	52	13	.250	0	8
Mike LaValliere	12	34	5	.147	0	6
Randy Hunt	14	19	3	.158	0	1
Curt Ford	11	12	6	.500	0	3
Art Howe	4	3	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
John Tudor	36	275	21	8	1.93	169
Joaquín Andújar	38	269.2	21	12	3.40	112
Danny Cox	35	241	18	9	2.88	131
Kurt Kepshire	32	153.1	10	9	4.75	67
Bob Forsch	34	136	9	6	3.90	48

Other pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Todd Worrell	17	21.2	3	0	5	2.91	17
Joe Boever	13	16.1	0	0	0	4.41	20
Pat Perry	6	12.1	1	0	0	0.00	6
Matt Keough	4	10	0	1	0	4.50	10
Andy Hassler	10	10	0	1	0	1.80	5
Doug Bair	2	2	0	0	0	0.00	0

Relief pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Jeff Lahti	52	68.1	5	2	19	1.84	41
Ricky Horton	49	89.2	3	2	1	2.91	59
Ken Dayley	57	65.1	4	4	11	2.76	62
Bill Campbell	50	64.1	5	3	4	3.50	41
Neil Allen	23	29	1	4	2	5.59	10

NLCS

The NLCS against the Dodgers featured two game-winning home runs by shortstop Ozzie Smith in Game 5 and first baseman Jack Clark in Game 6, both off Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer. In a rare display of power-hitting, Smith hit his in the extra innings, prompting the famous call of "Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!" by Jack Buck. This play is considered one of the key highlights in all of Cardinals' history.

Game 1

Wednesday, October 9 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	8	1
Los Angeles	0	0	0	1	0	3	0	0	X	4	8	0
W: Fernando Valenzuela (1-0)  L: John Tudor (0-1)   SV: Tom Niedenfuer (1)
HRs: LAD – None   STL – None

Game 2

Thursday, October 10 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	8	1
Los Angeles	0	0	3	2	1	2	0	0	X	8	13	1
W: Orel Hershiser (1-0)  L: Joaquín Andújar (0-1)   SV: None
HRs: LAD – Greg Brock (1)   STL – None

Game 3

Saturday, October 12 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	7	2
St. Louis	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	4	8	0
W: Danny Cox (1-0)  L: Bob Welch (0-1)   SV: Ken Dayley (1)
HRs: LAD – None   STL – Tom Herr (1)

Game 4

Sunday, October 13 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	5	1
St. Louis	0	9	0	1	1	0	0	1	X	12	15	0
W: John Tudor (1-0)  L: Jerry Reuss (0-1)   SV: None
HRs: LAD – Bill Madlock (1)   STL – None

Game 5

Monday, October 14 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	1
St. Louis	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	5	1
W: Jeff Lahti (1-0)  L: Tom Niedenfuer (0-1)   SV: None
HRs: LAD – Bill Madlock (2)   STL – Ozzie Smith (1)

Game 6

Wednesday, October 16 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	3	7	12	1
Los Angeles	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	5	8	0
W: Todd Worrell (1-0)  L: Tom Niedenfuer (0-2)   SV: Ken Dayley (2)
HRs: LAD – Bill Madlock (3)   Mike Marshall (1)   STL – Jack Clark (1)

World Series

The 1985 World Series was christened the "I-70 Series" and the "Show-Me Series" because it featured the in-state rival Kansas City Royals, the first time the two teams met in a non-exhibition setting. It also featured some of the most controversial series of events in Cardinals history. Coleman was unable to play in this Series due to an injury sustained in the NLCS after being rolled up in the mechanical tarpaulin at Busch Stadium. Scribes remarked about the "killer tarp", but it proved metaphorical.

After St. Louis gained a 3–2 series advantage, Game 6 tipped off the controversy with "The Call". With the Cardinals leading 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, umpire Don Denkinger called Royals batter Jorge Orta safe at first base — a call refuted by broadcast television's instant replay. Several batters later, they lost Game 6 by the score of 2–1. After "The Call", St. Louis proceeded to lose Game 7 by a score of 11-0, and thus, the Series, due to an error and passed ball. Despite both of their pitching aces participating in this game, they failed to come through — starter John Tudor, who had won his two prior starts in the Series, punched a mechanical fan when removed from the game. His severely cut pitching hand required stitching at a Kansas City hospital while the game was ongoing. Joaquín Andújar, the other ace pressed into relief, was ejected by home plate umpire Denkinger for arguing balls and strikes.

AL Kansas City Royals (4) vs. NL St. Louis Cardinals (3)

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance	Time of Game
1	Cardinals – 3, Royals – 1	October 19	Royals Stadium (Kansas City)	41,650	2:48
2	Cardinals – 4, Royals – 2	October 20	Royals Stadium (Kansas City)	41,656	2:44
3	Royals – 6, Cardinals – 1	October 22	Busch Stadium (St. Louis)	53,634	3:00
4	Royals – 0, Cardinals – 3	October 23	Busch Stadium (St. Louis)	53,634	2:19
5	Royals – 6, Cardinals – 1	October 24	Busch Stadium (St. Louis)	53,634	2:52
6	Cardinals – 1, Royals – 2	October 26	Royals Stadium (Kansas City)	41,628	2:48
7	Cardinals – 0, Royals – 11	October 27	Royals Stadium (Kansas City)	41,658	2:46

Awards and honors

• Vince Coleman, National League Rookie of the Year Award
• Vince Coleman, Major League Baseball Stolen Base Leader (110)
• Whitey Herzog, Associated Press Manager of the Year
• Ozzie Smith, Shortstop, Golden Glove Award
• Willie McGee, Outfield, Golden Glove Award

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Louisville Redbirds	American Association	Jim Fregosi
AA	Arkansas Travelers	Texas League	Jim Riggleman
A	St. Petersburg Cardinals	Florida State League	Dave Bialas
A	Springfield Cardinals	Midwest League	Lloyd Merritt
A	Savannah Cardinals	South Atlantic League	Gaylen Pitts
A-Short Season	Erie Cardinals	New York–Penn League	Fred Koenig
Rookie	Johnson City Cardinals	Appalachian League	Rich Hacker

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Louisville

References

1. Dave Von Ohlen at Baseball Reference
2. Brian Harper at Baseball Reference
3. Alex Cole at Baseball Reference
4. Mike LaValliere at Baseball Reference
5. Gary Rajsich at Baseball Reference
6. Matt Keough at Baseball Reference
7. Steve Peters at Baseball Reference
8. Cesar Cedeno at Baseball Reference

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.

External links

• 1985 St. Louis Cardinals
• 1985 St. Louis Cardinals at Baseball Almanac