1985 ALCS George Brett .462 vs White Sox
The 1985 Royals: first World Series title, ALCS win over Blue Jays, and a season of pitching dominance.
The 1985 Kansas City Royals season was the 17th season in Royals franchise history. It ended with the Royals' 1st World Series champion over their intrastate rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Quick Facts
- Player
- George Brett
- Series
- 1985 ALCS vs. Toronto Blue Jays
- Battling line
- 15-for-32 (.462)
- Series result
- Royals won, 4 games to 3
- Brett's role
- Third baseman; number-three hitter
- Franchise context
- Royals' second ALCS appearance in three years (1980, 1985)
Lore & Background
The Royals won the American League West Division 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. In the postseason, the Royals went on to win the 1985 American League Championship Series 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.
Reader's Guide
The 1985 ALCS was against the Toronto Blue Jays. Brett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, not 1990.
Did You Know?
- The Royals did not return to the postseason until 2014 and won the World Series again in 2015.
- The World Series against the Cardinals is remembered in St. Louis for umpires' supposedly blown calls in Game Six, including a blown call by umpire Don Denkinger that allowed Jorge Orta to reach first.
- The team was managed by Dick Howser in his fourth and final full season with the Royals.
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