1985 St. Louis Cardinals season

The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals season was the Cardinals' 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 [1985 National League (baseball)|National League Championship Series|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 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.
December 12, 1984: George Hendrick and Steve Barnard were traded by the Cardinals to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Brian Harper and John Tudor.
January 3, 1985: Alex Cole was drafted by the Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 1985 amateur draft. Player signed May 6, 1985.
January 23, 1985: Mike LaValliere was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals.
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

Regular season

Opening Day starters

Notable transactions

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

Player stats

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

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

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
Iván DeJesús	59	72	16	.222	0	7
Steve Braun	64	67	16	.239	1	6
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

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
John Tudor	36	275.0	21	8	1.93	169
Joaquín Andújar	38	269.2	21	12	3.40	112
Danny Cox	35	241.0	18	9	2.88	131
Kurt Kepshire	32	153.1	10	9	4.75	67

Other pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Bob Forsch	34	136.0	9	6	2	3.90	48
Matt Keough	4	10.0	0	1	0	4.50	10

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Jeff Lahti	52	68.1	5	2	19	1.84	41
Ken Dayley	57	65.1	4	4	11	2.76	62
Ricky Horton	49	89.2	3	2	1	2.91	59
Bill Campbell	50	64.1	5	3	4	3.50	41
Neil Allen	23	29.0	1	4	2	5.59	10
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
Andy Hassler	10	10.0	0	1	0	1.80	5
Doug Bair	2	2.0	0	0	0	0.00	0

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 walk-off fashion in the bottom of the ninth inning, 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

Game 2

Thursday, October 10 at Dodger Stadium

Game 3

Saturday, October 12 at Busch Stadium

Game 4

Sunday, October 13 at Busch Stadium

Game 5

Monday, October 14 at Busch Stadium

Game 6

Wednesday, October 16 at Dodger Stadium

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 the Series as well. 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 vs. NL St. Louis Cardinals '''

Awards and honors

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

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Louisville