1985 World Series - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Game 1

Saturday, October 19, 1985 at Royals Stadium

Kauffman Stadium

Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex...

in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

Game 2

Sunday, October 20, 1985 at Royals Stadium

Kauffman Stadium

in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Charlie Leibrandt

Charles Louis "Charlie" Leibrandt, Jr. is a 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 productive pitcher throughout his 14 year career, and a member of the 1985 World Series...

continued a history of tough luck in the postseason. The previous year, he had lost Game 3 of the 1984 ALCS

1984 American League Championship Series

-Game 1:Tuesday, October 2, 1984 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriGame 1 was a blowout in Kansas City, as Jack Morris pitched seven innings and allowed a single run, with Willie Hernandez pitching the final two innings. The Tigers scored eight runs...

, 1–0, to the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

when he pitched a three-hit complete game. He lost Game 4 in the 1985 ALCS in the ninth inning. And clinging to a two-run lead in the ninth, manager Dick Howser

Dick Howser

Richard Dalton Howser was an American Major League Baseball shortstop, coach and manager. He is best known as the manager of the Kansas City Royals during the 1980s, and for guiding them to the franchise's only World Series title in 1985.-Playing career:A native of Miami, Florida, Howser grew up...

opted to not send in his relief ace Dan Quisenberry

Dan Quisenberry

Dan Raymond "Quiz" Quisenberry was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Kansas City Royals...

to close out the game. Leibrandt faltered, and only one out from tying the series at one apiece, Leibrandt yielded a bases loaded double to Terry Pendleton

Terry Pendleton

Terry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...

that scored three runs and gave the Cardinals a 4–2 win at Royals Stadium

Kauffman Stadium

Game 3

Tuesday, October 22, 1985 at Busch Stadium (II)

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

The Royals got back into the series by riding ace Bret Saberhagen

Bret Saberhagen

Bret William Saberhagen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher.-Early years:Bret Saberhagen attended Grover Cleveland High School, located in Reseda, California. Saberhagen starred in both basketball and baseball...

to a 6–1 victory against twenty-game winner Joaquín Andújar

Joaquín Andújar

Joaquín Andújar is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball while playing with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-80s.-Early years:...

. Saberhagen flashed messages on the television screen to his pregnant wife who was due to give birth any day. She eventually gave birth on October 26 (in Game 6).

Royals second baseman Frank White made history by becoming the first second baseman in the history of the World Series to hit in the clean-up spot in the batting order. White came through with a home run off of Andujar.

Game 4

Wednesday, October 23, 1985 at Busch Stadium (II)

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

John Tudor's complete game shutout put the Cardinals on the verge of winning their second World Series in four years. Tito Landrum

Tito Landrum

Terry Lee Landrum , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1980-1988....

, only playing due to a tarp injury to Vince Coleman

Vince Coleman

Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from to and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.-Biography:Coleman attended...

, continued to make his case for series MVP with a home run.

Game 5

Thursday, October 24, 1985 at Busch Stadium (II)

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

Entering this game, the Royals were 3–0 in must-win games in playoff elimination games. They improved their record to 4–0 with decisive victory over the Cardinals, again by the score of 6–1. Danny Jackson

Danny Jackson

Danny Lynn Jackson was a pitcher with a 15-year career from to . He played for the Kansas City Royals of the American League and the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, St...

was the winning pitcher, following the same formula and pitching rotation as the Royals did in the ALCS where Jackson also won Game 5.

Game 6

Saturday, October 26, 1985 at Royals Stadium

Kauffman Stadium

in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

A pitcher's duel unfolded between Danny Cox

Danny Cox

Danny Bradford Cox , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1983 to 1988, the Philadelphia Phillies from 1991 to 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992, and then the Toronto Blue Jays from 1993 to 1995, when he retired...

and Charlie Leibrandt

Charlie Leibrandt

, the tough-luck loser in Game 2. They traded goose eggs until the eighth, when Brian Harper

Brian Harper

Brian David Harper is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs' AA club, the Tennessee Smokies.-Minor leagues:Harper was drafted by the California Angels in...

singled home Terry Pendleton to give the Cardinals the lead and the probable clinching victory.

The game was marked by controversy. In the fourth inning of the scoreless game, the Royals' Frank White appeared to have stolen second base, but was called out. The following batter, Pat Sheridan, hit a single to right field.

Whitey Herzog

Whitey Herzog

Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...

called on rookie reliever Todd Worrell

Todd Worrell

Todd Roland Worrell is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers from to ....

to pitch the ninth. The first batter, Jorge Orta

Jorge Orta

Jorge Orta Núñez is a retired professional baseball player.He made his debut with the Chicago White Sox on April 15, 1972. Through the 1970s, he played usually second baseman but also third baseman and also some outfield...

, sent a routine bouncer to Jack Clark

Jack Clark (baseball)

Jack Anthony Clark , also known as "Jack the Ripper," is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1975 through 1992, Clark played for the San Francisco Giants , St. Louis Cardinals , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox...

. He tossed to Worrell, who tagged the bag ahead of Orta, but umpire Don Denkinger

Don Denkinger

Donald Anton Denkinger is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1998. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for an incorrect call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World...

called Orta safe. Every replay angle indicated that Orta was indeed out, and a lengthy argument ensued on the field. The Cardinals argued briefly but Denkinger would not reverse his call, and the runner remained at first. In his book "You're Missing A Great Game", Herzog wrote that he later wished he had asked Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, who was in attendance, to overrule the call and declare Orta out. If Uberroth had refused to do so, Herzog would have pulled his team from the field and forfeited the game.

Instead of one out and no one on, the Royals now had no outs and a runner on first for batter Steve Balboni

Steve Balboni

Stephen Charles Balboni is a retired Major League Baseball player with the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers. He was a player with home run power and a tendency to strike out. He was nicknamed "Bye Bye" because of his home run hitting prowess...

. Balboni lifted a routine pop-up in foul territory along the first base dugout. Jack Clark had to play in while guarding the runner at first. He was not in position, but attempted to circle over to make the catch before being crossed off by Porter, who had difficulty following the ball. It fell harmlessly beside Clark. Balboni promptly singled, putting runners at first and second with nobody out. Onix Concepcion was sent in as a pinch-runner for Balboni. Catcher Jim Sundberg attempted to sacrifice the runners over, but his bunt was fielded by Worrell and thrown to third for the forceout of Orta. Porter then allowed a passed ball allowing the runners to advance one base.

With first base now open and two runners in scoring position, Herzog then chose to walk Royals pinch-hitter Hal McRae to set up a potential double-play. With the bases loaded and one out, pinch-hitter Dane Iorg

Dane Iorg

Dane Charles Iorg is a retired Major League Baseball infielder and outfielder. He played for ten seasons for four teams, including eight seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is the brother of former third basemen Garth Iorg; they played against each other in the 1985 American League...

blooped a single to right field. Pinch runner Onix Concepcion

Onix Concepcion

Onix Cardona Concepción Cardona in Dorado, Puerto Rico, is a retired Major League Baseball shortstop. He is the cousin of former MLB player José Lind....

scored the tying run and Sundberg approached the plate with the winning run. Andy Van Slyke's throw was on the money, but Porter was unable to tag Sundberg before he slid home safely with the game-winning run.

The Royals celebrated this stunning turnaround, and mobbed home plate. The Cardinals went to their dressing rooms in stunned disbelief, only to find champagne waiting for them and plastic over their lockers in anticipation for the celebration. Denkinger stated that he still believed he had made the right call until he later met with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth

Peter Ueberroth

Peter Victor Ueberroth is an American executive. He served as the sixth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989. He was recently the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee; he was replaced by Larry Probst in October 2008....

after the game and had the opportunity to see the replay himself. Denkinger was also scheduled to be the home plate umpire in Game 7.

See also:

MLB.com's coverage Game 6
The Call

Game 7

Sunday, October 27, 1985 at Royals Stadium

Kauffman Stadium

in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

One night after becoming a father, Bret Saberhagen

Bret Saberhagen

tossed a five-hitter and the Royals became the only team to ever come from a three games to one deficit twice in the same postseason to win the World Series. They also were the first team to lose the first two games at home and rally to win the Series. Saberhagen got all the offense he needed when Darryl Motley

Darryl Motley

Darryl DeWayne Motley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played six seasons for the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves between and . In his MLB career, Motley played in 413 games, hit 44 home runs, 324 hits, 159 RBIs, and batted .243...

homered to left off John Tudor in the second inning. Tudor left the game trailing 5–0 in the third, and hit a power fan that resulted in a cut fingertip.

In the long fifth inning, the Cardinals came completely unglued. A succession of five Cardinal pitchers allowed six Royals runs. Jeff Lahti

Jeff Lahti

Jeffrey Allen Lahti was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an alumnus of Portland State University....

bore the brunt of this rally, allowing four runs to score before being relieved by Ricky Horton

Ricky Horton

Ricky Ness Horton is an American former Major League Baseball player who pitched from 1984-1990. He was known as Ricky during his playing career, but now goes by Rick. He currently provides color commentary for television broadcasts of the St...

. Horton fared no better, lasting one batter before Herzog replaced him with the volatile Joaquín Andújar

Joaquín Andújar

, normally a starter but pressed into relief. Andújar allowed an RBI single to Frank White to increase the Royals lead to 10–0 before things became truly nasty. With batter Jim Sundberg

Jim Sundberg

James Howard Sundberg is a former professional baseball catcher known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. He played for a number of Major League teams, most significantly the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, with whom we won a World Championship...

at the plate, Andújar twice charged home plate umpire Denkinger to disagree with his strike zone. First, Denkinger called an Andújar pitch a ball, even though replays seemed to indicate it was a strike. Whitey Herzog

Whitey Herzog

emerged from the dugout to defend Andújar, and was ejected—reportedly after saying to Denkinger, "We wouldn't even be here if you hadn't missed the fucking call last night!" According to Denkinger, he replied "Well if you guys weren't hitting .120 in this World Series, we wouldn't be here." The next pitch was also called a ball, and Denkinger ejected Andújar after misreading a gesture to Tom Nieto

Tom Nieto

Thomas Andrew Nieto is a former Major League Baseball catcher and former manager of the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Nieto previously served as the New York Mets' bench coach and catching instructor. A native of Downey, California, Nieto attended Oral Roberts...

. Andújar again lost his cool and charged at Denkinger, and it took three teammates to restrain him and get him off the field. Andújar was suspended for the first ten games of the season for his outburst. Although it has been rumored that Herzog sent in Andújar specifically to bait Denkinger, Herzog himself has said several times Andújar was the only pitcher who still had anything left in his arm.

The Royals became the first team ever to win the World Series after dropping Games 1 and 2 at home. Next year the New York Mets accomplished the same feat by defeating the Boston Red Sox in seven games. Ten years later, the New York Yankees lost their first two games at home against the defending 1995 World Series champion Atlanta Braves and won the next four to win the 1996 World Series. The Royals also were the sixth and (to date) the last team to come back from a three games to one deficit to win the World Series, the others being the 1903 Boston Red Sox

1903 Boston Americans season

The Boston Americans season was a season in American baseball. The team finished first in the American League with a record of 91 wins and 47 losses. They went on to participate in the first World Series held between the American League and National League champions...

, 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates

1925 Pittsburgh Pirates season

‎The 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates finished first in the National League with a record of 95-58. They defeated the Washington Senators in the World Series.The Pirates had three future Hall of Famers in their starting lineup: Max Carey, Kiki Cuyler, and Pie Traynor....

, 1958 New York Yankees

1958 New York Yankees season

The New York Yankees season was the 56th season for the team in New York, and its 58th season overall. The team finished with a record of 92-62, winning their 24th pennant, finishing 10 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox. In the World Series, they defeated the Milwaukee Braves in 7 games. New...

, 1968 Detroit Tigers

1968 Detroit Tigers season

The Detroit Tigers won the 1968 World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3. The 1968 baseball season, known as the "Year of the Pitcher," was the Tigers' 68th since they entered the American League in 1901, their eighth pennant, and third World Series championship...

and 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates had 98 wins and 64 losses and captured the National League East Division title by two games over the Montreal Expos. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds to win their ninth National League title, and the Baltimore Orioles to win their fifth World Series title - and also...

. Amazingly, the '85 Royals had previously come back from a three games to one deficit to win the American League Championship Series

1985 American League Championship Series

-Game 1:Tuesday, October 8, 1985 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, OntarioThe 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 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto...

against the Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

.

The Cardinals .188 batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

was the lowest for a seven-game World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

until the New York Yankees

2001 New York Yankees season

The New York Yankees' 2001 season was the 99th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 95-65 finishing 13.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Joe Torre. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. Roger Clemens had sixteen straight wins, tying an American...

hit .183 in the 2001 World Series

2001 World Series

-Game 1:Saturday, October 27, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaArizona showed no fear and chased Yankees starter Mike Mussina after just three innings. The Yankees gave up five unearned runs and the Diamondbacks rode Curt Schilling's seven strong innings to a 9–1 rout...

against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cardinals also scored only thirteen total runs—an all-time low for a seven game series—scoring only once in the final 26 innings of the series. If they had held on for the win in Game 6, they still would have been outscored in the series 15–13.

Composite box

1985 World Series (4–3): Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

(A.L.) over St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

(N.L.)

External links

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