Baseball – 1985

Baseball in 1985

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January

January 7Lou Brock‚ the major leagues’ all-time stolen base king‚ and Hoyt Wilhelm‚ the knuckleballer who at the time of his retiremement held the major league records (since broken) for most career appearances and most saves, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Nellie Fox is named on 295 of the 395 ballots (74.7%)‚ but the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame committee decline to round Fox’s total to the required 75%.
January 8The Padres sign free-agent reliever Tim Stoddard to a 3-year‚ $1.5 million contract. Stoddard was 10-6 with 7 saves for the Cubs last season.
January 18In a four-team trade‚ the Brewers send catcher Jim Sundberg to Kansas City and receive pitchers Danny Darwin from Texas and Tim Leary from the Mets. The Mets receive pitcher Frank Wills from the Royals‚ who also send catcher Don Slaught to Texas. C Bill Hance goes from Texas to Milwaukee.

February

February 1In an effort to add some much-needed power to their lineup‚ St. Louis trades OF-1B David Green‚ SS Jose Gonzales‚ P Dave LaPoint‚ and OF-1B Gary Rajsich to the Giants for slugging 1B Jack Clark. Gonzales will change his name to his mother’s maiden name of Uribe‚ and win the starting shortstop job with the Giants. Giants coach and resident wit Rocky Bridges will note that Uribe really is‚ “the player to be named later.”
February 11Twins 1B Kent Hrbek signs a new contract that makes him the club’s first $1 million player.
February 21Tim Raines is awarded a $1.2 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator John Roberts‚ the largest award to date through that process. The 25-year-old Raines hit .309 for the Expos last season and stole 75 bases.
February 27The Yankees trade veteran IF Toby Harrah to the Rangers for OF Billy Sample and a player to be named later. The palindromic infielder was a member of the original Rangers in 1972.

March

March 6Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
March 8Dave Stieb‚ the ace of the Toronto staff for the past 5 seasons‚ signs an 11-year contract that could be worth up to $25 million with deferred payments and incentives.
March 16Denny McLain‚ winner of the AL Cy Young Award in 1968‚ is convicted of racketeering‚ extortion‚ and cocaine possession in Tampa‚ Florida.
March 18Commissioner Ueberroth reinstates Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle‚ who had been banned from association with organized baseball by Bowie Kuhn due to their employment by Atlantic City casinos.
March 25An Illinois judge rules that state and city laws which effectively ban night baseball at Chicago’s Wrigley Field are constitutional. After being forced to give up a home game during the 1984 NLCS‚ and threatened with playing future post-season games at another stadium entirely in order to accommodate network television’s prime-time schedules‚ the Cubs had sued to overturn the laws.
March 28The April 1st issue of Sports Illustrated contains a fictitious article about a Mets pitching prospect named Sidd Finch‚ whose fastball has been timed at 168 MPH. Author George Plimpton offers bogus quotes from real-life members of the Mets‚ as well as several staged photos‚ and fools readers nationwide.

April

April 3The Players’ Association agrees to the owners’ proposal to expand the 1985 League Championship Series from the best-of-5 games to best-of-7.
April 8At Fenway‚ 46-year-old Phil Niekro starts for the Yankees‚ the 2nd oldest pitcher ever to start an Opener: only Jack Quinn‚ for Brooklyn in 1931‚ was older at age 47. Boston chases Niekro after 4 innings and behind the pitching of Oil Can Boyd coasts to a 9-2 win. Niekro walks 4 in the 3rd inning‚ including two with the bases loaded‚ to lose his 7th Opener in a row (6 with Atlanta)‚ the worst opening day record ever. Tony Armas‚ Dwight Evans‚ and Jim Rice stroke homers for Boston.

At the opener in Baltimore‚ Texas starter Charlie Hough is lifted in the 6th despite giving up no hits. Hough walked 4 in a row-8 altogether- and C Don Slaught had allowed a run to score on a passed ball. Hough’s replacement Dave Rozema only allows 2 hits. Unfortunately‚ one of the hits is a 2-run HR in the 8th by Eddie Murray to snap a 2-2 tie. Don Aase is the winner.
April 9In his first game as a member of the Mets‚ catcher Gary Carter hits a solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give New York a 6-5 Opening Day win over the Cardinals at Shea Stadium.

A year and a day after being hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch‚ Astros SS Dickie Thon returns to the Astros lineup and goes 1-for-4 off Fernando Valenzuela in Houston’s 2-1 win over the Dodgers. Thon will hit just .207 before going back on the DL with recurring vision problems.

At Milwaukee‚ Tom Seaver of the White Sox sets a ML record by making the 15th of his 16 opening day starts. Seaver works 6 2/3 innings in beating the Brewers‚ 4-2‚ and upping his overall record is 7-2 for opening day starts. The Brewers will beat Seaver in next year’s opener. The victory is his 298th.
April 11Gorman Thomas‚ recovering from rotator cuff surgery‚ smashes 3 home runs in Seattle’s 14-6 rout of visiting Oakland. The Mariners set a one-game club record with 7 home runs. Dave Kingman gets robbed of a monstrous homer when his deep drive in left bounces off a loud speaker and is caught.
April 13Rollie Fingers records his 217th AL save in Milwaukee’s 6-5 win over Texas‚ breaking Sparky Lyle‘s record. Fingers already holds the ML record with 325.

In LA‚ Candy Maldonado knocks a pich hit homerun in the 8th off the Giants Mark Davis for the game’s only run. Fernando Valennzuela is the 1-0 winner.
April 14At Atlanta‚ the Braves defeat the Padres 3-1 behind Rick Mahler and 2B Glenn Hubbard‚ who as a ML-record tying 12 assists. Second base also sees action on the Pads side as Tony Gwynn throws out 2 runners there. LaMar Hoyt gives up the 3 Braves runs in 4 innings of work. In 6 days‚ on April 20‚ Juan Samuel‚ second sacker of the Phillies will be the next to match the 12 assists in a 7-6 Philadelphia win over the New York Mets. Monte Ward‚ for Brooklyn in 1892‚ was the first to make 12 assists.

The Royals send Mike Brewer to the Indians for a player to be named later. Brewer is the player to be named later‚ returning to the Indians on September 17.
April 18At Kansas City‚ Jim Rice hits a home run with 2 out in the 14th to give the Red Sox a 4-3 win over the Royals.
April 19Rookie Fritz Connally hits his first ML homer‚ a grand slam off Toronto’s Doyle Alexander‚ to put the Orioles in the lead‚ 4-1. Connally fouls off 9 pitches before connectin and his next HR will also be a grand slam. Toronto eventually wins the game‚ 6-5.
April 20The Phillies and Pirates swap relief pitchers‚ Al Holland going to Pittsburgh‚ Kent Tekulve to Philadelphia.
April 22The Twins collect 16 hits in sinking the Mariners‚ 9-5. In the 4th‚ Kirby Puckett hits a 3-run homer‚ his first HR in the majors‚ off Matt Young. After no homers last year‚ Puckett will hit 4 homers this season before blossoming into a power hitter with 31 next year.
April 24Pete Vuckovich records his first win for Milwaukee since his Cy Young Award winning season of 1982‚ pitching 7 innings of the Brewers 3-2 win over Chicago. He had been sidelined most of the past 2 seasons with shoulder problems.
April 26The Dodgers Orel Hershiser pitches his 2nd consecutive shutout‚ a 2-0 one-hitter against the Padres. San Diego’s lone hit is Tony Gwynn‘s 4th-inning single.
April 27Toronto’s Willie Aikens cracks a game-tying 2 run pinch homer in the 9th inning against Texas‚ and the Blue Jays win 9-8. For Aikens‚ it is his last ML at bat‚ as Toronto will send him to Syracuse in 3 days.
April 28After the Yankees lose to the White Sox 4-3 on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 9th‚ manager Yogi Berra is replaced by Billy Martin‚ who begins his 4th term in the job. The bad news is delivered to Yogi by pitching coach Clyde King‚ and a furious Berra vows to never set foot in Yankee Stadium as long as George Steinbrenner is the owner.

Mickey Hatcher goes 4-for-5 as the Twins post their 8th consecutive win‚ 10-1 over Oakland. Hatcher was 5-for-5 the day before‚ giving him a club record 9 consecutive hits.

Darryl Strawberry hits a grand slam in the first inning at New York but it takes another five hours before the Mets score again. Mookie Wilson scores from 3B when Clint Hurdle‘s grounder went through the legs of Pittsburgh first baseman Jason Thompson for an error in the 18th inning to give the Mets a 5-4 victory in a game that lasts 5 hours 21 minutes. Lee Tunnell‚ the Bucs 7th pitcher‚ takes the loss. A defensive gem by Rusty Staub‚ robs the Pirates of at least one run in the top of the 18th. Staub‚ 41‚ who weighs 230 is pressed into service when the Mets ran out of players in the 12th inning. Staub played right field when right-handed batters came up and left field when left-handed hitters batted. He was playing right in the top of the 18th. With Tunnell on second and two out‚ pinch hitter Rick Rhoden hits a looping fly ball down the RF line and Staub makes a running catch to save a run. In the bottom of the 18th Gary Carter draws a walk and Wilson‚ running for him‚ goes to third on Strawberry’s single to right. When Hurdle’s grounder went through Thompson‚ it ends the longest game in 3 years. Through one stretch in the marathon‚ in which 43 players were used‚ Pirate pitchers hold the Mets hitless for 10 innings.
April 29In Billy Martin‘s first game as New York manager‚ Larry Parrish belts 3 home runs to power the Rangers to a 7-5 win over the Yankees. It is Parrish’s 4th career 3-HR game but his first in the AL‚ making him only the 5th player to accomplish the feat in each league. The Yanks lose a homer in the 4th when‚ with two men on‚ Bobby Meacham hits a Frank Tanana ball that just reaches the stands. Running hard‚ Meacham collides with teammate Willie Randolph who was returning to 1B to tag up. Meacham is given a two-run single.
April 30Dale Murphy drives in his 28th and 29th runs of the season in Atlanta’s 8-4 win over the Reds‚ tying Ron Cey‘s 1977 record for RBI in the month of April.

May

May 1Toronto’s Jimmy Key beats the Royals 6-3 to become the first lefthanded starter to win for the Blue Jays since Paul Mirabella on October 4‚ 1980‚ a span of 614 games.
May 4The wind is blowing out a Wrigley‚ and 7 homers are hit in the 12-8 Cubs win over the Padres. Shawn Dunston hits his first ML homer‚ while Nettles hits 2 for the Pads. Chicago gets 11 walks from the SD pitchers.
May 8Seattle’s Mike Moore no-hits the Rangers for 8 innings‚ then is driven from the game on 4 hits in the 9th. But the Mariners hang on for a 4-2 victory.

Ryne Sandberg‘s homer‚ off Mike Krukow‚ is the only score as Rick Sutcliffe and the Cubs beat the Giants‚ 1-0.
May 9The Giants end a 24-inning scoring drought by scoring a run with 2-out in the 12th to beat Chicago‚ 1-0. Scott Gurralts is the winner with 4 innings of relief over Warren Brusstar.
May 12Giants pitcher Jim Gott belts 2 home runs as San Francisco beats St. Louis 5-4 in 10 innings.

Palmer and Riordon combine on a 6-hitter to pitch the Expos to a 4-0 win over Atlanta. The Expos staff has now pitched 39 consecutive scoreless innings‚ and will add 2 more tomorrow. Atlanta also sets a club record by not scoring in 35 straight innings; they’ll add 3 more to that tomorrow.

In response to a Pittsburgh grand jury investigating cocaine trafficking in baseball‚ Commissioner Peter Ueberroth calls for a testing policy.
May 13Trailing 8-0 after 2 innings‚ the Yankees rally to beat Minnesota 9-8 on Don Mattingly‘s 3-run home run off Ron Davis with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th.

At Cincinnati‚ a pinch grand slam in the 7th by Tony Perez breaks a 3-3 tie and the Reds top the Phillies‚ 7-3. Perez is the oldest in 20 century to belt a slam‚ but Carlton Fisk will top this in 1991.
May 17The Cardinals trade OF Lonnie Smith to the Royals for minor leaguer John Morris‚ unloading Smith’s $850‚000 salary and clearing the way for rookie OF Vince Coleman to play every day.

The Rangers fire manager Doug Rader and replace him with Mets 3B coach Bobby Valentine. Texas was 9-23 under Rader‚ the worst record in the majors.

Oriole rookie Fritz Connally hits his 2nd major league HR-and his 2nd grand slam-in a 11-3 win over Seattle. Connally will hit one more HR before returning to the minors to stay.
May 18At Houston‚ the Astros beat the Cards‚ 6-5. Nolan Ryan caps Houston’s scoring with a 2-run single in the 8th. Nolan Ryan. It is his first since May‚ 1984‚ a strong of 57 hitless at bats.

It’s a day for hitting pitchers as Atlanta’s Rick Mahler drills a 3-run double to help beat the Cubs‚ 4-3.
May 20The Indians-Brewers game at Cleveland Stadium becomes the first one rained out this season‚ ending a record string of 458 ML games played since Opening Day without a payoff on a rain check. Since 1900‚ no season had survived without at least one April shower.

Kevin Stock and Bob Loscaizo of Modesto (California League) both hit for the cycle in their team’s 23-4 win over Visalia.
May 21Vince Coleman’s first ML homer is inside-the-park as the Cards beat the Braves‚ 6-3. Bob Horner accounts for the Braves’ runs with 2 homers.

Brian Dayett’s pinch grand slam in the 6th off Tom Browning lifts the Cubs to a 7-4 win over the Reds. It is Dayett’s only round tripper of the year and makes a winner of Dennis Eckersley.
May 25Rick Rhoden wins his 100th and Bill Alman hits his 1st grand slam as the Pirates thump the Braves‚ 8-2.
May 30San Diego’s Andy Hawkins runs his record to 10-0 with a 5-4 win over the Expos. He is the major leagues’ first 10-game winner this season. Martinez raps a 3-run homer in the 4th and a solo homer in the 6th for the Pads.

Doc Gooden strikes out 14 in pitching the Mets to a 2-1 victory over the Giants. Alex Trevino‘s 1st homer of the year is the Giants’ only score.

Cleveland trades SS Johnny LeMaster‚ acquired earlier this month from the Padres‚ to Pittsburgh for a player to be named later (Scott Bailes). LeMaster will end the year as a Pirate‚ but all three teams he plays for this year will finish in last place.
May 31Danny Cox retires the first 23 Reds he faces before Dave Concepcion singles with 2 out in the 8th. Cox settles for a 2-hit 5-0 shutout.

June

June 3The Brewers select University of North Carolina catcher B. J. Surhoff with the first pick in what will prove to be an extremely fruitful free-agent draft. Surhoff was the catcher for the U.S. Olympic Team last summer‚ and fellow Olympians Will Clark (Mississippi State)‚ Bobby Witt (University of Oklahoma)‚ and Barry Larkin (University of Michigan) are drafted 2nd‚ 3rd‚ and 4th by the Giants‚ Rangers‚ and Reds‚ respectively. The Cubs get a good one in the 24th round: Mark Grace while the White Sox take Randy Velarde on the 18th round. The Brewers take Phil Clark with the 18th pick of the first round‚ following his brother Isaiah who was a 1st round pick last year. Neither will play in the ML‚ but brother Jerald‚ who goes to the Padres on the 12th round today‚ will make it. The Tigers pick a winner in the 22nd round with John Smoltz‚ then trade him in 1987.
June 5Expos Mickey Mahler (1-0)‚ making his first start in 6 years‚ yields one hit in whitewashing the Giants‚ 6-0. The only hit is a 3rd inning single by Gladden.

Teddy Higuera and the Brewers top the Royals‚ 10-2. Ernest Riles drives in 3 runs with a single and Paul Molitor adds a solo HR.

Ramirez has a 2 run double in the 3rd and a 2-run homer in the 11th to drive in all the runs in Atlanta’s 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.
June 6Jimmy Key holds the Tigers hitless for 8 innings before Tom Brookens leads off the 9th with a single‚ but gets no decision in Toronto’s eventual 2-0‚ 12-inning win. Key and Tigers starter Dan Petry each pitch 10 shutout innings.
June 7Behind the pitching of Rick Sutcliffe, the Chicago Cubs defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1–0, and move into first place in the NL East as the Mets lose. Cubs catcher Jody Davis accounts for the only run with a homer off Jose DeLeon.
June 11Von Hayes becomes the first ML player ever to hit 2 home runs in the first inning‚ leading off with a home run‚ off Tom Gorman‚ and capping a 9-run outburst with a grand slam‚ as the Phillies go on to rout the Mets 26-7. Mets relievers Joe Sambito (3 innings) and Calvin Schiraldi (1.1 innings) both give up 10 runs apiece. The 26 runs in one game is a club record and the most in the NL since 1944.
June 12White Sox pitcher Bruce Tanner‚ son of Pirates manager Chuck Tanner‚ beats Seattle 6-3 in his ML debut. It is Tanner’s first and only ML victory.
June 14Cleveland’s Bert Blyleven notches his 200th career win‚ a 5-1 complete game against Oakland.

Pittsburgh’s Jose DeLeon (2-8) strikes out 11 in 7 innings as the Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies‚ 3-2. Johnny Ray and Sixto Lezcano homer for Pittsburgh. DeLeon‚ who won his first game of the year on June 2‚ will lose his next 11 to finish at 2-19.

One day after his successor Joe Altobelli was fired as manager of the Orioles‚ Earl Weaver comes out of retirement to manage the club. Weaver led Baltimore to 6 AL titles from 1968-82.
June 15Seattle’s infield records 21 assists in a 2-1 win over Kansas City‚ tying the ML record last accomplished by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935.
June 19The Dodgers score 4 runs in the 7th inning to beat the Padres 5-1 and hand Andy Hawkins (11-1) his first loss of the season.

Commissioner Peter Ueberroth announces that starting in August minor league players will be subject to mandatory testing for cocaine‚ amphetamines‚ marijuana‚ heroin‚ and morphine. Major league officials will be subject to the same program‚ but not ML players. Ueberroth hopes they will voluntarily comply.
June 20Reggie Jackson’s 513th home run sparks the Angels to a 4-0 win over the Indians and moves him past Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews into 10th place on the all-time list.
June 21Twins manager Billy Gardner is fired and replaced by Baltimore pitching coach Ray Miller.
June 22In his first ML at bat‚ Curt Ford delivers a pinch single off Lee Smith to give St. Louis a 2-1 win over the Cubs and sole possession of first place in the NL East. Chicago‚ which had been clinging to first place‚ has now lost 11 in a row.
June 26Minnesota’s Ken Schrom one-hits Kansas City‚ but needs a 2-run single from Roy Smalley in the bottom of the 9th to secure the 2-1 victory. Willie Wilson‘s 3rd-inning single is the only Royals hit.

The Cubs beat the Mets 7-3‚ ending a club-record-tying losing streak at 13 games‚ their longest loss streak since 1944.

In Clearwater (Florida State League)‚ after a disputed call at first base‚ Phillies organist Wilbur Snapp is ejected by the first base umpire for playing “Three Blind Mice.”
June 27San Francisco’s Jeffrey Leonard hits for the cycle in a 7-6 loss to the Reds. He is the first Giant to do so since Dave Kingman in 1972.

The Padres trade 2B Alan Wiggins to the Orioles for pitcher Roy Lee Jackson and a player to be named later. Wiggins‚ who recently completed his 2nd stay at a drug rehabilitation center‚ was never reactivated by the Padres‚ who vowed that he would never play for them again.
June 30In his final at bat of the month‚ Pedro Guerrero delivers a 2-run home run off Bruce Sutter to give the Dodgers a 4-3 win over the Braves. It is Guerrero’s 15th home run in June (19th overall)‚ tying the ML record.

Cleveland beats Seattle 7-3 to snap the Mariners’ club-record 9-game winning streak.

July

July 2Houston’s Joe Niekro wins his 200th career game 3-2 over the Padres. Joe and Phil Niekro join Jim and Gaylord Perry as the only pitching brother combinations to win at least 200 games per pitcher.
July 4In a marathon game that borders on the surreal‚ the Mets endure 2 rain delays and 6:10 of playing time to beat the Braves 16-13 in 19 innings on Fireworks Night in Atlanta. The Mets had taken a 10-8 lead in the top of the 13th inning‚ only to watch the Braves tie it up. The Mets score again in the 18th‚ but relief hurler Rick Camp (a .060 hitter who was batting because Atlanta had no more position players available to pinch-hit) ties the score with his first ML home run on a 2-out 2-strike pitch in the bottom of the inning. No pitcher ever homered that late in a game before. Finally the Mets erupt for 5 runs in the 19th off Camp and Atlanta can respond only with 2. Keith Hernandez hits for the cycle for the Mets‚ and the game ends at 3:55 A.M. on July 5th‚ the latest finish in ML history. At 4:01 A.M. the post-game fireworks display begins‚ causing local residents to think the city is under attack.
July 5At Wrigley Field‚ the first three hitters in the Cubs’ announced batting order are Billy Hatcher‚ Davey Lopes‚ and Ryne Sandberg. After Hatcher walks‚ Lopes takes a strike before someone in the Cubs’ dugout sees that the lineup card submitted to the umpire has Sandberg listed second and Lopes third. Sandberg then finishes the at-bat (during which Hatcher is picked off) and singles. Lopes‚ hitting in his proper turn‚ doubles Sandberg home. All for naught as the Giants beat them‚ 12-6.
July 6At Pittsburgh‚ a 2-out single by Wynne plates the winning run as the Pirates sink the Padres‚ 8-7. Steve Kemp homers for Pittsburgh‚ and would’ve added a single but is thrown out at 1B in the 7th by RF Tony Gwynn in a 9-3 putout.
July 7Floyd Youmans‚ ticketed for the minors after the game to make way for Gullickson coming off the DL‚ pitches the last 3 innings to get his 1st ML win as the Expos outlast the Astros‚ 6-3 in 19 innings. A 2-out error by Enos Cabell and a 2-run single by Fitzgerald do it for the Expos.
July 8Andujar scatters 12 singles to register his 15th win as the Cards down the Giants‚ 6-1.

Marge Schott becomes president and CEO of the Cincinnati Reds.
July 9Catcher Buck Martinez makes two outs on the same play. In the bottom of the third inning of a game between the Blue Jays and the Mariners‚ Phil Bradley is on second with one out when Gorman Thomas singles to right. Jesse Barfield‘s throw home to Buck Martinez nails Bradley‚ though Martinez breaks his ankle in the collision. When Thomas tries to take 3B on the play‚ Martinez’ throw sails into LF. Thomas tries to score but George Bell’s throw to Martinez beats him. Buck makes the catch and tag while sitting on the ground. Whitt takes over catching and the Jays win in 13 innings‚ 9-4. The big blow is a grand slam homer by George Bell in the 13th-the first extra inning slam in club history-to break a 4-4 tie and give Toronto a 9-4 win.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.

The Blue Jays trade 1B-OF Len Matuszek to the Dodgers for veteran Al Oliver‚ who joins his 5th club in the last 3 seasons.
July 11Nolan Ryan becomes the first pitcher to record 4‚000 strikeouts‚ fanning Danny Heep in the 6th inning of Houston’s 4-3 win over the Mets. Ryan finishes with 11 strikeouts in 7 innings but gets no decision. Bill Doran’s 5th hit drives home Dickie Thon in the 12th with the winning run.
July 13The Angels get three pinch hits in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Blue Jays‚ 4-3. Miller‚ Brown and Boone all deliver singles to give Witt the CG win.

The White Sox take a 9-0 lead over the Orioles and hang on for a 10-8 win. Gary Roenicke drives in 6 runs for the O’s on a 2-run HR and a grand slam off Britt Burns‚ who goes all the way. Dennis Martinez takes to loss.
July 14Walt Terrell and Hernandez combine on a one-hitter as the Tigers blank the Twins‚ 8-0. Tom Brunansky‘s double in the 7th is the only hit. Herndon and Evans hit back-to-back homers in the 4th.
July 16The NL beats the AL 6-1 at Minnesota’s Metrodome for its 13th win in the last 14 All-Star Games. San Diego’s LaMarr Hoyt allows one unearned run in 3 innings and is named MVP.
July 20LaMarr Hoyt gives up 5 hits in 8 innings to record his 11th straight win as the Padres beat the Pirates‚ 4-2.

Scattering 7 hits‚ Ron Guidry wins his 12th straight‚ beating the Twins 8-3. Don Mattingly has a 2-run homer and a 2-run double for the Yanks.

Driving in 7 runs on 2 homers‚ Darryl Strawberry leads the Mets to a 16-5 drubbing of the visiting Braves. Straw’s first HR‚ in the 1st off Steve Bedrosian‚ is a grand slam‚ and his next is a 3-run HR in the 3rd.
July 23Oddibe McDowell becomes the first Texas Ranger to hit for the cycle‚ going 5-for-5 in an 8-4 win over Cleveland.
July 26Wade Boggs goes 0-for-3 in Boston’s 6-2 win over Seattle to halt his hitting streak at 28 games‚ the longest in the major leagues since 1980.

In a 10-0 blanking of the Cubs‚ LA’s Pedro Guerrero is 2-for-2 to complete an on-base streak of 14 straight‚ setting a NL record (Barry Bonds will break it). The streak‚ which began on the 23rd includes 2 singles‚ 3 doubles‚ 2 homers‚ 6 walks‚ and a hit by pitch. He’ll be 1-for-3 tomorrow. Jerry Reuss scatters 7 hits in the shutout and is backed by 3 homers‚ including a grand slam by Mike Marshall‚ a 3-run shot by Brock and a 2-run homer by Guerrero.

Tommy John‚ making his 1st appearance since being released by California on June 5‚ scatters 4 hits over 6 innings as the A’s defeat the Brewers‚ 7-3. John is now 3-4.
July 27For the second time in a week‚ the Mets win‚ 16-4‚ this time pounding the Astros in the opener of a twinbill sweep. They break a 4-4 tie in the 7th with a fielder’s choice by Hernandez‚ 2-run double by Carter and a 3-run HR by Ray Knight. All 16 runs are unearned as relievers DiPino and Medden each give up 6‚ and starter Bob Knepper allows 4 runs. Orosco is the winner in game 1 and earns a save for Latham first ML win in game 2‚ a 7-3 victory.
July 28Lou Brock‚ Enos Slaughter‚ Arky Vaughan‚ and Hoyt Wilhelm are inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown‚ New York.

Darrell Evans hits his 300th career home run‚ off Ken Schrom‚ to lead Detroit to a 3-2 win over the Twins.

The Rangers use 3 hits and 3 errors to score 5 runs in the 1st inning enroute to an 8-2 victory over the Yankees. Odibe McDowell hits a leadoff homer for Texas-his second in two games.

Porter drives in 3 runs with a double and homer to lead the Cards to a 4-2 win over the Padres. LaMarr Hoyt loses after winning 11 straight.
July 31The Indians end Ron Guidry‘s win streak at 12 games‚ beating the Yankees‚ 6-5. Guidry and Waddell‚ the winner‚ each go 6+ innings.

At Boston‚ the White Sox-Red Sox game is called at the end of 7 innings (11:34 p.m.) with the score tied 1-1. Since an 11-inning‚ 4-4 tie with the Angels on June 8‚ 1961‚ Boston had played 3‚868 regular season games without a tie‚ a ML record.

August

August 1Vince Coleman steals 2 bases in the first inning of the Cardinals’ 9-8 loss to the Cubs to run his season total to 74‚ breaking the ML rookie record of 72 set last season by Juan Samuel. A squeeze bunt by Larry Bowa with the bases full in the 14th scores the winning run. Bowa had earlier tripled with the sacks full. The game takes 5 hours and 3 minutes to end.

The Indians trade veteran P Bert Blyleven to the Twins for OF Jim Weaver‚ P Curt Wardle‚ and SS Jay Bell.
August 2Frank Tanana of the Tigers allows one hit-a HR by Ben Oglivie in the 5th-in beating the Brewers‚ 4-1. Tanana (6-10) K’s 8 while walking 1.

Ozzie Guillan scores from 2B on an infield hit in the 11th to give the White Sox a 6-5 victory over the Yankees. Salazar’s slow roller down the 1B line is fielded by pitcher Mike Bordi‚ and with no play at 1B‚ Guillen keeps running. In the 7th the Yankees have 2 runners thrown out at home on the same play.

The last-place Pirates unload 3 of their veteran players‚ trading pitchers John Candelaria and Al Holland and OF George Hendrick to the Angels for OF Mike Brown and pitchers Pat Clements and Bob Kipper.
August 4In a day of milestones‚ Tom Seaver becomes the 17th pitcher to win 300 games and Rod Carew becomes the 16th player ever to collect 3‚000 career hits. Seaver pitches the White Sox to a 4-1 six-hit victory on Phil Rizzuto Day at Yankee Stadium as 54‚032 New Yorkers cheer him on‚ while Carew bloops a single to left off Frank Viola in the 3rd inning of the Angels 6-5 win over the Twins.

At Chicago‚ Doc Gooden wins his 11th straight‚ a club record‚ as the Mets beat the Cubs‚ 4-1. Doc triggers a 3-run 3rd with a double.
August 5Darryl Strawberry belts 3 home runs to lead the Mets to a 7-2 win over the Cubs and vault the Mets into first place in the NL East. In the 9th‚ Straw singles in his 4th at bat.
August 6For the 2nd time in 5 years the Players’ Association stages a mid season strike. But unlike the 50-day strike that interrupted the 1981 season‚ this one will be settled by the following day and all 25 canceled games will be made up. The new collective bargaining agreement‚ which runs through 1989‚ raises the ML minimum salary to $60‚000‚ extends the time of service required to be eligible for salary arbitration from 2 years to 3‚ and eliminates the free-agent compensation pool that resulted from the 1981 strike settlement.
August 8Cardinals pitcher John Tudor one-hits the Cubs 8-0 for his 6th shutout of the season‚ allowing only Leon Durham‘s 5th-inning single. Tudor started the season 1-7 but will win 20 of his last 21 decisions to finish 21-8.

Keith Hernandez has 5 hits in the Mets 20-hit attack as they beat the Expos‚ 14-7. Rick Aguilera is the winner.
August 10Oakland’s Dave Kingman becomes the 21st player to hit 400 career home runs‚ belting a 2-run shot off Matt Young in the first inning of the A’s 11-5 win at Seattle.

Willie McGee goes 7-for-10 in the Cardinals’ doubleheader sweep of the Phillies‚ 5-4 and 13-4‚ to raise his batting average to .351. McGee will lead the NL with a .353 mark this season.
August 12Baltimore’s Wayne Gross and Larry Sheets connect for back-to-back solo pinch homers in the 9th inning‚ off Cleveland’s Jerry Reed‚ but it is not enough to overcome the Indians 5-run 1st inning. The Tribe wins‚ 8-5. It’s the 2nd time that a pair of Orioles have pinch hit back to back homers‚ and just the 3rd time in AL history.

At Chicago‚ Phil Niekro goes the route to pick up his 295th win as the Yankees beat the White Sox‚ 10-4. New York has a 7-run 7th to break the game open with Hassey belting a 2-run homer and RBI single to lead the scoring in the frame.
August 13In the Mariners’ 11-4 win‚ Seattle’s infield again ties the ML record for assists with 21 against California. Mark Langston goes all the way for the win.
August 17Reggie Jackson hits his 522nd career home run off Oakland’s Bill Krueger to move past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into 8th place on the all-time list.

The Phils use a barrage of 6 homers to overwhelm the Cubs at Chicago‚ 10-4. Daulton and Schu go back-to back in the 4th and Samuel‚ Wilson‚ and Schmidt hit consecutive homers in the 7th. One out later‚ Daulton hits his 2nd of the game.
August 19The Mets move into 1st place in the NL East with a 1-0 win over the Expos. Ron Darling with relief help from McDowell‚ is the winner.

At Milwaukee‚ Roy Smalley’s homer in the 5th is the Twins only hit off Danny Darwin. The Brewers win‚ 2-1.
August 20Dwight Gooden fans 16 batters on the way to his 13th consecutive victory 5-0 over the Giants‚ raising his season strikeout total to 208. Gooden (19-3) joins Herb Score as the only pitchers this century to strike out 200 batters in each of their first 2 seasons.
August 21Manager Stan Wasiak of Vero Beach (Florida State League) becomes the first minor league manager to record 2500 wins as Vero Beach wins 3-2 over Miami. The win comes less then a week after Wasiak set the record for most wins. He has managed for 36 consecutive seasons.
August 23Joaquin Andujar becomes baseball’s first 20-game winner this season‚ beating Atlanta 6-2 for the Cardinals. Andujar is the first NL pitcher to post consecutive 20-win seasons since Joe Niekro in 1979-80.
August 24Three outs away from a no-hitter against the White Sox‚ Toronto’s Dave Stieb surrenders consecutive home runs to Rudy Law and Bryan Little and is driven from the game. His replacement‚ Gary Lavelle‚ gives up a 3rd-straight home run‚ to Harold Baines‚ before Tom Henke comes in to save the 6-3 win.
August 25Dwight Gooden wins his 14th consecutive game and his 20th of the season 9-3 over the Padres. Gooden will finish the season 24-4. Gooden‚ at 20 years‚ 9 months of age‚ is the youngest pitcher ever to win 20 games. Bob Feller was a month older when he first won 20 in 1939.
August 26Eddie Murray belts 3 home runs‚ including a grand slam in the 5th‚ and drives in 9 runs as the Orioles crush the Angels 17-3. Dennis Martinez goes 8 innings for the win‚ while John Candelaria is lit up for 7 runs in 1 2/3 inning. The Birds total 7 homers in the game to tie a team record set May 17‚ 1967 and Murray’s 9 ribbies ties a team mark set by Jim Gentile.

The Braves fire manager Eddie Haas‚ who led the club to a 50-71 record and 12 losses in its last 13 games. Bobby Wine will serve as interim manager.

Led by Eddie Murray‘s 9 RBIs‚ the Orioles bury the Angels‚ 17-3. Murray has 3 homers‚ including a grand slam‚ as the Orioles connect on 7 roundtrippers.

The Reds beat the Cardinals 7-6 and use a record five players with over 2‚000 hits apiece-Buddy Bell‚ Pete Rose‚ Tony Perez‚ Dave Concepcion‚ and Cesar Cedeno.
August 27Toronto uses 4 pitchers in shutting out the Twins‚ 8-0‚ with the win going to Steve Davis‚ who takes over in the 2nd inning. Jesse Barfield hits a double‚ off Frank Viola‚ to set an AL record with extra base hits in 11 straight games. He’ll go hitless in tomorrow’s loss to the Twins. Paul Waner holds the NL record with 14 games in 1927. Toronto maintains a 5 game edge over 2nd place New York in the AL East.
August 29In the Yankees 4-0 win over the Angels‚ Don Baylor is hit by a pitch (from Kirk McCaskill) for the 190th time‚ breaking the AL record of 189 set by Minnie Minoso.

The Rangers trade veteran slugger Cliff Johnson to Toronto for 3 minor leaguers. Johnson had left the Blue Jays after last season to sign with Texas as a free agent.

The Reds trade veteran OF Cesar Cedeno to the Cardinals for minor leaguer Mark Jackson. Cedeno will help St. Louis to the NL East title by batting .434 in 28 games.
August 31The Pirates trade former batting champion Bill Madlock to the Dodgers for prospects R. J. Reynolds‚ Cecil Espy‚ and Sid Bream.

San Francisco’s Jim Gott and Mark Davis combine to beat the Mets 3-2‚ ending Dwight Gooden‘s personal 14-game winning streak.

September

September 1The visiting New York Mets edge San Francisco‚ 4-3 with Keith Hernandez‘s 2-run homer climaxing a 3-run 9th inning. Siske‚ in relief of Ed Lynch‚ is the winning pitcher. In the 5th‚ Lynch lines to right field and is thrown out 9-3 by RF Joel Youngblood. It’s the NL’s 2nd 9-3 putout in 2 months.
September 4One day after hitting 3 home runs in an 8-3 win over the Padres‚ Gary Carter hits 2 more to lead the Mets to a 9-2 win at San Diego‚ tying the ML record of 5 home runs in 2 games. He is the 13th player to accomplish the feat.
September 5Boston’s first two batters-Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs-crack homers off Cleveland’s Neal Heaton in Boston’s 13-6 win in game 1. Evans adds another HR to back Oil Can Boyd‘s first win in 7 weeks. Cleveland wins the nitecap‚ 9-5.
September 6The Royals sweep a doubleheader from Milwaukee 4-3 and 7-1 to move past California into first place in the AL West.

At Texas‚ Carlton Fisk blasts 2 three-run homers and drives in 7 runs to lead the White Sox to a 12-1 rout of the Rangers. Tomorrow Fisk will record his 300th double and 900th RBI.
September 7Dave Winfield steals home with the winning run in the Yankees 3-2 win over the A’s. Following a pitchout in the 7th‚ Winfield gets hung up in a rundown but escapes to score.
September 10In the opener of 2‚ the Orioles score 6 in the 8th on 3 homers‚ and the Red Sox answer with 2 homers and score 4 as the O’s win‚ 7-5. The 5 homers in the 8th ties a ML mark. Wade Boggs is 4-for-4 in the nitecap to pass 200 hits again as he leads the Sox to a 5-3 win.

The Dodgers sweep a pair from the Braves‚ winning 10-1 and 10-4‚ to take a 9 1/2 game lead in the NL West. Greg Brock hits a grand slam for the Dodgers in game 2.

Mike Schmidt hits a no-out 3-run homer in the 11th to power the Phils to a 5-2 victory over the Expos.

Moments after a bench-clearing incident‚ Howard Johnson hits a grand slam to give the Mets a 5-4 win over the Cardinals in the tense NL East race.

Bruce Bochte hits a go-ahead HR in the 5th for the A’s and Dave Kingman hits his 15th career grand slam as the A’s beat the Rangers‚ 10-3.

To bolster their pitching staff for the pennant race‚ the Angels acquire veteran Don Sutton (13-8) from the A’s for 2 minor league players to be named later.
September 11Pete Rose becomes baseball’s all-time hit leader‚ singling to left center off Eric Show in the first inning of the Reds’ 2-0 win over San Diego. His 4‚192nd career hit breaks Ty Cobb‘s record before 47‚237 fans at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. Rose had tied the record at Wrigley Field on September 8th with a single off the Cubs Reggie Patterson in a game that was later suspended due to darkness‚ enabling Rose to break the record at home.

John Tudor allows 3 hits in 10 innings for his 3rd consecutive shutout‚ outdueling Dwight Gooden and the Mets 1-0 to move St. Louis back into a first-place tie with New York in the NL East. Cesar Cedeno‘s 10th-inning homer provides the game’s only run.

Milwaukee beats New York 4-3 to end the Yankees’ winning streak at 11 games. New York now trails first-place Toronto by 21?2 games in the AL East.
September 13The Rangers trade P Dave Stewart to the Phillies for pitcher Rich Surhoff‚ whose brother B. J. was the first pick in the amateur draft in June.
September 15The Yankees trade minor league pitcher Jim Deshaies and two other minor leaguers to be named later to the Astros for 40-year-old Joe Niekro‚ reuniting the Niekro brothers as teammates for the first time since 1974 with the Braves.
September 16Detroit’s Nelson Simmons hits a HR from each side of the plate‚ the first Tiger to do so. But the Orioles answer with 6 homers of their own in overpowering the Tigers‚ 14-7. Cal Ripken hit is 2nd homer of the game in the 8th‚ and Murray and Lynn followed with successive homers. The 3 straight ties a Birds record.
September 18Catcher Rich Gedman hits for the cycle and drives in 7 runs as the Red Sox rout Toronto‚ 13-1.
September 19Vince Coleman steals his 100th base of the season and teammate Tom Herr drives in his 100th run‚ but the Cardinals lose to the Phillies 6-3.

At Yankee Stadium, Jimmy Key (13-6) pitches the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-4 win over the New York Yankees. The pre-game Canadian anthem features NY-Irish singer Mary O’Dowd who forgets the words to ”O Canada” and sings off key. Later, O’Dowd says she can do better and hopes for another invitation when the Blue Jays come to town next season. ”I’ve sung at Carnegie Hall,” she said. ”I’m not a baby. What happened should not have happened. But I’ve never sung at a stadium. It was very overwhelming. I went blank.” She said she had called the Mayor of Toronto, Art Eggleton, to apologize.
September 20A federal jury in Pittsburgh convicts Curtis Strong of 11 counts of cocaine distribution after a trial whose prosecution witnesses revealed how widely the drug problem afflicts major league baseball. Prominent players who were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony include Dave Parker‚ Lonnie Smith‚ Keith Hernandez‚ Jeffrey Leonard‚ and Tim Raines.
September 21In a Boston 7-6 win over Detroit‚ Wade Boggs ties Speaker’s club mark of 222 hits in the 2nd inning with a single. His 5th inning single‚ his 185th‚ sets a new AL record for singles breaking the mark set by Willie Wilson in 1980. Wade will end with 187‚ a mark that will stand until 2001.
September 22One night after scuffling with a patron in the bar of the Cross Keys Inn‚ the Yankees’ Baltimore hotel‚ manager Billy Martin has his right arm broken by pitcher Ed Whitson in an early-morning brawl in the same bar.

Ron Guidry becomes the AL’s first 20-game winner this season as the Yankees beat Baltimore 5-4.
September 24Expos OF Andre Dawson slugs 3 home runs‚ including a pair of 3-run shots in a 12-run 5th inning‚ to lead Montreal to a wild 17-15 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Dawson joins Willie McCovey as the only players to hit 2 home runs in one inning on 2 different occasions‚ and his 6 RBIs in one inning ties the ML record last accomplished by Jim Ray Hart in 1970.

After a man was convicted of selling cocaine to major league players‚ Ueberroth says in the New York Times‚ “a cloud hangs over baseball.” He urges all players to submit to drug tests.
September 25Rickey Henderson steals his 75th base of the season in the Yankees 10-2 win over Detroit‚ breaking the club record of 74 set by Fritz Maisel in 1914.

Mike Greenwell hits his first ML home run‚ in the top of the 13th inning‚ to give the Red Sox a 4-2 win at Toronto.

With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th. Davey Lopes walks‚ steals 2B and 3B and scores on a pinch single by Bill Spiers as the Cubs beat the Mets‚ 5-4. Carter’s grand slam accounts for all the Mets scoring. Lopes has 3 steals in the game to give him 47 (in just 275 at bats) and he sets the record most stolen bases by a player over 40. The record was set by Wagner in 1914 with 23. Lopes is officially recorded at 39 but when he signed at age 22 he was afraid he was too old so he set his age back a year.
September 26The Cards John Tudor picks up his 20th win of the season with his ML-leading 10th shutout‚ a 5-0 four-hitter against the Phillies. It’s the most in 10 years and the most by a lefty since Koufax in 1963.
September 27Ueberroth says he will “bow’ to the “overwhelming desire” of the players and work to set up a testing program by the World Series. On October 22‚ the owners‚ unable to come up with a testing program‚ end the 1984 drug agreement.
September 28Cincinnati’s Tom Browning becomes the first rookie since Bob Grim in 1954 to win 20 games‚ raising his record to 20-9 with a 5-2 win over Houston. He is the first Reds pitcher to win 20 since Jim Merritt in 1970.

The Cubs score five in the first against the visiting Phillies and hang on for an 11-10 victory with the win going to starter Dennis Eckersley. Shawon Dunston has 4 hits for the Cubs and Mike Schmidt, Ron Cey and Keith Moreland each hit two homers. Moreland drives home 4 runs and will finish with 32 RBIs for the month to set a Cubs September record.
September 30Bret Saberhagen pitches a CG win over the Angels to win his 20th game of the year. The win gives the Royals a tie for 1st place in the A.L. West. Brett and Sundberg homer for KC.

October

October 1In the first game of a 3-game showdown between the Mets and Cardinals‚ Ron Darling and John Tudor each pitch 10 shutout innings before Darryl Strawberry belts a titanic home run off reliever Ken Dayley. The Mets’ 1-0‚ 11-inning win cuts the Cardinals’ lead in the NL East to 2 games.

The Angels go back into 1st place in the AL West‚ beating the Royals‚ 4-2. Witt and Moore combine on a 6-hitter.

Houston’s Charlie Kerfeld beats the Braves‚ 2-0‚ handing the loss to starter to Steve Bedrosian (7-15). Bedrock is not around at the end and finishes none of his 37 starts this year‚ a ML record.
October 2The Dodgers clinch the NL West title with a 9-3 win over the Braves. Orel Hershiser raises his record to 19-3 with his 11th consecutive victory.

In a duel of 20-game winners‚ Doc Gooden (24-4) beats Joaquin Adujar (21-11) to pull the Mets to a game in back of the Cardinals.

Tigers 1B Darrell Evans hits his ML-leading 40th home run of the season and becomes the first player to have a 40 HR season in each league. Evans hit 41 homers for the Braves in 1973. Jack Morris tops Dave Stieb in Detroit’s 4-2 win over Toronto. Whitt and Gibson also homer.

The White Sox fire popular GM Roland Hemond and replace him with TV announcer Ken Harrelson‚ a move that will prove unsettling. Next June‚ Harrelson will fire manager Tony La Russa and executive Dave Dombrowski and then‚ next October‚ find himself fired.
October 3The Phillies score 8 runs in the 3rd inning at Montreal‚ and hold on for an 8-7 win. Rick Schu has a pair of doubles in the big score‚ the first Phillie ever to hit a pair of doubles in an inning. Fred Manrique has a homer-his first in the majors-and a double to complete a rare season cycle of 4 hits (single‚ double‚ triple‚ homer). The win is just the 2nd in 13 games for the Quakers.

Bud Black fires a 3-hitter and George Brett slaps a 3-run inside-the-park homer to beat the Angels‚ 4-0‚ moving KC back in a tie for the Al West.
October 4George Brett drives in 2 runs with a bases loaded single and his 2nd inside-the-park homer in 2 days as the Royals trip the A’s‚ 4-2. The win gives the Royals at least a tie for the AL West title.
October 5The Cardinals‚ Royals‚ and Blue Jays all clinch their division championships. John Tudor pitches a 4-hitter and Cesar Cedeno goes 3-for-3 with a HR‚ as St. Louis beats the Cubs 7-1. It is Tudor’s 20th win in 21 decisions after starting the season 1-7.

Willie Wilson singles home the winning run as Kansas City beats Oakland 5-4 in 10 innings. Doyle Alexander pitches a 5-hitter‚ as Toronto beats 2nd-place New York 5-1 to wrap up its first AL East crown. Dave Winfield drives in the lone run‚ his 100th RBI of the year. He is the first Yankee to have 100 RBIs and score 100 runs in the same year since DiMaggio in 1941-42
October 6Phil Niekro finally wins his 300th career game 8-0 over the Blue Jays on the final day of the regular season. He allows 4 hits in the CG win. At 46‚ he is the oldest hurler ever to pitch a complete-game shutout.

Hubie Brooks drives in his 100th run of the season in Montreal’s season-ending 2-1 win over the Mets‚ becoming the first NL shortstop with 100 RBI since Ernie Banks in 1960.

Angels OF Rudy Linares‚ collects 2 singles and a 3-run homer off Rangers Rick Surhoff to pace California to a 6-5 win. For Linares‚ the home run comes in his last ML at bat. The veteran hit a homer on July 20th‚ in his first at bat for California.
October 7The Giants trade pitcher Dave LaPoint‚ catcher Matt Nokes‚ and minor league pitcher Eric King to the Tigers for pitcher Juan Berenguer‚ catcher Bob Melvin‚ and a player to be named later.

NL Managers Chuck Tanner and Bob Lillis are fired by the Pirates and Astros‚ respectively. Lillis is offered a front-office job‚ while Tanner will be hired to manage the Braves just 3 days later.
October 8Orioles manager Earl Weaver signs a one-year contract to manage the club again in 1986.

Dave Stieb allows only 3 hits in 8 innings as Toronto downs KC 6-1 in the ALCS opener‚ the first in Canada.
October 9The Royals come from behind to tie the Blue Jays in the 9th and go ahead in the 10th‚ but lose 6-5 in the bottom of the inning.

The first game of the NLCS results in a 4-1 Dodger win over St. Louis’s John Tudor‚ only his 2nd loss in his last 22 decisions.
October 10Every Dodger starter has a hit‚ and LA rolls 8-2 over St. Louis.
October 11George Brett’s bat (4-for-4‚ 4 runs‚ 3 RBI‚ 11 total bases) bails out 20-game winner Bret Saberhagen‚ and the Royals squeak past Toronto 6-5.
October 12In game 4 of the ALCS‚ Al Oliver‘s 2-run pinch double in the 9th inning gives Toronto a 3-1 win over Kansas City and a 3-1 lead in the series. Until this year’s best-of-7 format was adopted‚ the 3 wins would have sent the Blue Jays to the World Series.

St. Louis runs the Dodgers out of Busch Stadium 4-2. The Cardinals’ first 3 runs are aided by 3 stolen bases and 2 errant pickoff attempts.
October 13The Royals stave off elimination behind Danny Jackson’s 8-hit shutout 2-0 over the Blue Jays.

The Cardinals rout the Dodgers 12-2 to even the NLCS at 2-2‚ but also lose rookie sensation Vince Coleman to one of the more bizarre injuries in ML history. Coleman is stretching before the game when his left leg becomes caught in Busch Stadium‘s automated tarpaulin as it unrolls across the infield‚ trapping him for about 30 seconds. He is removed from the field on a stretcher and will not play again this year.
October 14Ozzie Smith homers off Tom Niedenfuer with one out in the bottom of the 9th to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead in the NLCS. It is the switch-hitting Smith’s first ML home run while batting lefthanded.
October 15The Royals once again stave off elimination to the Blue Jays‚ aided by George Brett‘s 3rd HR of the series‚ all off Doyle Alexander. The Royals win 5-3.
October 16Baseball gets its first intrastate World Series since 1974‚ as the Royals and Cardinals win their respective playoff series. Kansas City beats Toronto 6-2 in game 7 to cap a comeback from a 3-games-to-1 deficit. While in Los Angeles‚ Jack Clark drills a 3-run home run off Tom Niedenfuer with 2 outs in the top of the 9th and 1B open to give the Cardinals a 7-5 victory and a 4-2 series win.
October 19St. Louis wins the opener of the “I-70 Series” behind ace John Tudor 3-1.
October 20After giving up just 2 hits in 8 innings‚ Charlie Leibrandt is raked with 3 two-out hits and loses 4-2. St. Louis leads 2-0.
October 22Bret Saberhagen gives Kansas City their first WS win with a 9-inning 6-1 win.
October 23John Tudor wins again as he pitches a 9 inning‚ 3-0 shutout.
October 24The Royals get a 2nd 9-inning effort‚ this time from Danny Jackson‚ to win again 6-1. Cards rookie reliever Todd Worrell strikes out all 6 batters he faces.
October 25The Angels announce that they will not offer 7-time batting champion Rod Carew a new contract for the 1986 season‚ effectively ending his 19-year career. Carew finishes with 3‚053 hits and a .328 career batting average.

The Blue Jays name 3B coach Jimy Williams manager‚ replacing Bobby Cox‚ who resigned to become GM of the Braves.
October 26Aided by a blown call‚ a bungled pop-up‚ and a passed ball‚ Kansas City scores 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat St. Louis 2-1 and even the World Series at 3 games apiece. The Cardinals are 3 outs away from the World Championship when Jorge Orta reaches base on a disputed infield single. The next batter‚ Steve Balboni‚ lofts a foul pop that Clark loses track of and lets fall untouched‚ then singles. After Darrell Porter’s passed ball puts runners on 2B and 3B and Hal McRae is intentionally walked to load the bases‚ pinch hitter Dane Iorg singles home 2 runs to end the game.
October 27The Royals rout the Cardinals 11-0 in game 7 to become only the 6th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win the World Series. Series MVP Bret Saberhagen pitches the shutout while Cardinals ace John Tudor allows 5 runs in 21?3 innings and fellow 20-game winner Joaquin Andujar is ejected for arguing balls and strikes during Kansas City’s 6-run 5th inning. After being lifted‚ Tudor. Cardinals lefthander punches an electric fan in the clubhouse and severely cuts his hand. The Cardinals finish the WS with a .185 team batting average‚ lowest ever for a 7-game Series.

Billy Martin is fired by the Yankees for an unprecedented 4th time and is replaced by former Yankees OF Lou Piniella‚ who had been the team’s hitting instructor since retiring as a player in 1984.
October 29Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar is suspended for the first 10 games of the 1986 season as a result of his game 7 tantrum during which he twice bumped home plate umpire Don Denkinger.

November

November 2The Expos finally sign their top draft pick‚ Pete Incaviglia‚ and then trade him to the Rangers for infielder Jim Anderson and a minor league pitcher. Incaviglia‚ who refused every chance to sign with Montreal‚ will blast a team-record 7 homers in spring training.
November 7The Pirates hire Syd Thrift as General Manager.
November 14The Brewers release 39-year-old P Rollie Fingers‚ the major leagues’ all-time saves leader with 341.
November 18Willie McGee wins the NL MVP Award‚ capping a season in which he led the league in batting average (.353) and hits (216) and also stole 56 bases for St. Louis.

Dwight Gooden (NL) and Bret Saberhagen (AL) win the Cy Young Award in their respective leagues.
November 20Don Mattingly easily wins the AL MVP Award with a .324 average‚ becoming the first player from a non championship team to do so since 1978.

Jim Leyland is named manager of the Pirates for the 1986 season.
November 25White Sox SS Ozzie Guillen‚ who hit .273 with just 12 errors in 150 games‚ is named AL Rookie of the Year. Milwaukee lefty Ted Higuera finishes 2nd.
November 27Vince Coleman‚ who stole 110 bases for the Cardinals‚ joins Frank Robinson‚ Orlando Cepeda‚ and Willie McCovey as the only unanimous winners of the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

December

December 10In the first major swap of the winter meetings‚ the A’s trade C Mike Heath and P Tim Conroy to the Cardinals for Joaquin Andujar‚ 21-game winner with a volatile temperament.
December 11In a three team deal, the Giants send 2B Manny Trillo to the Cubs who give SS Dave Owen‚ and C Alex Trevino to the Dodgers who, in turn, send OF Candy Maldonado to the Giants.

The Phillies trade pitchers John Denny and Jeff Gray to the Reds for OF Gary Redus and P Tom Hume.

The Dodgers trade veteran catcher Steve Yeager to the Mariners for P Ed Vande Berg.
December 12The Yankees trade P Joe Cowley and C Ron Hassey to the White Sox for P Britt Burns (18-11) and minor leaguers Mike Soper and Glen Braxton. Hassey will come back to New York before the season’s start. A degenerative hip condition ends Burns’ career before he has a chance to pitch for the Yanks.

The Indians sign free agent Tom Candiotti to a AAA contract. Candiotti (9-13 at Vancouver)‚ who has been throwing a knuckler less than a year‚ will lead the AL in complete games (17) in 1986.
December 18The Giants trade strikeout-prone slugger Rob Deer to the Brewers for minor leaguers Eric Pilkington and Dean Freeland.
December 19The Expos trade P Bill Gullickson and C Sal Butera to the Reds for pitchers Jay Tibbs‚ Andy McGaffigan‚ and John Stuper‚ and C Dann Bilardello.