1985 Pro Baseball Season

Our newest "vintage" baseball season is set for an August 24th release! The 1985 Pro Season features all of the era's unforgettable stars--Mattingly, Boggs, McGee, Murphy, Gooden, Saberhagen, and MANY more--in a season filled with stretch-drive drama in all four divisions!

The '85 season is well-known for its I-70 championship series, with Kansas City defeating St. Louis in seven games. It was an memorably exciting season right up to the final week with eight clubs in the hunt, including both New York teams. In the AL East Toronto edged New York by two games, while Kansas City slipped past California by a single game in the west. Chicago was a factor in September as well with a last-gasp surge that left the Sox just six games back.

In the NL, St. Louis outlasted New York by three games in the east, while Los Angeles eased past Cincinnati--led by player/manager Pete Rose--by five games.

'85 was the first year for best-of-seven league series, and both leagues exceeded the previous five game limit with close, exciting championship match-ups. It was also the first year for a staple of the all-star game festivities, the Home Run Derby (won by Dave Parker). There was plenty of history made in '85, including a new record for career base hits: Cincinnati's Rose put himself into the lineup mid-September and broke Ty Cobb's long-standing record with a line-drive single to centerfield in San Diego, his 4,192nd career hit. Nolan Ryan becomes the first pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts, and Reggie Jackson became the first player to hit 100 home runs for three different teams.

1985 Statistical leaders

Batting Average: Boggs, BOS (.368); McGee, STL (.353).

Home Runs: Evans, DET (40); Murphy, ATL (37).

RBI: Mattingly, NYY (145); Parker, PIT (125).

Stolen Bases: Henderson, NYY (80); Coleman, STL (110).

Pitching Wins: Guidry, NYY (22); Gooden, NYM (24).

Pitching ERA (starter): Steib, TOR (2.48); Gooden, NYM (1.48).

Strikeouts: Blyleven, CLE-MIN (206); Gooden, NY (268)

Shutouts: Blyleven, CLE-MIN (5); Tudor, STL (10).

Saves: Quisenberry, KC (37); Reardon, MTL (41).

The 1985 Pro Season card set for HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL includes 30 to 35 individual player cards for each of big league baseball's 26 teams, over 800 cards in all. Plus you get a set of 61 umpire cards, based on 1985's real-life umpire calls. (Included is Don Denkinger, for whom we've created a special rating to reflect his infamous '85 series call that helped Kansas City pull out game six!) Also included are suggested batting orders for each team and a "traded player" guide that helps you arrange your cards in either opening day or pennant push configurations. It's a nostalgic baseball-lover's bargain for just $39! Or, get the PDF edition for $21 delivered instantly--print and play the same day! NOW AVAILABLE!