1985 New York Yankees season

1985 New York Yankees
League	American League
Division	East
Ballpark	Yankee Stadium
City	New York City
Owners	George Steinbrenner
General managers	Clyde King
Managers	Yogi Berra, Billy Martin
Television	WPIX–TV 11 (Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, Spencer Ross) SportsChannel NY (Mel Allen, Mickey Mantle, others from WPIX)
Radio	WABC–AM 770 (Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, John Gordon)
Seasons

The 1985 New York Yankees season was the 83rd season for the Yankees. The team only played 161 games, came in second place in the American League East with a record of 97–64, and finished 2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees did not qualify for the postseason, marking the 1985 Yankees a failed season. New York was managed by Yogi Berra and Billy Martin. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.

Offseason

• November 5, 1984: Matt Keough was released by the Yankees.^[1]
• December 4, 1984: Ray Fontenot and Brian Dayett were traded by the Yankees to the Chicago Cubs for Ron Hassey, Porfi Altamirano, Rich Bordi, and Henry Cotto.^[2]
• December 5, 1984: Rick Cerone was traded by the Yankees to the Atlanta Braves for Brian Fisher.^[3]
• December 5, 1984: Stan Javier, Jay Howell, José Rijo, Eric Plunk, and Tim Birtsas were traded by the Yankees to the Oakland Athletics for Rickey Henderson, Bert Bradley and cash.^[4]
• December 20, 1984: Steve Kemp, Tim Foli, and cash were traded by the Yankees to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jay Buhner, Dale Berra and Alfonso Pulido.^[5] Berra became the first player since 1925, when Earle Mack played for his father Connie Mack for the Philadelphia Athletics, to play for his father as manager.
• December 27, 1984: Ed Whitson was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.^[6]
• February 27, 1985: Toby Harrah was traded by the Yankees to the Texas Rangers for Billy Sample and a player to be named later. The Rangers completed the deal by sending Eric Dersin (minors) to the Yankees on July 14.^[7]

Regular season

• Rickey Henderson set a new club record by stealing 80 bases in one season. The previous mark had stood since 1914.

Henderson also scored 146 runs. It was the most in the Major Leagues since Ted Williams scored 150 runs in 1949.^[8] In addition, Rickey Henderson became the first player since Lou Gehrig in 1936 to amass more runs in a season than games played.^[8]

• Don Mattingly became the first Yankee since Joe DiMaggio to have back to back 200 hit seasons.
• Mattingly's 48 doubles were the most since Lou Gehrig hit 52 in 1927.
• Mattingly was the AL MVP and RBI leader with 145. Mattingly hit for a .324 average with 35 home runs.
• Dave Winfield became the first Yankee since Yogi Berra to achieve four straight 100 RBI seasons. Berra did it from 1953 to 1956.
• On April 28, the Yankees fired Yogi Berra as manager 16 games into the season, only hours after being swept by the Chicago White Sox in a three-game series at Comiskey Park. Owner George Steinbrenner did not fire Berra personally, but instead dispatched general manager Clyde King to deliver the news. Berra was replaced by Billy Martin, whom he replaced as manager after the 1983 season. It became the fourth of Martin's five stints as Yankee skipper. Berra vowed after the slight to never again set foot in Yankee Stadium as long as Steinbrenner owned the team
• On September 22, while at a hotel bar in Baltimore, Maryland, pitcher Ed Whitson broke manager Billy Martin's arm after a heated argument that spread to other parts of the hotel. Whitson's Yankee tenure was also memorable for constantly being heckled and booed during home games.
• On October 5, the Yankees entered the next-to-last game of the season against the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays trailing them by two games. However, the Jays, led by pitcher Doyle Alexander, triumphed 5-1, clinching their first division title in franchise history.
• On October 6, Phil Niekro shut out the Blue Jays 8-0 for his 300th major league win. He did not throw his trademark knuckleball until the final pitch of the game, striking out Jeff Burroughs.

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

AL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Toronto Blue Jays	99	62	.615	—	54‍–‍26	45‍–‍36
New York Yankees	97	64	.602	2	58‍–‍22	39‍–‍42
Detroit Tigers	84	77	.522	15	44‍–‍37	40‍–‍40
Baltimore Orioles	83	78	.516	16	45‍–‍36	38‍–‍42
Boston Red Sox	81	81	.500	18½	43‍–‍37	38‍–‍44
Milwaukee Brewers	71	90	.441	28	40‍–‍40	31‍–‍50
Cleveland Indians	60	102	.370	39½	38‍–‍43	22‍–‍59

Record vs. opponents

1985 American League record v t e Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	5–8	7–5	8–4	8–5	6–7	6–6	9–4	6–6	1–12	7–5	6–6	10–2	4–8
Boston	8–5	—	5–7	4–8–1	8–5	6–7	5–7	5–8	7–5	5–8	8–4	6–6	5–7	9–4
California	5–7	7–5	—	8–5	8–4	8–4	4–9	9–3	9–4	3–9	6–7	9–4	9–4	5–7
Chicago	4–8	8–4–1	5–8	—	10–2	6–6	5–8	5–7	6–7	6–6	8–5	9–4	10–3	3–9
Cleveland	5–8	5–8	4–8	2–10	—	5–8	2–10	7–6	4–8	6–7	3–9	6–6	7–5	4–9
Detroit	7–6	7–6	4–8	6–6	8–5	—	5–7	9–4	3–9	9–3	8–4	5–7	7–5	6–7
Kansas City	6–6	7–5	9–4	8–5	10–2	7–5	—	8–4	7–6	5–7	8–5	3–10	6–7	7–5
Milwaukee	4–9	8–5	3–9	7–5	6–7	4–9	4–8	—	9–3	7–6	3–9	4–8	8–3	4–9
Minnesota	6–6	5–7	4–9	7–6	8–4	9–3	6–7	3–9	—	3–9	8–5	6–7	8–5	4–8
New York	12–1	8–5	9–3	6–6	7–6	3–9	7–5	6–7	9–3	—	7–5	9–3	8–4	6–7
Oakland	5–7	4–8	7–6	5–8	9–3	4–8	5–8	9–3	5–8	5–7	—	8–5	6–7	5–7
Seattle	6–6	6–6	4–9	4–9	6–6	7–5	10–3	8–4	7–6	3–9	5–8	—	6–7	2–10
Texas	2–10	7–5	4–9	3–10	5–7	5–7	7–6	3–8	5–8	4–8	7–6	7–6	—	3–9
Toronto	8–4	4–9	7–5	9–3	9–4	7–6	5–7	9–4	8–4	7–6	7–5	10–2	9–3	—

Notable transactions

• June 3, 1985: Shane Turner was drafted by the Yankees in the 6th round of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft.^[9]
• August 24, 1985: Jim Leyritz was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent.^[10]
• September 13, 1985: Bernie Williams was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent.^[11]
• September 15, 1985: Jim Deshaies and players to be named later were traded by the Yankees to the Houston Astros for Joe Niekro, who joined his brother Phil Niekro in the rotation. The Yankees completed the deal by sending Neder Horta (minors) to the Astros on September 24 and Dody Rather (minors) to the Astros on January 11, 1986.^[12]

Roster

1985 New York Yankees
Roster
Pitchers 26,53 Neil Allen 36 Mike Armstrong 43 Rich Bordi 50 Marty Bystrom 39 Don Cooper 41 Joe Cowley 54 Brian Fisher 49 Ron Guidry 26 John Montefusco 48 Dale Murray 26 Joe Niekro 35 Phil Niekro 45 Dennis Rasmussen 19 Dave Righetti 47 Rod Scurry 29 Bob Shirley 38 Ed Whitson		Catchers 34 Scott Bradley 52 Juan Espino 12 Ron Hassey 27 Butch Wynegar Infielders  2 Dale Berra 55 Juan Bonilla 56 Rex Hudler 23 Don Mattingly 20 Bob Meacham  6 Mike Pagliarulo 30 Willie Randolph 18 Andre Robertson 13 Keith Smith		Outfielders 46 Henry Cotto 33 Ken Griffey 24 Rickey Henderson 17 Víctor Mata 22 Omar Moreno 21 Dan Pasqua 11 Billy Sample 31 Dave Winfield Other batters 25 Don Baylor		Manager  8 Yogi Berra  1 Billy Martin Coaches 52 Mark Connor (Pitching) 42 Doug Holmquist (First base) 48 Willie Horton (Hitting) 42 Stump Merrill (First base) 40 Gene Michael (Third base) 28 Bill Monbouquette (Pitching) 14 Lou Piniella (Hitting) 51 Dom Scala (Bullpen catcher) 44 Jeff Torborg (Bullpen)

Game log

Regular season

1985 regular season game log: 97–64 (Home: 58–22; Away: 39–42)
April: 6–12 (Home: 4–4; Away: 2–8) # Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 1 April 8 2:05 p.m. EST @ Red Sox L 2–9 Boyd (1–0) Niekro (0–1) – 2:33 34,282 0–1 L1 2 April 10 2:05 p.m. EST @ Red Sox L 5–14 Hurst (1–0) Whitson (0–1) – 2:56 19,615 0–2 L2 3 April 11 2:05 p.m. EST @ Red Sox L 4–6 Clemens (1–0) Rasmussen (0–1) Stanley (1) 3:00 19,060 0–3 L3 4 April 13 2:05 p.m. EST @ Indians W 6–3 Guidry (1–0) Blyleven (0–1) Righetti (1) 2:59 61,978 1–3 W1 5 April 14 1:35 p.m. EST @ Indians W 2–1 Niekro (1–1) Waddell (0–1) Righetti (2) 2:44 12,085 2–3 W2 6 April 16 2:00 p.m. EST White Sox W 5–4 Righetti (1–0) Spillner (0–1) – 3:08 53,019 3–3 W3 7 April 18 1:00 p.m. EST White Sox W 3–2 Niekro (1–1) Bannister (0–2) Righetti (3) 2:51 15,126 4–3 W4 8 April 19 8:00 p.m. EST Indians L 1–2 Heaton (1–0) Guidry (1–1) Waddell (2) 2:45 21,229 4–4 L1 9 April 20 2:00 p.m. EST Indians W 5–2 Niekro (2–1) Román (0–2) Righetti (4) 2:37 20,188 5–4 W1 10 April 21 2:00 p.m. EST Indians L 0–3 Von Ohlen (2–1) Whitson (0–2) Waddell (3) 2:24 34,443 5–5 L1 11 April 23 8:00 p.m. EST Red Sox L 4–5 (11) Ojeda (2–0) Righetti (1–1) – 3:34 25,207 5–6 L2 12 April 24 8:00 p.m. EST Red Sox L 6–7 Crawford (2–1) Guidry (1–2) Stanley (3) 2:42 23,229 5–7 L3 13 April 25 8:00 p.m. EST Red Sox W 5–1 Niekro (3–1) Hurst (1–1) Righetti (5) 2:49 22.179 6–7 W1 14 April 26 8:30 p.m. EST @ White Sox L 2–4 Seaver (2–0) Whitson (0–3) James (2) 3:05 19,174 6–8 L1 15 April 27 1:20 p.m. EST @ White Sox L 4–5 (11) Nelson (1–1) Shirley (0–1) – 3:48 22,788 6–9 L2 16 April 28 2:30 p.m. EDT @ White Sox L 3–4 Burns (3–1) Cowley (0–1) – 2:40 27,637 6–10 L3 17 April 29 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers L 5–7 Schmidt (1–1) Guidry (1–3) Rozema (1) 2:37 10,626 6–11 L4 18 April 30 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers L 4–8 Noles (2–1) Niekro (3–2) – 2:17 15,416 6–12 L5
May: 18–8 (Home: 10–0; Away: 8–8) # Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 19 May 1 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers W Whitson (1–3) Hough (1–1) Righetti (6) 2:49 15,528 7–12 W1 20 May 3 8:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 7–1 Rasmussen (1–1) Jackson (1–1) – 2:36 20,603 8–12 W2 21 May 4 2:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 5–2 Guidry (2–3) Leibrandt (3–1) – 2:14 22,532 9–12 W3 22 May 5 2:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 6–2 Niekro (4–2) Black (2–2) Righetti (7) 2:33 50,209 10–12 W4 23 May 7 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Twins L 6–8 Viola (5–2) Whitson (1–4) – 2:49 21,704 10–13 L1 24 May 8 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Twins L 6–8 Smithson (4–2) Cowley (0–2) Filson (1) 2:53 22,832 10–14 L2 25 May 10 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 6–4 Guidry (3–3) Leibrandt (3–2) Righetti (8) 2:48 34,000 11–14 W1 26 May 11 4:05 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 11–3 Rasmussen (2–1) Black (2–3) – 2:35 38,011 12–14 W2 27 May 12 2:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 5–6 Quisenberry (3–2) Righetti (1–2) – 3:04 31,009 12–15 L1 28 May 13 8:00 p.m. EDT Twins W 9–8 Cowley (1–2) Davis (1–4) – 2:54 15,136 13–15 W1 29 May 14 8:00 p.m. EDT Twins W 10–7 Fisher (1–0) Wardle (0–2) Righetti (9) 2:47 18,319 14–15 W2 30 May 15 8:00 p.m. EDT Rangers W 6–5 (10) Righetti (2–2) Schmidt (1–2) – 3:01 17,232 15–15 W3 31 May 16 1:00 p.m. EDT Rangers W 6–5 Righetti (3–2) Stewart (0–3) – 3:11 21,010 16–15 W4 32 May 17 10:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 6–0 Niekro (5–2) Witt (2–4) – 2:40 61,066 17–15 W5 33 May 18 3:20 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 6–1 Cowley (2–2) John (2–3) Fisher (1) 2:48 32,936 18–15 W6 34 May 19 4:00 p.m. EDT @ Angels L 1–4 Slaton (4–2) Whitson (1–5) Moore (9) 2:29 39,724 18–16 L1 35 May 21 10:35 p.m. EDT @ Mariners W 11–1 Guidry (4–3) Langston (5–4) – 2:58 16,054 19–16 W1 36 May 22 10:35 p.m. EDT @ Mariners L 1–4 Young (3–5) Rasmussen (2–2) – 2:15 13,363 19–17 L1 37 May 23 10:35 p.m. EDT @ Mariners L 4–6 Beattie (2–4) Niekro (5–3) Best (1) 2:28 15,790 19–18 L2 38 May 24 10:35 p.m. EDT @ Athletics W 10–3 Cowley (3–2) Codiroli (5–2) – 3:05 22,919 20–18 W1 39 May 25 4:05 p.m. EDT @ Athletics L 7–8 Howell (2–2) Righetti (3–3) – 2:52 30,273 20–19 L1 40 May 26 4:05 p.m. EDT @ Athletics W 13–1 Guidry (5–3) Krueger (4–4) – 2:40 36,966 21–19 W1 41 May 27 9:15 p.m. EDT @ Athletics L 1–2 (10) Howell (3–2) Righetti (3–4) – 2:41 31,294 21–20 L1 42 May 29 8:00 p.m. EDT Angels W 7–2 Niekro (6–3) Slaton (4–3) – 2:30 25,049 22–20 W1 43 May 30 8:00 p.m. EDT Angels W 3–1 Cowley (4–2) Romanick (6–2) Righetti (10) 2:09 17,226 23–20 W2 44 May 31 8:00 p.m. EDT Mariners W 8–3 Fisher (2–0) Langston (5–5) – 2:49 20,309 24–20 W3
June: 13–14 (Home: 8–8; Away: 5–6) # Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 45 June 1 8:00 p.m. EDT Mariners W 8–2 Guidry (6–3) Young (4–6) – 2:30 25,109 25–20 W4 46 June 2 2:00 p.m. EDT Mariners L 6–7 Núñez (3–0) Rasmussen (2–3) Best (3) 3:20 50,150 25–21 L1 47 June 3 8:00 p.m. EDT Athletics W 5–2 Niekro (7–3) Codiroli (6–3) – 2:43 15,228 26–21 W1 48 June 4 8:00 p.m. EDT Athletics L 0–2 Birtsas (2–1) Cowley (4–3) Howell (12) 2:55 20,242 26–22 L1 — June 5 Athletics Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 7) 49 June 6 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Brewers L 1–5 Darwin (5–4) Whitson (1–6) – 2:14 15,452 26–23 L2 50 June 7 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Brewers L 9–10 (10) Searage (1–3) Righetti (3–5) – 3:42 24,463 26–24 L3 51 June 8 2:35 p.m. EDT @ Brewers W 2–1 (13) Righetti (4–5) Gibson (5–3) Bordi (1) 4:18 40,913 27–24 W1 52 June 9 2:35 p.m. EDT @ Brewers L 4–9 Vuckovich (2–3) Niekro (7–4) Ladd (1) 2:59 44,621 27–25 L1 53 June 10 8:20 p.m. EDT Blue Jays W 4–2 Shirley (1–1) Alexander (7–3) Righetti (11) 2:33 20,329 28–25 W1 54 June 11 8:00 p.m. EDT Blue Jays L 1–4 (11) Lamp (5–0) Fisher (2–1) – 3:37 22,620 28–26 L1 55 June 12 8:00 p.m. EDT Blue Jays L 2–3 (10) Acker (3–0) Bordi (1–1) – 3:18 25,129 28–27 L2 56 June 14 8:00 p.m. EDT Tigers L 0–4 Terrell (7–2) Rasmussen (2–4) Hernández (12) 2:37 35,224 28–28 L3 57 June 15 4:05 p.m. EDT Tigers L 8–10 Morris (8–5) Niekro (7–5) Hernández (13) 3:05 55,623 28–29 L4 58 June 16 2:00 p.m. EDT Tigers W 2–1 Shirley (2–1) O'Neal (1–1) – 2:14 36,036 29–29 W1 59 June 17 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Orioles W 10–0 Guidry (7–3) McGregor (5–6) – 3:07 34,844 30–29 W2 60 June 18 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Orioles W 6–4 Cowley (5–3) Davis (4–3) Fisher (2) 3:17 33,794 31–29 W3 61 June 19 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Orioles W 10–0 Whitson (2–6) Martínez (5–4) – 2:49 37,470 32–29 W4 62 June 20 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Tigers L 9–10 (10) Bair (2–0) Righetti (4–6) – 3:49 36,565 32–30 L1 63 June 21 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Tigers L 4–6 O'Neal (2–1) Niekro (7–6) Hernández (14) 2:36 47,499 32–31 L2 64 June 22 4:05 p.m. EDT @ Tigers W 4–0 Guidry (8–3) Petry (9–5) – 2:27 41,774 33–31 W1 65 June 23 1:30 p.m. EDT @ Tigers L 1–3 Tanana (3–7) Shirley (2–2) Hernández (15) 2:26 40,929 33–32 L1 66 June 24 8:20 p.m. EDT Orioles W 5–4 Cowley (6–3) Martínez (5–5) Fisher (3) 2:56 25,201 34–32 W1 67 June 25 8:00 p.m. EDT Orioles W 7–4 Whitson (3–6) Boddicker (7–7) Righetti (12) 2:39 30,650 35–32 W2 68 June 26 8:00 p.m. EDT Orioles W 4–3 Righetti (5–6) Aase (4–3) – 3:09 30,929 36–32 W3 69 June 28 8:00 p.m. EDT Brewers W 5–2 Guidry (9–3) Darwin (6–7) Righetti (13) 2:58 21,649 37–32 W4 70 June 29 8:00 p.m. EDT Brewers L 0–6 Haas (6–3) Niekro (7–7) – 2:13 25,369 37–33 L1 71 June 30 2:00 p.m. EDT Brewers L 5–7 McClure (2–0) Fisher (2–2) Fingers (9) 2:51 51,459 37–34 L2
July: 18–10 (Home: 10–1; Away: 8–9) # Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 72 July 1 1:35 p.m. EDT @ Blue Jays W 4–1 Cowley (7–3) Alexander (7–5) Righetti (14) 2:32 41,476 38–34 W1 73 July 2 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Blue Jays W 5–3 Whitson (4–6) Key (6–3) – 2:32 35,202 39–34 W2 74 July 3 12:35 p.m. EDT @ Blue Jays L 2–3 (10) Acker (5–2) Bordi (1–2) – 3:23 40,376 39–35 L1 75 July 4 7:00 p.m. EDT Twins W 3–2 Guidry (10–3) Butcher (5–6) – 2:16 35,110 40–35 W1 76 July 5 8:00 p.m. EDT Twins W 6–3 Rasmussen (3–4) Schrom (7–7) Fisher (4) 2:58 26,046 41–35 W2 — July 6 Twins Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: July 7) 77 (1) July 7 1:00 p.m. EDT Twins W 3–2 (11) Righetti (6–6) Wardle (1–3) – 3:21 – 42–35 W3 78 (2) July 7 4:56 p.m. EDT Twins W 14–2 Bordi (2–2) Lysander (0–2) – 2:35 31,549 43–35 W4 80 July 8 8:10 p.m. EDT Royals L 2–5 Saberhagen (9–4) Niekro (7–8) – 2:16 17,193 43–36 L1 81 July 9 8:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 6–4 Guidry (11–3) Black (5–10) Righetti (15) 3:11 24,528 44–36 W1 82 July 10 1:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 6–5 Righetti (7–6) Quisenberry (4–5) – 2:53 35,274 45–36 W2 83 July 11 8:00 p.m. EDT Rangers W 11–7 Shirley (3–2) Cook (2–1) – 3:02 21,863 46–36 W3 84 July 12 8:00 p.m. EDT Rangers W 6–0 Whitson (5–6) Sebra (0–2) – 2:02 21,832 47–36 W4 85 July 13 2:00 p.m. EDT Rangers W 3–1 Niekro (8–8) Mason (5–9) Righetti (16) 2:16 45,274 48–36 W5 86 July 14 2:00 p.m. EDT Rangers W 7–1 Guidry (12–3) Hooton (4–4) – 2:19 28,168 49–36 W6 56th All-Star Game in Minneapolis, MN 86 July 18 1:15 p.m. EDT @ Twins L 4–8 Eufemia (3–0) Bordi (2–3) – 3:02 43,081 49–37 L1 87 July 19 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Twins W 6–4 Cowley (8–3) Butcher (6–9) Righetti (17) 3:01 37,687 50–37 W1 88 July 20 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Twins W 8–3 Guidry (13–3) Schrom (8–9) – 2:38 37,919 51–37 W2 89 July 21 2:15 p.m. EDT @ Twins W 5–2 Niekro (9–8) Viola (10–8) – 2:46 30,037 52–37 W3 90 July 22 8:10 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 4–5 Jones (2–2) Rasmussen (3–5) Quisenberry (19) 2:56 40,938 52–38 L1 91 July 23 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 2–5 Saberhagen (11–5) Whitson (5–7) Quisenberry (20) 2:40 32,450 52–39 L2 92 July 24 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 3–5 Leibrandt (10–5) Cowley (8–4) Quisenberry (21) 2:45 31,580 52–40 L3 93 July 26 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers L 8–9 Noles (4–6) Righetti (7–7) Schmidt (3) 2:55 30,069 52–41 L4 94 July 27 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers W 14–2 Niekro (10–8) Cook (2–2) – 2:50 40,084 53–41 W1 95 July 28 7:05 p.m. EDT @ Rangers L 2–8 Welsh (2–2) Bystrom (0–1) – 2:45 22,523 53–42 L1 96 July 29 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Indians W 8–2 Whitson (6–7) Blyleven (9–11) Righetti (18) 2:42 15,042 54–42 W1 97 (1) July 30 5:05 p.m. EDT @ Indians W 8–5 Cowley (9–4) Thompson (3–4) – 3:30 – 55–42 W2 98 (2) July 30 9:10 p.m. EDT @ Indians L 2–3 Romero (1–1) Shirley (3–3) Thompson (2) 2:37 18,271 55–43 L1 99 July 31 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Indians L 5–6 Waddell (5–5) Guidry (13–4) Thompson (3) 3:00 7,593 55–44 L2
August: 20–8 (Home: 10–3; Away: 10–5) # Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 100 August 1 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Indians L 1–9 Smith (1–0) Niekro (10–9) – 2:39 8,294 55–45 L3 101 August 2 8:20 p.m. EDT White Sox L 5–6 (11) Agosto (3–2) Bordi (2–4) – 4:07 27,118 55–46 L4 102 August 3 1:20 p.m. EDT White Sox W 8–4 Whitson (7–7) Long (0–1) Righetti (19) 2:46 37,726 56–46 W1 103 August 4 2:00 p.m. EDT White Sox L 1–4 Seaver (12–8) Cowley (9–5) – 3:20 54,032 56–47 L1 104 August 5 8:00 p.m. EDT White Sox W 7–3 Guidry (14–4) Bannister (5–9) – 2:36 28,320 57–47 W1 — August 6 Indians Postponed (Strike) (Makeup date: August 8) — August 7 Indians Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 16) 105 (1) August 8 5:30 p.m. EDT Indians W 8–1 Bystrom (1–1) Wardle (2–4) – 3:03 – 58–47 W2 106 (2) August 8 9:08 p.m. EDT Indians W 7–6 Fisher (3–3) Reed (0–4) Righetti (20) 3:09 25,692 59–47 W3 107 August 9 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 10–6 Bordi (3–4) Hurst (7–9) – 3:18 33,739 60–47 W4 108 August 10 2:05 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 7–3 Cowley (10–5) Boyd (11–10) Righetti (21) 3:15 33,309 61–47 W5 109 August 11 2:05 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 5–3 Guidry (15–4) Clemens (7–5) Fisher (5) 3:17 33,685 62–47 W6 110 August 12 8:30 p.m. EDT @ White Sox W 10–4 Niekro (11–9) Nelson (7–7) – 2:57 28,801 63–47 W7 111 August 13 8:30 p.m. EDT @ White Sox L 3–4 Burns (12–7) Fisher (3–3) James (20) 2:55 18,294 63–48 L1 112 August 14 8:30 p.m. EDT @ White Sox W 10–7 Fisher (4–3) James (4–5) Righetti (22) 3:38 21,184 64–48 W1 113 August 16 8:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox W 5–4 (10) Righetti (8–7) Crawford (5–3) – 3:35 42,787 65–48 W2 114 August 17 2:20 p.m. EDT Red Sox W 3–1 Guidry (16–4) Nipper (7–9) Fisher (6) 2:57 40,179 66–48 W3 115 August 18 2:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox W 4–2 Righetti (9–7) Lollar (5–7) Fisher (7) 2:54 44,170 67–48 W4 116 August 19 1:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox W 6–5 Bystrom (2–1) Clear (1–3) Bordi (2) 2:45 38,164 68–48 W5 117 August 20 10:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 8–5 Bordi (4–4) Slaton (5–10) Righetti (23) 3:04 38,791 69–48 W6 118 August 21 10:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 13–10 (10) Righetti (10–7) Moore (7–7) – 4:01 40,363 70–48 W7 119 August 22 10:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels L 2–3 Witt (11–7) Bordi (4–5) – 3:23 44,796 70–49 L1 120 August 23 10:35 p.m. EDT @ Mariners W 3–1 Niekro (12–9) Swift (4–7) Allen (1) 2:40 18,821 71–49 W1 121 August 24 10:05 p.m. EDT @ Mariners W 4–3 Bystrom (3–1) Langston (7–10) Fisher (8) 2:51 21,489 72–49 W2 122 August 25 4:35 p.m. EDT @ Mariners W 8–5 Whitson (8–7) Moore (11–8) Fisher (9) 3:03 28,678 73–49 W3 123 August 26 10:35 p.m. EDT @ Athletics L 2–3 (15) Langford (2–5) Shirley (3–4) – 4:44 42,118 73–50 L1 124 August 27 10:35 p.m. EDT @ Athletics L 0–3 John (4–5) Guidry (16–5) Ontiveros (7) 2:07 24,555 73–51 L2 125 August 29 8:00 p.m. EDT Angels W 4–0 Niekro (13–9) McCaskill (9–9) – 2:43 32,169 74–51 W1 126 August 30 8:00 p.m. EDT Angels L 1–4 Candelaria (3–1) Bystrom (3–2) Moore (24) 3:09 22,256 74–52 L1 127 August 31 1:20 p.m. EDT Angels W 10–4 Righetti (11–7) Corbett (2–2) – 3:04 26,991 75–52 W1
September: 18–10 (Home: 14–5; Away: 4–5) # Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 128 September 1 2:00 p.m. EDT Angels W 5–3 Shirley (4–4) Holland (0–1) Fisher (10) 3:06 33,080 76–52 W2 129 September 2 1:00 p.m. EDT Mariners W 8–7 Guidry (17–5) Wills (4–7) Righetti (24) 3:27 26,427 77–52 W3 130 September 3 8:00 p.m. EDT Mariners W 6–3 Niekro (14–9) Swift (4–9) Righetti (25) 2:56 17,255 78–52 W4 131 September 4 8:00 p.m. EDT Mariners W 4–3 Bordi (5–5) Langston (7–12) Shirley (1) 2:51 21,605 79–52 W5 132 September 5 8:00 p.m. EDT Athletics W 7–3 Whitson (9–7) Atherton (4–7) – 2:56 20,954 80–52 W6 133 September 6 8:00 p.m. EDT Athletics W 8–4 Shirley (5–4) Codiroli (10–12) – 3:00 22,519 81–52 W7 134 September 7 8:00 p.m. EDT Athletics W 3–2 Guidry (18–5) John (4–7) Fisher (11) 2:37 25,539 82–52 W8 135 September 8 2:00 p.m. EDT Athletics W 9–6 Niekro (15–9) Rijo (3–2) – 3:21 26,809 83–52 W9 136 September 9 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Brewers W 9–4 (10) Righetti (12–7) Searage (1–4) – 3:44 7,176 84–52 W10 137 September 10 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Brewers W 13–10 Whitson (10–7) Burris (9–12) Shirley (2) 3:10 7,971 85–52 W11 138 September 11 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Brewers L 3–4 Higuera (13–6) Bordi (5–6) – 2:56 8,540 85–53 L1 139 September 12 8:00 p.m. EDT Blue Jays W 7–5 Guidry (19–5) Lavelle (4–7) Fisher (12) 2:54 52,141 86–53 W1 140 September 13 8:00 p.m. EDT Blue Jays L 2–3 Lavelle (5–7) Niekro (15–10) Henke (12) 3:13 53,303 86–54 L1 141 September 14 8:00 p.m. EDT Blue Jays L 4–7 Key (13–6) Bordi (5–7) – 2:51 54,367 86–55 L2 142 September 15 2:00 p.m. EDT Blue Jays L 5–8 Alexander (16–8) Whitson (10–8) – 3:13 54,699 86–56 L3 143 September 16 1:00 p.m. EDT Indians L 5–9 Reed (1–5) Fisher (4–4) – 3:24 15,320 86–57 L4 144 September 17 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Tigers L 1–9 Petry (15–11) Guidry (19–6) – 2:21 20,213 86–58 L5 145 September 18 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Tigers L 2–5 Mahler (1–2) Niekro (15–11) Hernández (29) 2:32 20,318 86–59 L6 146 September 19 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Tigers L 3–10 Tanana (9–14) Niekro (0–1) – 2:44 19,588 86–60 L7 147 September 20 8:05 p.m. EDT @ Orioles L 2–4 Flanagan (4–4) Bordi (5–8) Aase (13) 2:59 33,957 86–61 L8 148 September 21 1:20 p.m. EDT @ Orioles W 5–2 Cowley (11–5) Davis (10–8) Fisher (13) 3:17 33,873 87–61 W1 149 September 22 2:05 p.m. EDT @ Orioles W 5–4 Guidry (20–6) Dixon (8–4) Righetti (26) 2:46 33,045 88–61 W2 150 September 24 8:00 p.m. EDT Tigers L 1–9 Tanana (10–14) Niekro (15–12) – 2:22 16,702 88–62 L1 151 September 25 8:00 p.m. EDT Tigers W 10–2 Niekro (1–1) Morris (15–11) – 2:47 17,010 89–62 W1 — September 26 Tigers Cancelled (Rain) — September 27 Orioles Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 29) 152 September 28 2:00 p.m. EDT Orioles W 4–0 Guidry (21–6) Stewart (5–6) – 2:58 30,486 90–62 W1 153 (1) September 29 1:00 p.m. EDT Orioles W 4–0 Cowley (12–5) McGregor (13–14) Righetti (27) 2:33 – 91–62 W3 154 (2) September 29 4:08 p.m. EDT Orioles W 9–2 Bordi (6–8) Havens (0–1) Scurry (1) 2:37 30,291 92–62 W3 155 September 30 8:00 p.m. EDT Orioles W 5–4 Allen (1–0) Aase (9–6) – 3:16 15,041 93–62 W4
October: 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Away: 2–1) # Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/ Streak 156 October 1 8:00 p.m. EDT Brewers W 6–1 Niekro (2–1) Cocanower (5–8) Righetti (28) 2:30 15,101 94–62 W5 157 October 2 8:00 p.m. EDT Brewers L 0–1 Higuera (15–8) Shirley (5–5) – 2:10 11,879 94–63 L1 158 October 3 8:00 p.m. EDT Brewers W 3–0 Guidry (22–6) Leary (1–4) Fisher (14) 2:32 15,226 95–63 W1 159 October 4 7:35 p.m. EDT @ Blue Jays W 4–3 Scurry (1–0) Henke (3–3) Righetti (29) 2:55 47,686 96–63 W2 160 October 5 1:35 p.m. EDT @ Blue Jays L 1–5 Alexander (17–10) Cowley (12–6) – 2:38 44,608 96–64 L1 161 October 6 1:35 p.m. EDT @ Blue Jays W 8–0 Niekro (16–12) Cerutti (0–2) – 2:25 44,422 97–64 W1
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement Bold = Yankees team member

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	Butch Wynegar	102	309	69	.223	5	32
1B	Don Mattingly	159	652	211	.324	35	145
2B	Willie Randolph	143	597	137	.276	5	40
3B	Mike Pagliarulo	138	380	91	.239	19	62
SS	Bobby Meacham	156	481	105	.218	1	47
LF	Ken Griffey, Sr.	127	438	120	.274	10	69
CF	Rickey Henderson	143	547	172	.314	24	72
RF	Dave Winfield	155	633	174	.275	26	114
DH	Don Baylor	142	477	110	.231	23	91

Other batters

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

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Ron Hassey	92	267	79	.296	13	42
Dan Pasqua	60	148	31	.209	9	25
Billy Sample	59	139	40	.288	1	15
Andre Robertson	50	125	41	.328	2	17
Dale Berra	48	109	25	.229	1	8
Omar Moreno	34	66	13	.197	1	4
Henry Cotto	34	56	17	.304	1	6
Rex Hudler	20	51	8	.157	0	1
Scott Bradley	19	49	8	.163	0	1
Juan Bonilla	8	16	2	.125	0	2
Juan Espino	9	11	4	.364	0	0
Victor Mata	6	7	1	.143	0	0
Keith Smith	4	0	0	----	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
Ron Guidry	34	259.0	22	6	3.27	143
Phil Niekro	33	220.0	16	12	4.09	149
Joe Cowley	30	159.2	12	6	3.95	97
Ed Whitson	30	158.2	10	8	4.88	89
Marty Bystrom	8	41.0	3	2	5.71	16
Joe Niekro	3	12.1	2	1	5.84	4

Other 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
Bob Shirley	48	109.0	5	5	2.64	55
Dennis Rasmussen	22	101.2	3	5	3.98	63
John Montefusco	3	7.0	0	0	10.29	2

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Dave Righetti	74	12	7	29	2.78	92
Brian Fisher	55	4	4	14	2.38	85
Rich Bordi	51	6	8	2	3.21	64
Neil Allen	17	1	0	1	2.76	16
Mike Armstrong	9	0	0	0	3.07	11
Don Cooper	7	0	0	0	5.40	4
Rod Scurry	5	1	0	1	2.84	17
Dale Murray	3	0	0	0	13.50	0

Awards and honors

• Don Baylor – Roberto Clemente Award
• Ron Guidry – Gold Glove
• Rickey Henderson – American League Leader Stolen Bases (80)
• Rickey Henderson – Major League Baseball Leader Runs Scored (146)
• Rickey Henderson – Silver Slugger Award
• Don Mattingly – American League Most Valuable Player
• Don Mattingly – American League Leader RBI (145)
• Don Mattingly – Gold Glove
• Don Mattingly – Silver Slugger Award
• Dave Winfield – Silver Slugger Award
• Dave Winfield – Gold Glove

All-Star Game

• Don Mattingly, first base
• Dave Winfield, outfield
• Rickey Henderson, outfield

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Columbus Clippers	International League	Doug Holmquist and Stump Merrill
AA	Albany-Colonie Yankees	Eastern League	Barry Foote
A	Fort Lauderdale Yankees	Florida State League	Bucky Dent
A-Short Season	Oneonta Yankees	New York–Penn League	Buck Showalter
Rookie	GCL Yankees	Gulf Coast League	Carlos Tosca

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Oneonta, GCL Yankees

References

1. Matt Keough page at Baseball Reference
2. Ron Hassey page at Baseball Reference
3. Rick Cerone page at Baseball Reference
4. Rickey Henderson page at Baseball Reference
5. Jay Buhner page at Baseball Reference
6. Ed Whitson page at Baseball Reference
7. Billy Sample page at Baseball Reference
8. Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records, p.45, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7
9. Shane Turner page at Baseball Reference
10. Jim Leyritz page at Baseball Reference
11. Bernie Williams page at Baseball Reference
12. Jim Deshaies page at Baseball Reference

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.

External links

• 1985 New York Yankees at Baseball Reference
• 1985 New York Yankees team page at www.baseball-almanac.com