| 1985 American League Championship Series |
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Information About1985 American League Championship Series |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT 1985 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES | |
| 1985 in baseball | |
| american league championship series | |
| kansas city royals | |
| toronto blue jays | |
| 1985 in canada | |
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Managers: Dick Howser (Kansas City), Bobby Cox (Toronto) Umpires: Dave Phillips , Dale Ford , Jim Evans , Ted Hendry , Vic Voltaggio , Derryl Cousins Series MVP: George Brett , Kansas City Television: NBC ( Bob Costas and Tony Kubek announcing) BACKGROUND The Royals had long been a contending team in the American League, with great regular season success but frustration in the playoffs. They won three consecutive American League West division titles from 1976 to 1978 , only to be defeated in the ALCS all three years by the New York Yankees . The Royals did manage to get through the ALCS in 1980 , but went on to lose the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies . In 1984 , K.C. again won the Western Division, but fell victim to an ALCS sweep at the hands of the eventual World champion Detroit Tigers . 1985 saw the Royals posting a record of 91-71 (.562) to take yet another Western Division title, by a game over the California Angels . By contrast, the Blue Jays had only been established in 1977 , and the late 1970s and early 1980s for them were marked by the normal struggles faced by an expansion team. Slowly but surely, they began churning out incrasingly solid seasons, culminating in a second-place finish in the American League East in 1984 behind Detroit. 1985 proved to be a breakout year for Toronto, as they rode strong offense and pitching to the second-best record in all of baseball, at 99-62 (.615), taking the AL East by two games over the Yankees. THE SERIES The Series opened in Toronto at Exhibition Stadium , where the Blue Jays easily took Game 1 by a 6-1 score. In Game 2, Willie Wilson and Pat Sheridan made things interesting for the Royals with home runs, but in the bottom of the tenth, with Kansas City holding a 5-4 lead, Lloyd Moseby singled home Tony Fernández , and then Al Oliver was able to do the same for Moseby to give Toronto a 6-5 victory and a 2-0 Series lead. The ALCS then shifted to Royals Stadium for Game 3, where Royals third baseman George Brett tattooed two homers and catcher Jim Sundberg added another to buoy the Royals to a 6-5 victory. However, the celebration was short-lived, as the Blue Jays won Game 4 by a score of 3-1. Had this Series been played under the previous best-of-five format, baseball fans would not have had to wait until 1992 for the first international World Series. However, as noted previously, the format for the LCS was changed to best-of-seven starting with 1985, and it was a gift for K.C., as they were able to pull out a 2-0 shutout win over the Blue Jays in Game 5 to take the Series back to Toronto. The Royals took the sixth game by a 5-3 count, with Brett homering again and Dan Quisenberry garnering the save after taking the loss in Game 1. This forced a one-game showdown for the AL Pennant in the deciding seventh game. The Royals held a close 2-0 lead over the Blue Jays for the first four innings; Toronto cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth inning with a Willie Upshaw double that drove in Damaso Garcia . However, in the top of the sixth, Sundberg lashed a bases-loaded triple to right field, and then Frank White singled Sundberg home, blowing the game wide open and giving Kansas City a 6-1 advantage. Toronto would only manage to score one more run, as the Royals won 6-2 to cap an amazing comeback from the brink of elimination and earn a trip to the World Series. EXTERNAL LINKS
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