Classic MLB 11: MLB 1985-8/04/-Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees: Tom Seaver Goes For 300

Source: This piece was originally posted at The New Democrat Plus

To me at least, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton are the two best starting pitchers of the Baby Boom era. Pitchers who came up in the 1960s and 70s and pitched into the 1980s or so. To me they are the two best pitchers post Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson, from the generation before them. The only other pitcher I would consider with Seaver and Carlton, would be Jim Palmer. And not, not because I’m an Orioles fan, but he had the career, numbers, big games, everything else that puts him in the same class. Tom Seaver earned all of his victories, pitching for some mediocre New York Mets teams in the late 1960s and 1970s and some Cincinnati Reds teams that were in decline post Big Red Machine of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Not sure there was a better big game pitcher than Seaver of this era.

Classic MLB 11: MLB 1985-Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees: Tom Seaver Goes For 300th

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ABC Sports: MLB-1985-MNB-Detroit Tigers @ Baltimore Orioles

 

Source: FRS Daily Journal Plus– The Outdoor Insane Asylum- Baltimore Memorial Stadium 

Source: The New Democrat Plus

Interesting matchup between two non-contending AL East teams in 1985. The Detroit Tigers finished in third place, but fifteen games out of first. And the Orioles finished fourth sixteen games out of first. But the AL East was deep in 1985, with four teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Tigers and Orioles all having winning seasons. And the Boston Red Sox were a 500 club that year. So it wasn’t like the Tigers and Orioles had bad years in 85, it was just that the Blue Jays and Yankees were both very good. And had their been a wildcard back then, both the Jays and Yanks would’ve made the AL Playoffs.

The Orioles were in transition in 85 especially as it relates to their pitching with Jim Palmer retiring after the 84 season. They were still good enough to be a winning team, but no longer a serious contender for the AL East. Their pitching wasn’t nearly as good as it was in the early 1980s and 1970s. And became a power hitting team that needed big offensive games to win. The Tigers won the MLB World Series in 1984 and were still good enough to contend in 85. But they slipped back as the Blue Jays and Yankees finished first and second.

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NBC Sports: MLB 1985-GOW-6/22-New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers: Full Game

Source:NBC Sports– Phil Neikro and the New York Yankees, taking on the Detroit Tigers in 1985.

“1985 06 15 NBC GOW Tigers at Yankees”

From NBC Sports

1985 is the perfect example of why MLB should’ve went to the three division format in both the American and National League with the playoff wildcards well before 1994.

Because you had four ninety win teams in 1985 and each division champion would’ve had at least ninety wins. The Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, Kansas City Royals in the AL Central, and the Anaheim Angels in the AL West. The New York Yankees as a wildcard team in 85 would’ve have more wins than every division winner except for the Blue Jays.

If you go with two wild cards in each league, the Detroit Tigers would’ve just barely misses the AL Playoffs in 85 with 84 wins, a game behind the Chicago White Sox. 1985 was a great year for MLB and the Yankees and Tigers were both in the playoff race that year. And played each other on NBC which is this game.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on WordPress.

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NBC Sports: MLB 1985- NBC GOW- Detroit Tigers @ Chicago White Sox: Full Game

Source:NBC Sports– Detroit Tigers OF Kirk Gibson, perhaps the most talented, all around MLB player in the 1980s. And that’s not a Sparky Anderson promo. It’s simply the truth.

“1985 05 11 NBC GOW Tigers at White Sox”

From Classic MLB

A very good matchup here with both the Tigers and White Sox being in contention for their division titles going into September that season. And with Bob Costas and Tony Kubek calling this game for NBC Sports, you can’t ask for more when it comes to broadcast network sports.

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