2005 Major League Baseball season
| 2005 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 3, 2005 – October 26, 2005 |
| Regular Season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Alex Rodriguez (NYY) NL: Albert Pujols (STL) |
| League Postseason | |
| AL champions | Chicago White Sox |
| AL runners-up | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim |
| NL champions | Houston Astros |
| NL runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Chicago White Sox |
| Runners-up | Houston Astros |
| World Series MVP | Jermaine Dye (CHW) |
The 2005 Major League Baseball season was notable for the league's new steroid policy in the wake of the BALCO scandal, which enforced harsher penalties ever than before for steroid use in Major League Baseball. Several players, including veteran Rafael Palmeiro, were suspended under the new policy. Also, every team in the NL East division had at least 81 wins (at least half of the 162 games played). It was also notable for being the first season featuring a baseball team in Washington, D.C. for more than 4 decades, with the Washington Nationals having moved from Montreal.
The season ended when the Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros in a four-game sweep in the World Series, winning their first championship since 1917.
Major league baseball final standings
The standings in the National League East were quite notable because all the teams in that division finished with at least a .500 record. The San Diego Padres' record of 82–80 was also notable as it was the worst ever by a division champion in a full-length season. (It is not, strictly speaking, the worst record by a division champion as the strike-shortened 1994 season ended with every team in the AL West at least 10 games under .500, nor is it the worst record by a team that made the postseason as due to the "split-season" format imposed in the wake of the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, the Kansas City Royals went to the playoffs as second-half AL West champions despite an overall record of 50–53.)
American League
|
National League
|
Postseason
The playoffs began on October 4, and ended on October 26. For more information, see the following articles:
- Division Series
- Championship Series
- World Series
Bracket
Statistical leaders
Batting
Team
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs scored | Boston Red Sox | 910 | Cincinnati Reds | 820 |
| Hits | Boston Red Sox | 1579 | Chicago Cubs | 1506 |
| Home runs | Texas Rangers | 260 | Cincinnati Reds | 222 |
| Batting average | Boston Red Sox | .272 | San Francisco Giants | .281 |
| Stolen bases | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 161 | New York Mets | 153 |
Individual
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting average | Michael Young (Texas) | .331 | Derrek Lee (Chicago) | .335 |
| Runs scored | Alex Rodriguez (New York) | 124 | Albert Pujols (St. Louis) | 129 |
| Hits | Michael Young (Texas) | 221 | Derrek Lee (Chicago) | 199 |
| Home runs | Alex Rodriguez (New York) | 48 | Andruw Jones (Atlanta) | 51 |
| Runs batted in | David Ortiz (Boston) | 148 | Andruw Jones (Atlanta) | 128 |
| Stolen bases | Chone Figgins (Los Angeles) | 62 | José Reyes (New York) | 60 |
Pitching
Team
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs allowed | Cleveland Indians | 642 | Houston Astros | 609 |
| Earned run average | Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians |
3.61 | St. Louis Cardinals | 3.49 |
| Hits allowed | Oakland Athletics | 1315 | Houston Astros | 1336 |
| Home runs allowed | Oakland Athletics | 154 | New York Mets | 135 |
| Strikeouts | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 1126 | Chicago Cubs | 1256 |
Individual
| Statistic | American League | National League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earned run average | Kevin Millwood (Cleveland) | 2.86 | Roger Clemens (Houston) | 1.87 |
| Wins | Bartolo Colón (Los Angeles) | 21 | Dontrelle Willis (Florida) | 22 |
| Saves | Francisco Rodríguez (Los Angeles) Bob Wickman (Cleveland) |
45 | Chad Cordero (Washington) | 47 |
| Strikeouts | Johan Santana (Minnesota) | 238 | Jake Peavy (San Diego) | 216 |
Managers
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Bob Melvin | |
| Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | |
| Chicago Cubs | Dusty Baker | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Dave Miley | Replaced during the season by Jerry Narron |
| Colorado Rockies | Clint Hurdle | |
| Florida Marlins | Jack McKeon | |
| Houston Astros | Phil Garner | Won the National League pennant |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Jim Tracy | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Ned Yost | |
| New York Mets | Willie Randolph | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Charlie Manuel | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Lloyd McClendon | Replaced during the season by Pete Mackanin |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | |
| San Diego Padres | Bruce Bochy | |
| San Francisco Giants | Felipe Alou | |
| Washington Nationals | Frank Robinson |
±hosted the MLB All Star Game
Awards and honors
Other awards
- Comeback Players of the Year: Jason Giambi (Designated hitter/first baseman, NYY, American); Ken Griffey, Jr. (Center fielder, CIN, National).
- Hank Aaron Award: David Ortiz (BOS, American); Andruw Jones (ATL, National).
- Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): John Smoltz (ATL).
- Rolaids Relief Man Award: Mariano Rivera (NYY, American); Chad Cordero (WSH, National).
- Delivery Man of the Year (Best Reliever): Mariano Rivera (NYY).
Player of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Brian Roberts | Derrek Lee |
| May | Alex Rodriguez | Bobby Abreu |
| June | Travis Hafner | Andruw Jones |
| July | Jason Giambi | Adam Dunn |
| August | Alex Rodriguez | Andruw Jones |
| September | David Ortiz | Randy Winn |
Pitcher of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Jon Garland | Dontrelle Willis |
| May | Kenny Rogers | Trevor Hoffman |
| June | Mark Buehrle | Chad Cordero |
| July | Barry Zito | Andy Pettitte |
| August | Bartolo Colón | Noah Lowry |
| September | José Contreras | Andy Pettitte |
Rookie of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Gustavo Chacín | Clint Barmes |
| May | Damon Hollins | Ryan Church |
| June | Joe Blanton | Garrett Atkins |
| July | Gustavo Chacín | Zach Duke |
| August | Joe Blanton | Zach Duke |
| September | Robinson Canó | Ryan Howard |
Events
- June 18 – Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees hits the first grand slam of his 11-year major league career, as the Yankees defeat the Chicago Cubs 8-1.[1]
References
- Baseball-Reference.com, 2005 American League season
- Baseball-Reference.com, 2005 National League season
- ^ Pellowski, Michael J (2007). The Little Giant Books of Baseball Facts. United States: Sterling Publishing Co. p. 352. ISBN 9781402742736.