1985 Yankees

Ninety-seven wins. An MVP. The most dynamic leadoff hitter in baseball history. And no playoff appearance. The 1985 New York Yankees were, by almost every measure, the best team in the American League -- and they finished second. The Toronto Blue Jays won the AL East by two games, and the Yankees went home in October for the fourth straight year. It was the cruelest kind of season: too good to dismiss, not quite good enough to celebrate.

Steinbrenner Breaks His Promise

Yogi Berra started the season as manager. He didn't last long. Steinbrenner had publicly promised that Berra would manage the entire 1985 season -- a pledge that lasted exactly 16 games. On April 28, with the Yankees 6-10, Steinbrenner fired Yogi via press release. He didn't even have the guts to do it in person; general manager Clyde King delivered the news.

The move infuriated Berra so deeply that he refused to set foot in Yankee Stadium for the next 14 years. He didn't return until 1999, when Steinbrenner personally apologized and came to Yogi's museum in New Jersey to do it. Fourteen years of silence over 16 games -- that's how much Steinbrenner's betrayal stung.

Billy Martin, naturally, was the replacement. His fourth stint as Yankees manager. At this point, the Martin-Steinbrenner revolving door had become a punchline, but Billy could still win. He went 91-54 the rest of the way, pushing the Yankees to 97 wins on the season.

Mattingly: The MVP

Don Mattingly didn't just build on his batting title season -- he turned into one of the most complete players in baseball. His Don Mattingly's 1985 MVP campaign produced a staggering line: .324/.371/.567, with 35 home runs, 145 RBI, and 48 doubles. Those 48 doubles were the most by a Yankee since Lou Gehrig hit 52 in 1927. The 145 RBI led the majors.

Mattingly won the AL MVP with 23 of 28 first-place votes, and it wasn't controversial. He'd gone from part-time player to batting champion to the best player in the league in the span of two years. At 24 years old, he was the unquestioned face of the franchise -- a homegrown star in pinstripes during an era when Steinbrenner's instinct was always to buy rather than build.

Rickey Being Rickey

The Henderson trade paid off immediately and spectacularly. Acquired from Oakland that December for a package of five players, Rickey Henderson's record-breaking debut season saw him hit .314/.419/.516 with 24 home runs, 80 stolen bases, and a league-leading 146 runs scored -- the most in the majors since Ted Williams scored 150 in 1949. Henderson became the first player since Gehrig in 1936 to score more runs than games played in a season.

At his best, Henderson was a one-man wrecking crew at the top of the lineup. He got on base at a .419 clip, stole bases at will, and then Mattingly and Winfield drove him in. The top of the Yankees' order -- Henderson, Mattingly, Winfield -- was the most dangerous trio in baseball. (The fact that a lineup this loaded couldn't win the division tells you everything about how tough the AL East was in 1985.)

And yet Henderson finished third in the MVP voting. A case could be made -- and many have made it since -- that Rickey's 9.7 WAR season was actually the more valuable performance. But Mattingly's traditional numbers (35 HR, 145 RBI) carried the day with voters, and nobody in the Bronx was complaining.

Guidry's Last Great Run

Ron Guidry bounced back from his rough 1984 campaign with a brilliant season: 22-6 with a 3.27 ERA. He finished second in the AL Cy Young voting and reminded everyone that Louisiana Lightning still had one more dominant year left in his arm. At 34, Guidry was pitching like a man who knew the window was closing.

Niekro's 300th Win

On October 6, 46-year-old Phil Niekro took the mound against Toronto on the final day of the regular season and threw a four-hit shutout for his 300th career win. The masterpiece came with a twist -- Niekro threw 26 consecutive outs without using his trademark knuckleball, relying instead on curveballs, change-ups, and screwballs. He saved the knuckler for the final pitch, striking out Jeff Burroughs to end it. At 46 years and 188 days old, it was the oldest shutout in major league history and one of the great individual moments in a season full of them.

The Unraveling

On September 12, the Yankees pulled within 1.5 games of Toronto. Then everything fell apart. The team lost eight straight, and on September 22, Billy Martin got into a barroom fight with pitcher Ed Whitson at the team's hotel in Baltimore. Martin broke his arm; Whitson suffered a broken rib and split lip. The incident captured the volatility that always surrounded Martin -- a brilliant baseball mind who couldn't keep his fists to himself. (Bernie Williams, signed as an amateur free agent on September 13, was quietly entering the organization at the exact moment it was tearing itself apart.) Martin was fired after the season despite a 91-54 record.

Two Games Short

The Yankees went into the final weeks of September in a dogfight with Toronto. They won 97 games -- a total that would've won the division in most years. But the Blue Jays won 99 and held on down the stretch. On October 5, Toronto clinched the division with a 5-1 victory over the Yankees. Two games separated the best Yankees team of the 1980s from a playoff appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Yankees' record in 1985?

The Yankees went 97-64, the second-best record in the American League. They finished two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Despite having baseball's best offense and Mattingly's MVP season, the lack of a wild card meant 97 wins weren't enough for a playoff berth.

How many stolen bases did Rickey Henderson have in 1985?

Henderson stole 80 bases with a success rate of 88.9 percent (caught just 10 times). He also scored 146 runs -- the most in the majors since Ted Williams scored 150 in 1949. Combined with 24 home runs, Henderson became only the second player in history to reach 80 steals and 20 homers in the same season.

When did Phil Niekro win his 300th game?

Niekro won his 300th career game on October 6, 1985, the final day of the regular season. He threw a four-hit shutout against the Toronto Blue Jays, winning 8-0. At 46 years and 188 days old, he became the oldest pitcher in MLB history to throw a shutout. He didn't throw his trademark knuckleball until the game's final pitch.

Why was Billy Martin fired after the 1985 season?

Martin compiled a 91-54 record but couldn't escape the dysfunction he helped create. The September 22 fight with pitcher Ed Whitson at a Baltimore hotel -- which left Martin with a broken arm and Whitson with a broken rib -- was the final straw. Despite winning at a .628 clip, Martin was replaced by Lou Piniella for the 1986 season.