1985 Southern League season
| 1985 Southern League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Southern League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 11 – September 2 |
| Number of games | 144 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Knoxville Blue Jays |
| Season MVP | Jose Canseco, Huntsville Stars |
| Playoffs | |
| League champions | Huntsville Stars |
| Runners-up | Charlotte Orioles |
The 1985 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 11 and September 2. Ten teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Huntsville Stars won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Charlotte Orioles in the playoffs.
Team changes
- The Nashville Sounds leave the league and join the American Association.
- The Huntsville Stars join the league as an expansion team. The club begins an affiliation with the Oakland Athletics.
- The Jacksonville Suns are renamed to the Jacksonville Expos. The club remained affiliated with the Montreal Expos.
Teams
Map of teams
East Division 
West Division
Regular season
Summary
- The Knoxville Blue Jays finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1978.
Standings
| East Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Columbus Astros | 79 | 65 | .549 | – |
| Charlotte Orioles | 78 | 65 | .545 | 0.5 |
| Jacksonville Expos | 73 | 70 | .510 | 5.5 |
| Orlando Twins | 72 | 71 | .503 | 6.5 |
| Greenville Braves | 70 | 74 | .486 | 9 |
| West Division | ||||
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 79 | 64 | .552 | – |
| Huntsville Stars | 78 | 66 | .542 | 1.5 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 66 | 77 | .462 | 13 |
| Memphis Chicks | 65 | 79 | .451 | 14.5 |
| Birmingham Barons | 57 | 86 | .399 | 22 |
League Leaders
Batting leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Bruce Fields, Birmingham Barons | .323 |
| H | Alex Marte, Orlando Twins | 171 |
| R | Alex Marte, Orlando Twins | 117 |
| 2B | Jim Sherman, Columbus Astros Kelvin Torve, Charlotte Orioles |
34 |
| 3B | Luis Polonia, Huntsville Stars | 18 |
| HR | Mark Funderburk, Orlando Twins | 34 |
| RBI | Mark Funderburk, Orlando Twins | 116 |
| SB | Alex Marte, Orlando Twins | 64 |
Pitching leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays | 17 |
| ERA | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays | 2.45 |
| CG | Les Straker, Orlando Twins | 12 |
| SHO | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays Les Straker, Orlando Twins |
3 |
| SV | Luis Aquino, Knoxville Blue Jays | 20 |
| IP | Les Straker, Orlando Twins | 193.0 |
| SO | Scott Bankhead, Memphis Chicks John Hoover, Charlotte Orioles |
128 |
Playoffs
- The Huntsville Stars won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Charlotte Orioles in five games.
Playoff bracket
| Division finals | Finals | ||||||||
| E1 | Columbus | 1 | |||||||
| E2 | Charlotte | 3 | |||||||
| E2 | Charlotte | 2 | |||||||
| W2 | Huntsville | 3 | |||||||
| W1 | Knoxville | 1 | |||||||
| W2 | Huntsville | 3 | |||||||
Awards
| Southern League awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Jose Canseco, Huntsville Stars |
| Pitcher of the Year | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays |
| Manager of the Year | Carlos Alfonso, Columbus Astros John McLaren, Knoxville Blue Jays |
See also
References
- ^ 1985 SOUL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed March 5, 2025
- ^ 1985 SL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed March 5, 2025
- ^ 1985 SL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed March 5, 2025