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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 than ever before for steroid use in Major League Baseball. Several players, including veteran Rafael Palmeiro, were suspended under the new policy. Besides steroids it was also notable that every team in the NL East finished the season with at least 81 wins (at least half of the 162 games played). Additionally it was the first season featuring a baseball team in Washington, D.C. since the second iteration of the Washington Senators last played there in 1971; the Washington Nationals had moved from Montreal, the first relocation of a team in 33 years and currently the most recent time this has occurred in the majors.
| 2005 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 3 – October 26, 2005 |
| Number of games | 162 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox, ESPN |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Justin Upton |
| Picked by | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Alex Rodriguez (NYY) NL: Albert Pujols (STL) |
| 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 (CWS) |
The Anaheim Angels changed their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
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.
As of the 2024 season, this is the last season in which no no-hit games were pitched; 2005 was also only the 6th year since 1949 in which no such games were thrown.[a]
This was the first season since 1993 that all teams played at least 162 games with no cancellations.
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) New York Yankees | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 53–28 | 42–39 |
| (4) Boston Red Sox | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 54–27 | 41–40 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 80 | 82 | .494 | 15 | 43–38 | 37–44 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 74 | 88 | .457 | 21 | 36–45 | 38–43 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 67 | 95 | .414 | 28 | 40–41 | 27–54 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Chicago White Sox | 99 | 63 | .611 | — | 47–34 | 52–29 |
| Cleveland Indians | 93 | 69 | .574 | 6 | 43–38 | 50–31 |
| Minnesota Twins | 83 | 79 | .512 | 16 | 45–36 | 38–43 |
| Detroit Tigers | 71 | 91 | .438 | 28 | 39–42 | 32–49 |
| Kansas City Royals | 56 | 106 | .346 | 43 | 34–47 | 22–59 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 49–32 | 46–35 |
| Oakland Athletics | 88 | 74 | .543 | 7 | 45–36 | 43–38 |
| Texas Rangers | 79 | 83 | .488 | 16 | 44–37 | 35–46 |
| Seattle Mariners | 69 | 93 | .426 | 26 | 39–42 | 30–51 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Atlanta Braves | 90 | 72 | .556 | — | 53–28 | 37–44 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 88 | 74 | .543 | 2 | 46–35 | 42–39 |
| Florida Marlins | 83 | 79 | .512 | 7 | 45–36 | 38–43 |
| New York Mets | 83 | 79 | .512 | 7 | 48–33 | 35–46 |
| Washington Nationals | 81 | 81 | .500 | 9 | 41–40 | 40–41 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) St. Louis Cardinals | 100 | 62 | .617 | — | 50–31 | 50–31 |
| (4) Houston Astros | 89 | 73 | .549 | 11 | 53–28 | 36–45 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 81 | 81 | .500 | 19 | 46–35 | 35–46 |
| Chicago Cubs | 79 | 83 | .488 | 21 | 38–43 | 41–40 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 73 | 89 | .451 | 27 | 42–39 | 31–50 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 67 | 95 | .414 | 33 | 34–47 | 33–48 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) San Diego Padres | 82 | 80 | .506 | — | 46–35 | 36–45 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 77 | 85 | .475 | 5 | 36–45 | 41–40 |
| San Francisco Giants | 75 | 87 | .463 | 7 | 37–44 | 38–43 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 71 | 91 | .438 | 11 | 40–41 | 31–50 |
| Colorado Rockies | 67 | 95 | .414 | 15 | 40–41 | 27–54 |
Bracket
| Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | World Series | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Chicago White Sox | 14 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Boston | 2 | 4 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Chicago White Sox | 2 | 2* | 5 | 8 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
| American League | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | LA Angels | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | LA Angels | 2 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | NY Yankees | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| AL1 | Chicago White Sox | 5 | 7* | 714 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NL4 | Houston | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis | 8 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | San Diego | 5 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| National League | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Houston | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Atlanta | 5 | 7 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Houston | 10 | 1 | 7 | 718* | ||||||||||||||||||||
*Denotes walk-off
Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.
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 |
American League
National League
| 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
Other awards
- Comeback Players of the Year: Jason Giambi (Designated hitter/first baseman, NYY, American); Ken Griffey Jr. (Center fielder, CIN, National).
- Edgar Martínez Award (Best designated hitter): David Ortiz (BOS)
- 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).
- Warren Spahn Award (Best left-handed pitcher): Dontrelle Willis (FLA)
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 |
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees[1] | 95 | −5.9% | 4,090,696 | 8.4% | 50,502 | $208,306,817 | 13.1% |
| Los Angeles Dodgers[2] | 71 | −23.7% | 3,603,646 | 3.3% | 44,489 | $83,039,000 | −10.6% |
| St. Louis Cardinals[3] | 100 | −4.8% | 3,538,988 | 16.1% | 43,691 | $92,106,833 | 9.2% |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim[4] | 95 | 3.3% | 3,404,686 | 0.9% | 42,033 | $94,867,822 | −5.6% |
| San Francisco Giants[5] | 75 | −17.6% | 3,181,023 | −2.3% | 39,272 | $90,199,500 | 10.0% |
| Chicago Cubs[6] | 79 | −11.2% | 3,099,992 | −2.2% | 38,272 | $87,032,933 | −3.9% |
| San Diego Padres[7] | 82 | −5.7% | 2,869,787 | −4.9% | 35,429 | $63,290,833 | 14.3% |
| Boston Red Sox[8] | 95 | −3.1% | 2,847,888 | 0.4% | 35,159 | $123,505,125 | −3.0% |
| New York Mets[9] | 83 | 16.9% | 2,829,929 | 22.0% | 34,937 | $101,305,821 | −0.7% |
| Houston Astros[10] | 89 | −3.3% | 2,804,760 | −9.2% | 34,627 | $76,779,000 | 1.8% |
| Washington Nationals[11] | 81 | 20.9% | 2,731,993 | 264.5% | 33,728 | $48,581,500 | 17.9% |
| Seattle Mariners[12] | 69 | 9.5% | 2,725,459 | −7.3% | 33,648 | $87,754,334 | 7.7% |
| Philadelphia Phillies[13] | 88 | 2.3% | 2,665,304 | −18.0% | 32,905 | $95,522,000 | 2.5% |
| Baltimore Orioles[14] | 74 | −5.1% | 2,624,740 | −4.3% | 32,404 | $73,914,333 | 43.2% |
| Texas Rangers[15] | 79 | −11.2% | 2,525,221 | 0.5% | 31,176 | $55,849,000 | 1.5% |
| Atlanta Braves[16] | 90 | −6.3% | 2,521,167 | 8.3% | 31,126 | $86,457,302 | −4.1% |
| Chicago White Sox[17] | 99 | 19.3% | 2,342,833 | 21.4% | 28,924 | $75,178,000 | 15.3% |
| Milwaukee Brewers[18] | 81 | 20.9% | 2,211,023 | 7.2% | 27,297 | $39,934,833 | 45.1% |
| Oakland Athletics[19] | 88 | −3.3% | 2,109,118 | −4.2% | 26,038 | $55,425,762 | −6.7% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks[20] | 77 | 51.0% | 2,059,424 | −18.3% | 25,425 | $62,629,166 | −10.2% |
| Minnesota Twins[21] | 83 | −9.8% | 2,034,243 | 6.4% | 25,114 | $56,186,000 | 4.3% |
| Detroit Tigers[22] | 71 | −1.4% | 2,024,431 | 5.6% | 24,993 | $69,092,000 | 47.5% |
| Toronto Blue Jays[23] | 80 | 19.4% | 2,014,995 | 6.1% | 24,876 | $45,719,500 | −8.6% |
| Cleveland Indians[24] | 93 | 16.3% | 2,013,763 | 11.0% | 24,861 | $41,502,500 | 20.9% |
| Cincinnati Reds[25] | 73 | −3.9% | 1,943,067 | −15.0% | 23,696 | $61,892,583 | 31.9% |
| Colorado Rockies[26] | 67 | −1.5% | 1,914,389 | −18.1% | 23,634 | $47,839,000 | −26.9% |
| Florida Marlins[27] | 83 | 0.0% | 1,852,608 | 7.5% | 22,872 | $60,408,834 | 43.3% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[28] | 67 | −6.9% | 1,817,245 | 15.0% | 22,435 | $38,133,000 | 18.3% |
| Kansas City Royals[29] | 56 | −3.4% | 1,371,181 | −17.5% | 16,928 | $36,881,000 | −22.5% |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays[30] | 67 | −4.3% | 1,141,669 | −10.5% | 14,095 | $29,679,067 | −0.6% |
This was the fifth season that national TV coverage was split between ESPN and Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected weeknight and Sunday night games, and selected Division Series playoff games. Fox televised Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games, both League Championship Series, and the World Series.
- March 24 – a spring training game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies was abandoned after five innings because of a swarm of bees which settled over the field.[31]
- April 29 – The highly anticipated matchup of Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros vs. Greg Maddux of the Chicago Cubs took place at Minute Maid Park, two of the most acclaimed pitchers of the modern era (between them are 11 Cy Young awards—7 and 4, respectively). Both Clemens and Maddux had 300 career wins at this point in their careers, a feat that is arguably impossible for modern era pitchers to achieve since the advent of middle and closing relief rosters. The Cubs went on to win the game 3–2.
- 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.[32]
a Major League Baseball seasons since 1901 without a no-hitter pitched are 1909, 1913, 1921, 1927–1928, 1932–1933, 1936, 1939, 1942–1943, 1949, 1959, 1982, 1985, 1989, 2000 and 2005.
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