Oddly enough, the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays actually had a slightly worse record than the team that finished two games ahead of the New York Yankees in 1985. Despite a 97-64 record, which was six games better than AL West champ – and eventual World Champion – Kansas City, yet in the days before the Wild Card the Yankees were shut out of the postseason for the fifth year in a row, and wouldn’t make it back until 1996.
Nevertheless, New York was a seller team with a star-studded roster that included AL MVP Don Mattingly, who led the league in doubles (48), RBI (145), and total bases (270) while hitting .324/.371/.567 with a career-high 35 home runs. Donnie Baseball may have been the best player on the team in 1985, but he shared the lineup card with future Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson (.314/.419/.516, 24 HR, 72 RBI, 80 SB) and Dave Winfield (26 HR, 114 RBI) as well as other stars like Don Baylor (23 HR, 91 RBI) and Ken Griffey (10 HR, 69 RBI).
The Yankees featured a pitching staff that also included a future Hall of Famer, Phil Niekro, who posted a 16-12 record and 4.09 ERA across 33 starts as a 46-year old. Ron Guidry was the ace of the staff and led the AL with 22 wins. Guidry’s record and his 3.27 ERA made him the runner-up for the Cy Young Award. Also, Dave Righetti (2.78, 29 saves) was one of the best closers in the business.
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