# 1985 International League season

The 1985 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 10 and September 13. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Tidewater Tides won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Columbus Clippers in the final round of the playoffs.

## Teams

1985 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Columbus Clippers | Columbus, Ohio | New York Yankees | Cooper Stadium |
| Maine Guides | Old Orchard Beach, Maine | Cleveland Indians | The Ball Park |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | Boston Red Sox | McCoy Stadium |
| Richmond Braves | Richmond, Virginia | Atlanta Braves | The Diamond |
| Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | Baltimore Orioles | Silver Stadium |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | Toronto Blue Jays | MacArthur Stadium |
| Tidewater Tides | Norfolk, Virginia | New York Mets | Met Park |
| Toledo Mud Hens | Toledo, Ohio | Minnesota Twins | Lucas County Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Syracuse Chiefs finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1970.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 79 | 61 | .564 | – |
| Maine Guides | 76 | 63 | .547 | 2.5 |
| Tidewater Tides | 75 | 64 | .540 | 3.5 |
| Columbus Clippers | 75 | 64 | .540 | 3.5 |
| Richmond Braves | 75 | 65 | .536 | 4 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 71 | 68 | .511 | 7.5 |
| Rochester Red Wings | 58 | 81 | .417 | 20.5 |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | 48 | 91 | .345 | 30.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Juan Bonilla, Columbus Clippers | .330 |
| H | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs | 155 |
| R | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs | 86 |
| 2B | Billy Beane, Tidewater Tides | 34 |
| 3B | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs | 7 |
| HR | Jim Wilson, Maine Guides | 26 |
| RBI | Jim Wilson, Maine Guides | 101 |
| SB | Dwight Taylor, Maine Guides | 52 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Dennis Burtt, Toledo Mud Hens Stan Clarke, Syracuse Chiefs | 14 |
| ERA | Don Gordon, Syracuse Chiefs | 2.07 |
| CG | Bill Swaggerty, Rochester Red Wings | 10 |
| SV | Wes Gardner, Tidewater Tides Tom Henke, Syracuse Chiefs | 18 |
| SO | Brad Havens, Rochester Red Wings | 129 |
| IP | Bill Swaggerty, Rochester Red Wings | 189 |

## Playoffs

* The Tidewater Tides won their third Governors' Cup in four seasons, and their fifth overall, defeating the Columbus Clippers in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Syracuse | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Columbus | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Columbus | 3 | 4 | Columbus | 1 |
| | | | 3 | Tidewater | 3 |
| 2 | Maine | 2 | 3 | Tidewater | 3 |
| 3 | Tidewater | 3 | | | |

## Awards

International League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Dan Pasqua, Columbus Clippers |
| Pitcher of the Year | Tom Henke, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Rookie of the Year | Dan Pasqua, Columbus Clippers |
| Manager of the Year | Doug Ault, Syracuse Chiefs |

## All-star team

International League all-star team :
| Position | All-star |
| Catcher | Larry Owen, Richmond Braves |
| First base | Jim Wilson, Maine Guides |
| Second base | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Shortstop | Kelly Paris, Rochester Red Wings |
| Third base | Kelly Gruber, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Outfield | Billy Beane, Tidewater Tides Rick Leach, Syracuse Chiefs Dan Pasqua, Columbus Clippers |
| Designated hitter | Willie Aikens, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Pitcher | John Cerutti, Syracuse Chiefs Stan Clarke, Syracuse Chiefs Tom Henke, Syracuse Chiefs Bill Latham, Tidewater Tides |