# 2005 Major League Baseball season

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.
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.
This was the first season since 1993 that all teams played at least 162 games with no cancellations.

## Standings
### American League

vteAL East :
| 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 |
vteAL Central :
| 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 |
vteAL West :
| 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

vteNL East :
| 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 |
vteNL Central :
| 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 |
vteNL West :
| 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 |

## Postseason
### Bracket

| Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | World Series | World Series | World Series |
| 1 | Chicago White Sox | 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Boston | 0 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Boston | 0 | 1 | Chicago White Sox | 4 | | | |
| American League | American League | American League | 1 | Chicago White Sox | 4 | | | |
| American League | American League | American League | 2 | LA Angels | 1 | | | |
| 2 | LA Angels | 3 | 2 | LA Angels | 1 | | | |
| 3 | NY Yankees | 2 | | | | | | |
| 3 | NY Yankees | 2 | | | | AL1 | Chicago White Sox | 4 |
| | | | | | | NL4 | Houston | 0 |
| 1 | St. Louis | 3 | | | | | | | NL4 | Houston | 0 |
| 3 | San Diego | 0 | | | | | | |
| 3 | San Diego | 0 | 1 | St. Louis | 2 | | | |
| National League | National League | National League | 1 | St. Louis | 2 | | | |
| National League | National League | National League | 4 | Houston | 4 | | | |
| 2 | Atlanta | 1 | 4 | Houston | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Houston | 3 | | | | | | |
Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.

## Statistical leaders
### Batting
#### Team

| Statistic | American League | American League | National 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 | American League | National 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 | American League | National 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 | American League | National 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 |

## Managers
### American League

| Team | Manager | Comments |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Mike Scioscia | |
| Baltimore Orioles | Sam Perlozzo | |
| Boston Red Sox | Terry Francona | |
| Chicago White Sox | Ozzie Guillén | Won the World Series |
| Cleveland Indians | Eric Wedge | |
| Detroit Tigers± | Alan Trammell | |
| Kansas City Royals | Tony Peña | Replaced during the season by Bob Schaefer |
| Minnesota Twins | Ron Gardenhire | |
| New York Yankees | Joe Torre | |
| Oakland Athletics | Ken Macha | |
| Seattle Mariners | Mike Hargrove | |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Lou Piniella | |
| Texas Rangers | Buck Showalter | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | John Gibbons | |

### 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

## Awards and honors

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards :
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Ryan Howard (PHI) | Huston Street (OAK) |
| Cy Young Award | Chris Carpenter (STL) | Bartolo Colón (LAA) |
| Manager of the Year | Bobby Cox (ATL) | Ozzie Guillén (CWS) |
| Most Valuable Player | Albert Pujols (STL) | Alex Rodriguez (NYY) |
| Gold Glove Awards |||||||||
| Position | National League | American League |
| Pitcher | Greg Maddux (CHC) | Kenny Rogers (MIN) |
| Catcher | Mike Matheny (SF) | Jason Varitek (BOS) |
| 1st Base | Derrek Lee (CHC) | Mark Teixeira (TEX) |
| 2nd Base | Luis Castillo (FLA) | Orlando Hudson (TOR) |
| 3rd Base | Mike Lowell (FLA) | Eric Chavez (OAK) |
| Shortstop | Omar Vizquel (SF) | Derek Jeter (NYY) |
| Outfield | Bobby Abreu (PHI) Jim Edmonds (STL) Andruw Jones (ATL) | Torii Hunter (MIN) Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) Vernon Wells (TOR) |
| Silver Slugger Awards |||||||||
| Position | National League | American League |
| Pitcher/Designated Hitter | Jason Marquis (STL) | David Ortiz (BOS) |
| Catcher | Michael Barrett (CHC) | Jason Varitek (BOS) |
| 1st Base | Derrek Lee (CHC) | Mark Teixeira (TEX) |
| 2nd Base | Jeff Kent (LAD) | Alfonso Soriano (TEX) |
| 3rd Base | Morgan Ensberg (HOU) | Alex Rodriguez (NYY) |
| Shortstop | Felipe López (CIN) | Miguel Tejada (BAL) |
| Outfield | Miguel Cabrera (FLA) Andruw Jones (ATL) Carlos Lee (MIL) | Vladimir Guerrero (LAA) Manny Ramirez (BOS) Gary Sheffield (NYY) |

### 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 |

## Home field attendance and payroll

| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
| New York Yankees | 95 | −5.9% | 4,090,696 | 8.4% | 50,502 | $208,306,817 | 13.1% |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 71 | −23.7% | 3,603,646 | 3.3% | 44,489 | $83,039,000 | −10.6% |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 100 | −4.8% | 3,538,988 | 16.1% | 43,691 | $92,106,833 | 9.2% |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 95 | 3.3% | 3,404,686 | 0.9% | 42,033 | $94,867,822 | −5.6% |
| San Francisco Giants | 75 | −17.6% | 3,181,023 | −2.3% | 39,272 | $90,199,500 | 10.0% |
| Chicago Cubs | 79 | −11.2% | 3,099,992 | −2.2% | 38,272 | $87,032,933 | −3.9% |
| San Diego Padres | 82 | −5.7% | 2,869,787 | −4.9% | 35,429 | $63,290,833 | 14.3% |
| Boston Red Sox | 95 | −3.1% | 2,847,888 | 0.4% | 35,159 | $123,505,125 | −3.0% |
| New York Mets | 83 | 16.9% | 2,829,929 | 22.0% | 34,937 | $101,305,821 | −0.7% |
| Houston Astros | 89 | −3.3% | 2,804,760 | −9.2% | 34,627 | $76,779,000 | 1.8% |
| Washington Nationals | 81 | 20.9% | 2,731,993 | 264.5% | 33,728 | $48,581,500 | 17.9% |
| Seattle Mariners | 69 | 9.5% | 2,725,459 | −7.3% | 33,648 | $87,754,334 | 7.7% |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 88 | 2.3% | 2,665,304 | −18.0% | 32,905 | $95,522,000 | 2.5% |
| Baltimore Orioles | 74 | −5.1% | 2,624,740 | −4.3% | 32,404 | $73,914,333 | 43.2% |
| Texas Rangers | 79 | −11.2% | 2,525,221 | 0.5% | 31,176 | $55,849,000 | 1.5% |
| Atlanta Braves | 90 | −6.3% | 2,521,167 | 8.3% | 31,126 | $86,457,302 | −4.1% |
| Chicago White Sox | 99 | 19.3% | 2,342,833 | 21.4% | 28,924 | $75,178,000 | 15.3% |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 81 | 20.9% | 2,211,023 | 7.2% | 27,297 | $39,934,833 | 45.1% |
| Oakland Athletics | 88 | −3.3% | 2,109,118 | −4.2% | 26,038 | $55,425,762 | −6.7% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 77 | 51.0% | 2,059,424 | −18.3% | 25,425 | $62,629,166 | −10.2% |
| Minnesota Twins | 83 | −9.8% | 2,034,243 | 6.4% | 25,114 | $56,186,000 | 4.3% |
| Detroit Tigers | 71 | −1.4% | 2,024,431 | 5.6% | 24,993 | $69,092,000 | 47.5% |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 80 | 19.4% | 2,014,995 | 6.1% | 24,876 | $45,719,500 | −8.6% |
| Cleveland Indians | 93 | 16.3% | 2,013,763 | 11.0% | 24,861 | $41,502,500 | 20.9% |
| Cincinnati Reds | 73 | −3.9% | 1,943,067 | −15.0% | 23,696 | $61,892,583 | 31.9% |
| Colorado Rockies | 67 | −1.5% | 1,914,389 | −18.1% | 23,634 | $47,839,000 | −26.9% |
| Florida Marlins | 83 | 0.0% | 1,852,608 | 7.5% | 22,872 | $60,408,834 | 43.3% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 67 | −6.9% | 1,817,245 | 15.0% | 22,435 | $38,133,000 | 18.3% |
| Kansas City Royals | 56 | −3.4% | 1,371,181 | −17.5% | 16,928 | $36,881,000 | −22.5% |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 67 | −4.3% | 1,141,669 | −10.5% | 14,095 | $29,679,067 | −0.6% |

## Television coverage

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.

## Events

* 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.
* 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.