1985 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League West before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. Fernando Valenzuela set a major league record for most consecutive innings at the start of a season without allowing an earned run (41). Player stats. Batting. Starters by position. "Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in" Other batters. "Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg . = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in" Pitching. Starting pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Other pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Relief pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" National League Championship Series. The Dodgers faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the  1985 NLCS, the first year the championship series was in a "Best of seven" format. Jack Clark hit a 450-foot home run off Dodger closer Tom Niedenfuer to win game six and the NLCS for the Cardinals. With an open base, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda was second guessed for not walking Clark, the only big power threat in the Cardinal line-up. Niedenfuer also gave up a walk-off home run to Ozzie Smith in game five contributing to Smith winning the NLCS MVP Award. Game 1. Wednesday, October 9 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) Game 2. Thursday, October  10 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) Game 3. Saturday, October 12 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis) Game 4. Sunday, October 13 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis) Game 5. Monday, October 14 at Busch Stadium (St. Louis) Game 6. Wednesday, October 16 at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) Major League Baseball Draft. The Dodgers drafted 37 players in the June draft and 16 in the January draft. Of those, six players would eventually play in the Major Leagues. They received an extra pick in the 2nd round of the June draft as compensation for losing pitcher Burt Hooton as a free agent . The first pick in the June draft was outfielder Chris Gwynn from San Diego State. The brother of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, he would play 10 seasons in the Majors (7 of them with the Dodgers), primarily as a pinch hitter/backup outfielder. He hit .261 in 599 Major League games. The draft also included outfielder Mike Devereaux (round 5), who was briefly a starter with the Baltimore Orioles in the early 90s but was primarily a reserve, and relief pitcher John Wetteland (2nd round of the January secondary draft) who saved 330 games in 12 seasons (with the  Dodgers, Expos, Yankees and Rangers).