Headline events of the year Chicago White Sox swept (4–0) the Houston Astros to win the 2005 World Series. 2005 also marked the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals, who relocated from Montreal and were formerly known as the Expos. This is Washington, D.C.'s first MLB team since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers following the 1971 season. Chris Burke ended the 2005 NLDS with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning. The Astros went from 15–30 to the 2005 World Series. They had a 22–7 record in July.
Champions
Major League Baseball Regular season Champions League Eastern Division Champion Central Division Champion Western Division Champion Wild Card Qualifier American League New York Yankees Chicago White Sox Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Boston Red Sox National League Atlanta Braves St. Louis Cardinals San Diego Padres Houston Astros World Series Champion – Chicago White Sox Postseason – October 4 to October 26
Click on any series score to link to that series' page. Higher seed has home field advantage during Division Series and League Championship Series. American League has home field advantage during World Series as a result of American League victory in 2005 All-Star Game. National League is seeded 1-3/2-4 as a result of NL regular season champion (St. Louis Cardinals) and NL wild card (Houston Astros) coming from the same division. Postseason MVPs World Series MVP – Jermaine Dye ALCS MVP – Paul Konerko NLCS MVP – Roy Oswalt All-Star Game, July 12 at Comerica Park – American League, 7-5; Miguel Tejada, MVP Home Run Derby, July 11 – Bobby Abreu, Philadelphia Phillies
International Baseball World Cup — Cuba over South Korea European Baseball Championship — Netherlands over Italy
Professional Asia Series — Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan) over Samsung Lions (Korea) Caribbean World Series — Venados de Mazatlán (Mexico) China Baseball League — Beijing Tigers over Tianjin Lions Chinese Professional Baseball League (Taiwan) — Sinon Bulls over Macoto Cobras European Cup — Grosseto (Italy) over HCAW Bussum (Netherlands) Holland Series — DOOR Neptunus over HCAW Bussum Italy Serie A1 — Italeri Bologna over Leader T&A San Marino Japan Series — Chiba Lotte Marines over Hanshin Tigers Korean Series — Samsung Lions over Doosan Bears Taiwan Series — Sinon Bulls over Macoto Cobras
Minor leagues AAA International League — Toledo Mud Hens Mexican League — Mexico Tigres Pacific Coast League — Nashville Sounds AA Eastern League — Akron Aeros Southern League — Jacksonville Suns Texas League — Midland RockHounds High-A California League — San Jose Giants Carolina League — Frederick Keys Florida State League — Palm Beach Cardinals Low-A Midwest League — South Bend Silver Hawks South Atlantic League — Kannapolis Intimidators Class-A Short Season New York–Penn League — Staten Island Yankees Northwest League — Spokane Indians Rookie Appalachian League — Elizabethton Twins Pioneer League — Orem Owlz Independent Atlantic League – Somerset Patriots Can-Am League – Worcester Tornadoes Frontier League – Kalamazoo Kings Northern League — Gary SouthShore RailCats Golden Baseball League — San Diego Surf Dawgs
Amateur College World Series National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I — University of Texas Division II — Florida Southern College Division III — University of Wisconsin–Whitewater National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics — Oklahoma City University Cuban National Series — Santiago de Cuba over Havana Province
Youth Big League World Series: District 1 (Easley, South Carolina) Junior League World Series: West Oahu Little League (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) Little League World Series: Curundu LL (Panama City, Panama) Senior League World Series: Urbandale LL (Urbandale, Iowa)
Awards and honors Baseball Hall of Fame inductions Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg are selected by the BBWAA. Jerry Coleman wins the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters. Peter Gammons receives the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for sportswriters. Major League Baseball awards Note: The Comeback Player of the Year Award was voted on for the first time by fans. Award National League American LeagueMost Valuable PlayerAlbert Pujols, STLAlex Rodriguez, NYYCy YoungChris Carpenter, STLBartolo Colón, LAAManager of the YearBobby Cox, ATLOzzie Guillén, CWSRelief Man of the YearChad Cordero, WSHMariano Rivera, NYYRookie of the YearRyan Howard, PHIHuston Street, OAKComeback Player of the YearKen Griffey Jr., CIN Jason Giambi, NYY Gold Glove Awards: AL: Kenny Rogers (P), Jason Varitek (C), Mark Teixeira (1B), Orlando Hudson (2B), Eric Chavez (3B), Derek Jeter (SS), Ichiro Suzuki (OF), Torii Hunter (OF), Vernon Wells (OF) NL: Greg Maddux (P), Mike Matheny (C), Derrek Lee (1B), Luis Castillo (2B), Mike Lowell (3B), Omar Vizquel (SS), Jim Edmonds (OF), Andruw Jones (OF), Bobby Abreu (OF) Player of the Month – April: Brian Roberts (AL), Derrek Lee (NL); May: Alex Rodriguez (AL), Bobby Abreu (NL); June: Travis Hafner (AL), Andruw Jones (NL); July: Jason Giambi (AL), Adam Dunn (NL); August: Alex Rodriguez (AL), Andruw Jones (NL); September: David Ortiz (AL), Randy Winn (NL) Pitcher of the Month – April: Jon Garland (AL), Dontrelle Willis (NL); May: Kenny Rogers (AL), Trevor Hoffman (NL); June: Mark Buehrle (AL), Chad Cordero (NL); July: Barry Zito (AL), Andy Pettitte (NL); August: Bartolo Colón (AL), Noah Lowry (NL); September: José Contreras (AL), Andy Pettitte (NL) Rookie of the Month – April: Gustavo Chacín (AL), Clint Barmes (NL); May: Damon Hollins (AL), Ryan Church (NL); June: Joe Blanton (AL), Garrett Atkins (NL); July: Gustavo Chacín (AL), Zach Duke (NL); August: Joe Blanton (AL), Zach Duke (NL); September: Robinson Canó (AL), Ryan Howard (NL) Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league): Lisa Walker, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Northwest League
Events
January–March January 3 – Wade Boggs, a five-time batting champion, and Ryne Sandberg, a nine-time Gold Glove winner at second base, are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Boggs receives 474 votes, or 91.9 percent of the 516 ballots cast. Sandberg receives 393 votes, six more than the needed number. Relief pitchers Bruce Sutter (66.7 percent) and Rich "Goose" Gossage (55.2), and outfielders Jim Rice (59.5) and Andre Dawson (52.3), are the only other players to be named on at least half of the ballots cast. January 21 – Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros agree to an $18 million, one-year contract. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, agrees to a deal that makes him the highest-paid pitcher for the fifth time, following deals with the Boston Red Sox in 1989 ($2.5 million) and 1991 ($5.38 million); with the Toronto Blue Jays before the 1997 season, and with the New York Yankees in 2000 ($15.45 million). February 2 – The trade that sent Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles from the Chicago Cubs is finalized after commissioner Bud Selig approves the deal and the slugger passes his physical. Chicago receives second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor leaguers, then signs Jeromy Burnitz as a free agent to replace Sosa in right field. February 6 – At Mazatlán, Mexico, Francisco Campos turns in another brilliant outing, and Mexican champion Venados de Mazatlán (Mazatlán Deers) holds on in the final game, edging the Dominican Republic 4-3 to win the 56th Caribbean World Series. The title is just Mexico's fifth since joining the competition in 1970, the second in the last four years, but its first since hosting the series. Campos allows just three hits – two infield hits and a bunt single – and a run over his first eight innings of work, striking out 11. Previously, Campos handcuffed the Venezuelan champion Tigres de Aragua (Aragua Tigers) 4-0 in the series opener. He allowed just three hits over eight innings and struck out 10. Campos is voted the Series MVP. February 16 – The players' union signs an agreement calling for international drug-testing rules during a 16-team World Cup tournament (eventually called the World Baseball Classic) during spring training. Each team will select a provisional roster of 60 players, 45 days before the start of the tournament, and players will be covered by the drug-testing rules until the end of the competition. The deal, signed by the union, the commissioner's office and the International Baseball Federation, states that IBAF rules will cover the frequency of testing before and during the tournament, the list of prohibited substances, the procedures for taking samples and the laboratories used. More substances are banned by the IBAF than by the major leagues. March 2 – Thirty-two years after his death, Jackie Robinson receives the Congressional Gold Medal in the Capitol Rotunda, the highest honor Congress can bestow. The medal is accepted by Rachel Robinson, his widow. Baseball is represented in a way by former Texas Rangers executive George W. Bush. Robinson joins Roberto Clemente, Joe Louis and Jesse Owens as the only athletes among about 300 Gold Medal recipients. Following the ceremony, the Boston Red Sox are honored at the White House for winning the 2004 World Series. March 17 – Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canseco appeared before the House Government Reform Committee to discuss the topic of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. McGwire and Palmeiro were named as steroid users in Canseco's book, Juiced. McGwire declined to answer questions under oath when he appeared before the House Government Reform Committee. Sosa and Palmeiro both denied under oath ever having used PEDs, whereas McGwire never gave a committed answer, simply repeatedly stating, "I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to be positive about this subject."
April April 3 – In his first outing for the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as the Yankees open the 2005 major league season with a 9-2 triumph over the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox. April 4 – Opening Day highlights: Baltimore Orioles Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro become the first pair of teammates to have at least 500 career home runs apiece. Sosa went into the season with 574 career HR and Palmeiro 551. Mark Buehrle yields two hits in eight shutout innings and Shingo Takatsu works a perfect ninth inning as the Chicago White Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians 1-0 in a game that takes only an hour and 51 minutes to complete. Indians pitcher Jake Westbrook allows only one run and four hits in going the distance, but it isn't good enough to win. The game's only run comes in the seventh inning on an error by Cleveland shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Center fielder Brad Wilkerson has the honor of being the first batter for the Washington Nationals, and he promptly responds with the first hit in Nationals history. Nevertheless, Kenny Lofton hits a three-run homer and Jon Lieber pitches 5 effective innings, leading the home team Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-4 victory over the Nationals. Dmitri Young of the Detroit Tigers becomes the third player to hit three home runs on Opening Day, joining George Bell () and Tuffy Rhodes (). The host Tigers defeat the Kansas City Royals 11-2 at Comerica Park. April 6 – Brad Wilkerson of the Washington Nationals hits for the cycle in the Nationals' first win since moving to Washington, D.C., 7-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He becomes the twentieth player to hit for the cycle twice. One day later, Wilkerson continues his torrid hitting going 4-for-5, as the Nationals complete their first series by winning two of three against the Phillies.