1885 Major League Baseball season
| 1885 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Association (AA) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Number of games | 112 |
| Number of teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Pennant winner | |
| AA champions | St. Louis Browns |
| AA runners-up | Cincinnati Red Stockings |
| NL champions | Chicago White Stockings |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| World's Championship Series | |
| Champions | Series ended in a tie |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Browns / Chicago White Stockings |
The 1885 major league baseball season began on April 18, 1885. The regular season ended on October 15, with the Chicago White Stockings and the St. Louis Browns as regular season champions of the National League and American Association, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the second World's Championship Series on October 14 and ended with Game 7 on October 24, in what was a best-of-seven-playoff. The White Stockings and Browns ended the series in a disputed tie in seven games. This dispute was due to the Browns not considering their forfeit in Game 2 as a voided game, and as a result, claimed victory.
Prior to the 1885 season, the unstable single season Union Association disbanded. The St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association joined the National League, in place of the disbanding Cleveland Blues. The twelve-team American Association would contract down to eight teams, with the Columbus Buckeyes, Indianapolis Hoosiers, and Toledo Blue Stockings folding, while the late-entry Richmond Virginians returned to the Minor Leagues.
The National League's New York Gothams renamed as the New York Giants, and the American Association's Brooklyn Atlantics and Louisville Eclipse renamed as the Brooklyn Grays and Louisville Eclipse, respectively.