2005 Major League Baseball season
| 2005 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 3, 2005 – October 26, 2005 |
| Regular Season | |
| Season MVP |
AL: Alex Rodriguez (NYY) NL: Albert Pujols (STL) |
| League Postseason | |
| AL champions | Chicago White Sox |
| AL runners-up | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim |
| NL champions | Houston Astros |
| NL runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Chicago White Sox |
| Runners-up | Houston Astros |
| Finals MVP | Jermaine Dye (CHW) |
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 ever than before for steroid use in Major League Baseball. Several players, including veteran Rafael Palmeiro, were suspended under the new policy. Also, every team in the NL East division had at least 81 wins (at least half of the 162 games played). It was also notable for being the first season featuring a baseball team in Washington, D.C. for more than 4 decades, with the Washington Nationals having moved from Montreal.
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.
The standings in the National League East were quite notable because all the teams in that division finished with at least a .500 record. The San Diego Padres' record of 82–80 was also notable as it was the worst ever by a division champion in a full-length season. (It is not, strictly speaking, the worst record by a division champion as the strike-shortened 1994 season ended with every team in the AL West at least 10 games under .500, nor is it the worst record by a team that made the postseason as due to the "split-season" format imposed in the wake of the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, the Kansas City Royals went to the playoffs as second-half AL West champions despite an overall record of 50–53.)
The playoffs began on October 4, and ended on October 26. For more information, see the following articles:
Template:2005 MLB Playoffs bracket
±hosted the MLB All Star Game
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Wikipedia