Who won baseball's 1985 World Series, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3?

The Kansas City Royals won baseball’s 1985 World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three.

The all-Missouri matchup was nicknamed the “I-70 Series,” after the highway connecting Kansas City and St. Louis. The Cardinals took a 3–1 lead, but Kansas City won the final three games to claim its first World Series championship.

Game 6 became famous for a controversial ninth-inning call by umpire Don Denkinger. After the Cardinals took a late lead, the Royals rallied to win 2–1, forcing a deciding Game 7. Kansas City then dominated the finale, winning 11–0 at Royals Stadium on October 27, 1985.

Bret Saberhagen was the Royals’ standout pitcher, throwing a complete-game shutout in Game 7 and earning World Series Most Valuable Player honors. A common mix-up is confusing this championship with Kansas City’s next title, which came 30 years later in 2015.