This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: July 17

The last day of the All-Star break means it's time to check the standings before the season resumes.

As the All-Star break comes to a close, let’s check out the standings for the second half of the season.

In the AL West, the California Angels held a six-game lead over Oakland. One year after winning the division, the Royals were in third, 7.5 games back. Chicago was in fourth, 8.5 back. Seattle was in fifth, 10 games back. Minnesota was in sixth, 11 games back, and last-place Texas was already 20.5 games out.

The AL East was shaping up to be a better race. Toronto held a 2.5-game lead over New York and 3.5 games over defending champ Detroit. Baltimore and Boston were tied for fourth with a 7.5-game deficit. Milwaukee was 14 games out and Cleveland, with the worst record in baseball at 28-58, was 24 games out.

The NL East also looked set up for a compelling race, as St. Louis was 2.5 games up on New York, with Montreal hanging in at 4.5 games back. The 1984 division champions, Chicago, were 7.5 games out. Philadelphia was 15.5 games back, and their Pennsylvania neighbors in Pittsburgh were 23 games out.

The NL West had the closest race going, with Los Angeles ahead of defending champ San Diego by a mere half-game. Cincinnati was four games out, with Houston at 6.5 games back and Atlanta 9.5 games out. San Francisco was in the cellar with a 16.5-game deficit.

The Royals had a tough assignment coming out of the break, with a four-game series in Baltimore. The Orioles had taken three of four games in Kansas City just before the break. In a scheduling oddity, Kansas City was in a stretch of games exclusively against the AL East that stretched from July 4 to August 20.

Today’s birthdays: CJ Alexander (1996), Noah Cameron (1999)