In the midst of his remarkable 1985 season, Willie McGee was invited to a Kiwanis luncheon where he was going to be honored for his humility. When the Cardinals outfielder arrived, there was a line at the door, so instead of stepping in front of those awaiting tickets, he joined the line. When he got to the front, he sheepishly said, “I’m Willie McGee. This luncheon’s for me.”^[1]

McGee’s penchant for avoiding the spotlight never wavered, even after he was voted the National League MVP on November 18, 1985.

“I’m not going to look at it as making me a better person or another person,” said McGee, whose father Hurdice spent four decades as a machinist at the Oakland Naval Yard and worked additional jobs to make ends meet, including stints as a janitor.^[2] “I’m going to come out next year and just try to do better. Hopefully, I’m not going to let it affect my life.”^[3]

McGee’s .353 batting average that season won the National League batting title, easily eclipsing the .320 average shared by the Dodgers’ Pedro Guerrero and the Expos’ Tim Raines. He also posted league highs in hits (216) and triples (18) while adding 10 homers, 82 RBIs, and 56 stolen bases. Along the way, McGee went on two 11-game hit streaks and combined with Vince Coleman to set a record for the most stolen bases in a season by two teammates (166).

His breakout season – and 17 game-winning RBIs – were a big reason why the Cardinals won the National League pennant that season.

 

McGee’s batting average was the highest by a switch hitter in National League history, beating the .348 averages posted by Frankie Frisch with the Giants in 1923 and Pete Rose with the Reds in 1969. He became the fourth switch hitter to win the NL MVP, joining Rose, Maury Wills, and Frisch. ^[4]

 

“I don’t know what I’m capable of doing, but this gives me an idea,” McGee said. “If someone asked me at the start of the year if this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have thought I was at that stage yet.”^[5]

 

McGee’s accolade marked the 17^th time a Cardinal had won the MVP Award. Previous award winners included Rogers Hornsby, 1925; Bob O’Farrell, 1926; Jim Bottomley, 1928; Frisch, 1931; Dizzy Dean, 1934; Joe Medwick, 1937; Mort Cooper, 1942; Stan Musial in 1946, 1946, and 1948; Marty Marion, 1948; Ken Boyer, 1964; Orlando Cepeda, 1967; Bob Gibson, 1968; Joe Torre, 1971; and Keith Hernandez, 1979.

 

“The award shows that I put everything together,” McGee said. “Everything I did worked.”^[6]

 

McGee received 14 of 24 first-place votes to finish with 280 points. The Reds’ Dave Parker placed second with six first-place votes and 220 points. The Cardinals’ Tom Herr placed fifth, John Tudor finished ninth, Jack Clark was 10^th, and Vince Coleman was 11^th. Ozzie Smith also received five points in the voting.