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 than ever before for steroid use in Major League Baseball. Several players, including veteran Rafael Palmeiro, were suspended under the new policy. Besides steroids it was also notable that every team in the NL East finished the season with at least 81 wins (at least half of the 162 games played). Additionally it was the first season featuring a baseball team in Washington, D.C. since the second iteration of the Washington Senators last played there in 1971; the Washington Nationals had moved from Montreal, the first relocation of a team in 33 years and currently the most recent time this has occurred in the majors. The Anaheim Angels changed their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. 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. As of the 2024 season, this is the last season in which no no-hit games were pitched; 2005 was also only the 6th year since 1949 in which no such games were thrown. This was the first season since 1993 that all teams played at least 162 games with no cancellations.

Standings

American League

National League

Postseason

Bracket

<section begin=Bracket/> <section end=Bracket/> Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.

Statistical leaders

Batting

Team

Individual

Pitching

Team

Individual

Managers

American League

National League

±hosted the MLB All Star Game

Awards and honors

Other awards

Player of the Month

Pitcher of the Month

Rookie of the Month

Home field attendance and payroll

Television coverage

This was the fifth season that national TV coverage was split between ESPN and Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected weeknight and Sunday night games, and selected Division Series playoff games. Fox televised Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games, both League Championship Series, and the World Series.

Events