2015 Major League Baseball postseason


The 2015 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2015 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
In the American League, the Kansas City Royals made their second straight appearance, the New York Yankees returned for the first time since 2012, the Texas Rangers returned for the fourth time in six years, the Houston Astros made their first postseason appearance since 2005, and the Toronto Blue Jays ended over two decades of futility by clinching their first postseason appearance since 1993, ending what was the longest postseason appearance drought in Major League Baseball and all four major North American sports leagues. This was Kansas City’s last postseason appearance until 2024.
In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals made their fifth straight postseason appearance, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates made their third straight appearances, the Chicago Cubs returned for the first time since 2008, and the New York Mets made their first appearance since 2006. As of, this remains Pittsburgh’s most recent appearance in the postseason, as they now hold the second longest postseason drought in the majors behind only the Los Angeles Angels.
The postseason began on October 6, and ended on November 1, with the Royals defeating the Mets in five games in the 2015 World Series. It was the first title in thirty years for the Royals.

Playoff seeds

The following teams qualified for the postseason:

American League

  1. Kansas City Royals – 95–67, AL Central champions
  2. Toronto Blue Jays – 93–69, AL East champions
  3. Texas Rangers – 88–74, AL West champions
  4. New York Yankees – 87–75
  5. Houston Astros – 86–76

    National League

  6. St. Louis Cardinals – 100–62, NL Central champions
  7. Los Angeles Dodgers – 92–70, NL West champions
  8. New York Mets – 90–72, NL East champions
  9. Pittsburgh Pirates – 98–64
  10. Chicago Cubs – 97–65

    Playoff bracket


American League Wild Card

(4) New York Yankees vs. (5) Houston Astros

This was the first postseason meeting between the Astros and Yankees. Dallas Keuchel pitched six innings of shutout ball as the Astros shut out the Yankees 3–0 to advance to the ALDS. This was the first postseason series win by the Astros since winning the National League pennant in 2005. This would ultimately be Alex Rodriguez’s final postseason game.
The Astros’ 2015 Wild Card victory continued a streak of playoff success for Houston-based teams over their New York City counterparts, as the NBA’s Houston Rockets previously defeated the New York Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals, and then the Astros would defeat the Yankees again in the ALCS in 2017, 2019, and 2022.

National League Wild Card

(4) Pittsburgh Pirates vs. (5) Chicago Cubs

The Cubs shut out the Pirates 4–0 to advance to the NLDS. This was the second straight year the Pirates were shutout in the Wild Card Game.
To date, this is the last postseason appearance by the Pirates, who now have the longest active postseason drought amongst National League teams, and the second longest postseason drought in the majors.

American League Division Series

(1) Kansas City Royals vs. (5) Houston Astros

The Royals defeated the Astros in five games to return to the ALCS for the second straight year.
Collin McHugh pitched six solid innings as the Astros shockingly stole Game 1 on the road. In Game 2, the Astros led 4-2 after five and looked poised to go up 2–0 in the series, but the Royals put up three unanswered runs across the sixth and seventh to even the series headed to Houston. Dallas Keuchel pitched seven solid innings and the Astros’ bullpen shut down a late rally by the Royals as they regained the series lead and were one game away from their first ALCS.
Game 4 was the most memorable contest of the series - the Astros held a 6–2 lead after seven innings and looked poised to close out the series. Then, the Royals offense took apart the Astros bullpen, as they scored five unanswered runs to regain the lead. Eric Hosmer hit a two-run home run to increase the Royals' lead in the top of the ninth, and then the Royals' bullpen closed out the game in the bottom of the inning. This was the second straight year where the Royals, down four runs and six outs away from elimination, were victorious.
In Game 5, Johnny Cueto pitched eight strong innings as the Royals blew out the Astros to close out the series, surviving an upset scare.

(2) Toronto Blue Jays vs. (3) Texas Rangers

This was the first postseason meeting between the Rangers and Blue Jays. The Blue Jays overcame a two-games-to-none series deficit to defeat the Rangers in five games and return to the ALCS for the first time since 1993.
In the first postseason game in Toronto in 22 years, Rougned Odor sealed a Rangers victory in Game 1 with a solo homer in the top of the seventh. Game 2 was a long extra-innings grind which was also won by the Rangers, as they took the lead for good in the top of the fourteenth off of back-to-back RBI singles from Hanser Alberto and Delino DeShields, giving them a 2–0 series lead headed to Arlington. Then, the Blue Jays responded. In Game 3, Marco Estrada pitched six innings of shutout ball as the Blue Jays got on the board in the series. In Game 4, Josh Donaldson, Chris Colabello, and Kevin Pillar all homered for the Blue Jays as they routed the Rangers to force a decisive fifth game back in Toronto.
Game 5 of the series was notable for the events that transpired in the seventh inning - the Rangers made three consecutive errors, allowing the Blue Jays to tie the game at 3 runs each. Then José Bautista hit a game-sealing three-run home run, and before running the bases, flipped his bat in celebration. Both benches cleared for a brief scuffle between the teams, but it was resolved shortly thereafter. The Blue Jays closed out the series in the top of the ninth to advance. This was the third time a team won a best-of-five series after losing the first two games at home, and the second time in the 2–2–1 format. This was the first playoff series won by the Blue Jays since the 1993 World Series.
These same two teams would meet again in the ALDS the next year, which the Blue Jays won in a sweep.

National League Division Series

(1) St. Louis Cardinals vs. (5) Chicago Cubs

This was the first postseason meeting in the history of the Cardinals–Cubs rivalry, also known as the I-55 or Route 66 Rivalry. The Cubs upset the top-seeded Cardinals in four games to return to the NLCS for the first time since 2003.
John Lackey pitched seven innings of shutout ball as the Cardinals took Game 1. In Game 2, the Cardinals struck first with one run in the bottom of the first, but the Cubs went on a 6-2 run across the next four innings, capped off by a two-run homer from Jorge Soler and an RBI from Miguel Montero to even the series headed to Chicago. Game 3 was a record-setting back-and-forth offensive slugfest that was won by the Cubs, who set an MLB record with six home runs. Game 4 remained tied until the bottom of the sixth, when Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer that put the Cubs ahead for good, denying their biggest rivals a fifth consecutive NLCS appearance.

(2) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (3) New York Mets

This was the third postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Mets. The Mets defeated the Dodgers in five games to advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2006.
In his postseason debut, Jacob deGrom outdueled Clayton Kershaw on the mound as the Mets stole Game 1 on the road. In Game 2, the Mets jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Dodgers put up five unanswered runs to even the series headed to Queens. Game 2 was marred by controversy as the Dodgers’ Chase Utley slid into the Mets’ Rubén Tejada, which resulted in Tejada suffering a fractured fibula, which caused him to miss the rest of the postseason. The Mets blew out the Dodgers in Game 3 to regain the series lead. In Game 4, despite being on only three days rest, Kershaw redeemed himself on the mound with a solid seven-inning performance as he and the Dodgers’ bullpen shut down the Mets offense to force a decisive fifth game back in Los Angeles. In Game 5, the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead after the first, but deGrom bounced back and shutout the Dodgers’ offense the next five innings, and the Mets’ bullpen finished what he started as they won 3-2 to advance.
Both teams would meet again in the NLCS in 2024, which was won by the Dodgers in six games en route to a World Series title.

American League Championship Series

(1) Kansas City Royals vs. (2) Toronto Blue Jays

This was a rematch of the 1985 ALCS, which the Royals won in seven games en route to a World Series title after trailing 3–1 in the series. On the 30th anniversary of their previous postseason meeting, the Royals again defeated the Blue Jays, this time in six games, to advance to the World Series for the second year in a row.
In Kansas City, the Royals controlled the first two games - Edinson Vólquez and the Royals’ bullpen silenced the Jays’ offense in a 5-0 shutout in Game 1. In Game 2, the Blue Jays led 3-0 after six innings, but the Royals put up six unanswered runs across the seventh and eighth innings respectively to take a 2–0 series lead headed to Toronto. Game 3 was an offensive shootout between both teams, which was won by the Blue Jays as Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, and Ryan Goins all homered for the Jays. In Game 4, the Royals blew out the Blue Jays to take a commanding 3–1 series lead, handing Toronto their worst playoff loss ever. Marco Estrada pitched solid innings in Game 5 as the Blue Jays blew out the Royals to send the series back to Kansas City. The Royals’ bullpen stopped a late rally by the Blue Jays in Game 6 to clinch the pennant.
The Blue Jays returned to the ALCS the next year, but fell to the Cleveland Indians in five games.
As of, this is the last time the Royals won the AL pennant, and the last time a Missouri-based team won a league pennant.