2015 MLB season | |
---|---|
League | Major League Baseball |
Sport | Baseball |
Duration | April 5 – November 1, 2015 |
Number of games | 162 |
Number of teams | 30 |
TV partner(s) | Fox/FS1, TBS, ESPN, MLB Network |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Dansby Swanson |
Picked by | Arizona Diamondbacks |
Regular season | |
Season MVP | AL: Josh Donaldson (TOR) NL: Bryce Harper (WSH) |
Postseason | |
AL champions | Kansas City Royals |
AL runners-up | Toronto Blue Jays |
NL champions | New York Mets |
NL runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
World Series | |
Champions | Kansas City Royals |
Runners-up | New York Mets |
World Series MVP | Salvador Pérez (KC) |
The 2015 Major League Baseball season began on April 5 with a Sunday night game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and ended on November 1 with the Kansas City Royals winning the World Series. This was Rob Manfred's first season serving as Commissioner of Baseball.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game's 86th edition was held on Tuesday, July 14 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the Cincinnati Reds. The American League won the game 6–3, to give the American League home-field advantage in the World Series.
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(2) Toronto Blue Jays | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 53–28 | 40–41 |
(4) New York Yankees | 87 | 75 | .537 | 6 | 45–36 | 42–39 |
Baltimore Orioles | 81 | 81 | .500 | 12 | 47–31 | 34–50 |
Tampa Bay Rays | 80 | 82 | .494 | 13 | 42–42 | 38–40 |
Boston Red Sox | 78 | 84 | .481 | 15 | 43–38 | 35–46 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(1) Kansas City Royals | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 51–30 | 44–37 |
Minnesota Twins | 83 | 79 | .512 | 12 | 46–35 | 37–44 |
Cleveland Indians | 81 | 80 | .503 | 13½ | 39–41 | 42–39 |
Chicago White Sox | 76 | 86 | .469 | 19 | 40–41 | 36–45 |
Detroit Tigers | 74 | 87 | .460 | 20½ | 38–43 | 36–44 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(3) Texas Rangers | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 43–38 | 45–36 |
(5) Houston Astros | 86 | 76 | .531 | 2 | 53–28 | 33–48 |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3 | 49–32 | 36–45 |
Seattle Mariners | 76 | 86 | .469 | 12 | 36–45 | 40–41 |
Oakland Athletics | 68 | 94 | .420 | 20 | 34–47 | 34–47 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(3) New York Mets | 90 | 72 | .556 | — | 49–32 | 41–40 |
Washington Nationals | 83 | 79 | .512 | 7 | 46–35 | 37–44 |
Miami Marlins | 71 | 91 | .438 | 19 | 41–40 | 30–51 |
Atlanta Braves | 67 | 95 | .414 | 23 | 42–39 | 25–56 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 63 | 99 | .389 | 27 | 37–44 | 26–55 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(1) St. Louis Cardinals | 100 | 62 | .617 | — | 55–26 | 45–36 |
(4) Pittsburgh Pirates | 98 | 64 | .605 | 2 | 53–28 | 45–36 |
(5) Chicago Cubs | 97 | 65 | .599 | 3 | 49–32 | 48–33 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 68 | 94 | .420 | 32 | 34–47 | 34–47 |
Cincinnati Reds | 64 | 98 | .395 | 36 | 34–47 | 30–51 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 55–26 | 37–44 |
San Francisco Giants | 84 | 78 | .519 | 8 | 47–34 | 37–44 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 79 | 83 | .488 | 13 | 39–42 | 40–41 |
San Diego Padres | 74 | 88 | .457 | 18 | 39–42 | 35–46 |
Colorado Rockies | 68 | 94 | .420 | 24 | 36–45 | 32–49 |
Wild Card Game (ALWC, NLWC) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Kansas City | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | NY Yankees | 0 | 5 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||||
5 | Houston | 3 | American League | 1 | Kansas City | 4 | |||||||||||||
2 | Toronto | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Toronto | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Texas | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
AL1 | Kansas City | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
NL3 | NY Mets | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | St. Louis | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Pittsburgh | 0 | 5 | Chicago Cubs | 3 | ||||||||||||||
5 | Chicago Cubs | 4 | National League | 5 | Chicago Cubs | 0 | |||||||||||||
3 | NY Mets | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | LA Dodgers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | NY Mets | 3 |
As was the case in 2014, teams were scheduled to play 19 games against each division opponent for a total of 76 games, and six or seven games against each team from the other two divisions in its league for a total of 66 games.
All teams were scheduled to play 20 interleague games throughout the season. For 2015, the interleague matchups were AL East vs. NL East, AL Central vs. NL Central, and AL West vs. NL West. Since "natural rivalry" matchups will be part of the three-year divisional rotation (for the first time), the schedule format for interleague games was different from previous years. The 20 interleague games each team played consisted of two three-game series (one home, one away) against its natural rival (total of six games), two two-game series (one home, one away) against each team for two other opponents (total of eight games; one of the matchups took place back-to-back within the same week), and a single three-game series against each team for the last two (one home, one away; total of six games).
During the final day of the regular season, all games were scheduled to start simultaneously at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, reminiscent of the English Premier League's last-day "Survival Sunday" scheduling. [1] [2] MLB hoped that this would add excitement and drama during the final day, and also limit teams' ability to rest starters at the last minute based on early game results. [3]
Team | Former GM | New GM | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado Rockies | Dan O'Dowd | Jeff Bridich | Resigned | O'Dowd resigned as general manager on October 8, 2014, after 15 seasons at the position, and Bridich was immediately named his replacement. Bridich spent 10 seasons in the Rockies' front office before becoming the general manager. [4] |
Tampa Bay Rays | Andrew Friedman | Matt Silverman | Resigned | On October 14, 2014, it was announced that Friedman would leave the Rays to become the president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers. |
Los Angeles Dodgers | Ned Colletti | Farhan Zaidi | Promoted | On October 14, 2014, Colletti was removed from his position as general manager of the Dodgers but would remain with them in a new position of senior advisor to the president. Former Rays GM Andrew Friedman was named president of baseball operations the same day. [5] He hired Farhan Zaidi to be the new GM. |
Date | Team | Former GM | New GM | Reason for leaving | Former job |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
July 1 | Los Angeles Angels | Jerry Dipoto [6] | Bill Stoneman | Resigned | Jerry Dipoto Resigned on July 1 Bill Stoneman was named interim General Manager until the night of October 4. The night after the 2015 baseball regular season ended. |
August 4 | Detroit Tigers | Dave Dombrowski [7] | Al Avila | Fired | Avila was the assistant General Manager before being promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations and General Manager. |
August 11 | Milwaukee Brewers | Doug Melvin [8] | David Stearns | Resigned | Stearns was the assistant General Manager for the Houston Astros. [9] |
August 18 | Boston Red Sox | Ben Cherington | Mike Hazen | Resigned | Cherington stepped down as the general manager of Red Sox on August 18. Dombrowski then was hired as the president of baseball operations and hired Hazen on September 24 as the new general manager. Hazen was the assistant general manager for the last four years. [10] |
August 28 | Seattle Mariners | Jack Zduriencik | Jeff Kingston | Fired | Kingston, who has been the team's assistant general manager since 2009, will handle the GM duties for the remainder of the season. |
September 10 | Philadelphia Phillies | Rubén Amaro, Jr. | Scott Proefrock (Interim) | Fired | Amaro, whose contract was set to expire after this season, was fired after seven seasons as general manager. Assistant GM Scott Proefrock was named interim GM during the search for a permanent general manager. |
At the end of the 2014 season, the following teams made replacements to their managers.
Team | Former Manager | Interim Manager | Reason for leaving | New Manager | Story/Accomplishments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston Astros | Bo Porter | Tom Lawless | Fired | A. J. Hinch | Porter was fired on September 1, 2014, along with bench coach Dave Trembley. Lawless was named the interim manager. Porter finished with a record of 110–190 in under two seasons. A. J. Hinch was announced as the new manager on September 29, 2014. [11] |
Texas Rangers | Ron Washington | Tim Bogar | Resigned | Jeff Banister | Washington resigned on September 5, 2014, for personal reasons, later revealed to be an affair, after eight seasons with the Rangers. He finished with a 664–611 record and is the franchise's all-time leader in regular seasons wins and games managed. Washington led the Rangers to four straight 90 win seasons, three playoff appearances, and back to back American League championships during his tenure. Banister was named the manager on October 16, 2014. [12] |
Arizona Diamondbacks | Kirk Gibson | Alan Trammell | Fired | Chip Hale | Gibson was fired on September 26, 2014, after four years as manager of the Diamondbacks. He finished with a 353–375 record and led the Diamondbacks to the division title during the 2011 season while capturing the National League Manager of the Year award. Former Athletics and Mets coach Chip Hale was named manager on October 13, 2014. [13] |
Minnesota Twins | Ron Gardenhire | N/A | Fired | Paul Molitor | Gardenhire was fired on September 29, 2014, after 13 years as manager of the Twins. He finished with a 1,068–1,039 record and led the Twins to six division titles and was American League Manager of the Year after the 2010 season. [14] Paul Molitor was announced as the new manager of the Twins on November 4, 2014. [15] |
Tampa Bay Rays | Joe Maddon | N/A | Resigned | Kevin Cash | Maddon exercised an opt-out clause on October 24, 2014, and resigned from the Rays. He managed them for nine years and finished with a 754–704 record with two division titles and led them to four post-season berths and the 2008 World Series. Maddon was American League Manager of the Year after the 2008 and 2011 seasons. [16] On December 5, 2014, Kevin Cash was named the new manager of the Rays. |
Chicago Cubs | Rick Renteria | N/A | Fired | Joe Maddon | Rentería finished the season with a 73–89 record. He was fired on October 31, 2014. Former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon was hired as his replacement. [17] |
Date | Team | Former manager | Interim manager | Reason for leaving | New manager | Story/Accomplishments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 3 | Milwaukee Brewers | Ron Roenicke | N/A | Fired | Craig Counsell | Roenicke was fired after starting the season with a 7–18 record, which was the worst record in baseball at the time. Roenicke in four-plus seasons finished with a 342–331 record. [18] Counsell, with no managerial experience, was most recently a special assistant to Brewers GM Doug Melvin. [19] |
May 17 | Miami Marlins | Mike Redmond | Dan Jennings | Fired | Don Mattingly | Redmond was fired after starting the season with a 16–22 record and finished with a 155–207 record in a little over two seasons. Bench coach Rob Leary was also dismissed. [20] Jennings, who was the current general manager for the Marlins, moved from the front office to the managerial position. Jennings has no previous managerial experience. [21] |
June 15 | San Diego Padres | Bud Black | Pat Murphy | Fired | Andy Green | Black was fired during his ninth season as Padres manager after starting the season with a 32–33 record. During this time, he accumulated a 649–713 record with his best finish during the 2010 season where the Padres finished in second place. Black was the 2010 National League Manager of the Year. [22] On June 16, Murphy was named the interim manager for the rest of the 2015 season. [23] |
June 26 | Philadelphia Phillies | Ryne Sandberg | Pete Mackanin | Resigned | Pete Mackanin | Sandberg resigned on June 26 with a career record of 119–159 after becoming manager in August 2013. The Phillies were 26–48 this season. Pete Mackanin, the third-base coach, has been named interim manager. [24] On September 22 Mackanin had the interim tag removed and was named the manager for the 2016 season with a club option for 2017 season. [25] |
August 14 | Boston Red Sox | John Farrell | Torey Lovullo | Leave of Absence | John Farrell | Farrell was diagnosed with Stage 1 lymphoma, but considers his condition "very curable." Bench Coach Lovullo served as interim manager for the remainder of the season. [26] |
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Fielding Bible Awards | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Player | |||||||
Pitcher | Dallas Keuchel (HOU) | |||||||
Catcher | Buster Posey (SF) | |||||||
1st Base | Paul Goldschmidt (AZ) | |||||||
2nd Base | Ian Kinsler (DET) | |||||||
3rd Base | Nolan Arenado (COL) | |||||||
Shortstop | Andrelton Simmons (ATL) | |||||||
Left Field | Starling Marte (PIT) | |||||||
Center Field | Kevin Kiermaier (TB) | |||||||
Right Field | Jason Heyward (STL) | |||||||
Multi-position | Ender Inciarte (AZ) |
Player of the Month
| Pitcher of the Month
| Rookie of the Month
|
Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Dodgers [92] | 92 | −2.1% | 3,764,815 | −0.5% | 46,479 | $265,140,429 | 13.6% |
St. Louis Cardinals [93] | 100 | 11.1% | 3,520,889 | −0.6% | 43,468 | $128,241,500 | −1.3% |
San Francisco Giants [94] | 84 | −4.5% | 3,375,882 | 0.2% | 41,678 | $180,018,166 | 10.1% |
New York Yankees [95] | 87 | 3.6% | 3,193,795 | −6.1% | 39,430 | $214,051,957 | −17.1% |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim [96] | 85 | −13.3% | 3,012,765 | −2.7% | 37,195 | $131,522,500 | 2.2% |
Chicago Cubs [97] | 97 | 32.9% | 2,919,122 | 10.1% | 36,039 | $115,306,610 | 92.8% |
Boston Red Sox [98] | 78 | 9.9% | 2,880,694 | −2.6% | 35,564 | $183,931,900 | 36.6% |
Toronto Blue Jays [99] | 93 | 12.0% | 2,794,891 | 17.7% | 34,505 | $117,917,400 | −13.6% |
Detroit Tigers [100] | 74 | −17.8% | 2,726,048 | −6.6% | 33,655 | $172,284,750 | 1.9% |
Kansas City Royals [101] | 95 | 6.7% | 2,708,549 | 38.4% | 33,439 | $121,590,475 | 35.4% |
Washington Nationals [102] | 83 | −13.5% | 2,619,843 | 1.6% | 32,344 | $176,496,372 | 28.6% |
New York Mets [103] | 90 | 13.9% | 2,569,753 | 19.6% | 31,725 | $98,874,473 | 19.6% |
Milwaukee Brewers [104] | 68 | −17.1% | 2,542,558 | −9.1% | 31,390 | $70,869,500 | −35.3% |
Colorado Rockies [105] | 68 | 3.0% | 2,506,789 | −6.5% | 30,948 | $96,438,600 | 1.1% |
Pittsburgh Pirates [106] | 98 | 11.4% | 2,498,596 | 2.3% | 30,847 | $104,457,499 | 29.4% |
Texas Rangers [107] | 88 | 31.3% | 2,491,875 | −8.3% | 30,764 | $178,860,789 | 37.8% |
San Diego Padres [108] | 74 | −3.9% | 2,459,752 | 12.0% | 30,367 | $125,203,700 | 63.3% |
Cincinnati Reds [109] | 64 | −15.8% | 2,419,506 | −2.3% | 29,870 | $111,572,286 | 9.1% |
Baltimore Orioles [110] | 81 | −15.6% | 2,281,202 | −7.4% | 29,246 | $112,989,833 | 3.6% |
Minnesota Twins [111] | 83 | 18.6% | 2,220,054 | −1.4% | 27,408 | $107,755,000 | 23.8% |
Seattle Mariners [112] | 76 | −12.6% | 2,193,581 | 6.3% | 27,081 | $130,681,400 | 36.9% |
Houston Astros [113] | 86 | 22.9% | 2,153,585 | 22.9% | 26,587 | $93,256,200 | 108.5% |
Arizona Diamondbacks [114] | 79 | 23.4% | 2,080,145 | 0.3% | 25,681 | $64,434,000 | −28.3% |
Atlanta Braves [115] | 67 | −15.2% | 2,001,392 | −15.0% | 24,709 | $104,037,500 | −3.7% |
Philadelphia Phillies [116] | 63 | −13.7% | 1,831,080 | −24.5% | 22,606 | $103,082,167 | −41.6% |
Oakland Athletics [116] | 68 | −22.7% | 1,768,175 | −11.8% | 21,829 | $64,016,001 | −28.2% |
Chicago White Sox [117] | 76 | 4.1% | 1,755,810 | 6.4% | 21,677 | $112,889,700 | 29.1% |
Miami Marlins [118] | 71 | −7.8% | 1,752,235 | 1.2% | 21,633 | $71,231,500 | 68.1% |
Cleveland Indians [119] | 81 | −4.7% | 1,388,905 | −3.4% | 17,361 | $59,163,766 | −19.5% |
Tampa Bay Rays [120] | 80 | 3.9% | 1,287,054 | −11.0% | 15,322 | $64,571,233 | −17.0% |
The New York Mets changed their home jersey from a cream shade to white and took away the home white alternate jersey. [121]
The Minnesota Twins took away the pinstripes from their home jersey and added a gold trim to the "Twins" wordmark. A hat was also added highlighting the "Twin Cities" logo in gold. [122]
The Pittsburgh Pirates introduced a new camouflage alternate jersey in honor of the U.S. Military which will be worn during all Thursday home games. A new camo-style hat also accompanies this uniform with a black bill and black "Pittsburgh" logo. [123]
The Seattle Mariners have added an alternate cream color jersey with blue and yellow, the original colors of the team from 1977–1992. An alternate light blue hat with a gold "Seattle" logo will accompany the uniform as well.
The San Francisco Giants have added an alternate black jersey, featuring a new alternate logo depicting the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Cleveland Indians darkened the shade of navy blue in their caps and jerseys.
The following teams wore commemorative patches for special occasions:
Team | Special occasion |
---|---|
All 30 teams | Breast cancer patch on May 10, Mother's Day |
Prostate cancer patch on June 21, Father's Day | |
Arizona Diamondbacks | In memory of ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller (March 3–8) |
Retirement of Randy Johnson's #51 (August 8) – on their caps and jerseys | |
Atlanta Braves | 20th Anniversary of 1995 World Series Championship |
Chicago White Sox | In memory of Minnie Miñoso |
In memory of Billy Pierce (starting August 11) | |
10th Anniversary of 2005 World Series Championship | |
Cincinnati Reds | 2015 All Star Game |
40th Anniversary of 1975 World Series Championship and 25th Anniversary of 1990 World Series Championship | |
Cleveland Indians | In memory of Al Rosen |
Houston Astros | 50th anniversary of the Astrodome as well as team being named the Astros |
In memory of Milo Hamilton (starting September 18) | |
Kansas City Royals | #28 in memory of Ernie Banks, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs (May 17) |
30th anniversary of their winning the 1985 World Series (May 24) – on their caps and jerseys | |
Minnesota Twins | 50th Anniversary of 1965 World Series team |
New York Yankees | #28 in memory of Ernie Banks (May 17) |
Retirement of Bernie Williams' #51 (May 24) – on their caps and jerseys | |
Retirement of Jorge Posada's #20 (August 22) – on their caps and jerseys | |
Retirement of Andy Pettitte's #46 (August 23) – on their caps and jerseys | |
In memory of Yogi Berra (starting September 23) | |
Philadelphia Phillies | In memory of Sara L. Buck |
St. Louis Cardinals | In memory of Oscar Taveras [124] |
70th anniversary of Red Schoendienst's MLB debut (April 17) | |
San Francisco Giants | In memory of Lon Simmons |
2014 World Series champions | |
Washington Nationals | 10th year in Washington, D.C. |
The Astros and Angels wore 1965 uniforms on April 18 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Astrodome and the 50th anniversary of the renaming of the team to Astros.
The Reds and Cubs wore 1990 uniforms on April 24 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Reds' winning the 1990 World Series.
The Tigers and Indians wore Negro league throwbacks on April 25. The Tigers wore the uniforms of the Detroit Stars, while the Indians wore the uniforms of the Cleveland Buckeyes.
The Red Sox wore their 1975 home uniforms on May 5 to mark the 40th anniversary of the club's 1975 AL Championship and trip to the 1975 World Series. The uniforms had the Massachusetts bicentennial patch.
The Mariners and Red Sox wore Negro league throwbacks on May 16. The Red Sox wore the uniforms of the Boston Royal Giants, and the Mariners wore the uniforms of the Seattle Steelheads.
The Cubs and Royals wore 1915 Federal League throwbacks on May 31 (originally, they were supposed to have worn them on May 30, but the game was postponed due to rain). The Cubs wore the uniforms of the Chicago Whales, while the Royals wore the uniforms of the Kansas City Packers.
The Cardinals and Phillies wore 1960s throwbacks on June 19. The Cardinals wore 1961 uniforms, which did have the players' numbers on the fronts of the shirts. The Phillies wore 1969 throwbacks.
The Mets and Braves wore Negro league throwbacks on June 20. The Mets wore the uniforms of the Brooklyn Royal Giants, while the Braves wore the uniforms of the 1938 Atlanta Black Crackers.
The Red Sox wore their 1975 road uniforms on June 27 against the Rays. The Rays, meanwhile, wore their "fauxback" jerseys, which have a retro feel yet never actually were worn regularly because the franchise did not exist back then.
The Athletics wore 1965 Kansas City Athletics uniforms June 27. Ironically, the Kansas City Royals were their opponents.
The Pirates and Brewers wore Negro league throwbacks on July 18. The Pirates wore the uniforms of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, while the Brewers wore the uniforms of the Milwaukee Bears.
The Rangers and Astros wore 1980s throwbacks on July 18 as part of a 1980s night promotion at Minute Maid Park.
The Cardinals and Royals wore 1985 uniforms on July 23 to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1985 World Series. They were supposed to be worn on June 14, but that game was postponed due to rain.
The Cubs and White Sox wore 1959 uniforms on August 14 in honor of Minnie Miñoso at US Cellular Field. Each of the White Sox players wore Minoso's number 9.
The Cubs and Tigers wore 1945 uniforms on August 19 to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1945 World Series.
The White Sox wore 1976 uniforms on August 27.
Players, coaches, and umpires at all games wore #42 on April 15, the 68th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in the majors.
The Giants wore uniforms with gold "Giants" script lettering and numbering on April 18 to celebrate their 2014 World Series title.
On April 20 (Patriots' Day), the Boston Red Sox wore home white jerseys with "BOSTON" written on the front to mark the second anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. The uniform also sported the 2013 navy-blue circular patch with a white border on the left shoulder saying "B Strong" (with the red B in the classic font featured on the Red Sox's caps).
The Milwaukee Brewers wore their batting practice jerseys as an alternate on April 21. The front has the Brewers' "M" logo on front, and has gold trim on the side.
The Giants wore Spanish-language "Gigantes" uniforms on May 5, Cinco de Mayo.
The Orioles wore a special uniform May 11, the first game at Camden Yards with spectators since April 26 due to the riots that took place in the city in April. The uniforms were in their home whites, but had their road "Baltimore" script on the front instead of the usual "Orioles".
The Reds wore camouflage uniforms and caps on May 16 and June 6. The uniforms had the "Reds" script on the front, instead of the player's number and the Reds' logo.
All teams wore camouflage uniforms on May 25, Memorial Day in the United States. Although Memorial Day is not a legal holiday in Ontario, the Blue Jays wore camouflage.
The Reds wore green caps and uniforms on June 19 as part of a "Shamrock the Ballpark" promotion. Like the camouflage uniforms, the uniforms had the "Reds" script on the front, instead of the player's number and the Reds' logo; the uniforms have a shamrock on the right sleeve, instead of the Mr. Redlegs mascot.
The Blue Jays wore a special uniform on Canada Day. July 1. The uniform had the Blue Jays wordmark in red, instead of blue. They had the Canadian flag on their right sleeve. The Red Sox, their opponent, wore a Canadian flag on their uniform as well. The uniform was worn again on August 30.
All teams wore American flag-themed caps and uniforms on July 4, Independence Day in the United States. The uniforms had an American flag on a sleeve. The logos and players' numbers had stars on them; the caps had a star instead of a baseball on the MLB logo. The Blue Jays wore a jersey with both the U.S. and Canadian flags.
The Royals and the Astros wore Spanish-language "Los Reales" and "Los Astros" uniforms on July 25.
The Tigers wore Spanish-language "Tigres" uniforms August 8. The uniforms were based on the Tigers' 1960 uniforms.
The Reds and the Diamondbacks wore Spanish-language "Los Rojos" and "Los D-backs" uniforms August 21.
The Mets wore camouflage uniforms on August 31.
The Mariners wore Spanish-language "Marineros" uniforms on September 12.
The Astros wore Spanish-language "Los Astros" uniforms on September 27.
2015 marks the second year of MLB's eight-year deal with Fox Sports, ESPN, & TBS. Fox will televise Saturday night games for eight consecutive weeks, leading up to the All Star Game, which will also air on Fox. Fox will then televise Saturday afternoon games for the last four weeks of the regular season. Fox Sports 1 will televise games on Tuesday nights and Saturdays, both during the afternoon and at night. ESPN will televise games on its flagship telecast, Sunday Night Baseball, as well as Monday and Wednesday nights. TBS will televise Sunday afternoon games for the last thirteen weeks of the regular season. Fox and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts will be exclusive; all other national telecasts will be subject to local blackout.
TBS will televise the National League Wild Card Game, Division Series, and Championship Series. ESPN will televise the American League Wild Card Game, Fox Sports 1 and MLB Network will televise American League Division Series, and Fox and Fox Sports 1 will televise the American League Championship Series. The World Series will air exclusively on Fox for the sixteenth consecutive year. All postseason games will air on ESPN Radio.
2015 was the second year of MLB's eight-year contracts for national broadcasts in Canada. Rogers Communications-owned Sportsnet holds English-language rights to the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, almost all postseason games, and various regular season games, all of which are in addition to the channel's Canada-wide "regional" deal for all regular season games of the co-owned Toronto Blue Jays. [125]
With the Blue Jays reaching the postseason in 2015 for the first time since 1993, Sportsnet president Scott Moore announced the channel was unable to produce separate Canadian telecasts of the Blue Jays' postseason games, and picked up the U.S. network telecasts of these games as it typically did for its postseason coverage. [126] As in 2014, when the two Division Series games carried by MLB Network in the U.S. was also exclusive to that channel in Canada despite very limited carriage, [127] Game 3 of the Royals-Astros ALDS was exclusive to MLBN in both countries. [128] However Sportsnet aired all games of the Blue Jays-Rangers ALDS in Canada (MLBN carried Game 2 in the United States). [129]
TSN holds English-language rights to most regular season games in ESPN's U.S. package. [130] French-language rights are split between RDS and TVA Sports. [131] [132]
The Chicago Cubs opted to re-negotiate their terrestrial television contracts for the 2015 season through 2019, when all the Cubs' television rights contracts will expire, including their cable deal with Comcast SportsNet Chicago. WGN-TV will still hold rights to 45 Cubs games per season, and its overflow broadcasts will move to WPWR-TV in place of WCIU-TV. WGN will be joined by ABC-owned station WLS-TV, which will now broadcast 25 games per season. [133] [134] [135] Broadcast Cubs games among the three stations in the market, along with White Sox games (which will also have games move from WCIU to WPWR) will be carried in the Indianapolis market among Media General's duopoly of WISH-TV and WNDY-TV, in addition to a regional network in Iowa and downstate Illinois. [136]
The cable network WGN America will no longer carry Chicago White Sox or Chicago Cubs games, as the network has phased out Chicago sports programming as part of its transition towards becoming a nationally focused entertainment network. This brings an end to the "superstation" era of cable broadcast, started in 1976 when WTCG (later to become WTBS) broadcast Atlanta Braves games, followed by WGN and other stations such as WOR-TV (New York Mets), WSBK-TV (Boston Red Sox) and KTLA (California Angels) airing simulcasts via satellite or cable.
After an absence of over a decade, New York Yankees telecasts will return to WPIX, sharing time with the Mets after WWOR-TV gave up its contract due to the rejection of a contract extension. Both teams' games on WPIX will still be produced by the YES Network and SportsNet New York respectively.
ESPN Radio aired its 18th season of national coverage, including Sunday Night Games, Saturday games, Opening Day and holiday games, the All-Star Game, and Home Run Derby, and the entire postseason.
WBBM became the radio home of the Chicago Cubs starting in April 2015 after long time home WGN gave up the broadcasting rights after 90 years.
WJZ-FM, for the second time, became the flagship radio station for the Baltimore Orioles. WJZ-FM held the rights for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
New rules were made to increase the pace of the game. [137] [138]
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The club plays its home games at Guaranteed Rate Field, which is located on Chicago's South Side. They are one of two MLB teams based in Chicago, alongside the National League (NL)’s Chicago Cubs.
The 2007 Major League Baseball season began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1. The regular season concluded with seven teams entering the postseason who had failed to reach the 2006 playoffs including all National League teams, with only the New York Yankees returning; a dramatic one-game playoff between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres; and the largest September collapse for a leading team in baseball history, with the Mets squandering a 7-game lead with 17 to play, losing on the final day of the regular season, and the Philadelphia Phillies capturing the National League East for the first time since 1993. The season ended on October 28, with the Boston Red Sox sweeping the World Series over the Rockies, four games to zero.
The 1998 Major League Baseball season ended with the New York Yankees sweeping the San Diego Padres in the World Series, after they had won a then AL record 114 regular season games. The Yankees finished with 125 wins for the season, which remains the MLB record.
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central. The Civil Rights Game, an exhibition, in Memphis, Tennessee, took place March 29 when the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox, 3–2.
The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on April 5, 2009; the regular season was extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins for the American League Central title. The postseason began the next day with the Division Series. The World Series began on October 28, and ended on November 4, with the New York Yankees defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. This was the second time the season was completed in November. The only other occasion was the 2001 World Series, because of the delaying of the end of that season due to the September 11 attacks as November baseball would be guaranteed when Game 4 was played on Sunday, November 1. Had the 2009 World Series gone the full seven games, Game 7 would've been played on November 5, the latest date ever scheduled for a World Series game. It became the latest date for a World Series game in 2022. The American League champion had home field advantage for the World Series by virtue of winning the All-Star Game on July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, 4–3. In addition, the annual Civil Rights Game became a regular season game, and was played June 20 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, when the host Cincinnati Reds lost to the Chicago White Sox in an interleague game, 10–8. Both teams wore replicas of their 1965 uniforms in the contest.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season began April 4, with the regular season ending on October 3. The 2010 All-Star Game was played on July 13 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. The National League ended a 13-game winless streak with a 3–1 victory. Due to this result, the World Series began October 27 in the city of the National League Champion, the San Francisco Giants, and ended November 1 when the Giants defeated the American League Champion Texas Rangers, four games to one.
The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since 1976, and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since 1990. The 82nd edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 12 with the National League defeating the American League for the second straight year, by a score of 5–1. As had been the case since 2003, the league winning that game had home field advantage in the World Series. Accordingly, the World Series began on October 19, and ended on October 28, with the St. Louis Cardinals winning in seven games over the Texas Rangers.
The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on April 5 because during the MLB Spring Training it was the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. On November 22, 2011, a new contract between Major League Baseball and its players union was ratified, and as a result, an expanded playoff format adding two clubs would be adopted no later than 2013 according to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The new format of the 2012 postseason to used the 1 game series of the Wild Card round of the format for the 2012 postseason only. The restriction against divisional rivals playing against each other in the Division Series round that had existed in previous years was eliminated, as the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees squared off in one of the best-of-five LDS in the American League. On April 4, 2012, it was the last day of the MLB Spring Training and ended with the new Marlins Park, as the newly renamed Miami Marlins hosted the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The regular season ended on Wednesday, October 3. The entire master schedule was released on September 14, 2011.
The 2013 Major League Baseball season started on March 31 with a Sunday night game between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. Opening Day for most clubs was a day later on April 1. The regular season ended on September 30, extended one day for a one-game playoff between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers to decide the second American League Wild Card winner.
The 2014 Major League Baseball season began on March 22 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The North American part of the season started on March 30 and ended on September 28.
Kyle Joseph Schwarber is an American professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, and Boston Red Sox.
The 2016 Major League Baseball season began on April 3, 2016, with a Sunday afternoon matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two teams with the best regular-season records in 2015, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The regular season ended on Sunday, October 2, 2016, and the postseason on Wednesday, November 2, 2016, with the Chicago Cubs coming back from a three games to one deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series and win their first championship since 1908.
The 2017 Major League Baseball season began on April 2 with three games, including the 2016 World Series champions Chicago Cubs facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals, the regular season ended in late September. The postseason began on October 3. The World Series began October 24 and Game 7 was played on November 1, in which the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, to capture their first World Series championship in franchise history.
The 2018 Major League Baseball season began on March 29. The regular season ended on October 1, extended a day for tiebreaker games to decide the winners of the National League Central and National League West. The postseason began on October 2. The World Series began on October 23, and ended on October 28 with the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to win their ninth World Series championship.
The 2019 Major League Baseball season began on March 20, while the regular season ended on September 29. It was the 150th anniversary of professional baseball, dating back to the 1869 foundation of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The postseason began on October 1. The World Series began October 22 and ended October 30 with the Washington Nationals defeating the Houston Astros in seven games to win their first World Series championship. The entire schedule was released on August 22, 2018.
The 2020 Major League Baseball season began on July 23 and ended on September 27 with only 60 games amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The full 162-game regular season was planned to begin on March 26, but the pandemic caused Major League Baseball (MLB) to announce on March 12 that the remainder of spring training was canceled and that the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks. On March 16, MLB announced that the season would be postponed indefinitely, following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to restrict events of more than 50 people. This was the first time that MLB games had been put on hold since the 2001 season, when the season was paused for over a week after the September 11 attacks.
MLB at Field of Dreams is a recurring Major League Baseball (MLB) regular-season specialty game played in a ballpark adjacent to Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, a site popularized by the 1989 baseball film Field of Dreams. The first edition of the game was played on August 12, 2021, with the Chicago White Sox defeating the New York Yankees, 9–8. The second edition of the game was played August 11, 2022, with the Chicago Cubs defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 4–2. Both games were held on the second Thursday of August.
The 2021 Major League Baseball season began on April 1, while the regular season ended on October 3. The postseason began on October 5. The World Series then began on October 26 and ended on November 2 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the Houston Astros in six games to win their second title since moving to Atlanta.
The 2022 Major League Baseball season (MLB) was originally scheduled to begin on March 31 and end on October 2. The 2021–22 lockout caused the season to be delayed by one week, starting on April 7. The regular season ended on October 5. The start of the season was delayed by a lockout of players, which commenced on December 2, 2021, following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). On March 10, 2022, MLB and the MLBPA reached a deal on a five-year CBA, with Opening Day being held on April 7, and a full 162-game schedule played. Under the new CBA, universal designated hitter was adopted, the postseason was expanded to 12 teams, and the regular season tie-breaker game was eliminated. In November 2021, the Cleveland Indians announced their new team name, the Cleveland Guardians. The 2022 MLB All-Star Game was held on July 19 and hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The 2023 Major League Baseball season (MLB) began on March 30. The 93rd All-Star Game was played on July 11, hosted by the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, with the National League winning, 3–2. The regular season ended on October 1, and the postseason began on October 3, and ended with Game 5 of the World Series on November 1. This season saw the introduction of several rule changes: in an effort to create a quicker pace of play, a pitch clock was introduced along with other minor changes, while limits on defensive shifts and larger bases were also introduced.
Sportsnet does not have the broadcast rights to Game 3 of the ALDS featuring Houston @ Kansas City. This game is available on the MLB Network.