2015 in baseball

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The following are the baseball events of the year 2015 throughout the world.

Baseball Sport

Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two opposing teams who take turns batting and fielding. The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat. The objectives of the offensive team are to hit the ball into the field of play, and to run the bases—having its runners advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called "runs". The objective of the defensive team is to prevent batters from becoming runners, and to prevent runners' advance around the bases. A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate. The team that scores the most runs by the end of the game is the winner.

2015 (MMXV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2015th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 15th year of the 3rd millennium, the 15th year of the 21st century, and the 6th year of the 2010s decade.

Contents

List of years in baseball

Champions

Major League Baseball

2015 World Series 111th edition of Major League Baseballs championship series

The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals. The series was played between October 27 and November 1, with the Royals winning the series 4 games to 1. It was the first time since the 2010 World Series that the World Series extended into November. The Royals became the first team since the Oakland Athletics in the 1989 World Series to win the World Series after losing in the previous year. It was the first World Series to feature only expansion teams and the first since the 2007 World Series to not feature the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, or San Francisco Giants as the NL champions.

2015 Kansas City Royals season 47th Season of the Kansas City Royals

The 2015 Kansas City Royals season was the 47th for the franchise, and their 43rd at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals made their second consecutive World Series appearance in 2015, after winning the American League in 2014. They won the series for the first time since 1985. The team won their first AL Central title on September 24, 2015, the first time the Royals won their division since 1985. They opened the playoffs by defeating the Houston Astros in five games in the Division Series and then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in six games in the American League Championship Series. They defeated the New York Mets in five games in the 2015 World Series, the second World Series championship in franchise history. The 2015 Royals are the first team since the 1989 Oakland Athletics to win the World Series after having lost the series in the previous season.

2015 American League Championship Series

The 2015 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a best-of-seven playoff contested between the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals for the American League (AL) pennant and the right to play in the 2015 World Series. The series is the 46th in league history. The series was broadcast by Fox and Fox Sports 1 in the United States, with Fox airing Game 1 and Fox Sports 1 airing Games 2–6. Sportsnet, a property of Blue Jays owner Rogers Communications, simulcast Fox and Fox Sports 1's coverage in Canada. Game 1 took place on October 16, and the series ended with the Royals winning Game 6 on October 23.

Postseason

Other champions

Minor League Baseball hierarchy of professional baseball leagues affiliated with Major League Baseball

Minor League Baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball (MLB) and provide opportunities for player development and a way to prepare for the major leagues. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses. Most are members of the umbrella organization known as Minor League Baseball (MiLB), which operates under the Commissioner of Baseball within the scope of organized baseball. Several leagues, known as independent baseball leagues, do not have any official links to Major League Baseball.

The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park which opened in 2002 and has a capacity of 12,500. They previously played at Pete Beiden Field from 1998 to 2001. The Grizzlies won the PCL championship in 2015, making it the only league title in franchise history. All games are broadcast on KYNO with Doug Greenwald handling the play-by-play.

International League Minor League Baseball league of AAA teams operating in the eastern United States

The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the eastern United States and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.

Awards and honors

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball awards

Sporting News awards

Players Choice Awards

Others

Silver Slugger Awards

American LeagueNational League
PlayerTeamPositionPlayerTeam
Miguel Cabrera (DET)First baseman Paul Goldschmidt (ARi)
José Altuve (HOU)Second baseman Dee Gordon (FLO)
Josh Donaldson (TOR)Third baseman Nolan Arenado (COL)
Xander Bogaerts  (BOS)Shortstop Brandon Crawford (SFG)
Mike Trout (LAA)Outfielder Bryce Harper (WAS)
Nelson Cruz (SEA)Outfielder Andrew McCutchen (PIT)
J. D. Martinez (CWS)Outfielder Carlos González (COL)
Brian McCann (NYY)Catcher Buster Posey (SFG)
Kendrys Morales (KCR)Designated hitter/Pitcher Madison Bumgarner   (SFG)

Gold Glove Awards

American LeagueNational League
PlayerTeamPositionPlayerTeam
Eric Hosmer (KCR)First baseman Paul Goldschmidt (ARI)
José Altuve (HOU)Second baseman   Dee Gordon (MIA)
Manny Machado (BAL)Third baseman Nolan Arenado (COL)
Alcides Escobar (KCR)Shortstop Brandon Crawford  (SFG)
Yoenis Céspedes  (DET/NYM) Left fielder Starling Marte (PIT)
Kevin Kiermaier (TBR)Center fielder A. J. Pollock (ARI)
Kole Calhoun (LAA)Right fielder Jason Heyward (STL)
Salvador Pérez (KCR)Catcher Yadier Molina (STL)
Dallas Keuchel (HOU)Pitcher Zack Greinke (LAD)

Minor League Baseball

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

MLB Postseason

  • October 6 :
    • The Cleveland Indians announced that general manager Chris Antonetti has been promoted to the role of president of baseball operations. Antonetti, 41, served as the Indians' GM for five years as an assistant for former team's president Mark Shapiro and has been in the Cleveland organization since 1999. Under his guide, the Indians reached the postseason as a Wild Card team in 2013 and have had three consecutive winning seasons from 2013 to 2015 with Tito Francona at the helm. Antonetti also oversaw the signings of Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Yan Gomes, Jason Kipnis, Corey Kluber to long-term extensions, and signed players such as Cody Allen, Trevor Bauer, Francisco Lindor and Danny Salazar, who are all controlled for the foreseeable future. The Indians also announced the promotions of Mike Chernoff to the title of general manager and Derek Falvey to the role of assistant general manager. These moves reflect a structure that a number of other MLB teams have recently adopted. [142]
    • The upstart Houston Astros, just two years removed from a 111-loss season, beat the New York Yankees 3–0 at Yankee Stadium, as they secured their spot in this winner-take-all game, advancing to the American League division series against the Kansas City Royals. Pitching on three days rest, Dallas Keuchel allowed three singles in six innings and combined with three relievers in the three-hit shutout. The offensive support came from Colby Rasmus and Carlos Gómez, who batted solo home runs against Masahiro Tanaka, and José Altuve with an RBI-single off Dellin Betances. The Yankees, who still have not led in a postseason game since a four-game sweep by the Detroit Tigers in 2012, reached their fifth consecutive loss in the postseason to match a franchise record. The Astros now will face the defending AL champion Royals, starting on October 8 at Kauffman Stadium. [143]
  • October 7 – Jake Arrieta led the Chicago Cubs to their first postseason victory in 12 years, shutting out the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4–0, in the National League Wild Card Game. As a result, Pittsburgh was eliminated after finishing second in the Major Leagues with 98 victories this year. Arrieta, who topped the majors with 22 wins, pitched a four-hit complete game and struck out 11 without a walk. Dexter Fowler hit a solo home run and scored three times for the Cubs, while Kyle Schwarber, a rookie who began his season in Double-A, hit an RBI-single off Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole in the first inning and added a towering 430 feet, two-run homer out of PNC Park in the third, as Chicago raced to an early lead and let Arrieta do the rest. Conversely, the Pirates dropped a second consecutive home Wild Card Game. Last season, Pittsburgh lost that game, 8–0, to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants behind a pitching gem from Madison Bumgarner and a grand slam by Brandon Crawford. To complete his feat, Arrieta tossed the first complete-game shutout for the Cubs in the postseason since Claude Passeau threw a one-hitter in the 1945 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. It was the Cubs' first step toward their ultimate goal of ending a 107-year World Series championship drought, as they advanced to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series, which begins on October 9 at Busch Stadium. [144] [145]
  • October 8 :
    • Robinson Chirinos hit a two-run home run, Rougned Odor added a solo homer and scored three runs, and the Texas Rangers beat David Price and the Toronto Blue Jays 5–3 in Game 1 of the ALDS, as postseason baseball returned to Toronto for the first time in 22 years. Yovani Gallardo allowed two runs and four hits in five innings and was credited with the win. [146]
    • The Houston Astros scored three runs in the first two innings against Yordano Ventura to defeat the host Kansas City Royals, 5–2, in Game 1 of the ALDS. Astros starter Collin McHugh shut out the Royals over six innings, and three relievers took over and got the game to Luke Gregerson, who handled the ninth for a save. George Springer batted a solo home run and Colby Rasmus hit a two-run one homer, while José Altuve went 3-for-5 with one run and an RBI. [146]
  • October 9 :
    • Hanser Alberto lined a tiebreaking single to center in the 14th inning, helping the Texas Rangers beat the highly favored Toronto Blue Jays, 6–4, for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five ALDS. Alberto, who was only in the lineup because third baseman Adrián Beltré was out with a strained back, had made a costly fielding error that led to Toronto's first two runs but redeemed himself with his big hit in extra innings. Alberto also had a sacrifice fly early in the game. Keone Kela worked one inning for the win, and Ross Ohlendorf finished for a save. LaTroy Hawkins was charged with the loss. The underdog Rangers will try to sweep the Blue Jays at home in Game 3. [146]
    • The Kansas City Royals rallied from a three-run early deficit, getting a go-ahead hit from Ben Zobrist in the seventh inning, and beat the Houston Astros 5–4 to tie the ALDS at a game apiece. The Astros mauled Johnny Cueto from the start, scoring their four runs in the first three innings. But the Royals tied the game at four off Scott Kazmir and two relievers in the sixth, and took the lead in the seventh when Alcides Escobar led off with a triple and Zobrist followed with his single. Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madson each tossed a scoreless inning for the Royals, and Wade Davis came on to close it. Herrera was credited with the win, while Will Harris got the loss. Colby Rasmus hit one home run, a double and drove in two runs for Houston, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to collect at least an extra-base hit in his first six postseason games. [146]
    • John Lackey outpitched old Boston Red Sox teammate Jon Lester, allowing two hits into the eighth inning, and rookies Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty each homered late for the St. Louis Cardinals, in a 4–0 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs in the opener of their NL Division Series. Piscotty scored the first run of the game on and RBI-single by Matt Holliday in the first inning. Lackey protected the 1–0 lead by holding the Cubs hitless for five innings, striking out five and walking one in his start. Lester, who struck out nine, gave up a solo home run to Pham after one out in the eight. Lester followed with his first walk of the game before being relieved by Pedro Strop, who gave up a two-run homer to Piscotty. Kevin Siegrist struck out the two batters he faced to end the eighth inning, and Trevor Rosenthal gave up a single and a walk but struck out three in finishing the three-hitter. [146]
    • The New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3–1, in Game 1 of the NLDS, behind seven shutout innings from Jacob deGrom and key hits by David Wright and Daniel Murphy. The young deGrom outpitched Clayton Kershaw, whose postseason struggles continued in the Dodgers loss, with deGrom delivering the Mets their first postseason victory since 2006. Murphy opened the scoring off Kershaw with a solo home run in the fourth inning, while Wright capped the victory with a two-run single off Pedro Báez in the seventh. Adrian Gonzalez hit a RBI-single off Tyler Clippard in the eight for the only Dodgers run, and Jeurys Familia earned the save in 1⅓ innings of relief for the Mets. deGrom, who matched Tom Seaver's franchise record with 13 strikeouts in a postseason game, combined with Kershaw (11) to become the first pitchers to record at least 11 strikeouts in the same game in postseason history. Besides, Kershaw has posted a 1-6 record with a 7.23 ERA in 12 postseason games. [146]
    • The Seattle Mariners announced that Lloyd McClendon will not return as the team's manager in 2016. The Mariners, based on the decision of new general manager Jerry Dipoto, decided to part ways with McClendon after two seasons, a span over which he compiled a winning record of 163-161 (.503). McClendon guided the Mariners to an 87-75 mark in his first season, but in 2015, despite high preseason expectations, Seattle finished 10 games under .500 and in fourth place in the American League West. McClendon is under contract for 2016, but Dipoto was given the autonomy to determine whether to keep him or move on with his own manager. McClendon previously managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001 to 2005. [147]
  • October 10 :
    • Jorge Soler hit a two-run home run that fueled a five-run second inning, and the Chicago Cubs held off the St. Louis Cardinals, 6–3, to even the NLDS at one game apiece. The Cubs scored their five runs on a single, one walk, two errors, and two successful squeeze bunts before Soler's blast to center field. Five unearned runs were charged to St.Louis starter Jaime García, who was lifted because of a stomach ailment after second inning meltdown and charged with the loss. Dexter Fowler, Starlin Castro and Soler each had two of Chicago's six hits in a game played in front of a lively crowd of 47,859, a postseason record at 10-year-old Busch Stadium, that included thousands of Cubs fans. The Cardinals homered three times, including a leadoff shot by Matt Carpenter and consecutive shots by Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk with two outs in the fifth inning, which chased Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks one out shy of qualifying for the victory in his postseason debut. Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill and Héctor Rondón combined for 4⅓ scoreless innings of relief, with Wood getting the win and Rondón a save. [148]
    • The Los Angeles Dodgers tied their best-of-five NLDS against the visiting New York Mets with a 5–2 comeback win after a four-run rally in the seventh inning, keyed by a controversial and hard slide from Chase Utley that sent Mets shortstop Rubén Tejada to the hospital with a fractured right fibula. Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run double with the game 2–1, two outs and runners at the corners, highlighting the rally after Howie Kendrick's fielder's-choice grounder that resulted in the tying run scoring on an overturned call after Utley's slide upended Tejada. Gonzalez scored the fourth run of the inning on a double by Justin Turner. Zack Greinke allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, striking out eight and walking none to take the win. Chris Hatcher pitched a perfect eight inning and Kenley Jansen closed the ninth for the save, completing a five-hitter. Noah Syndergaard took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks, striking out nine in 6⅓ innings. Yoenis Céspedes and Michael Conforto hit solo home runs against Greinke in the second, while Andre Ethier had an RBI double for the Dodgers in the fourth. [149]
  • October 11 :
    • Dallas Keuchel remained undefeated at Minute Maid Park with a sterling pitching performance, and Chris Carter went 3-for-3 with a double and one home run, leading the Houston Astros to a 4–2 win over the Kansas City Royals for a 2–1 lead in the best-of-five ALDS. Keuchel improved to 16-0 at home with a 1.45 ERA by allowing one run on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts, throwing a season-high 124 pitches and going deep in each of his final two innings. Lorenzo Cain hit a solo homer for the Royals leading off the fourth inning. After that, Keuchel pitched out of a jam in which the Royals had two base runners in the fifth, and retired Alex Gordon with a runner on third base in the sixth inning. Then Carlos Gómez singled in the bottom of the sixth to score George Springer and make it a 3–1 game. In the seventh, with one runner on second and Cain representing the tying run, Keuchel struck out him to preserve the lead and cap his outing. As for Carter, who finished a triple shy of the cycle, he hit a double in the fifth inning and subsequently scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single by Jason Castro. He then belted a first-pitch leadoff homer in the seventh off reliever Danny Duffy, bringing the score to 4–1. Kansas City starter Edinson Vólquez fell to 0-3 in his postseason career by allowing five hits and three runs in 5⅔ innings. Reliever Tony Sipp earned the hold with ⅔ innings of work, and Luke Gregerson gave up a leadoff homer to Gordon in the ninth, before finishing off the Astros' first playoff game in Houston in 10 years with a four-out save. [150]
    • Troy Tulowitzki drove in four runs, including three with a home run for his first hit in the ALDS, and Marco Estrada held the Texas Rangers to five hits and one run in 6⅓ innings, as the Toronto Blue Jays cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-five series with a 5–1 victory at Globe Life Park. Estrada, who made his first postseason start and third postseason appearance, used his fastball-changeup combination and did not walk a batter, striking out four while throwing 57 of his 89 pitches for strikes. Toronto started the sixth inning with consecutive singles to chase Rangers starter Martín Pérez, and Edwin Encarnación then drew a 10-pitch walk from reliever Chi Chi Gonzalez to load the bases before the Rangers' fourth double play in an as many innings, twice with the bases loaded, that prevented any runs from scoring. Tulowitzki, by then 0-for-11 in the series, followed with his homer against Gonzalez on a full-count changeup. Previously, Tulowitzki have walked with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. The first Blue Jays run came on a double play grounder with the bases loaded and no out in the second inning. Overall, Pérez gave up four runs on six hits and three walks in five plus innings and was charged with the loss. The Estrada performance was backed up by four relievers who delivered 2⅔ perfect innings. [151]
  • October 12 :
    • The Kansas City Royals overcame a four-run deficit to stave off elimination against the Houston Astros and send the ALDS back to Kansas City for a decisive fifth game. The Royals scored five times in the eighth inning to defeat the Astros, 9–6, and even the best-of-five series at two games apiece. Kansas City began the eight inning with four consecutive singles off reliever Will Harris, and all four runners scored to tie the game. Harris then was relieved by Tony Sipp, who suffered the loss, though, after allowing a fifth consecutive single to Eric Hosmer, who drove in the first run and scored the go-ahead run to cap the five-run eighth. The Royals took advantage when Astros shortstop Carlos Correa could not handle a deflected grounder that might have been a double-play ball and committed an error. Later in the inning, Alex Gordon batted an RBI groundout that put Kansas City ahead, while Hosmer blasted a two-run homer in the ninth inning to make it 9–6. Royals starter Yordano Ventura allowed three runs with eight strikeouts in five innings, giving up solo homers to Carlos Gómez and Correa. Ventura was followed by Kelvin Herrera, who allowed one run in the sixth, and Ryan Madson, who gave up back-to-back homers to Correa and Colby Rasmus in the seventh and still got the win. Wade Davis pitched two scoreless innings for his second save. As for Rasmus, it was his third home run in the series and the fourth in five postseason games, as he homered in the Astros' AL wild-card win over the New York Yankees. Astros rookie right-hander Lance McCullers was sharp in his postseason debut, limiting the Royals to two runs on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 6⅓ innings. McCullers allowed a two-run homer to Salvador Pérez in the second inning to give the Royals an early lead, but retired 15 of the next 18 batters before leaving after hitting Pérez with a pitch with one out in the seventh. Besides his costly error, Correa homered twice, doubled, singled, drove in four runs and scored two times in four at-bats. At 21 years and 20 days old, he became the youngest player in American League history to record a multi-homer game in the postseason. [152]
    • The Toronto Blue Jays stayed alive in the postseason by relying on the long ball and their Cy Young Award winners R.A. Dickey and David Price, beating the Texas Rangers 8–4 and even the ALDS at two games apiece, to force a deciding Game 5 at home. Josh Donaldson, Chris Colabello and Kevin Pillar each hit home runs off Rangers starter Derek Holland with Toronto's season hanging in the balance for the second consecutive game. Pillar went 3-for-4 and finished with three RBI, while Donaldson and Colabello each drove in two runs. Overall, Toronto racked up 12 hits. Dickey made his first career postseason appearance a memorable one, allowing only one run on five hits with three strikeouts and no walks, even if he did not qualify for the win. Dickey was pulled by manager John Gibbons with a 7–1 lead and two outs in the fifth inning. Price, who was the losing pitcher in the series opener, was out of the mix for an eventual start in Game 5. Price then retired the next nine outs, working into the eighth inning to pick up the victory despite allowing three runs, while Aaron Sanchez and Roberto Osuna combined on 1⅓ innings of perfect relief. The Blue Jays will try to become only the third of 30 teams to win a best-of-five series after losing the first two games at home. The 2001 New York Yankees pulled off such a comeback in a division series against the Oakland Athletics, and the San Francisco Giants did it against the Cincinnati Reds in 2012. [153]
    • The Chicago Cubs set a postseason mark for a club with six home runs and beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8–6, for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five NLDS playoffs. Cubs starter Jake Arrieta struck out nine before departing in the sixth inning, and the bullpen finished the job in the first playoff game at Wrigley Field in seven years. Kyle Schwarber and Starlin Castro hit solo home runs against Michael Wacha in the second and fourth innings, respectively. In the fifth, Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer off Wacha and Anthony Rizzo added a solo shot against reliever Kevin Siegrist. Then, Jason Heyward responded with a two-run homer in the sixth, which got to Arrieta for four runs in his worst start in four months, but the Cardinals were unable to keep the Cubs in the ballpark. In the bottom of the inning, Jorge Soler connected a two-run blast against Adam Wainwright and made it a 7–4 game. The final homer for Chicago went to Dexter Fowler, a solo shot against Jonathan Broxton in the eight inning. St. Louis trailed 8–4 before Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run shot against Héctor Rondón with two outs in the ninth, which caused alarm at Wrigley Field, but Rondón retired Matt Holliday on a groundout for the final out. [154]
    • The New York Mets crushed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 13–7, in the first postseason game played at City Field. The Mets took an early lead in the second inning on a bases-loaded double from Curtis Granderson, erasing a three run deficit and never looked back to set a franchise postseason run record and take a 2–1 advantage over the Dodgers in the NLDS playoffs, despite a subpar outing from Matt Harvey. Harvey labored through five innings in his postseason debut, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks, striking out seven while throwing a total of 97 pitches. Harvey was backed by four relievers that combined to throw four solid innings to preserve the victory. Granderson drove in five runs with two doubles, Yoenis Céspedes belted a three-run home run, and Travis d'Arnaud added a two-run shot with an RBI-single. Dodgers starter Brett Anderson took the loss, as he allowed six runs and seven hits in three ineffective innings. After that, Alex Wood was charged with four runs and Pedro Báez was tagged with three more without retiring a hitter. Yasmani Grandal hit a single to drove in the first two runs for Los Angeles, while Adrian Gonzalez homered and Howie Kendrick slugged a three-run shot. [155]
    • A total of 21 home runs were batted in the four Division Series played on this date, blowing away the single-day postseason record of 15, set back on October 3, 1995, just when Major League's offensive atmosphere was heightened. Moreover, the eight home runs combined by the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field also set a record for a postseason game, while the 61 runs scored in the four games surpassed the previous high of 48 stabilized on October 2, 2002. [156]
  • October 13 :
    • The Chicago Cubs clinched a postseason series at Wrigley Field for the first time ever, after beating the St. Louis Cardinals to win the NL Division Series in four games. A day after hitting a postseason-record six homers, the Cubs got home runs from Javier Báez, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber en route to the NL Championship Series. Báez hit a three-run homer in the second inning, Rizzo belted a tiebreaking home run with two outs in the sixth, and Schwarber cleared the right field scoreboard with his 7th-inning blast to give the Cubs a 6–4 lead. The shot by Rizzo, was his second in two games against reliever Kevin Siegrist, who was charged with the loss. The Cubs fell behind quickly on Stephen Piscotty's two-run homer in the first off starter Jason Hammel, who left after giving up two runs over three innings. Seven relievers combined to hold the Cardinals to two runs and five hits the rest of the way. Trevor Cahill earned the win, and Héctor Rondón closed the nine for the save. Following a MLB-best 100-62 record in the regular season, the Cardinals failed to advance in the postseason after winning at least one series the previous four years. Pitching on three days rest, St. Louis starter John Lackey gave up four runs and four hits over three innings after out-pitching Jon Lester, 7–0, in the series opener. The Cubs last reached the NLCS in 2003, when they lost in seven games to the Florida Marlins, the eventual 2003 World Series winners. Wrigley Field hosted its first Cubs game in 1916, eight years after they last won the World Series. [157] [158]
    • Clayton Kershaw finally came through the postseason, holding the New York Mets to just one run on three hits over seven innings, and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3–1 win at Citi Field. The victory leveled their NLDS at 2-2 and forced a decisive Game 5 at Los Angeles on October 15. As a result, the reigning National League MVP and three-time Cy Young Award winner snapped a five-start losing streak in the playoffs, the longest in Dodgers franchise history. Pitching on three days rest, following his Game 1 loss, Kershaw struck out eight and walked only one through 94 pitches, yielding his only run on a fourth-inning home run by Daniel Murphy. The Dodgers scored their runs in the third inning in a rally started by an-out single from Kershaw and keyed by an RBI-single by Adrian Gonzalez, followed by a two-run double by former Met Justin Turner off New York rookie starter Steven Matz. The 24-year-old Matz pitched five-plus innings, allowing the three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters. Matz went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in six major league starts in the regular season, and was pitching in a big league game for the first time in 19 days, after an ailing back sidelined him late in September. Still, he looked effective through 85 pitches, 50 of them for strikes. Kenley Jansen got four outs for his second save in the series. With two runners on base in the eighth and a 3-2 count, he retired Murphy on a fly out to right field. Jensen then worked a 1-2-3 ninth as the Dodgers ended a seven-game losing streak in road playoff games. The winner of Game 5 will host the wild-card Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series opener on October 17. [159]
  • October 14 :
    • The Toronto Blue Jays channeled their frustration into a four-run burst and a trip to the American League Championship with a 6–3 win over the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre. With the best-of-five ALDS level at 2-2, a tense game turned during a stormy 53-minute seventh inning, which had managers and umpires checking the rule book, featured two dugout clearing confrontations, a full-capacity crowd showering the field with debris, two ejections, and Toronto playing the game under protest. Overcoming one of the most unusual plays in playoff history, José Bautista blasted a tiebreaking three-run home run off reliever Sam Dyson that would define this series. In the first inning, Prince Fielder hit an RBI grounder off Toronto starter Marcus Stroman to put ahead Texas 1–0. Shin-Soo Choo extended the margin to 2–0 with a solo shot to right field in the third. In the bottom of the inning, Bautista hit a double against Cole Hamels that drove in Ben Revere with the first Blue Jays run. Edwin Encarnación then pulled his team even with Texas, 2–2, with a solo blast off Hammels in the sixth, but the Rangers reclaimed a 3–2 lead on a controversial play that started the seventh inning on a weird path that would define the series. Rougned Odor led off the seventh with a single and went to third on a sacrifice and groundout. Odor scored when catcher Russell Martin's throw back to Sanchez on a 2-2 deflected off batter Choo and dribbled toward third base and allowed the tiebreaking to score. Home plate umpire Dale Scott initially ruled it a dead ball, but after Rangers manager Jeff Banister questioned the call, the umpires huddled and Odor was sent home. Martin was given an error. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons argued and fans littered the field as they booed while Gibbons asked for a video review. The call stood, and the Blue Jays announced that they were playing the game under protest. Texas committed three errors to start the Blue Jays' seventh. After a forced out at home, Dyson replaced Hamels to face Josh Donaldson, whose flare to second base eluded Odor, who got the force at second as the tying run scored. Bautista then hit his two-out, mammoth homer to left field to give the Blue Jays a definitive 6–3 lead. Hamels allowed five runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out eight in 6⅓ innings to take the loss. Reliever Aaron Sanchez pitched 1⅓ innings and was credited with the win, while Roberto Osuna struck out four in 1⅔ innings and earned the save. The Toronto Blue Jays became one of only three teams to come back and win a best-of-five series after losing their first two games at home. The New York Yankees pulled off such a comeback in a division series against the Oakland Athletics in 2001, and the San Francisco Giants did it against the Cincinnati Reds in 2012 and won the World Series. The Blue Jays will now attempt to be in their first World Series in 22 years. They will first have to face the Kansas City Royals or Houston Astros in the best-of-seven ALCS. [160]
    • Johnny Cueto hurled a masterpiece in the fifth and decisive game of the AL Division Series, holding the Houston Astros to two hits over eight innings, as the Kansas City Royals rallied once more for a 7–2 victory that sent them to the AL Championship Series for a second year in a row. Cueto, who was acquired in a July transaction with the Cincinnati Reds, retired the final 19 batters he faced after Luis Valbuena hit a two-run home run. in the second inning. It was the only mistake Cueto made. The right-hander walked none and struck out eight, his high in 15 starts with the Royals, including two appearances in the ALDS. With the Royals trailing by two runs in the fourth inning, Lorenzo Cain hit a single against Astros starter Collin McHugh before Eric Hosmer fought off a pitch and blooped a single to center field. Cain was running on the pitch from first base and kept running when center fielder Carlos Gómez fell down after fielding the ball, which allowed Cain to circle the bases and score. Alex Ríos then provided the key hit, a two-run double off reliever Mike Fiers in the fifth, and later scored on a Ben Zobrist sacrifice fly that gave Kansas City a 4–2 lead. Kendrys Morales capped the game with a three-run homer off Dallas Keuchel in the eighth to put it away. McHugh, who won the ALDS opener for Houston, allowed three runs in four-plus innings and charged with the loss. Wade Davis needed just eight pitches to retire the three batters he faced in the ninth. Kansas City will receive the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium in the ALCS opener on October 16. [161]
  • October 15 – Daniel Murphy provided most of the offense that allowed the New York Mets to edge the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3–2, to win the decisive Game 5 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mets starter Jacob deGrom struggled early in the game but regrouped and finished in a strong way. The Mets advanced to their first NLCS since 2006, as they did so by beating Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke, two of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball, in the first and final games of the best-of-five series. The Mets jumped in front 1–0 in the first inning of decisive game, when Murphy hit a one-out RBI-double against Greinke. Four consecutive singles in the bottom of the inning off deGrom allowed the Dodgers to rally, with Justin Turner and Andre Ethier driving in one run apiece for a 2–1 Los Angeles lead. Murphy then opened the fourth inning with a single to right field. After one out, the Dodgers shifted three infielders to the right side and left no one near third base when left-handed hitter Lucas Duda came to bat. After Duda walked on a 3-1 pitch count, Murphy jogged to second and suddenly sprinted and stole third base unopposed against an infield shift, and scored the tying run on a Travis d'Arnaud sacrifice fly. Two innings later, Murphy smashed a go-ahead home run off Greinke that led the Mets over the Dodgers, 3–2. deGrom earned his second victory of the series, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out seven in six innings of work. Noah Syndergaard pitched a scoreless inning of relief and Jeurys Familia was perfect in two innings and earned the save. Murphy, who went 7-for-21 (.333) in the five games, scored seven runs with five RBI and homered three times off Kershaw (2) and Greinke (1). As for Greinke, he allowed three runs on six hits and one walk and struck out nine in 6 ⅔ innings, being credited with the loss. The Mets will face the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS beginning on October 17 at Citi Field stadium. The Mets will try to advance to their first World Series since 1986, while the Cubs try to do it for the first time since 1945. [162]
  • October 16 – Edinson Vólquez combined with three relievers on a three-hitter, Salvador Pérez hit a solo home run off Toronto Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada, and the Kansas City Royals opened the American League Championship Series with a 5–0 victory at Kauffman Stadium. Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain also drove in runs off Estrada, who was charged with the loss. Then Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales added one RBI-run apiece off reliever LaTroy Hawkins to put the game away. Vólquez allowed two hits and stroke five with four walks in six innings, and was credited with the win. The Royals' bullpen finished off the club's eighth consecutive ALCS victory, dating back to the 2014 season. [163]
  • October 17 :
    • The Kansas City Royals rallied for five runs in the bottom of the seventh off Toronto Blue Jays left-hander David Price, erasing a three-run deficit and paving the way for a 6–3 victory at Kauffman Stadium in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. Price had dominated the Royals until the seventh, retiring 18 batters in a row and allowing just a first-pitch single by Alcides Escobar to lead off the bottom of the first inning. But Kansas City erupted with five hits in the seventh, including a game-tying RBI single by Mike Moustakas and a go-ahead RBI double by Alex Gordon. Royals starter Yordano Ventura was solid through five innings, but he ran into trouble in the sixth, leaving the game with the bases loaded and one out, while trailing 3–0. Then reliever Luke Hochevar got two quick outs to keep Kansas City close. The Blue Jays were held scoreless through the first 11 innings of the series, but they finally broke out of their slump in the third, when Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins batted consecutives doubles starting the inning. Edwin Encarnación and Troy Tulowitzki added RBI singles the sixth, and the way Price was dominating the Royals lineup, a 3–0 lead looked to be enough. After the Escobar's lead-off single, Price threw first-pitch strikes to 12 of 14 batters at one point and struck out the side in the sixth inning, giving no indication he was about to implode. Finally, Price was charged with five runs and six hits in 6⅔ innings and got the loss. The Royals tacked on another run off the Toronto relief corps in the eighth, but it was unnecessary. Danny Duffy pitched a perfect seventh inning and was credited with the win, while Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis finished off the Blue Jays with a scoreless inning apiece, with Davis earning the save. [163]
    • Matt Harvey delivered 7⅔ innings of overpowering four-hit, nine strikeouts and only two walks brilliance, as the New York Mets surpassed the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field, 4–2, in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. There were the four perfect innings with which Harvey started his work, commanding all four unhittable pitches, and striking out six of the 12 Cubs he faced, setting himself up to get deep in this game by averaging only 11 pitches an inning. Starlin Castro RBI-double ended Harvey's no-hitter bid and shutout in the fifth inning, even though a monster 463-foot eighth-inning home run by Kyle Schwarber ended his evening after 97 pitches, 64 of them for strikeouts. Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy opened the scoring with a two-out, first-inning solo homer against Cubs starter Jon Lester. After that, Curtis Granderson drove in two runs for New York with one single and a sacrifice fly, and Travis d'Arnaud hit a solo homer off the giant Mets apple in straightaway center field. Jeurys Familia followed Harvey with 1⅓ innings of shutout relief for his third postseason save. Lester lasted 6⅔ innings and was charged with loss, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out five batters. Murphy has now homered in three consecutive postseason games, matching the franchise record settled by Donn Clendenon in 1969. Murphy also matched a franchise single-postseason record with four home runs, set by Rusty Staub in 1973 and equaled by Mike Piazza in 2000 and Carlos Delgado in 2006. [164]
  • October 18 – The New York Mets used a combination of pitching and power to defeat Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs, 4–1, and took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series. Daniel Murphy smashed a two-run home run to cap a three-run first inning off Arrieta, and that was all the Mets and their starter Noah Syndergaard needed on a cold, windy night at Citi Field, where an enthusiastic crowd was dressed in winter jackets and most of the players used balaclavas to keep their heads warm. There was a time when Syndergaard touched 99 mph with his blazing fastball, keeping the Cubs hitters off balance with curveballs and changeups to strike out nine, while allowing one run on three hits and one walk in 5⅔ innings to get the win. Curtis Granderson led off the first inning with a single and David Wright followed with an RBI-double before the Murphy homer. The Mets added an insurance run in the third, when Granderson walked, stole second and third bases, to score on an RBI-single by Yoenis Céspedes. To complete his stellar night, Granderson robbed Chris Coghlan of a likely home run with a leaping grab at the centerfield wall in the second inning. The only run for Chicago came in the sixth, when Dexter Fowler singled, advanced to second on wild pitch by Syndergaard, and scored on a double off the bat of Kris Bryant. Four Mets relievers combined to pitch 3⅓ scoreless innings, with Jeurys Familia earning the save. Arrieta, who posted a 22-6 record with a 1.77 ERA and also hurled a no-hitter in the season, had his second consecutive subpar outing in the playoffs. He struck out eight across five innings and allowed four runs on four hits and two walks. [164]
  • October 19 – The Toronto Blue Jays bats came to life at Rogers Centre to beat the Kansas City Royals, 11–8, in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. The Blue Jays opened the ALCS at Kansas City in frustrating form by getting shut out in Game 1 and blowing a 3–0 lead in the seventh inning of Game 2, but they returned to form when they came back to the stadium where they have won so often this year – a 53-28 record in the regular season. Toronto starter Marcus Stroman allowed four runs on 11 hits and one walk, and struck out only one batter in 6⅓ innings. Even so, he was credited with the win. Kansas City took an early lead in the first inning, when lead-off hitter Alcides Escobar connected a triple and scored on a Ben Zobrist RBI-grounder. But Toronto answered in the second against Royals' Johnny Cueto, when Ryan Goins drove in two runs with a single and later scored on an RBI-single by Josh Donaldson that made a 3–1 game. In the third inning, Zobrist scored on a grounder by Eric Hosmer to cut the lead to one run. But Toronto crushed Cueto in the bottom of the inning, scoring six runs on a three-run homer by Troy Tulowitzki, a bases loaded walk by Russell Martin and an RBI-double by Kevin Pillar, which prompted Royals manager A. J. Hinch to summon reliever Kris Medlen. Donaldson connected a homer for a 9-2 lead after Medlen retired two batters. Then in the fifth inning, Escobar scored on wild pitch by Stroman and Mike Moustakas singled Zobrist to put the score 9–4, but Goins homered off Medlen in the bottom, and Toronto matched its postseason best with three homers in a game. Previously, the Blue Jays also hit three against the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of the ALDS. Toronto scored its last run in the eight on an RBI-single by José Bautista. Nevertheless, the resilient Royals tried to come back this time too, when Kendrys Morales capped a four-run surge with a two-run homer in the ninth before Roberto Osuna closed out the 11–8 victory. [163]
  • October 20 :
    • At Rogers Centre, the Kansas City Royals overwhelmed the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, 14–2, and are one victory from returning to the World Series for a second year in a row. Alcides Escobar, who sparked the offense with a leadoff single off R.A. Dickey in the first inning, finished with four RBI. In addition, Ben Zobrist belted a two-run homer and Alex Ríos went 3-for-3 with a solo shot, while Lorenzo Cain drove in three runs in a 15-hit attack against six Toronto pitchers. Former Cy Young Award winner Dickey gave up five runs in 1⅔ innings that left Toronto in a 5–0 hole they could not overcome, despite scoring two runs in the third inning, and Liam Hendriks providing 4⅓ innings of spotless relief to hold the Royals scoreless and to just one hit. But the Royals ended any chance of a rally roughing up LaTroy Hawkins, who came on in the seventh but did not retire a batter and allowed three runs on two hits and one walk. Ryan Tepera came to rescue him, but gave up four runs and five hits in 1⅔ innings. Mark Lowe then replaced Tepera and allowed two runs in one inning. In a final act of desperation to save his relief corp for what a do-or-die Game Five, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons used utility infielder Cliff Pennington to get the final out, which he finally managed, but not before Kansas City pushed across two more runs that were charged to Lowe and completed the rout. Pennington, who allowed two hits and got one out, became the first primarily position player to pitch in Major League postseason history. In contrast, the Kansas City bullpen marked the difference. Chris Young, who had not started a game since October 2, allowed two runs in 4⅔ innings of work. Then Luke Hochevar, Ryan Madson, Kelvin Herrera and Franklin Morales delivered 4⅓ scoreless innings, with Hochevar earning the win. Not only did four relievers to pitch 4⅓ scoreless innings, but the offense supplied nine insurance runs after Young left the game to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. [163]
    • The New York Mets defeated the Chicago Cubs 5–2 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field. David Wright and Yoenis Céspedes collected three hits apiece, Daniel Murphy homered for the fifth straight postseason game, and Jacob deGrom pitched through seven effective innings. The Mets broke a 2–2 tie on a wild-pitch strikeout in the sixth inning, as they moved to within one victory of their first trip to the World Series since the 2000 season. Céspedes hit a two-out double against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks that brought Wright with the first run for New York in the first inning. Murphy then improved his remarkable postseason in the third, hitting his fifth homer in a row off Hendricks, to match Carlos Beltrán's MLB record for consecutive postseason games with a home run. DeGrom, who struggled in the bottom of the first inning, gave up a one-out home run to Kyle Schwarber and two singles in a total of 30 pitches. But he bounced back to retire 18 of the final 20 batters he faced. DeGrom then allowed only one hit in that stretch, on a 3-1 fastball up that Jorge Soler smacked for a solo homer that tied the game at 2–2 in the fourth. After that deGrom retired 11 batters in order, finishing with seven strikeouts and a walk. As for Hendricks, he lasted four innings before manager Joe Maddon went to his bullpen and, starting in the sixth, the Mets took advantage of some breaks. With two outs, and Céspedes running on third base, Trevor Cahill threw a knuckle curveball that Michael Conforto swung through the third strike, but the ball hit the dirt and spun away from the glove of catcher Miguel Montero, allowing Céspedes to score for a 3–2 Mets advantage. New York scored two more runs in the seventh on a single by Céspedes and a grounded out by Lucas Duda, which enabled to score Wright and Murphy, respectively. Tyler Clippard relieved deGrom in the eight and Jeurys Familia got the save with a perfect ninth inning. [164]
  • October 21 :
    • The Toronto Blue Jays received a pitching masterpiece from Marco Estrada, to keep their season alive with a 7–1 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre. Estrada allowed three hits and one run in 7⅔ innings of work and faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings, as Toronto pulled to within 3-2 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. Estrada allowed a single to Alcides Escobar in the fourth inning and did not allow another hit until Salvador Pérez homered and Alex Gordon singled with two outs in the eighth inning. Chris Colabello gave Toronto the early lead with a second inning solo home run against Edinson Vólquez. Edwin Encarnación then walked with the bases loaded in the sixth and Vólquez was relieved by Kelvin Herrera, who struck out Colabello for the first out of the inning. But Troy Tulowitzki broke the game open in when he lined a three-run double off Herrera to give the Blue Jays a 5–0 lead. José Bautista and Kevin Pillar followed with RBI-doubles of their own in the seventh and eight innings to put the game away. The series will head back to Kansas City for Game 6 on October 23. [163]
    • The New York Mets reached the World Series for the first time in 15 years, following a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field, with an 8–3 victory before 42,227 spectators. Mets first baseman Lucas Duda provided a strong offensive effort, hitting a two-out, three-run home run to center field in the first inning to lift the Mets to an early lead. Then Travis d'Arnaud followed suit, driving a solo shot to right field to make it 4–0. Duda would follow up his game-breaker with a two-RBI double in the second as the Mets order batted around Jason Hammel to gain a 6–0 advantage. Duda, who also doubled in the ninth, was hitting .125 with no extra-base hits and 13 strikeouts in 24 at-bats before the game. Additionally, Daniel Murphy connected a two-run against Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning. It was his seventh homer of the playoffs, as the string includes a shot in the deciding Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 15. Murphy, who was tied with Carlos Beltrán for the postseason homer streak, also became the first player to hit a homer in six consecutive postseason games. He finished with four hits and batted .529 (9-for-17) in the series, earning NLCS Most Valuable Player honors. Bartolo Colón replaced rookie Steven Matz with two out in the fifth and runners on first and second, and struck out Kris Bryant swinging on a 3-2 pitch, preserving the Mets 6–1 lead. Colón got the win for his 1⅓ inning effort, and three relievers finished the job. The Mets, who clinched their fifth NL pennant, also did it in 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000, winning the World Series in 1969 and 1986. New York will face the winner of the Kansas City Royals–Toronto Blue Jays American League Championship Series beginning on October 27 at AL Champion ballpark. [165]
  • October 22 – Don Mattingly will not return as the Los Angeles Dodgers manager in 2016. Mattingly had one more year left in his contract but he and the Dodgers came to a mutual agreement. According to a teleconference with reporters, Mattingly offered no explanation for the mutual parting. "I’m doing what's best for myself; I’m doing what's best for the organization; I just look at it that it's the right time for both parties", he said. [166]
  • October 23 – The Kansas City Royals beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, 4–3, to earn their second straight trip to the World Series. The victory in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series sent the Royals into the World Series, starting on October 27 at Kauffman Stadium against the National League champion New York Mets. Lorenzo Cain scored from first base on a single by Eric Hosmer in the bottom of the eighth inning following a 45-minute rain delay, and it proved to be the winning run in an unexpected and exciting way. As for reliever Wade Davis, he performed a great escape in the ninth inning to seal the victory. In a historic feat, José Bautista hit a pair of home runs, including a game-tying two-run shot in the eighth inning, to become the first player in Blue Jays history with a multi-homer effort in a postseason game. Bautista also set the franchise single-postseason record by hitting four homers overall, but there would be no jubilant celebration afterward with the Royals overcoming the two blasts. Early solo home runs by Ben Zobrist and Mike Moustakas against David Price in the first two innings had staked Kansas City to a 2–0 lead, which Bautista cut in half with a solo homer off Yordano Ventura in the fourth. After that, Ventura gave up a one-out double to Edwin Encarnación in the sixth and was relieved by Kelvin Herrera, who retired the next five batters he faced. Alex Ríos then drove in an insurance run with a single in the seventh to increase the Royals lead to 3–1. Holding a two-run lead heading into the eighth, reliever Ryan Madson allowed a leadoff single to Ben Revere and struck out Josh Donaldson before yielding the two-run homer to Bautista. After a walk to Encarnación, Royals manager Yost pulled Madson and sent in Davis, who promptly retired the next two batters. In the bottom of the eight, Roberto Osuna was summoned by manager John Gibbons to get the heart of Kansas City's lineup. At this point the rain intervened and Davis had to wait in the clubhouse along with his teammates. After the delay, Cain promptly worked a leadoff walk from Osuna and Hosmer followed with a clean single that Bautista fielded down the right-field line. Rather than hit the cutoff man, Bautista threw to shortstop Troy Tulowitzki at second to keep Hosmer to a single, which gave the speedy Cain running full speed the entire way and slid into the plate easily ahead of Tulowitzki's throw for the game-winning run. When play resumed, not only did Hosmer had his RBI, because Davis returned after not pitching for over an hour. Davis then suddenly was wedged in an extremely tight spot when Toronto put runners on second and third bases with nobody out in the top of the ninth. But Davis responded, striking out the next two batters before retiring Donaldson on a ground ball to finish the game. Alcides Escobar earned ALCS Most Valuable Player honors after hitting .478 (11-for-23) with five RBI and six runs scored. The Royals-Mets will be the first MLB World Series ever played between two expansion teams. [163]
  • October 26 :
    • The Boston Red Sox announced that former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro, Jr. has been hired as the club's new first base coach. Amaro will also serve as Boston's outfield instructor and assist in coaching the club on baserunning. Amaro, who also had experience as an infielder/outfielder in the majors but has never coached on any level, has expressed an interest in managing a team in the future and his focus for the time being was on coaching. Amaro replaces Arnie Beyeler, who served as first-base coach for Boston the last three seasons. The move by a GM back onto the field is not without precedent, which was the case for the Miami Marlins this past season, when GM Dan Jennings was asked by team's owner Jeffrey Loria to take over after Mike Redmond was dismissed as manager. Amaro is signed with the Red Sox through the 2017 season. [167]
    • Scott Servais was introduced as the new manager of the Seattle Mariners. Servais, who replaces departed Lloyd McClendon, will be the 17th full-time manager in Mariners history. Seattle's general manager Jerry DiPoto selected Servais from a group of six that included Charlie Montoyo, Phil Nevin, Dave Roberts, Jason Varitek and Tim Bogar, who will be on Servais' staff as Seattle's bench coach. Along with Bogar, Servais announced that Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. will be his pitching coach. The other members of the staff are hitting coach Edgar Martínez and first base coach Chris Woodward, who will be retained from the previous staff. Servais, who is a former Major League catcher with no prior managerial experience, served as assistant general manager for DiPoto with the Los Angeles Angels, where he oversaw scouting and player development. [168]
  • October 27 – The Kansas City Royals outlasted the New York Mets in a 14-inning, five-hour, nine-minute marathon, to win Game One of the World Series by a score of 5–4 at Kauffman Stadium. [169] Alcides Escobar connected a leadoff, first pitch inside-the-park home run; Eric Hosmer hit a game-winning sacrifice fly, and Chris Young, who was scheduled to open Game Four, pitched three hitless innings of relief along with four strikeouts. The Royals sent the game to extra innings when, trailing 4–3 with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Alex Gordon drilled a dramatic home run to deep center field against Mets closer Jeurys Familia to tie it 4–4. It was a rare blown save opportunity by Familia, who matched a franchise record with 43 regular-season saves. Then he had logged 9⅔ scoreless innings through two rounds of the postseason, including a six-out save against the Los Angeles Dodgers in decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series. [169] Hosmer, whose critical error in the eighth briefly gave the Mets the lead, redeemed himself with his sacrifice fly to right field off reliever Bartolo Colón to score Escobar, that set off a celebration for the Kansas City players and their devoted fans. It was a tumultuous contest filled with twists and turns before the first pitch. There was a note of sadness as word spread that the father of Kansas City's starting pitcher, Edinson Vólquez, had died back home in the Dominican Republic. [170] Then the Fox Sports broadcast of the game was interrupted during 23 minutes in the middle of the fourth inning due to technical difficulties, with the MLB International crew eventually taking over for the Fox broadcasters, while allowing play to resume. [171] The Mets were jolted in the first by the first pitch thrown by their Game One starter Matt Harvey, when Escobar drove a fly deep to left-center. Center fielder Yoenis Céspedes briefly took his eye off the ball to glance at left fielder Michael Conforto, but the ball descended past Céspedes' glove and struck him on the lower leg, kicking towards the left-field corner, as Escobar dashed around the bases for the first inside-the-park homer in the World Series since Mule Haas of the Philadelphia Athletics circled the bases in 1929. It also was the first in a World Series Game One since Casey Stengel of the New York Giants in 1923. After that, the Mets tied the game in the fourth inning with an RBI-single by Travis d'Arnaud, then took the lead on a Curtis Granderson solo home run in the fifth, and made it 3–1, in the sixth, on a sacrifice fly by Conforto. Harvey had retired eleven Kansas City hitters in a row heading to the bottom of the sixth, but that streak ended when the Royals rallied with two runs to tie the score, as Hosmer's first sacrifice fly scored Ben Zobrist, and Mike Moustakas's single scored Lorenzo Cain with the tying run. But Hosmer, a two-time Gold Glove first baseman, committed an error in the top of the eight inning that allowed the Mets to take a 4–3 lead and made him the potential scapegoat of the game, until Gordon rescued the Royals from the dead with his solo homer off Familia, then Hosmer got his redemption in extra innings. A total of 36 players were used in the game, including 13 pitchers. Besides, Kansas City outfielder Paulo Orlando became the first Brazilian-born player to appear in a World Series game. As the game wore on, the managers turned to veterans Colón (42) and Young (36). [169] They matched zeros for two innings before the unexpected outcome of the 14th inning. [169]
  • October 28 – Johnny Cueto hurled a complete-game two-hitter, and the Kansas City Royals jumped on Jacob deGrom with a four-run fifth-inning rally, on the way to a 7–1 victory over the New York Mets and a 2-0 lead in the World Series. Cueto gave up two softly hit singles to Lucas Duda while going the distance, walking three and striking out four. The Royals scored their four runs in the fifth inning just on five singles and a walk, to take a 4–1 lead that never relinquished. The veteran Cueto faced the minimum nine batters through the first three innings, and although the Mets took a 1–0 lead in the fourth, Cueto never got rattled. After Duda's RBI single, Cueto retired 16 of the final 17 Mets batters he faced. As for deGrom, he held Kansas City to one hit through four innings but got in trouble in the fifth, when he walked Alex Gordon on a full-count slider leading off. Gordon advanced to second on a single by Alex Ríos and scored the tying run on an Alcides Escobar single. Ben Zobrist then advanced the runners to second and third with a groundout, before deGrom retired Lorenzo Cain for the second out, but Eric Hosmer responded with a tie-breaking, two-run single. Kendrys Morales then added another single, while Hosmer scored the fourth run of the inning on an RBI-single by Mike Moustakas. DeGrom, with a 3-0 record and a 1.80 ERA over 20 innings in the postseason coming in, allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two in five innings of work. Kansas City added three insurance runs in the eight, following an RBI-double by Alex Gordon, a sacrifice fly by Paulo Orlando, and an RBI-triple by Escobar. Hosmer now leads the Kansas City lineup with 15 postseason runs batted in. Earlier in the playoffs, Hosmer surpassed the franchise postseason record of 23 career RBI set by George Brett, and including the 2014 postseason, Hosmer is at 27 and counting. With his two-hit gem, Cueto became the first American League pitcher to throw a complete game in the World Series since Jack Morris did it for the Minnesota Twins in 1991. Moreover, not since Atlanta Braves' Greg Maddux in 1995 had a pitcher logged at least nine innings and allowed no more than two hits in the World Series. Additionally, Cueto allowed the fewest hits in a World Series complete game by an American League pitcher since Boston Red Sox's Jim Lonborg's one-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967. On October 30, New York will host Kansas City in the first World Series game to be played at Citi Field ballpark. Forty-one of the 51 teams to take 2-0 leads in a best-of-seven World Series have gone on to win the title, according to the Elias Sports Bureau . [169]
  • October 29 :
    • The Texas Rangers announced that pitching coach Mike Maddux will not return to the next season. Maddux joined the Rangers before the 2009 season, when former team president Nolan Ryan brought him in from the Milwaukee Brewers, where Maddux was pitching coach from 2003 to 2008. Maddux had been among six coaches invited to return in 2015 and was previously offered a new contract that he had not signed. With Maddux departure, the Rangers are now searching for three new assistants, as bullpen coach Andy Hawkins resigned and hitting coach Dave Magadan left in hopes of finding a job closer to his home in Florida. Maddux is also leaving after serving four years as special assistant to general manager Jon Daniels. [172]
    • The San Diego Padres hired Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach Andy Green as their new manager. Green takes over a team that underachieved despite San Diego general manager A. J. Preller hatched an aggressive offseason roster shuffle during the offseason. The Padres finished 74-88 and fourth place in the National League West Division, 18 games behind the division champion Los Angeles Dodgers. At this time, San Diego has had five straight losing seasons and has missed the playoffs for nine straight years. A former Major League infielder, Green has four seasons of Minor League managerial experience in spite of his young age (38). From 2011 through 2014, he managed in the D-Backs’ minor league system, guiding the Missoula Osprey to a Pioneer League championship in 2012 and achieving a pair of postseason berths for the Double-A Mobile Bay Bears in 2013 and 2014, being named Southern League Manager of the Year in each of those two seasons. [173]
    • The Toronto Blue Jays announced that general manager Alex Anthopoulos rejected a five-year contract extension and is leaving the team. The announcement was made the same day that he earned The Sporting News executive of the year honors. Since Anthopoulos joined the team in 2009, the Blue Jays posted a 489–483 record, including the American League East Division title with a 93–69 record, while earning their first trip to the postseason since winning the World Series in 1993. They were eliminated from the American League Championship Series by the Kansas City Royals in six games. According to a report, [174] Anthopoulos chose to leave because of concerns over the imminent changing dynamic in Blue Jays new management. Mark Shapiro, who was the Cleveland Indians’ general manager for eight years, was hired to become Toronto's president and CEO in August, and is slated to assume his duties with the team on November 2. [174]
  • October 30 – The New York Mets rallied from an early deficit to beat the Kansas City Royals, 9–3, in the first World Series game ever played at Citi Field, which set a record when 44,781 fans attended the game. Noah Syndergaard settled down after yielding three runs and six hits in the first two innings, Curtis Granderson and David Wright each belted a two-run home run, as the Mets took Game 3 of the series after two tough losses in Kansas City. Syndergaard's first pitch was a 97 mph fastball just off the inside corner and above the head of Royals leadoff hitter Alcides Escobar, who had tormented the Mets for crushing first-pitch fastballs in the series, including one for an inside-the-park home run in Game 1. Obviously, Syndergaard wanted to attack the Royals early, make them feel uncomfortable, a feat that Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom had failed to accomplish in the first two games. Finally, Escobar struck out swinging, the first of six strikeouts for Syndergaard in the game. On a would-be inning-ending double play, Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores threw wide to first base, allowing Eric Hosmer to beat the throw and Ben Zobrist to score the game's opening run. The Royals did not attempt to retaliate after that, but there were certainly some discontented players in their clubhouse afterward. In the bottom of the inning, Granderson singled and Wright homered against Yordano Ventura which provided a 2–1 lead. But the Royals did not seem fazed. They scored two runs in the second on an RBI-single by Alex Ríos, who later scored on Travis d'Arnaud's passed ball. Then Granderson blasted another two-run homer in the third. Syndergaard had singled ahead of Granderson and he could continue to attack the Royals. After Escobar singled for the fourth hit of Kansas City the second inning, Syndergaard retired the next 12 Royals in order. Even in the sixth, when Syndergaard allowed a two-out single to Mike Moustakas and walked two consecutive batters to load the bases, he retired Ríos on a grounder to shortstop for the last out and complete his outing. Syndergaard was charged with three runs, giving up seven hits, two walks and striking out six in six innings. Michael Conforto hit an RBI-single in the fourth that put the score 5–3, as the Mets erupted for four runs in the sixth. Juan Uribe, just back from a chest injury, pinch-hit for Syndergaard and delivered an RBI single against Franklin Morales that put the Mets ahead 6–3. Then Wright added a two-run single against Kelvin Herrera and Yoenis Céspedes added a sacrifice fly. Aided by more unsteady fielding from a Royals team known for tight defense, New York collected hits from nine different players and finished with 12. Kansas City rookie Raúl A. Mondesí made history after debuting in a World Series game, becoming the first rookie to ever do so. As for Ventura, he was charged with the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits, while striking out one without walks in 3⅓ innings. Lifted by the roars of the home fan base, the Mets narrowed the deficit in the best-of-seven World Series to 2-1. [175]
  • October 31 – The Kansas City Royals capitalized an error by New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, and rallied for three runs in the eighth inning for a 5–3 victory at Citi Field and a 3-1 World Series lead. The Royals insurgence against relievers Tyler Clippard and Jeurys Familia wasted a pair of home runs hit by Michael Conforto and a strong start from Steven Matz, to put the Mets on brink of elimination. Besides Murphy's blunder and bullpen's fault, outfielder Yoenis Céspedes struggled in every aspect of the game. Kansas City closer Wade Davis came on in the eighth inning to register a six-out save, and Salvador Pérez went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored. Conforto bashed his first home run of the game against Kansas City starter Chris Young to lead off the third inning, giving the Mets a 1–0 lead. Wilmer Flores followed with a single, advanced on a wild pitch and was sacrificed to third by Matz, scoring on a Curtis Granderson's sacrifice fly to make it 2–0. In the fifth inning, Pérez hit a sinking liner to center field that turned into a double when Céspedes accidentally kicked it into left field as he reached down to try to make the catch. Next, Alex Gordon slapped an RBI single for the first Kansas City run. As for Céspedes, he previously misplayed and booted a ball into an inside-the-park home run by Alcides Escobar on Matt Harvey's first pitch in Game 1, yet Cespedes offered a poor optic when he jogged after the ball to retrieve it. After this, Conforto hit his second home run of the game off reliever Danny Duffy to lead off the bottom of the inning, giving the Mets a 3–1 lead. At age 22, Conforto became the first rookie to connect two homers in a World Series game since Atlanta Braves' Andruw Jones (19) did it at Yankee Stadium in 1996. Conforto also became the first Mets player to hit two home runs in a World Series game since Gary Carter in 1986. In between, Mets hometown rookie Matz held the Royals to two runs with two hits and five strikeouts without walks in five innings-plus. Mets manager Terry Collins then sent Clippard, his fifth pitcher of the night, out to start the eighth inning. Trailing, 3–2, the Royals drew consecutive one-out walks against Clippard, prompting manager Collins to call on closer Familia to try for a five-out save. Familia forced Eric Hosmer to tap a slow roller to the right side and Murphy charged in only to have the dribbler sneak under his glove and roll into right field, which allowed Ben Zobrist to score and Lorenzo Cain to reach third. On a 1-2 count, Mike Moustakas singled in the go-ahead run past the glove of a diving Murphy and Pérez drove in another insurance run. For second time in the Series, Familia failed to rescue Clippard and blew the save. Two of the three runs the Royals scored off Familia were charged to Clippard, who was credited with the loss. Previously, the usually reliable Familia failed to rescue Clippard and blew the save, as he had allowed Gordon's ninth-inning, tying homer in a Game 1 loss. Murphy, who still made every play look easy in the National League Championship Series and led the Mets to their first World Series since 2000 with seven homers in nine playoff games, has been silenced by Royals pitching. But he hit a one-out infield single in the ninth off Davis. Céspedes followed with another single, and Lucas Duda hit an easy liner to third baseman Moustakas, but Céspedes found himself way too far off first base, giving the Royals an easy double play and another incredible comeback. Ryan Madson pitched a perfect seventh for the win, and Davis worked two scoreless innings for his first save in the Series. [176]

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Related Research Articles

No-hitter also called a no-no, a baseball game in which a team was not able to record a single hit

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  149. ↑ Utley takeout slide key; Dodgers beat Mets 5-2, tie NLDS 1-1. NewsYahoo.com. Retrieved on October 11, 2015.
  150. ↑ Dallas Keuchel wins again at home; Astros take 2-1 lead in ALDS. Espn.com. Retrieved on October 12, 2015.
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  155. ↑ Mets set franchise postseason run record in win over Dodgers. Espn.com. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
  156. ↑ Monday's 21 home runs broke MLB playoff record. MLB.com. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
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  158. ↑ With first Wrigley clinch, Cubs move on to NLCS. MLB.com. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
  159. ↑ LA, Kershaw curb Mets' enthusiasm, force 5th. MLB.com. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
  160. ↑ Jays' (w)inning way: 53-minute, insane 7th. MLB.com. Retrieved on October 15, 2015.
  161. ↑ Johnny Cueto tosses gem as Royals oust Astros, reach ALCS. Espn.com. Retrieved on October 15, 2015.
  162. ↑ Daniel Murphy leads Mets to NCLS with HR and baserunning. MLB.com. Retrieved on October 16, 2015.
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  164. 1 2 3 "2015 National League Championship Series".MLB.com. Retrieved on October 21, 2015.
  165. ↑ Amazin' Mets sweep Cubs for 5th NL pennant. MLB.com. Retrieved on October 22, 2015.
  166. ↑ No Surprise That Don Mattingly and Dodgers Parted Ways. New York Times. Retrieved on October 23, 2015.
  167. ↑ Red Sox announce hiring of Ruben Amaro, Jr. for first base coach. WEEI.com. Retrieved on October 27, 2015.
  168. ↑ Scott Servais introduced as new Seattle Mariners manager. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved on October 31, 2015.
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  170. ↑ Edinson Vólquez learned of father's death before starting Game 1. Espn.com. Retrieved on October 28, 2015.
  171. ↑ Fox's World Series broadcast of Mets-Kansas City Royals lost for 23 minutes. NewJersey.com. Retrieved on October 28, 2015.
  172. ↑ Rangers pitching coach Maddux out after seven seasons. FoxSports.com. Retrieved on October 30, 2015.
  173. ↑ Padres hire D-backs coach Andy Green as manager. Espn.com. Retrieved on October 29, 2015.
  174. 1 2 "Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos will not return".. SportsIllustrated.com. Retrieved on October 30, 2015.
  175. ↑ Syndergaard sets tone with first pitch, lifts Mets in Game 3. MLB.com. Retrieved on October 31, 2015.
  176. ↑ Royals rally Mets to Game 4 win. MLB.com. Retrieved on November 1, 2015.
  177. ↑ Mighty KC! Royals rise in 9th, rule the World. WorldSeries.com. Retrieved on November 2, 2015.
  178. ↑ Top stats to know: Royals win World Series. Espn.com. Retrieved on November 2, 2015.
  179. ↑ Don Mattingly introduced as Miami Marlins manager. Espn.com. Retrieved on November 2, 2015.
  180. ↑ Nationals hire Dusty Baker as manager.Espn.com, Retrieved on November 3, 2015.
  181. ↑ NY Mets, Terry Collins Agree to 2-Year Contract. HNGN.com. Retrieved on November 4, 2015.
  182. ↑ Nationals hire Mike Maddux as pitching coach. USA Today. Retrieved on November 5, 2015.
  183. ↑ Reds name Williams GM, make Jocketty director of baseball operations. FoxSports.com. Retrieved on November 4, 2015.
  184. ↑ Colby Rasmus will be first player ever to accept a qualifying offer. SportsYahoo.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2015.
  185. ↑ Matt Wieters agrees to Orioles' $15.8 million offer. Espn.com. Retrieved on November 13, 2015.
  186. ↑ Braves deal Andrelton Simmons to Angels for Erick Aybar in SS swap. Espn.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2015.
  187. ↑ Brett Anderson accepts qualifying offer to stay with Dodgers. Baseball Essential. Retrieved on November 13, 2015.
  188. ↑ Qualifying offers will reshape 2016 Draft. MLB.com. Retrieved on November 13, 2015.
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  190. ↑ 2015 MLB Prospect Watch. MLB.com. Retrieved on November 14, 2015.
  191. ↑ Dodgers hire Dave Roberts as team's first minority manager. USA Today. Retrieved on November 25, 2015.
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  193. ↑ "Big League Baseball World Series – Tomorrow's Stars Today". bigleagueworldseries.org.
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  195. ↑ "schedule". BaseballStats.eu.
  196. ↑ "World Port Tournament". WorldPortTournament.nl.
  197. ↑ "2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cupâ ¢". ibaf.org.
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  200. ↑ "Remembering Mario Cuomo: former Pirates prospect, fantasy baseball fan". CBSSports.com.
  201. ↑ Longtime Travelers GM Valentine dies – Texas League Hall of Famer also worked in big leagues as an umpire. MiLB.com. Retrieved on April 27, 2015.
  202. ↑ Ranking the Most Unbreakable MLB Player Streaks and All-Time Consecutive Records BleacherReport.com. Retrieved on May 16, 2015.
  203. ↑ SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 28, 2015.
  204. ↑ Andrés Mora obituary (Spanish).
  205. ↑ Everett Adian Lively (February 14, 1925 – July 12, 2015). Huntsville Madison County Hall of Fame. Retrieved on July 19, 2015.
  206. ↑ Fred Besana Obituary. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved on November 11, 2015.
  207. ↑ Rare Feats: No-hit games in losing effort. MLB.com. Retrieved on November 23, 2015.
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