The 2015 MLB postseason saw historic droughts end and unlikely comebacks define the tournament
In short: The 2015 Major League Baseball playoffs were defined by the breaking of long-standing futility streaks. From the Toronto Blue Jays ending a twenty-two-year drought to the Kansas City Royals securing their first title in three decades, the tournament provided a dramatic shift in the landscape of professional baseball.
The 2015 postseason featured a mix of storied franchises and teams desperate to reclaim former glory. The Toronto Blue Jays, having endured the longest postseason appearance drought in major North American sports since 1993, finally returned to the playoffs. Similarly, the Kansas City Royals, who had not won a title in thirty years, navigated a challenging path to victory. Their journey included a tense American League Division Series against the Houston Astros, where they overcame a series deficit to advance. The Royals eventually defeated the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, marking their second consecutive World Series appearance.
In the National League, the Chicago Cubs made their first appearance since 2008, upsetting the top-seeded St. Louis Cardinals in their first-ever postseason meeting. This series, known as the Route 66 Rivalry, saw the Cubs set an MLB record with six home runs in a single game. Meanwhile, the New York Mets advanced to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2006, overcoming the Los Angeles Dodgers in a series marred by a controversial slide that resulted in a fractured fibula for Mets infielder Rubén Tejada.
The tournament concluded on November 1, 2015, with the Kansas City Royals defeating the New York Mets in five games to claim the World Series title. This victory remains the last time the Royals won an American League pennant as of 2026. The postseason also highlighted the struggles of other teams; for instance, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were eliminated by the Cubs in the Wild Card Game, have not returned to the postseason since, holding the second-longest active drought in the majors behind the Los Angeles Angels.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2015 Major League Baseball postseason
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