2015 Chicago Cubs season

The 2015 Chicago Cubs season was the 144th season for the franchise, the 140th in the National League and the 100th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were managed by Joe Maddon in his first year as Cubs manager and played their home games at Wrigley Field as members of the National League Central Division.

2015 Chicago Cubs
National League Wild Card
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record97–65 (.599)
Divisional place3rd
Other information
Owner(s)Tom Ricketts
General manager(s)Jed Hoyer
Manager(s)Joe Maddon
Local televisionWGN-TV
CSN Chicago
CSN Chicago Plus
WLS-TV
WPWR-TV
(Len Kasper, Jim Deshaies)
Local radioWBBM (AM)
Chicago Cubs Radio Network
(Pat Hughes, Ron Coomer, Mark Grote, Len Kasper)
StatsESPN.com
BB-reference
< Previous season     Next season >

They began the season on April 5, 2015 in a first-ever night-game home-opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at partially renovated Wrigley Field, and finished the regular season on October 4, 2015 on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cubs finished the season with the third-best record in baseball (97–65) which was also the third-best in their division, finishing one game behind the Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and three games behind the division winner, the rival St. Louis Cardinals (100–62). As a result, they qualified for the second wild card spot for the postseason, their first postseason appearance since 2008, and defeated the Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game to advance to the National League Division Series against the Cardinals. The Cubs defeated St. Louis three games to one to advance to the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, the Cubs' first appearance in the NLCS since 2003. However, they were swept in four games.

In 2015, Forbes valued the Cubs at $1.8 billion, ranking them 17th out of all sports franchises in the world, and the fifth highest in all MLB.[1] The Cubs attendance for the regular season was 2,959,812, up over 300,000 from the previous year.[2]

Previous season

The Cubs finished the 2014 season 73–89 to finish in last place in the Central Division. Following the season, the Cubs fired manager Rick Renteria[3] and hired former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon.[4]

Offseason

Stadium changes
Main article: Wrigley Field renovations

On Monday, September 29, one day after the conclusion of the 2014 season, a $575 million four-year renovation project to Wrigley Field was begun. The bleachers in left and right field were expanded, the stadium was extended further onto both Waveland and Sheffield Avenues, and seven new outfield signs were installed along with a 5,700-square-foot jumbotron scoreboard in the left field bleachers and a 2,400 square foot video scoreboard in the right field bleachers. The parking lots along Clark Street were excavated for underground players' locker rooms and lounges.[5][6]

Coaching changes

The Cubs decided not to retain Mike Brumley as the assistant hitting coach. Bill Mueller, the hitting coach, resigned over the decision. On October 9. 2014 John Mallee, formerly the Astros hitting coach, was hired as his replacement. Eric Hinske was the assistant hitting coach and Doug Dascenzo was signed to replace him as first base/outfield coach.[7] In late October 2014, quality assurance coach Jose Castro resigned to work with Atlanta Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.[8]

On October 31, the Cubs fired first year manager Rick Renteria.[9] On Monday, November 3, The Cubs announced the signing of Joe Maddon to a five-year contract as manager of the team.[10] Former Cub Henry Blanco was hired to be the quality assurance coach on November 22.[11] At the start of the 2015 season, Brandon Hyde went from 2014 season bench coach to first base and Doug Dascenzo was the outfield coach. Dave Martinez was bench coach. On February 24, 2015, Manny Ramirez was hired as a batting consultant, splitting time between Chicago and AAA Iowa.[12] Also, Kevin Youkilis was given a part-time job as a scouting and player development consultant.

Broadcast changes

In June 2014, the Cubs announced an end to their radio play-by-play history on WGN (720-AM) radio which dated back to 1924. In a new partnership with CBS Radio, the radio broadcast of their games moved to WBBM (780-AM) for the 2015 season.[13]

The Cubs finalized a new television broadcast agreement with long-time over-the-air carrier WGN-TV (Channel 9), in which the station would carry a reduced slate of 45 games per season. The team also signed a new broadcast agreement with ABC-owned station WLS-TV (Channel 7), in which they will show 25 games annually;[14] this deal replaced WCIU-TV as the Cubs' secondary over-the-air television outlet. Both agreements with WLS and WGN run through the end of the 2019 season. Play-by-play announcer Len Kasper and color commentator Jim Deshaies became employees of the Cubs rather than WGN-TV.[15]

As a result of a new programming strategy implemented by Tribune Media for WGN America, the cable superstation ceased televising Cubs games (as well as that of the Chicago White Sox and Bulls) to a national audience as of January 2015. This marked the end of a 36-season run of Cubs games televised on the national version of WGN-TV.

The Cubs created affiliate stations to complement the 2015 television and radio schedule.[16]

Transactions

Regular season

Game log
2015 Game Log (97–65)
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Cubs team member

Season standings
NL Central W L Pct. GB Home Road
St. Louis Cardinals 10062 0.617 — 55–26 45–36
Pittsburgh Pirates 9864 0.605 2 53–28 45–36
Chicago Cubs 9765 0.599 3 49–32 48–33
Milwaukee Brewers 6894 0.420 32 34–47 34–47
Cincinnati Reds 6498 0.395 36 34–47 30–51
Division Leaders W L Pct.
St. Louis Cardinals 10062 0.617
Los Angeles Dodgers 9270 0.568
New York Mets 9072 0.556


Wild Card teams
(Top two qualify for postseason)		 W L Pct. GB
Pittsburgh Pirates 9864 0.605 +1
Chicago Cubs 9765 0.599 —
San Francisco Giants 8478 0.519 13
Washington Nationals 8379 0.512 14
Arizona Diamondbacks 7983 0.488 18
San Diego Padres 7488 0.457 23
Miami Marlins 7191 0.438 26
Milwaukee Brewers 6894 0.420 29
Colorado Rockies 6894 0.420 29
Atlanta Braves 6795 0.414 30
Cincinnati Reds 6498 0.395 33
Philadelphia Phillies 6399 0.389 34

Record vs. opponents
2015 National League Records

Source: NL Standings Head-to-Head
Team ARI ATL CHC CIN COL LAD MIA MIL NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL WSH AL
Arizona —3–32–46–113–66–135–25–22–52–41–59–1011–80–73–411–9
Atlanta 3–3—1–63–41–63–310–95–28–1111–82–42–53–44–25–146–14
Chicago 4–26–1—13–64–23–43–314–57–02–511–83–35–28–114–310–10
Cincinnati 1–64–36–13—2–41–63–49–100–74–211–82–42–57–125–17–13
Colorado 6–136–12–44–2—8–112–55–10–75–21–67–1211–83–43–35–15
Los Angeles 13–63–34–36–111–8—4–24–33–45–21–514–58–112–54–210–10
Miami 2–59–103–34–35–22–4—4–28–119–101–62–55–21–59–107–13
Milwaukee 2–52–55–1410–91–53–42–4—3–37–010–95–21–56–133–48–12
New York 5–211–80–77–07–04–311–83–3—14–50–62–43–33–411–89–11
Philadelphia 4–28–115–22–42–52–510–90–75–14—2–55–11–52–57–128–12
Pittsburgh 5–14–28–118–116–15–16–19–106–05–2—5–26–19–103–413–7
San Diego 10–95–23–34–212–75–145–22–54–21–52–5—8–114–32–57–13
San Francisco 8–114–32–55–28–1111–82–55–13–35–11–611–8—2–44–313–7
St. Louis 7–02–411–812–74–35–25–113–64–35–210–93–44–2—4–211–9
Washington 4–314–53–41–53–32–410–94–38–1112–74–35–23–42–4—8–12

Opening Day starters
Opening Day Starters
Name Pos.
Dexter Fowler CF
Jorge Soler RF
Anthony Rizzo 1B
Starlin Castro SS
Chris Coghlan LF
Mike Olt 3B
David Ross C
Jon Lester SP
Tommy La Stella 2B

April

At the conclusion of the first month of the season the Cubs had a record of 12–8. It was their first winning April since the 2008 season. They led the National League in stolen bases with 25, were third in on-base percentage with .329, and sixth in acquiring walks with 71.[27] The pitching staff allowed the fewest walks in the National League with 41, they were third in WHIP with 1.15, fifth in striking out opposing batters with 181, sixth in opposing players batting average with .240, sixth in earned run average with 3.71 and allowed only 14 home runs against them.[28] During the month, the Cubs played in three extra-inning ballgames, winning all three.[29]

  • April 5 – The Cubs pay tribute to the late Ernie Banks before the first opening night game in Cubs history.[30]
  • April 17 – Heralded rookie Kris Bryant plays in his first Major League game.[31]
  • April 5–30 – Due to delays in the 1060 Project, the entire outfield section was unavailable for use by fans attending Cubs games. Attendance figures for the month of April were affected by approximately 5,000 fans per home game.[32]

May

At the end of the first two months of the season the Cubs had a record of 26–22. It was the first winning two-month period since the end of the 2008 season. They were third in the National League in stolen bases with 46 and second at receiving walks at 192. They did, however, lead the league in striking out at 541. The pitching staff allowed the second fewest walks in the National League with 140, they were third in WHIP, third in striking out opposing batters, sixth in opposing players batting average with .246, fifth in earned run average with 3.72, and allowed 56 home runs against them.[33]

  • May 11 – Left and center field bleacher seats were available for occupancy for the first time during the season during a night game with the New York Mets.[34]
  • May 14 – The Cubs four-game sweep of the NY Mets was their first over the Mets at Wrigley Field since Aug. 6–9, 1992. The May 14 victory was Joe Maddon's 800th career win.
  • May 31 – For the first time in nearly a half-decade the Cubs finished at or above .500 for two months in a row with a May 31 victory against the Kansas City Royals.
  • Kris Bryant received the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award for May.

June
  • June 11 – The right field bleacher seats were available for occupancy for the first time during the season during a night game with the Cincinnati Reds. Dexter Fowler hit the first home run to land into the newly renovated right-field seats at Wrigley Field when fans were present.[35]
  • June 17 – The Cubs 17–0 victory at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Indians was the largest shutout win by the Cubs since May 13, 1969, a 19–0 win over the Padres at Wrigley Field.[36]
  • June 30 – The Cubs finished 14–13 for the month; the third month in a row with a winning record.

July
  • July 6 – Anthony Rizzo (1B) and Kris Bryant (3B) were named to the National League All-Star Team.
  • July 13 – At the All-Star break the Cubs had a record of 47–40. They were seventh in Major League baseball in stolen bases with 57 and fourth at receiving walks at 293. They were second in the league in striking out at 799. The pitching staff allowed the fewest hits against in baseball with 140, they were first in WHIP at 1.16, third in striking out opposing batters with 754, first in opposing players batting average with .234, fifth in earned run average with 3.72, and allowed 56 home runs.[37]
  • July 25 – Future Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels then of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a no-hitter against the Cubs,[38] marking the first time the Cubs have been no-hit in 7,921 games, which was the longest streak in the Major Leagues.[39] It was Hamels last start in a Phillies uniform before he was traded to the Texas Rangers.
  • The Cubs finished a fourth month in a row over .500 for the first time since the 2008 season. With a record of 55–47, they were two games out of the second position to qualify for a wild card post-season playoff game.

August
Rain delay at Wrigley Field August 18th, 2015
  • August 10 – After a four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants, the Cubs had moved into the wild card spot and held a 3.5 game lead for the second place wild card qualifier.
  • August 23 – The Cubs swept the Atlanta Braves, their fourth, four-game sweep of the season; first time since 1945. The Cubs led the NL in both home runs and runs scored in the second half.
  • August 30 – Jake Arrieta threw a no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.[40]
  • For the fifth month in a row, the Cubs finished a month over .500 with an August record of 19−9. They were 5.5 games ahead of San Francisco for the second wild card slot. They led the majors in striking out with 1,208 and had the lowest team batting average at .241. The pitching staff struck out 1,128 batters (second in the majors) and had a WHIP of 1.20. Kris Bryant was named the NL Rookie of the Month for August and Jake Arrieta was named the Pitcher of the Month and Player of the Week for August 24–30.

September
  • September 1 – IF Javier Baez and LHP Tsuyoshi Wada were recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Catcher David Ross was activated off the family medical emergency leave list. Later in the month, the Cubs also selected the contracts of OF Quintin Berry, RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP Carl Edwards Jr., RHP Zac Rosscup and RHP Yoervis Medina from Triple-A.
  • September 11 – The Cubs swept a double header against the Phillies guaranteeing them a winning record for the first time since 2009. Jake Arrieta won his 19th game of the season making him the first pitcher in the 2015 season to hit the mark; it was his 16th straight quality start, allowing just one run over eight innings, and dropping his ERA to 1.99.
  • September 25 – The Cubs were defeated by their division rival Pittsburgh, 3-2, but still clinched their first postseason berth since 2008 when the San Francisco Giants lost to the Oakland A's.

October
  • October 4 – At the conclusion of the season the Cubs had a record of 97–65, third best in Major League Baseball. The 97 wins were the most for a first-year Cubs manager. Their record away from Wrigley Field was 48−33, the Cubs' best road record since 1945. Cubs' hitters led the majors in strikeouts with 1,518 and were third from the bottom with runners in scoring position (.237), but they were fifth in on-base percentage with .321 and first in acquiring walks with 567. The pitching staff allowed the fewest hits in baseball with 1,276, were first in WHIP with 1.15, first in striking out opposing batters with 1,431, and third in earned run average with 3.36. Cubs rookies (Bryant, Schwarber, Russell and Soler) hit 65 home runs, setting a franchise record.[41] The previous high was 58 set in 1966.

November
  • November 16 – Kris Bryant won the 2015 National League Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award by a unanimous first place vote. San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Duffy and Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung-ho Kang placed behind Bryant. Bryant became the first Cub to win the award since catcher Geovany Soto in 2008.
  • November 17 – Manager Joe Maddon won the Manager of the Year Award over St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny and NL-Champions New York Mets manager Terry Collins. Maddon set the franchise record for most wins in the first season as manager, with 97 wins. Maddon became the seventh manager in MLB history to win the award in both leagues, as Maddon previously won the award in 2008 and 2011 with Tampa Bay. He became the first Cubs manager to win the award since Lou Piniella in 2008.
  • November 18 – Starting Pitcher Jake Arrieta won the 2015 NL Cy Young Award over Dodgers pitchers Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. Arrieta had a stellar 2015 campaign, going 22–6 with a 1.77 ERA. Arrieta set a major league record with the lowest second-half ERA over a minimum of 12 starts with an ERA of 0.75. He went 14–1 in the second half of the season, as well as no-hitting the Dodgers on August 30. Arrieta is the first Cub to win the award since Hall of Famer Greg Maddux in 1992. The Cubs also became the first team in MLB to win three major awards since the 2001 Seattle Mariners.

Transactions

Roster
2015 Chicago Cubs
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches

  • 95 Chad Noble (bullpen catcher)

Postseason

Game log

Wild Card Game
Main article: 2015 National League Wild Card Game
Friday, October 7, 2015 7:08 pm CDT at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Team123456789RHE
Chicago102010000470
Pittsburgh000000000051
WP: Jake Arrieta (1–0)   LP: Gerrit Cole (0–1)
Home runs:
CHI: Dexter Fowler (1), Kyle Schwarber (1)
PIT: None
Attendance: 40,889

Jake Arrieta pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 batters and allowing only four hits to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4–0 in the 2015 National League Wild Card Game. The Cubs were paced offensively by Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber, who combined for five hits in seven at bats, each with a home run.[49] For the first time in 12 years, the Cubs won a postseason game after losing their previous nine postseason games in a row and advanced to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series.[50]

Division Series
Main article: 2015 National League Division Series § Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis

Game 1
Friday, October 9, 2015 4:46 pm CDT at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
Team123456789RHE
Chicago000000000030
St. Louis10000003X460
WP: John Lackey (1–0)   LP: Jon Lester (0–1)
Home runs:
CHI: None
STL: Tommy Pham (1), Stephen Piscotty (1)
Attendance: 47,830

John Lackey allowed only three singles in seven innings and the Cardinals beat the Cubs 4–0 in the NLDS opening game. Rookies Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty each homered for the Cardinals.[51] Cubs starter, Jon Lester, gave up three runs in 7 1/3 innings and left the game trailing 2–0.

Game 2
Saturday, October 10, 2015 3:39 pm CDT at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
Team123456789RHE
Chicago051000000660
St. Louis100020000362
WP: Kyle Hendricks (1–0)   LP: Jaime García (baseball) (0–1)   Sv: Héctor Rondón (1)
Home runs:
CHI: Jorge Soler (1)
STL: Matt Carpenter (1), Kolten Wong (1), Randal Grichuk (1)
Attendance: 47,859

In their first divisional game win since 2003, the Cubs got five second inning runs including a two-run home run from Jorge Soler en route to a 6–3 win. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks pitched well, but allowed a home run to the leadoff batter, third baseman Matt Carpenter in the first, and back-to-back solo shots to Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk in the fifth inning which led to his exit. Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill and Héctor Rondón worked 4 1/2 innings of relief.[52]

Game 3
Monday, October 12, 2015 4:08 pm CDT at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
Team123456789RHE
St. Louis000202002680
Chicago0101320108131
WP: Jake Arrieta (2–0)   LP: Michael Wacha (0–1)
Home runs:
STL: Jason Heyward (1), Stephen Piscotty (2)
CHI: Kyle Schwarber (2), Starlin Castro (1), Kris Bryant (1), Anthony Rizzo (1), Jorge Soler (2), Dexter Fowler (1)
Attendance: 42,411

The Cubs got 13 hits to support Jake Arrieta who struck out nine Cardinals over 5-2/3 innings while giving up four runs, the most he had allowed since June 16. Four rookies started for the Cubs and three of them helped to set a Major League playoff team record with six home runs in an 8–6 victory. Six different Cubs players homered – Kyle Schwarber in the second inning, Starlin Castro in the fourth, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo back-to-back in the fifth, Jorge Soler in the sixth, and Dexter Fowler in the eighth inning. Jason Heyward hit a sixth inning homer off Arrieta and Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run ninth inning homer off Héctor Rondón for the Cardinals. The eight total home runs for both teams set a Major League mark for one postseason game. Shortstop Addison Russell left the game in the fourth with left hamstring tightness after sliding head first into third on a triple.[53] Russell would not play the remainder of the postseason.

Game 4
Tuesday, October 13, 2015 2:38 pm CDT at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
Team123456789RHE
St. Louis200002000480
Chicago040001100681
WP: Trevor Cahill (1–0)   LP: Kevin Siegrist (0–1)   Sv: Héctor Rondón (2)
Home runs:
STL: Stephen Piscotty (3)
CHI: Kyle Schwarber (3), Anthony Rizzo (2), Javier Báez (2), Dexter Fowler (1)
Attendance: 42,411

Eight Chicago Cub pitchers allowed eight hits and combined for 15 strikeouts to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals and win a postseason series for the first time ever at Wrigley Field.[54] The score was 2–0 in favor of the Cardinals when the second batter of the game, Stephen Piscotty, hit a two-run homer. In the bottom of the second inning, starting pitcher Jason Hammel drove in Starlin Castro with a sharp single to center and Addison Russell's replacement at shortstop, Javier Báez, followed with a three-run homer to right off Cardinals starter, John Lackey. The Cards rallied and tied the score in the top of the sixth, but the rally ended with a strong throw to catcher Miguel Montero from right fielder Jorge Soler to throw out Tony Cruz at the plate as Cruz attempted to score the lead run from second.[55] Anthony Rizzo hit a go-ahead solo homer off Cardinal reliever Kevin Siegrist in the bottom of the inning on a two out, 0-2 pitch.[56] Kyle Schwarber added an insurance run in the seventh inning, also off Siegrist, with a home run ball that landed on top of the new right field Budweiser scoreboard.[57] Pedro Strop in the eighth and Héctor Rondón in the ninth struck out four of the seven batters they faced to preserve the 6–4 victory.[58]

Championship Series
Main article: 2015 National League Championship Series

Game 1
Saturday, October 17, 2015 7:08 pm CDT at Citi Field in New York, New York
Team123456789RHE
Chicago000010010250
New York10001110X481
WP: Matt Harvey (2–0)   LP: Jon Lester (0–2)   Sv: Jeurys Familia (3)
Home runs:
CHI: Kyle Schwarber (4)
NY: Daniel Murphy (4), Travis D'Arnaud (2)
Attendance: 44,287

In game one versus the New York Mets, Cubs starting pitcher, Jon Lester, gave up a solo home run in the first inning to Daniel Murphy. Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch and Starlin Castro hit a double to center field that scored Rizzo from first to tie the game in the fifth. A base hit to left by Javier Báez sent Castro to the plate, but he was thrown out on a strong throw by Yoenis Céspedes. In the bottom of the fifth, Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares both hit one-out singles. Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey attempted a sacrifice bunt, but the Cubs got a force-out of Flores at third. The next batter, Curtis Granderson, hit a single to score Lagares and the Mets regained the lead. Travis d'Arnaud hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. In the seventh, Lagares hit a leadoff single, was sacrificed by Harvey to second, stole third, and Granderson hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4–1. In the top of the eighth, Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run for a final score of 4–2.

Game 2
Sunday, October 18, 2015 7:09 pm CDT at Citi Field in New York, New York
Team123456789RHE
Chicago000001000150
New York30100000X450
WP: Noah Syndergaard (1–1)   LP: Jake Arrieta (2–1)   Sv: Jeurys Familia (4)
Home runs:
CHI: None
NY: Daniel Murphy (5)
Attendance: 44,502

The Cubs never recovered from a first-inning single by Mets leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson, followed by an RBI double by David Wright and by a home run by Daniel Murphy. Ganderson scored again in the third inning on a single by Yoenis Céspedes and the Mets were ahead 4–0. The Cubs only run came in the sixth inning on a single by Dexter Fowler who advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a two out double by Kris Bryant. The Cubs lost 4–1 and fell two games behind in the series.

Game 3
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 6:07 pm CDT at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
Team123456789RHE
New York1010012005110
Chicago100100000251
WP: Jacob deGrom (3–0)   LP: Trevor Cahill (1–1)   Sv: Jeurys Familia (5)
Home runs:
NY: Daniel Murphy (6)
CHI: Kyle Schwarber (5), Jorge Soler (3)
Attendance: 42,231

For the third game in the series, the Mets scored in the first with a double by Yoenis Céspedes that drove in David Wright off of Cubs starter, Kyle Hendricks. A home run by Kyle Schwarber tied the game in the bottom of the first. In the third, the Mets responded with Daniel Murphy's solo homer, his fifth consecutive postseason game with a home run, to put the Mets up 2–1. Jorge Soler's homer in the fourth again tied the game. The bottom fell out for the Cubs in the sixth when a wild pitch by Trevor Cahill (the losing pitcher) on strike three allowed Yoenis Céspedes to score, putting the Mets up 3–2. A Céspedes single and a sacrifice grounder by Lucas Duda in the seventh drove in Wright and Murphy, for a final score of 5–2 and series deficit of 3–0 for the Cubs.

Game 4
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 6:07 pm CDT at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
Team123456789RHE
New York4200000208110
Chicago000100020360
WP: Bartolo Colón (1–0)   LP: Jason Hammel (0–1)
Home runs:
NY: Lucas Duda (1), Travis d'Arnaud (3), Daniel Murphy (7)
CHI: Kris Bryant (2)
Attendance: 42,227

As in every previous game of the series, the Mets took control of the game in the first inning when first baseman Lucas Duda hit a three-run home run to center field against Cubs starter Jason Hammel. The next batter, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, also hit a home run to make it 4–0. In the second inning, Cubs relief pitcher Travis Wood allowed a two-run double to Duda making it a 6–0 game. Duda's five RBIs tied a Mets record for most in a postseason game. Chicago's first rally came in the fourth when they loaded the bases with no outs for second baseman Starlin Castro. Mets third baseman David Wright made a leaping grab of Castro's line drive to prevent an extra base hit and two runs. However, the Cubs got their first run on an RBI groundout by left fielder Kyle Schwarber. Shortstop Javier Báez popped out in foul territory, stranding two runners and the Cubs were down 6–1. In the fifth inning, after outfielders Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler reached base, Mets reliever Bartolo Colón struck out third baseman Kris Bryant and the Cubs again stranded two baserunners. In the eighth inning, New York's Daniel Murphy hit a two-run homer, his fourth home run of the series, his seventh of the postseason, and his sixth consecutive game with a home run, a new MLB postseason record. Bryant hit a consolation two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to put the Mets lead to 8–3. When closer Jeurys Familia struck out Fowler in the ninth, the Mets were back in the World Series for the first time since 2000. The Cubs never had a lead at any point in the four game series. After hitting .529 with the four home runs and a 1.294 slugging percentage for the series, New York's Daniel Murphy was named series MVP.

Regular season statistics

Batting

(Final regular season stats)

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Walks; SO = Strikeouts; SB = Stolen bases; Avg. = Batting average

Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG SB
Arismendy Alcántara 1126520001.0771
Jake Arrieta 30795121122.1520
Javier Báez 28764226014.2891
Mike Baxter 34576141002.2460
Dallas Beeler 33011000.3330
Quintin Berry 61000000.0000
Kris Bryant 151559871543152699.27513
Welington Castillo 2443572025.1630
Starlin Castro 151547521452321169.2655
Chris Coghlan 148440641102561641.25011
Chris Denorfia 1032121857111318.2690
Dexter Fowler 1565961021492981746.25020
Justin Grimm 601000000.0000
Jason Hammel 31656111004.1690
Dan Haren 1015110001.0670
Kyle Hendricks 3159231001.0510
Jonathan Herrera 73126142951214.2303
Austin Jackson 2972101770110.2362
Tommy La Stella 336741860111.2692
Junior Lake 21582134015.2244
Jon Lester 3062640000.0650
Miguel Montero 11334736861101553.2481
Mike Olt 615120011.1330
Clayton Richard 2214122003.1430
Anthony Rizzo 1605869416338331101.27817
Donn Roach 110100011.0000
David Ross 721596289019.1761
Addison Russell 142475601152911354.2424
James Russell 491000000.0000
Kyle Schwarber 692325257611643.2463
Jorge Soler 10136639961811047.2623
Matt Szczur 47725165018.2222
Taylor Teagarden 815030002.2000
Tsuyoshi Wada 88100000.0000
Travis Wood 5830030002.1000

Pitching

(Final regular season stats)

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Player W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER BB K
Jake Arrieta 2261.7733330229.0150524548236
Dallas Beeler 019.723308.11411977
Trevor Cahill 102.12110017.0844522
Phil Coke 006.30160010.0147739
Chris Denorfia 000.001000.100000
Carl Edwards Jr. 003.865004.233234
Gonzalez Germen 007.506006.085558
Justin Grimm 351.99620349.23118112667
Jason Hammel 1073.7431310170.2158797140172
Dan Haren 424.011111058.15829261344
Kyle Hendricks 873.9532320180.0166827943167
Tommy Hunter 205.74190115.2201010323
Edwin Jackson 213.19230031.03014111223
Jon Lester 11123.3432320205.0183837647207
Yoervis Medina 007.005009.0127747
Jason Motte 813.91570648.14821211134
Neil Ramirez 103.21190014.01255615
Clayton Richard 423.83233042.1471818722
Fernando Rodney 200.75140012.0811415
Héctor Rondón 641.677203070.05519131569
David Ross 000.002002.000000
Zac Rosscup 214.39330026.22613131329
James Russell 025.29490134.0422420929
Brian Schlitter 127.3610007.1126624
Rafael Soriano 206.356005.284414
Pedro Strop 262.91760368.03924222981
Tsuyoshi Wada 113.6287032.13014131131
Travis Wood 543.845494100.286484339118

Farm system
See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Iowa Cubs Pacific Coast League Marty Pevey
AA Tennessee Smokies Southern League Buddy Bailey
A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Carolina League Mark Johnson
A South Bend Cubs Midwest League Jimmy Gonzalez
A-Short Season Eugene Emeralds Northwest League Pat Murphy
Rookie AZL Cubs Arizona League Ricardo Medina
Rookie VSL Cubs Venezuelan Summer League Pedro Gonzalez
Rookie DSL Cubs Dominican Summer League Juan Cabreja

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Myrtle Beach[59]

In the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II, the 2015 Chicago Cubs win the World Series.

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