The 2015 Wild Card Run

Lore & Background

After winning the NL East, the Mets swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS to reach the World Series for the first time since 2000. The Fall Classic against the Kansas City Royals was a tightly contested battle, but the Mets fell in five games. Despite the loss, the run electrified New York and signaled the arrival of a young pitching core that would define the franchise for years to come.

Reader's Guide

The season began with high expectations following a strong 2014 finish. Manager Terry Collins guided the team through early struggles, relying on a deep pitching rotation anchored by Matt Harvey's return to form and Jacob deGrom's emergence. Mid-season trade deadline moves proved decisive. The acquisition of Yoenis Céspedes injected immediate power into the lineup, propelling the Mets past their division rivals in August and September. The team clinched the NL East title on September 27th, celebrating a long-awaited division championship. However, playoff seeding required them to play an extra Wild Card game against Chicago. The season concluded abruptly with a loss in that single-elimination game, ending the run but establishing a new era of optimism for the franchise.

Did You Know?

• The Mets won the NL East in 2015 and advanced directly to the NLDS, bypassing the Wild Card game entirely.
• Yoenis Céspedes hit six home runs in his first 14 games with New York after being traded from the Detroit Tigers.
• Jacob deGrom made his Major League debut in 2014, not during the 2015 season.
• The team's 90 wins were the most since the 2006 season; the Mets last won the World Series in 1986.