MLB Wild Card Playoffs Schedule 2015: Cubs, Pirates, Yankees & Astros Square Off in First Round
The 2015 Major League Baseball regular season is officially complete. A total of 10 teams qualified for the postseason this year, all of whom have a chance to win the exclusive World Series championship.
Three division winners in both leagues automatically qualified for the playoffs, as did two wild card teams in each league. Those four wild card teams include the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.
Those wild card teams will play each other for the right to play in the division series.
Pirates vs. Cubs
What an incredible game this promises to be. Fans will get a pitching duel between two aces in this one. Jake Arrieta and Gerrit Cole collide in this winner-take-all National League Wild Card game. The winner of this game will go on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the next round.
These two teams each play in the National League Central and faced off 19 times this year, so they are very familiar with one another. The Cubs won the regular season series against the Pirates, 11-8. It is also worth noting that the Cubs were 7-0 against the New York Mets this season. The Pirates will be at home, but don't let that fool you. The Cubs had the best road record in the entire league this season at 48-32, and they have won their last eight consecutive games.
The Pirates are making their third straight playoff appearance after winning 98 games this season. The Pirates haven't won more than 98 games in a season since 1909, when they won the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Andrew McCutchen had another fine season with a team-leading 96 RBI and 98 walks. Last season the Pirates lost to the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card game.
We should be in for a low scoring game in this one.
Schedule
The Cubs and Pirates will play each other on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. EDT at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game will be shown on ESPN.
Yankees vs. Astros
The Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins gave it their best shot, but the Yankees and Astros will be repressing the American League in the wild card game. These two teams faced off seven times in the regular season this year with the Astros winning four of those games. The Bronx Bombers will have home field advantage as they are the No. 4 seed and the Astros are the No. 5 seed in the AL.
Masahiro Tanaka will get the start for the Yankees and Dallas Keuchel will be starting for the Astros. Keuchel has almost been unbeatable at home but hasn't been himself on the road. This will be Tanaka's first career playoff game in the majors. Mark Teixeira will be out again; however, Greg Bird has been filling in very nicely in his place. Alex Rodriguez will have to provide the power that the Yankees need to win.
The winner of this game will play the Kansas City Royals in the next round.
This is the Astros first playoff appearance since they lost the 2005 World Series to the Chicago White Sox. Puerto Rican rookie Carlos Correa has been terrific this year, and he is the front-runner to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. The Yankees were 45-36 this year at home while the Astros were just 33-48 on the road.
Schedule
The Yankees and Astros will play each other on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. EDT at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The game will be shown on ESPN.
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