The 2015 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2015 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1–3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Card playoff—played in two series. TBS carried all the games in the United States, with Sportsnet simulcasting TBS coverage for Canada. The Division Series began on October 9 and concluded on October 15. The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals had home field advantage in this round of the playoffs.
These matchups were: (1) St. Louis Cardinals (Central Division champion) versus (5) Chicago Cubs (Wild Card winner): Cubs win series 3–1. (2) Los Angeles Dodgers (West Division champion) vs (3) New York Mets (East Division champion): Mets win series 3–2. The higher seeded team in each series hosts Games 1, 2, and 5 (if necessary), and the lower seeded team hosts Games 3 and 4 (if necessary).
The Mets defeated the Cubs in the NLCS, then went on to lose the 2015 World Series to the American League champion Kansas City Royals.
Matchups
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets
Chicago vs. St. Louis
This was the third overall postseason meeting between the Cubs and Cardinals, with the two having met in the 1885 and 1886 World Series, and their first since the Cardinals joined the National League in 1892.
Game 1
The St. Louis Cardinals shut-out the rival Chicago Cubs 4–0 behind John Lackey's shutout innings in the first meeting between the two in the playoffs. Lackey pitched into the sixth inning with a no-hitter before the Cubs' Addison Russell singled in the seventh. The Cardinals scored first when Stephen Piscotty hit a ground-rule double, then Matt Holliday hit a RBI single in the first. Lackey and Jon Lester, pitched well as neither team scored again until the eighth inning, when Tommy Pham hit a one-out home run off Lester, who then walked Carpenter before Piscotty's home run increase the Cardinals' lead to 4–0. The Cubs attempted a comeback in the ninth inning off Trevor Rosenthal, but the Cardinals secured the victory when Kris Bryant struck out with runners on first and third for the final out of the game.
Game 2
In Game 2 Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks allowed a home run to the leadoff batter, third baseman Matt Carpenter in the first, but in the top of the second, with runners on first and third with one out, starter Jaime Garcia's errant throw to first on Hendricks bunt allowed the Cubs to tie the game. Addison Russell's sacrifice bunt and Dexter Fowler's single scored a run each before Jorge Soler's two-run home run made it 5–1 Cubs. They added another run in the third on Miguel Montero's RBI groundout off Lance Lynn with runners on first and third. Hendricks allowed back-to-back shots to Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk in the fifth inning, but Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill and Hector Rondon worked innings of shutout relief as the Cubs evened the series with a 6–3 win.
Game 3
Jake Arrieta struck out nine Cardinals over innings and served up four runs, the most he has allowed since June 16. But, the Cubs set a Major League playoff record with six home runs in an 8–6 victory. Kyle Schwarber's home run in the second off Michael Wacha put the Cubs up 1–0. In the fourth, after back-to-back leadoff walks, Jhonny Peralta's double and Tommy Pham's groundout scored a run each to put the Cardinals up 2–1, but the Cubs tied the score in the bottom half on Starlin Castro's home run. Next inning, Kris Bryant's two-run home run put the Cubs in front 4–2. Kevin Siegrist relieved Wacha and allowed a home run to Anthony Rizzo to extend the Cubs' lead to 5–2. Jason Heyward's two-run home run in the sixth cut the lead to 5–4, but the Cubs got those runs back in the bottom half on Jorge Soler's two-run home run off Adam Wainwright with one run charged to Seth Maness. Dexter Fowler's home run in the eighth off Jonathan Broxton increased the Cubs' lead to 8–4. In the ninth, Hector Rondon allowed a two-out two-run home run to Stephen Piscotty before Matt Holliday grounded out to end the game as the Cubs took a 2–1 series lead. Jason Heyward and Stephen Piscotty hit homers for the Cardinals, and the eight total home runs for both teams set a Major League mark for one postseason game.