2015 ALCS
The 2015 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a best-of-seven playoff in Major League Baseball's 2015 postseason contested between the second-seeded Toronto Blue Jays and the top-seeded Kansas City Royals for the American League (AL) pennant and the right to play in the 2015 World Series. The series is the 46th in league history. The series was broadcast by Fox and Fox Sports 1 in the United States, with Fox airing Game 1 and Fox Sports 1 airing Games 2–6. Sportsnet, a property of Blue Jays owner Rogers Communications, simulcast Fox and Fox Sports 1's coverage in Canada. Game 1 took place on October 16, and the series ended with the Royals winning Game 6 on October 23. This was the second ALCS matchup between Kansas City and Toronto; the Royals previously rallied from a 3–1 deficit to defeat the Blue Jays in seven games in the 1985 ALCS. The Royals would go on to defeat the New York Mets in the World Series in five games, winning their first World Series champions ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2015 Kansas City Royals Season
The 2015 Kansas City Royals season was the 47th for the franchise, and their 43rd at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals made their second consecutive World Series appearance in 2015, after winning the American League in 2014. They won the series for the first time since 1985. The team won their first AL Central title on September 24, 2015, the first time the Royals won their division since 1985. They opened the playoffs by defeating the Houston Astros in five games in the ALDS and then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in six games in the ALCS. They defeated the New York Mets in five games in the World Series, the second World Series championship in franchise history. The 2015 Royals were the first team since the 1989 Oakland Athletics to win the World Series after having lost the series in the previous season. This would not happen again until the 2022 Houston Astros would accomplish this feat. This would be the last season the Royals would make the playoffs until 2024. Offseason Oc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Hirschbeck
John Francis Hirschbeck (born September 7, 1954) is a former umpire for Major League Baseball. He worked in the American League from 1984 to 1999 and worked in both leagues from 2000 to 2016. He was a crew chief at the time of his retirement, and wore uniform number 17 throughout his career. Hirschbeck announced his retirement following the 2016 season. In 2000, Hirschbeck was elected as the first president of the newly certified World Umpires Association, a position he held until 2009. Umpiring career Hirschbeck umpired in the All-Star Game three times (1989, 2004, 2013), in the Division Series 10 times (AL: 1995, 1998, 1999, 2005; NL: 2001, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2016), the American League Championship Series 5 times (1990, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2015), and the World Series five times (1995, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2016) acting as crew chief the latter three times. Controversies Though umpires typically prefer to stay out of the public eye, Hirschbeck found himself in the spotlight afte ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games primarily at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto. The name "Blue Jays" originates from the blue jay, bird of the same name, and blue is also the Sports in Toronto#Toronto's association with the colour blue, traditional colour of Toronto's College athletics, collegiate and Major professional sports teams of the United States and Canada, professional sports teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and the Toronto Argonauts, Argonauts (Canadian football). In 1976, out of the over 4,000 suggestions, 154 people selected the name "Blue Jays." In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatt Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the "Jays," the team's of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2015 Major League Baseball Postseason
The 2015 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2015 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. In the American League, the Kansas City Royals made their second straight appearance, the New York Yankees returned for the first time since 2012, the Texas Rangers returned for the fourth time in six years, the Houston Astros made their first postseason appearance since 2005 (their first as a member of the American League), and the Toronto Blue Jays ended over two decades of futility by clinching their first postseason appearance since 1993, ending what was the longest postseason appearance drought in Major League Baseball and all four major North American sports leagues. This was Kansas City’s last postseason appearance until 2024. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals made their fifth straight ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional baseball league in the world. Each team plays 162 games per season, with Opening Day traditionally held during the first week of April. Six teams in each league then advance to a four-round Major League Baseball postseason, postseason tournament in October, culminating in the World Series, a best-of-seven championship series between the two league champions first played in 1903. MLB is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. Formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively, the NL and AL cemented their cooperation with the National Agreement in 1903, making MLB the oldest major professional sports league in the world. They remained le ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Best-of-seven Playoff
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly known as ''on aggregate'', and the ''round-robin tournament''. Single elimination A single-elimination ("knockout") playoff pits the participants in one-game matches, with the loser being dropped from the competition. Single-elimination tournaments are often used in individual sports like tennis. In most tennis tournaments, the players are seeded against each other, and the winner of each match continues to the next round, all the way to the final. When a playoff of this type involves the top four teams, it is sometimes known as the Shaughnessy playoff system, after Frank Shaughnessy, who first developed it for the International League of minor league baseball. Variations of the Shaughnessy system also exist, such as in the promotion ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and advances to the World Series, MLB's championship series, to play the winner of the National League's (NL) Championship Series. The ALCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to its current best-of-seven format. History Prior to 1969, the American League champion (the " pennant winner") was determined by the best win–loss record at the end of the regular season. There was one ''ad hoc'' single-game playoff held, in , due to a tie under this formulation. The ALCS started in 1969, when the AL reorganized into two divisions, East and West. The winners of each division played each other in a best-of-five series to determine who would advance to the World Series. In 1985, the format chan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2015 Texas Rangers Season
The 2015 Texas Rangers season was the Rangers' 55th season of the franchise and the 44th since the team relocated to Arlington, Texas. After a disastrous 2014 season in which the Rangers finished last in the entire American League and third worst in all of Major League Baseball (MLB), and despite starting the season with an 8–16 record and being under .500 as late as August 13, the Rangers would clinch the American League West title on the final day of the season. It was the team's sixth division title and seventh postseason appearance in franchise history. They lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the ALDS, even after taking a 2-1 lead. First year manager Jeff Banister was named the AL Manager of the Year. Offseason October 30: Colby Lewis, Neal Cotts and Scott Baker become free agents. * Lewis re-signed with the Rangers. * Cotts signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. * Baker signed with the New York Yankees. October 31: Sent 3 players to the minors. November ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2015 Houston Astros Season
Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ''15'' (Tuki album), 2025 * ''15'' (mixtape), a 2018 mixtape by Bhad Bhabie * ''Fifteen'' (Green River Ordinance album), 2016 * ''Fifteen'' (The Wailin' Jennys album), 2017 * ''Fifteen'', a 2012 album by Colin James Songs * "Fifteen" (song), a 2008 song by Taylor Swift *"Fifteen", a song by Harry Belafonte from the album ''Love Is a Gentle Thing'' *"15", a song by Rilo Kiley from the album ''Under the Blacklight'' *"15", a song by Marilyn Manson from the album ''The High End of Low'' Other media * ''15'' (film), a 2003 Singaporean film * ''Fifteen'' (TV series), international release name of ''Hillside'', a Canadian-American teen drama * "Fifteen" (''Runaways''), an episode of ''Runaways'' *Fifteen (novel), a 1956 juvenile fiction ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hunter Wendelstedt
Harry Hunter Wendelstedt III (born June 22, 1971) is an American baseball umpire who has worked in the National League in 1998–1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. His father Harry Hunter Wendelstedt, Jr. was an NL umpire from 1966 to 1998. Hunter Wendelstedt goes by his middle name to avoid confusion with his father. Umpiring career Wendelstedt has worked one All-Star Game (2011), two Wild Card Game/Series (2015, 2022), four Division Series (2003, 2010, 2013, 2014), four League Championship Series (2006, 2015, 2017, 2018), and one World Series (2014). He also officiated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. As his career began just as his father was retiring, Hunter Wendelstedt wears the same number as his father did, 21. The Wendelstedts are the only father-son pair to have umpired a Major League game together, an event that occurred over several series in 1998. Interactions with Ron Gardenhire On October 7, 2010, Wendelstedt ejected Minnesota Twins manager R ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jim Reynolds
James Norris Reynolds IV (born December 22, 1968) is a former American Major League Baseball umpire. He joined the major league staff in and was promoted to crew chief for the 2020 season. Reynolds wore uniform number 77. He retired following the 2022 season. Early career Reynolds previously worked in the New York–Penn League (1992), South Atlantic League (1993), California League (1994), Eastern League (1995), Southern League (1996), American Association (1997) and the International League (1998). On June 15, 1992, Reynolds was base umpire for the Erie Sailors’ home opener against the Jamestown Expos. This New York–Penn League game was the first in the history of the Miami Marlins organization, who had named the Sailors as their first minor league affiliate. The home plate umpire was Dan Iassogna, who would also later become a full-time MLB umpire. Major league career Reynolds joined the Major League Baseball umpiring staff in 1999 after the Major League Umpires ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tony Randazzo (umpire)
Anthony John Randazzo (born Anthony Grasso; January 11, 1965) is an American umpire (baseball), umpire in Major League Baseball. After working in the National League (baseball), National League in 1999, he has umpired in both Major Leagues since 2000. Early life Anthony was born on January 11, 1965, to Linda (née Collins) and Carl Grasso. His parents divorced and both remarried. After his mother married George Randazzo in 1977, Anthony adopted the surname Randazzo. He graduated from Lake Park High School in Roselle, Illinois. He attended Iowa Western Community College and played college baseball as a catcher before injuries ended his playing career. He left college and attended the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School shortly thereafter. Umpiring career Randazzo has umpired in eight Division Series (2004 National League Division Series, 2004, 2006 American League Division Series, 2006, 2009 National League Division Series, 2009, 2011 American League Division Series, 2011, 2012 Americ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |