2015 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the franchise's 134th season overall, the 129th season as a member of National League, and 15th season at PNC Park.

Background
The regular season began with a loss at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds on April 6 and ended with a win against the Reds at PNC Park on October 4. The Pirates finished the regular season with the second-best record in baseball, finishing in second place for the third consecutive year in the National League Central with 98 wins and 64 losses.

The team clinched its third consecutive playoff berth on September 23, finishing second in its division behind the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates secured one of two NL Wild Card spots, but lost to the Chicago Cubs in the NLWC Game on October 7, eliminating the team from 2015 postseason play.

Four members of the 2015 Pirates were selected to represent the National League in the All-Star Game, including pitcher A. J. Burnett for the first time in his career in his final major league season. In addition, one player was named NL Player of the Month: Andrew McCutchen in August, one was named NL Rookie of the Month: Jung-ho Kang in July, and one was named NL Pitcher of the Month: Gerrit Cole in April.

On October 2, the penultimate game of the regular season, the Pirates set a PNC Park season attendance record for the second consecutive year at 2,498,596, beating the record set in 2014 (2,442,564).

April

 * April 8 – Offseason bidding acquisition Jung-ho Kang makes his MLB debut after nine years playing in the South Korean KBO League.
 * April 9 – The Pirates are swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the first series of the regular season.
 * Gerrit Cole is named NL Pitcher of the Month for April.
 * The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 12–10, third in the NL Central at 3.5 games out of first.

May

 * May 26 – Andrew McCutchen (OF) is named NL Player of the Week for the week ending May 24.
 * The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 26–24, third in the NL Central at 7.0 games out of first.

June

 * June 12 – Clint Hurdle earns his 900th career win as a manager in a Pirates victory at home over the Philadelphia Phillies.
 * June 20 – The Pirates are no-hit by Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals, but a perfect game was broken up when Scherzer hit José Tábata in the elbow.
 * The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 43–33, second in the NL Central at 8.0 games out of first.

July

 * July 6 – A. J. Burnett (P), Gerrit Cole (P), Andrew McCutchen (OF), and Mark Melancon (P) are named to the National League All-Star team.
 * July 12 – The Pirates enter the All-Star break with a win–loss record of 53–35, second in the NL Central and second-best in MLB.
 * Jung-ho Kang is named NL Rookie of the Month for July.
 * The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 60–42, second in the NL Central at 5.5 games out of first.

August

 * August 10 – Andrew McCutchen is named NL Player of the Week for the second time in 2015 for the week ending August 9.
 * Andrew McCutchen is named NL Player of the Month for August.
 * The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 79–50, second in the NL Central at 5.0 games out of first.

September

 * September 20 – Mark Melancon records his 47th save of the season, breaking the all-time Pirates franchise record set by Mike Williams in 2002.
 * September 23 – The Pirates clinch their third consecutive playoff berth with an away win against the Colorado Rockies.
 * September 24 – The Pirates achieve a come-from-behind win against the Rockies on the strength of an 8th inning Pedro Alvarez three-run home run, earning the franchise's 10,000th win since joining the National League in 1887.
 * September 26 – The Pirates earn their 95th win of the season, ensuring their best season-end win–loss record since 1992.
 * September 30 – The Cardinals clinch the division, ensuring the Pirates' third consecutive appearance in the NL Wild Card game.

October

 * October 2 – During the final homestand of 2015, the Pirates set a new PNC Park attendance record for the second consecutive year at 2,498,596, a 56,032 increase over 2014.
 * October 4 – At the conclusion of the season, the Pirates had a win–loss record of 98–64, finishing second in the NL Central behind the St. Louis Cardinals with the second-best record in Major League Baseball. The Pirates clinched home-field advantage for the NL Wild Card game on the last day of the season, finishing one game ahead of the Chicago Cubs, whom they would face in the play-in game.

Game log

 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss       = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member
 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss       = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member

Wild Card Game

 * October 7 – National League Wild Card game – Chicago's Jake Arrieta pitched a complete game, striking out eleven batters and allowing only five hits. The Cubs were paced offensively by Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber, both combining for five hits in seven at bats, each with a home run. Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole gave up two home runs in a game for the first time this season. Cole lasted five innings, striking out four.

Game log

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 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss Bold = Pirates team member

Awards
2015 Baseball America Organization of the Year

2015 National League Saves Leader
 * Mark Melancon

2015 Roberto Clemente Award
 * Andrew McCutchen

2015 Trevor Hoffman Award
 * Mark Melancon

Silver Slugger Award
 * Andrew McCutchen

Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award
 * Starling Marte (LF)

2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
 * A. J. Burnett, P, reserve
 * Gerrit Cole, P, reserve
 * Andrew McCutchen, OF, reserve (starting in place of Giancarlo Stanton)
 * Mark Melancon, P, reserve

NL Pitcher of the Month
 * Gerrit Cole (April)

NL Rookie of the Month
 * Jung-ho Kang (July)

NL Player of the Week
 * Andrew McCutchen (May 18–24)
 * Andrew McCutchen (August 3–9)

NL Player of the Month
 * Andrew McCutchen (August)

Players
Final stats for 2015 ''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
 * Batting

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
 * Pitching

– Stats reflect time with the Pirates only.
 * Legend

† – Denotes player was acquired during season.

‡ – Denotes player was relinquished during season.

– Injured reserve.

– Qualified for batting title (3.1 plate appearances per team game) or ERA title (1 inning pitched per team game)

Transactions
The Pirates were involved in the following transactions during the 2015 season:
 * Black line marks the transition between off season and regular season

Trades

 * Notes
 * – Buddy Borden fulfilled on December 12, 2014.
 * – Steven Brault fulfilled on February 20, 2015.

Other

 * Legend
 * – invited to training camp

Draft picks

 * Notes
 * Compensation pick for the Toronto Blue Jays signing Russell Martin.

Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: West Virginia Black Bears