After losing records in 2013 and 2014, and after firing Rick Renteria and after Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and was hired by Epstein late in 2014, the Cubs secured a playoff berth in 2015 with the third-best record in MLB. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game and the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series en route to the 2015 National League Championship Series, where they were eliminated by the New York Mets. The club entered the 2016 season looking to advance deep into the playoffs again. This time, however, the Cubs won the NL Central with the best record in MLB, 103–58. It was the club's first divisional title since 2008. The team's fortunes in the playoffs turned around as well. They defeated the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship series, breaking the Curse of the Billy Goat, and securing the franchise's first National League pennant and World Series appearance since 1945. Once there, they fell to a 3–1 deficit in the series, but won games five and six to force a game seven. After ten innings, a rain delay, and a blown 5–1 lead, the Cubs finally emerged victorious in game seven, 8–7. The Cubs' historic win marked the end of the longest championship drought in American sports history, winning the franchise's third World Series trophy and first in 108 years.