Astros, Rangers Set to Produce MLB’s Worst Division Champion in AL West

Both the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers are 79-81 for the season and can only improve up to 81-81 with 2 wins from their remaining games.

Astros, Rangers Set to Produce MLB’s Worst Division Champion in AL West

Joe Espada and Skip Schumaker (Image via X/@UnderdogMLB/X/@1053thefan)

The Houston Astros or the Texas Rangers are set to create an unwanted record in MLB. With the Astros’ 6-5 loss against the Athletics on Friday, the American League West division will produce the league’s worst division champion.

There is no denying that the AL West has been down bad this year. The Astros, the Rangers, and the Seattle Mariners have all struggled this year.

The Mariners, who reached the American League Championship Series (ALCS) last year, were the first among the trio to be eliminated from playoff contention.

In August, the AL West was the only division to not have a team above .500. After 131 games, the Astros were leading the division with a 65-66 record.

There has been no breakthrough for either team. On Friday, the Rangers, who had Jacob DeGrom on the mound, lost 10-2 against the Minnesota Twins. This left them with a 79-81 record with 2 games to go.

The Astros, who were leading 1-0, conceded 6 runs in the 6th inning. While they did pull runs back in the 7th and 8th innings, they were unable to level the game and lost 6-5.

With their loss, no team in the AL West will finish with a winning record. The best both teams can finish is 81-81.

The problem is, only one of them can make it to the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Chicago White Sox have sealed 5 of the 6 playoff spots in the American League.

Importantly, the Astros hold the season tiebreaker over the Rangers. So if both teams finish with an identical record, the Astros will go through to the playoffs as the AL West champions.

Previously, the worst record for a division champion belonged to the San Diego Padres. They won the NL West in 2005 with an 82-80 record. They went on to get swept by the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series.

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Astros still have destiny in their own hands

The American League West Division race will produce MLB’s worst division champion in history. Amidst this, the Houston Astros still have destiny in their own hands.

Astros' Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve (Image via X/@MLB)

For the season, the Astros went 9-4 against the Rangers. This gives them the edge in the tiebreakers. As long as they match what the Rangers do, they go through to the next round.

While speaking about this, Jose Altuve expressed that his team needs to focus on their own clubhouse.

I think we control our future right now and if we win these next two games, we’re in. We’ve just got to focus on what we do in this clubhouse. We’ve got the players to do it.

Jose Altuve said as per MLB.com

For the Rangers, they will need to win and hope for their rivals to lose. If they fail to do so, it will mark a 3rd straight season in which they will miss the playoffs.

Since 2017, they have only made the postseason once. That was in 2023, when they went on to eliminate the Astros in the ALCS to win the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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