WATCH: Houston Astros leapfrog rivals Texas Rangers to CLINCH AL West title once again following 8-1 victory over Arizona D-Backs

The Houston Astros leapfrogged their rivals Texas Rangers towards another AL West title following their 8-1 win against the Arizona D-Backs.

WATCH: Houston Astros leapfrog rivals Texas Rangers to CLINCH AL West title once again following 8-1 victory over Arizona D-Backs

Houston Astros players celebrating the win (Pic Credit: X)

The final day of the MLB regular season has been concluded. It has also brought an end to a stunning title race in the American League West division. Texan rivals – the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers fought a great battle which eventually saw the reigning champions claim another AL West title. Their 8-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks followed by the loss of the Rangers was enough to see them finish top.

The Rangers started off the season strong and eventually had an eight-game lead over the Astros. This was because of the poor run they were in. However, the Texas-based side endured a poor run of form of their own. This along with the winning streak of the Seattle Mariners, saw the AL West turn into a three-way tie.

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The back-and-forth of the Rangers and Astros continued as the season came closer to an end. In this nerve-wracking finale, the Rangers suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of the Mariners. This allowed the Astros to leapfrog their rivals and claim the title. Both teams would finish the season with a 90-72 record, but as the Astros held the tie-breaker over them, they finished first and clinched the divisional title. This outcome could become crucial in the upcoming days.

Related: Mariners and Cubs’ playoff dreams CRUSHED as Astros, Rangers, and D-Backs secure spots in thrilling MLB 2023 season finale

Who will the Houston Astros play against in the postseason?

The 2023 postseason will kick on Tuesday as the wild-card series begins. As per the new format, it will be a best-of-three-game series where the team to achieve two wins will advance toward the division series. The teams in the top-two seeds, receive an automatic bye and straightly enter the division series. Since the Houston Astros won the division and finished as the second top team, they will directly enter the American League Division Series (ALDS) alongside the Baltimore Orioles.

Houston Astros
Houston Astros celebrating their division series win (Pic Credit: Houston Chronicle)

This is where things get interesting. Had the Texas Rangers won the division, they would have gone in the division series. Since they failed to do so and finished fifth-seeded team, they will now play the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series. Last season the New York Mets suffered this fate and were eliminated in the wildcard round.

The Toronto Blue Jays meanwhile, will take on the Minnesota Twins. The winners of this series will face the Astros in the ALDS. Whereas the winners of the tie between the Rangers and Rays will face Orioles. The same procedure will be applied for the National League wild card and NLDS.

Winners of the Arizona Diamondbacks-Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies-Miami Marlins series will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves. It promises to be another spectacular postseason as baseball enters its final month of 2023.

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