Astros become MLB's worst-ever playoff team with AL West title
USA Today • • sports
Key Points:
- The Houston Astros clinched the American League West division title with an 81-81 record, becoming the first MLB team to make the playoffs with a non-winning full season record.
- The Astros secured the division by one game over the Texas Rangers, who finished 80-82, with Houston winning their final game 9-0 against the Oakland Athletics.
- Houston will face the Chicago White Sox in the best-of-three AL wild-card series starting Tuesday at home, having earned the tiebreaker advantage.
- Despite a challenging season and a late slump, the Astros finished strong by winning three of four games against the Athletics in the final week to clinch the division.
- Yordan Alvarez led the league with a .316 batting average and finished second in home runs with 42, contributing significantly to Houston's eighth AL West title in the past decade.
