Composite story
Astros win the AL West at 81-81, a full-season first
West Sacramento, CaliforniaPublished 28 Sep 2026
Houston beat the Athletics 9-0 in West Sacramento and finished 81-81, the first non-winning record to take a division in a full 162-game season. The Rangers lost at Minnesota, and the Astros will host the White Sox.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, the Houston Astros beat the Athletics 9-0 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento and finished 81-81. The Texas Rangers lost at Minnesota, and Houston won the AL West, the first full-season division title without a winning record. Houston hosts the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card round.
Disputed opinions
None yet.
Astros rebound from 11 games under .500, win AL West despite finishing 81-81
Published 27 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
The Astros won the AL West for the fifth time in six years.
The Astros failed to finish with a winning record.
The Houston Astros dropped 11 games under .500.
The Astros would have won the division even with a loss because they held the tiebreaker.
Nick Allen doubled to lead off the eighth with the Astros ahead by eight runs.
Carlos Correa did not play after May 4 because of a torn tendon in his left ankle that needed surgery.
Joe Espada said the Astros were in a tough spot in early May.
Hunter Brown, a 2025 All-Star, did not pitch for the Astros between March 3 and June 16 because of a strained right shoulder.
Yordan Alvarez said that even after 40 home runs, the batting title was something he always wanted.
Josh Hader did not pitch until June 3 because of left biceps tendinitis.
Jeremy Peña missed April 11 to May 18 with a strained right hamstring.
Jeremy Peña missed June 28 to July 10 with a strained left calf.
The Astros took sole possession of first with an 11-2 win over the Rangers on July 31.
The Astros fell no more than six games out of first in a weak division.
The Astros held at least a share of the lead for most of the rest of the season.
Hunter Brown said every game matters and that Sunday came down to winning the last one.
Opinion
Hunter Brown said the Astros have been playing playoff baseball for weeks and are ready.
Astros endure obstacles, clinch 8th AL West title: 'Now, we go'
Published 27 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
No team in the division finished with a winning record.
Hunter Brown, Josh Hader and Jeremy Peña were on the injured list as Houston looked for roster replacements.
The Astros' decade included four World Series trips and two championships.
The Astros missed the postseason by one game last year on a wild-card tiebreaker against the Tigers.
Jeremy Peña said that is all that is left.
The Astros outscored the Athletics 21-2 over the final two games.
The Astros dominated the White Sox in the regular season.
The Astros went 11-1 from July 20 to Aug. 2 and took over first in the AL West.
Houston has a seven-game postseason home losing streak dating to 2023.
Joe Espada is in the last year of his contract with no guarantees.
Peter Lambert had a breakout, and Brown, Peña, Hader and Hayden Wesneski returned from the injured list.
Yordan Alvarez was AL Player of the Month for March/April and again in July.
Yordan Alvarez also finished with 105 runs, 109 walks and a major-league-best 1.033 OPS.
Yordan Alvarez was limited to 48 games last season by a hand injury and a sprained ankle.
Joe Espada said contributions came from young players, older players, players who had been designated for assignment, and players from the minor leagues.
Yordan Alvarez said he is proud he stayed healthy and helped the team win the division after missing much of last season.
The Astros then went 8-5 during 13 consecutive games without a day off.
Rookie Lucas Spence hit four homers in the series against the Athletics.
That stretch included a series win at Yankee Stadium.
The Astros won three of four games against the White Sox in Houston.
Houston went 5-2 against the White Sox this season.
Jeremy Peña said the goal was to reach the postseason and that it came down to the last game.
Jeremy Peña said it was a tough year of ups, downs and injuries, but they made it through.
Opinion
MLB.com said never to count the Astros out.
MLB.com said the Astros were in a tough spot early in the season.
Jeremy Peña said there is no other option and now they go.
MLB.com said the golden era of Astros baseball rages on.
MLB.com said the decade looks ready to add another memorable October.
MLB.com said everyone in the batting cage believed another long postseason run was possible.
MLB.com said the win was sweetest for Joe Espada.
Joe Espada said they fight and stay together.
MLB.com said Yordan Alvarez will likely be the AL MVP in 2026.
MLB.com called Yordan Alvarez's start torrid.
MLB.com said the end of the season was not without turmoil.
MLB.com called that homestand disappointing.
Christian Walker said taking the division like this is big.
Christian Walker called it the beauty of the game.
Christian Walker said there is always a chance.
MLB.com called Yordan Alvarez the game's best hitter.
MLB.com said heroes came from the most unlikely places.
MLB.com said the Astros of the past decade have always been about the stars.
MLB.com called Jose Altuve one of baseball's greatest postseason performers.
MLB.com said Josh Hader is on the short list of the best closers.
MLB.com said the Astros will go as far as their star players take them.
Astros Combine Great Pitching With Great Hitting to Take Division Crown
Published 28 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
The Astros won 13-2 on Saturday.
It was Houston's 10th postseason appearance in 12 seasons.
Hayden Wesneski went seven innings and allowed two runs, one earned.
The wins were Houston's first back-to-back games of nine runs or more since September 2023.
The Astros failed to turn two double plays in the bottom of the fourth.
Ronel Blanco was sent down after the game.
The missed double plays led to one run.
Ronel Blanco worked two hitless relief innings.
Ronel Blanco threw a no-hitter in 2024.
Isaac Paredes homered in a one-run first inning Saturday.
The Astros were tied with the Rangers heading into the last day.
Jeremy Pena homered in the third to add two more runs.
The Astros hit five home runs in the Saturday win.
The Astros scored three more runs in the fifth and seventh.
Houston saved its bullpen for the last day of the season.
The Athletics scored to make it 9-2.
The Astros added four runs in the last two innings.
The Astros led MLB with 226 home runs, three more than the Yankees.
Lucas Spence had a triple.
Yordan Alvarez became the third Astro to win a league batting title, after Yuli Gurriel and Jose Altuve.
Over the two games Houston hit 11-for-25 with runners in scoring position.
Houston posted a 0.50 ERA over the two games.
Opinion
Sports Illustrated said the Astros paired good pitching with great hitting and won handily.
Sports Illustrated called Hayden Wesneski's start strong.
Sports Illustrated said it looked like the Astros might repeat a Friday failure.
Sports Illustrated said Hayden Wesneski hunkered down and prevented more damage.
Sports Illustrated said Blanco's contributions over three seasons will not be forgotten.
Sports Illustrated said the offense was firing on all cylinders both days.
Sports Illustrated said those runs let the Astros relax.
Sports Illustrated said the Astros pitchers were at their best.
Sports Illustrated said Christian Walker continued a hot bat.
Sports Illustrated called it a perfect ending and said the Astros are a hot team.
Astros clinch 8th division title since 2017, eliminate Rangers
Published 27 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
The Astros began May in last place at 12-21.
The Astros beat the Athletics on Sunday.
Joe Espada gave Yordan Alvarez a WWE championship belt after Sunday's win.
The Rangers missed the postseason for the third straight season.
The Rangers won the World Series in 2023.
Opinion
theScore called Yordan Alvarez's season MVP-caliber.
New-Look MLB Playoff Field Is Now Set
Published 27 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
The 2026 postseason field is set after the final day of the regular season.
The White Sox are back in the postseason after three straight 100-loss seasons.
The Phillies clinched the National League's final wild-card spot and the No. 6 seed on Sunday.
The White Sox went 41-121 in 2024, the worst record in modern MLB history.
The Rays are the American League's top seed and have a bye to the Division Series.
The Guardians are the No. 2 seed and have a first-round bye.
The Phillies will open at Atlanta against the Braves on Tuesday.
The Rays' luxury-tax payroll is $113.9 million, the fourth lowest in the league.
The Guardians' spending is $92.5 million, MLB's second lowest.
The Rays, Yankees and Red Sox have the AL's three best records and sit on the same side of the bracket.
The Brewers, in MLB's smallest media market, are the top National League team and have a first-round bye.
The two-time defending champion Dodgers are the No. 2 seed and have a first-round bye.
NBC Sports and Peacock have exclusive rights to the wild-card round under a new MLB deal.
The Cubs and Red Sox played their Fenway finale at the Rays' Tropicana Field instead.
A nor'easter hit the Northeast over the weekend and disrupted MLB's schedule.
The Red Sox-Yankees and Cubs-Padres series are the featured primetime wild-card slots.
Moving the game to a neutral site was rare and followed a week of concern about the series.
The moved game did not affect seeding because both teams had already clinched the No. 5 seeds.
Sunday's Orioles-Yankees game was rained out and will not be rescheduled.
Games in Philadelphia and Washington also dealt with wet conditions Sunday afternoon.
Opinion
Front Office Sports called the Astros MLB's worst full-season playoff team ever.
Front Office Sports said the Phillies narrowly avoided a historic collapse.
Front Office Sports called the final day tumultuous and the field a mix of marquee teams, upstarts, and the league's worst postseason entrant.
Front Office Sports called the Astros' record mediocre.
Front Office Sports said the Phillies narrowly averted disaster after a September slide.