Astros, Rangers Ensure AL West Will Make Embarrassing MLB History
No team in MLB history has ever won its division without a winning record, but that will change this weekend.
The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, the only two teams still battling for the American League West title, entered the final weekend of the regular season with the daunting task of winning three games against two non-playoff teams to secure a winning record. Since 1969, no team in Major League Baseball history has ever claimed a division title with a .500 or poorer record.
On Friday, Sept. 25, the Minnesota Twins dealt a tough 10-2 defeat to the Rangers in Minneapolis, while the Athletics secured a narrow 6-5 win over the Astros in West Sacramento, placing the two teams at an 81-79 record each. With two games remaining, the best outcome for either team is an 81-81 record. However, the Astros hold the tiebreaker over the Rangers, guaranteeing their postseason berth if they finish with the same record.
For the Rangers, third baseman Josh Jung will miss the next game after sustaining a fracture in his right hand after being hit by a pitch in the first inning. The Rangers' starting pitchers for the final weekend, Nathan Eovaldi and MacKenzie Gore, will aim to secure a win for their team. The Astros, led by Hayden Wesneski in Saturday's game, will look to bounce back from their 6-1 loss to the Rangers, aiming to avenge the defeat.
The real winners may turn out to be the 2005 San Diego Padres, who managed to win their division with an 82-80 record, holding the record for the worst winning record ever held by a division champion.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
