Astros win woeful AL West division on final day of MLB regular season after Rangers loss
Houston becomes the first team in MLB history to clinch a division title with a record at .500 or below.
The Houston Astros have clinched the AL West division title on the final day of the MLB regular season, after a season marked by a record of .500 or worse. The race for the division title had been neck-and-neck between the Astros and the Texas Rangers until the end of the regular season. Both teams entered the final day of play with 80-81 records, and the Rangers' 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins proved decisive as Houston held the tiebreaker with a 9-4 head-to-head record.
This marks the first time in MLB history that a team with a record at or below .500 wins its division. The Astros will finish the season with a 80-82 record or a 81-81 record, depending on the outcome of their final game, which they are winning. Despite the season's bleakness, prompting the firing of general manager Dana Brown in August, the Astros' efforts have paid off as they secure a playoff spot.
The AL West has been a poor division for months, with two of the worst teams in baseball and the remaining three teams battling for the top spot in an otherwise average table.
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