For the fifth time in the past six years, the Houston Astros have won the AL West division. The Astros clinched the title with a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg.
After some initial competition from the Los Angeles Angels in the early part of the season, the Astros took over first place on May 17th and have had a double digit lead in the division since coming back from the All-Star Break on July 21st. Houston is 13-4 thus far in September having won 8 of their last 9 games. At 97-51, the Astros have a plausible shot at eclipsing their franchise record 107 wins set in 2019 when they won the AL pennant.
Not surprisingly, the Astros currently own the best record in the Junior Circuit. Even if the New York Yankees should eclipse them, they will get a bye in the first round of the post-season. Whether that time off works against them remains to be seen. But as with the Dodgers in the NL, the Astros will go into the post-season as heavy favorites to win their fourth AL pennant since 2017.
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