The American League West is turning into one of baseball’s most dramatic division races, and it could come down to the final game of the regular season.
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are tied at 78-79 with just five games remaining. Houston currently holds the tiebreaker after winning the season series against Texas, giving the Astros the edge if both teams finish with identical records.
Houston took a major step Tuesday night, shutting out the Seattle Mariners 7-0. The victory pulled the Astros back into a tie with Texas after the Rangers lost to the New York Mets. With only five games remaining, every game has become critical.
The Astros’ remaining schedule is completely on the road. They have one more game against Seattle before traveling to Oakland for a four-game series against the Athletics.
Texas, meanwhile, has three games remaining against the Mets before finishing the season with three games on the road against the Minnesota Twins.
That difference in schedules could make the final week especially unpredictable. Neither team has much room for error, and a single loss could dramatically change the division picture.
The Seattle Mariners are still technically alive as well, sitting five games behind Houston and Texas with five games remaining. However, the Astros and Rangers control the division race heading into the final stretch.
For Houston, the tiebreaker provides an important advantage. If the Astros and Rangers finish with the same record, Houston would win the AL West based on its season-series advantage. That means Texas needs to finish with a better record than Houston to take the division.
After 157 games, the difference between the two teams is almost impossible to separate.
Now, with only five games left, the AL West is officially coming down to the wire.
