The Houston Astros secured their fourth consecutive AL West title with a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, bouncing back from a rough start to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth year in a row.
“Our annual goal during spring training is to win the division,” said new manager Joe Espada. “It’s the foundation of everything we do, and our commitment to that goal is taken very seriously here.”
The Astros are the first team to win the AL West for four straight years since the Oakland Athletics did so five times from 1971 to 1975. This marks their first four-peat of division titles, following two previous runs of three consecutive titles (1997-99 and 2017-19).
After a challenging start with a 7-19 record and trailing Seattle by a season-high 10 games on June 18, the Astros rebounded by winning seven straight and going 13-2, bringing their record to 46-42 by July 5.
They overtook the Mariners for first place in mid-August and finished strong, going 79-53 after their rough start.
Despite injuries plaguing the team—most notably to pitchers José Urquidy and Cristian Javier, who both underwent Tommy John surgery, and Framber Valdez, who missed most of April—the Astros adapted by bringing in Ronel Blanco and rookie Spencer Arrighetti. Blanco threw a no-hitter in his debut and is second on the team with 12 wins, while Arrighetti had a successful month in August, earning AL Rookie of the Month honors.
Additionally, the Astros faced challenges at first base after releasing José Abreu and dealt with Kyle Tucker’s absence for almost three months due to a shin injury. Nevertheless, the team managed to navigate these obstacles and is now aiming for a third World Series championship, having previously won in 2017 and 2022. Houston has reached seven straight AL Championship Series, securing two pennants during that time, although they fell short in the World Series in 2019 and 2021.
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