The Seattle Mariners battered Astros ace Framber Valdez with eight hits and three earned runs, but home runs from Alex Bregman, Jason Heyward, and Kyle Tucker powered Houston to a 4-3 win on Tuesday, securing their fourth consecutive American League West title and eliminating their closest division rival.
With the victory, the Astros clinched a spot in the postseason and will enter the AL Wild Card Series, facing the team with the third-best wild-card record. Houston still had a shot at earning a bye into the AL Division Series, but needed the second-seeded Cleveland Guardians to lose their remaining games. However, Cleveland defeated Cincinnati, ending Houston’s hopes for the bye.
The Astros may not know their first playoff opponent until the regular season ends. Currently, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers occupy the second and third wild-card spots, but the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays remain in contention, with only five games separating these teams.
The best-of-three AL Wild Card Series begins on Tuesday, Oct. 1, with the Astros hosting all games, including a potential winner-take-all Game 3. The series winner will advance to face the Guardians in a best-of-five AL Division Series starting on Saturday, Oct. 5, in Cleveland.
Houston will finish their season with a home game against Seattle on Wednesday, followed by three road games against Cleveland.
