Astros Clinch AL West with Win Over Mariners

There weren’t a ton of hits for the Astros, but the ones they got mattered as three of their six hits were home runs in a tense 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners. More importantly, the win coupled with the Mariners loss clinches the fourth straight AL West title for the Astros with four games remaining in the season.

It caps one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent history with the Astros trailing the Mariners by double digits early in the season only to come roaring back and capture the division once again capping it off against the team they were once chasing.

With less than a week of games left, the win now allows a team that is a bit banged up to rest some of their players and set up their rotation for a Wild Card series that will begin next week.

Like so many things this season, nothing came easy. The Astros led off the first with a homer from Alex Bregman, but the Mariners quickly took the lead 3-1. Two more long balls, one from Kyle Tucker and a two-run shot from Jason Heyward, gave them a lead they would not relinquish.

Framber Valdez with five-and-two-thirds innings giving up all three runs and did not have his best stuff. But the relief crew including Jose Abreu, Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader shut down the M’s for the win.

During an on-field postgame interview, an emotional Joe Espada celebrated the division crown in his first year as manager. “What a team,” he said.

Heyward, who was just added to the team a few weeks ago, belted yet another homer and made a huge play in the outfield. He has been a terrific addition in a year that has needed every single player they could put on the roster.

It was fitting that not only the Astros clinched versus the Mariners, but Hader got the save after signing a huge deal as closer in the offseason. He had ups and downs throughout the year, but also displayed moments of brilliance like Tuesday night, picking up his thirty-fourth save.

As the Astros pop the corks in celebration, there is plenty of work left to do. They get a brief respite to rest some players, but the AL is incredibly competitive and the Astros probably won’t know who they will face next week until this weekend.

For now, they can enjoy a moment that, back in May, very few thought would happen.