Astros on third AL West title: 'Welcome to October baseball'

The Houston Astros celebrated their third straight and sixth overall American League (AL) West championship after sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Astros, who were last year's World Series champions, secured a postseason berth and had the opportunity to claim the division crown in their final game of the 2023 season.

In a post on X on October 1st, the team joyfully declared, "Welcome to October baseball."

Houston built a comfortable lead over the Diamondbacks and kept an eye on the out-of-town scoreboard at Chase Field. Their hopes were pinned on the final matchup between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners. The Astros needed the Mariners to defeat their intrastate and division rivals to secure the AL West title. Fortunately for the Astros, the Mariners managed a narrow 1-0 victory over the Rangers, propelling Houston from the last Wild Card spot to one of the two Wild Card byes.

Facing the Diamondbacks, the Astros received a stellar performance from pitcher Cristian Javier, reminiscent of his 2022 form. ESPN reported that Alex Bregman and Jose Abreu contributed home runs to the team's victory. Outfielder Kyle Tucker initially hit an inside-the-park home run, but it was later ruled a triple. Tucker intends to appeal the decision, hoping to be included in the exclusive 30-30 Club.

Although the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers finished the season with identical 90-72 records, the Astros claimed the division title due to a tiebreaker. With the AL West secured, the Astros now await the start of the grueling Fall Classic title defense on October 7th. Their Wild Card bye allows them to observe the Wild Card series between the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays before taking the field themselves.