AL West on Verge of Historic New Low for Division Winner

The American League West has been without question the worst division in Major League Baseball this season. The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are tied at the top, but entered Thursday's slate of games with a 78-80 record. Never in major league history has a team won a division after finishing below .500.

Both teams have four games remaining on the schedule, and must win all four of their games in order to finish above the .500 mark.

Rangers broadcaster Jared Sandler pointed out a grim reality for the division on X, which is that the champion could potentially finish with 81 or fewer wins. That would be a new low for baseball, as the lowest win total for a division winner came in 2005 with the 82-win San Diego Padres.

The worst record ever for a MLB division winner is 82-80 (2005 Padres).

Unless either the Rangers or Astros go 4-0 to close the season, the AL West division winner will have 81-or-fewer wins, a new low-point for a division winning record. pic.twitter.com/Ug2YYxJ5JX
— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) September 24, 2026

AL West on Verge of Ugly History

Sep 15, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker (55) reacts during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2005 Padres were swept in the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals after going 82-80 and barely winning the NL West. However, a low win total isn't exactly a death sentence.

The Cardinals won 83 games in 2006 and were the NL Central champions. They went on to win the World Series. The 1973 New York Mets also went 82-79 and went to the World Series.

Still, it doesn't exactly bode well for the playoffs, and both the Astros and Rangers are one loss away from ensuring the AL West champion does not finish over .500, something that has never happened in baseball history.

The game can be strange in a lot of ways, and sometimes a division race can be quite bad, just as the AL West is this year. The Cleveland Guardians lead the AL Central with 82 wins, but even that division, as weak as it is, pales in comparison to the AL West.

Texas will face the Minnesota Twins over the final weekend of the season, while the Astros will face the Athletics. Houston owns the tiebreaker, so if the teams finish with the same record, they will be crowned the division champions, meaning Texas could win all the rest of its games and miss the playoffs.

But it will be interesting to see how things play out over the weekend. Generally speaking, less than 90 wins isn't going to result in a division title, but the AL West winner could have less than 82 and not finish above .500.

This may prove to be the weakest division in MLB history.

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