American League West Makes Ugly History with Two Games Left in 2026

The AL West has been baseball's worst division in 2026.

Sep 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits a RBI single against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The American League West has been far and away the worst division in Major League Baseball this season. The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers have been battling for the top spot in the division, but because the wild cards are already set, the division winner will be the only team from the West to make the playoffs.

It hasn't exactly been a heavyweight bout, to say the least. In fact, with both Texas and Houston losing on Friday night, the division itself made some unfortunate history. For the first time, there will be a division winner that finishes with a record of .500 or worse.

The AL West division winner won't finish with a record over .500

No team has ever won its division in a full season with a .500 record or worse. pic.twitter.com/G44UjSMf63

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 26, 2026

AL West makes ugly history

Sep 13, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Houston Astros manager Joe Espada (19) looks on from the dugout during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When a pennant race is a dead heat competition between two powerhouses, the phrase, "unstoppable force against the immovable object" is often used. However, in this case, it's the complete opposite.

This time around, it's the stoppable force versus the movable object. Prior to this year, the worst team to ever win a division was the 2005 San Diego Padres, who won the National League West by going 82-80.

It's a pretty safe bet that whichever team wins the AL West likely will not last long in the playoffs, but never in major league history has a division been won by a team with a .500 record or worse. In fact, if both the Astros and Rangers lose their final two games, they will each finish 79-83, and Houston will be awarded the division title.

It's quite shocking when you think about it. Most of the time, 81 or fewer wins isn't going to get a team to the playoffs, but 2026 has become a rare exception. There are two teams in the division that are fighting for the top spot, but they clearly are not powerhouses, so it's going to take a miracle for one of them to go on a run in the postseason and win the World Series.

The St. Louis Cardinals won 83 games in 2006, which was strangely enough to win the NL Central. That team went on to win the World Series, so some history could happen this October, but it's not something to bank on.

With two games left on the regular season schedule, it will be interesting to see which team pulls away with the division title. If they finish tied, Houston will get the division title by virtue of winning the season series.