AL West Race Now Tied as Mariners Catch Astros at Top of Standings
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The Seattle Mariners have finally tracked down the Houston Astros in the American League West Division. It’s now a dead heat.
For the second straight night, the Mariners (79-68) won a game in extra innings, beating the Los Angeles Angels, 7-6, on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Harry Ford. That win, coupled with an Astros loss earlier Thursday, tied the AL West between the two teams. It was also Seattle’s sixth win in a row.
Now, the division race is as close as it has been in months. Along with the tie, the Texas Rangers (77-70) are just two games back. Each AL West contender has 15 games remaining.
How Mariners Tied AL West
For now, the MLB standings list the Mariners behind the Astros in the division standings, likely due to tiebreakers. Seattle and Houston are also tied for the final wild card berth on the MLB standings page. If the season ended today, one would win the division, and the other would claim the final wild card berth. The Rangers are also two games back of the final wild card berth. Thursday’s win was emblematic of the Mariners’ recent streak.
The Mariners took a 4-0 lead in the second inning on a pair of two RBI doubles by J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez. But the Angels chipped away and tied the game in the fifth inning and the contest remained tied going into extra innings.
In extra innings, each team scored a run in the 11th inning. In the 12th inning, the Angels regained the lead again. The Mariners loaded the bases and Ford’s RBI sacrifice fly lifted the Mariners to the victory.
On Wednesday, Leo Rivas hit a walk-off home run in the 13th innings for Seattle so it could beat the St. Louis Cardinals.
Seattle has only been to the playoffs five times in franchise history and last reached the postseason in 2022 as a wild card team. The Mariners are still in contention to win the AL West, something it hasn’t done since 2001. Seattle has never won an American League pennant.
Seattle Mariners Playoff Race
AL West Race (after Sept. 11)
Houston Astros: 79-67 (tied for first place)
Seattle Mariners: 79-68 (tied for first place)
Texas Rangers: 77-70 (2.0 games behind)
Texas Rangers remaining schedule (15 games): Sept. 12-14, at New York Mets; Sept. 15-17 at Houston; Sept. 19-21 vs. Miami; Sept. 23-25, vs. Minnesota; Sept. 26-28, at Cleveland.
Houston Astros Remaining Schedule (15 games): Sept. 11, at Toronto; Sept. 12-14, at Atlanta; Sept. 15-17, vs. Texas; Sept. 19-21, vs. Seattle; Sept. 23-25 at Athletics; Sept. 26-28, at Los Angeles Angels.
Seattle Mariners remaining schedule (15 games): Sept. 12-14, vs. Los Angeles Angels; Sept. 16-18 at Kansas City; Sept. 19-21 at Houston; Sept. 23-25, vs. Colorado; Sept. 26-28, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers.
AL Wild Card Race
New York Yankees: 81-65 (3.0 games ahead)
Boston Red Sox: 81-66 (2.5 games ahead)
Seattle Mariners: 78-68 (last berth; magic number: 14)
Texas Rangers: 77-70 (1.5 games behind final berth)
