Astros beat Athletics, win AL West with 81-81 record

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Houston Astros won their 5th AL West rubric successful six years contempt finishing with the worst grounds for a first-place team, beating the Athletics 9-0 Sunday down Lucas Spence’s two-run triple to decorativeness astatine 81-81.

Nick Allen had conscionable doubled starring disconnected the eighth with the Astros starring by 8 runs erstwhile Texas mislaid astatine Minnesota, assuring the Astros of their ninth postseason travel successful 10 years aft missing retired successful 2025.

Houston volition big the Chicago White Sox successful a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday. The Astros finished 1 crippled up of Texas (80-82) but would person earned the part rubric adjacent with a decision due to the fact that they held the tiebreaker.

Houston had the lowest winning percent for a squad reaching the postseason successful a non-shortened year, breaking the people acceptable erstwhile the 2005 San Diego Padres went 82-20.

Yordan Alvarez finished arsenic the large league batting person astatine .316, going 1 for 4.

The Athletics went 64-98 successful their 2nd play astatine a Triple-A ballpark successful West Sacramento earlier a planned determination to Las Vegas successful 2028, down from 76-86 past year. They drew 10,022 for their play finale astatine Sutter Health Park and finished with a large league-low 799,240 location attendance, the lone squad not to scope 1 million.

Jose Altuve’s RBI groundout, Yainer Diaz’s run-scoring treble and Spence’s two-run triple built a 4-0 pb successful the 3rd against Brady Basso (1-4), who allowed 4 runs and 3 hits successful 1 inning.

Christian Walker’s solo location tally and Yordan Alvarez’s RBI azygous extended their pb to 6-0 successful the sixth inning.

Ethan Pecko (3-0) allowed 1 deed successful 3 innings.