Houston Astros players pose for a photo after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1 to win the American League West division title at Chase Field on October 01, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: Chris Coduto / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
After clinching their seventh-straight postseason berth on Saturday night, the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros clinched their sixth American League West Division title in the past seven seasons following their 8-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Sunday afternoon. The Astros were also helped by a 1-0 Seattle Mariners victory over the Texas Rangers.
This marks the 12th division title and 17th playoff berth overall in Astros franchise history. The Astros have won the AL West six times, including the last three straight (2017-19, 2021-23) and have also won the NL West twice (1980, 1986) and the NL Central four times (1997-99, 2001). Additionally, Houston has made the postseason as a Wild Card on four occasions (2004-05, 2015, 2020) and also qualified for the postseason in the strike-shortened 1981 season after finishing with the best record in the NL West in the second half of that season. This year marks the Astros 17th time in franchise history to qualify for the postseason.
The Astros have also now made the postseason seven consecutive seasons (2017-23), extending their franchise record. The Astros have also made the postseason eight of the last nine seasons (since 2015) and join the Dodgers as the only team in the Majors to qualify for the postseason in each of the last seven years.
Astros manager Dusty Baker has guided his club to 13 postseason appearances overall and has led the Astros to four consecutive postseason bids. He is the first manager in MLB history to win division titles with five different clubs (Astros, Nationals, Reds, Cubs, Giants), and has now won 10 division titles in his managerial career, including the last three-straight years with the Astros. Baker boasts 51 postseason managerial wins, fourth all-time, including a 28-14 record in the postseason with the Astros.
The Astros are the No. 2 seed in the American League and will have home-field advantage in the AL Division Series, with game one set for Saturday, Oct. 7 against the winner of the Wild Card series between No. 3 seed Minnesota Twins vs. No. 6 seed Toronto Blue Jays at Minute Maid Park.
WINNING WAYS: The Astros are just the second team in history and only in the American League to advance to six-straight ALCS (2017-2022), a feat that has only been accomplished by one other club in Major League history, the 1991-99 Braves. That Braves team advanced to every LCS played from 1991-99, excluding the 1994 season, which was not played.
The reigning World Series champions, the Astros have advanced to the World Series four of the last six seasons (2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022), winning twice (2017 and 2022).
The Astros 86 postseason games played since 2017 are the most in the Majors and their 53 postseason wins in that span are also the most in MLB.