AL West Poised to Produce First Losing-Record Playoff Team
AI-generated image · US National Wire
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are tied for the lead in a division where every single team currently sits below .500.
The American League West is on the verge of a historic low as the 2026 season nears its end, as CBS Sports first reported. The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are currently tied for the lead in the division with identical 78-80 records. With only four games remaining in the regular season, the division is likely to produce the first sub-.500 team to ever win a division title or secure a wild-card berth in MLB history.
While the 2005 San Diego Padres hold the record for the worst regular-season mark for a playoff team at 82-80, the eventual AL West champion would need to win out to avoid breaking that mark, CBS Sports reports. Currently, the Astros hold the tiebreaker over the Rangers due to a 9-4 head-to-head record, leading SportsLine to give Houston a 63.6% chance of winning the division.
The struggle is division-wide. The Seattle Mariners sit at 74-84, the Oakland Athletics at 63-95, and the Los Angeles Angels at 60-98. CBS Sports notes that the five teams are combined 84 games under .500 and have been outscored by the rest of the league by 467 runs.
Statistically, the division has lagged in every category. AL West teams posted a combined .706 OPS and 4.20 runs per game, compared to a .721 OPS and 4.53 runs per game for the rest of the league. On the mound, the division combined for a 4.54 ERA and allowed 4.79 runs per game, while other divisions combined for a 4.09 ERA and allowed 4.41 runs per game.