On Tuesday, MLB‘s hottest division, which is the AL West, saw the Houston Astros lose, 9-5, to the red-hot Baltimore Orioles.
Despite the defeat, Houston is still at the top of its division as of Wednesday afternoon with its 84-68 record.
The Astros’ competitors in the West, the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners, managed to win their respective duels to edge even closer in the standings.
Texas beat the Boston Red Sox at home by a final of 6-4, and the Mariners went to Oakland to take a win from the Athletics, 7-2.
Those results left things as tight as they have ever been in the AL West.
— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2023
Most teams have about a dozen games left to play.
To say that the Astros, Mariners, and Rangers are deciding the future of their seasons in the next week-and-a-half would be an understatement.
There is a chance that they all get into the October party, but odds are that one of them will be knocked out from contention in the next few days.
It would be a shame, because all three squads have shown their talent and depth all year long.
Imagine not seeing Kyle Tucker, José Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, or Justin Verlander in the playoffs.
Imagine Corey Seager missing the postseason after having such a dominant season; or the great Julio Rodriguez for that matter.
It’s the playoffs, though, so not everybody can get in.
With the Toronto Blue Jays also in the Wild Card push, however, we won’t know the results of this exciting, amazing race until the very end.
NEXT: Mike Trout And Shohei Ohtani Headline Frustrating MLB List
