Mediocrity meets history as the American League West prepares to crown the first sub-.500 division champion.
For the first time in MLB history, a division winner is guaranteed to have a record at or below .500.
With just two games remaining, the best record either the Houston Astros or Texas Rangers could finish with is 81-81.
There's a chance these two teams both lose their last two, meaning the American League West would send a team to the playoffs at 79-83.
Obviously, that's less than ideal for the game of baseball, but those are the cards this division has been dealt.
MLB history will be made in these next two days; it's just a matter of whether or not it'll be the Astros or Rangers who make it.
Astros vs. Rangers head-to-head tiebreaker
Head-to-head tiebreakers mean everything at this stage in the season, and it's important for Rangers fans to be reminded that the Astros have a clear advantage in that department.
Here's a look back at how these two teams fared against one another in the regular season series.
- May 15: Astros win 2-0 (0-1)
- May 16: Astros win 4-1 (0-2)
- May 17: Rangers win 8-0 (1-2)
- May 25: Astros win 9-0 (1-3)
- May 26: Rangers win 10-7 (2-3)
- May 27: Astros win 4-3 (2-4)
- May 28: Astros win 5-1 (2-5)
- July 10: Rangers win 7-3 (3-5)
- July 11: Astros win 9-3 (3-6)
- July 12: Rangers win 6-5 (4-6)
- July 31: Astros win 11-2 (4-7)
- Aug. 1: Astros win 5-4 (4-8)
- Aug. 2: Astros win 7-3 (4-9)
Seeing as the Rangers won just four of the 13 meetings this season, that means they have no choice but to finish one game ahead of the Astros in order to clinch a spot in the postseason.
Rangers can still finish at .500
Texas doesn't control its own fate, but they can at least guarantee finishing the 2026 season with a .500 record.
That may not be good enough to make the playoffs, as it'll all come down to how the Astros look in their final two games against the Athletics.
The Rangers would've loved to see the Astros not play the 64-96 A's at this point in the season, but that doesn't necessarily mean everything, as the Athletics just took game two of a four-game slate, 6-5.
There's nothing embarrassing about making the playoffs, but there's a world where the Rangers do so at 80-82.
Should that happen, there's no doubt they'll be the answer to a trivia question for years to come regarding the first team to make the playoffs with a record under .500.
