'We never stopped fighting': Astros seize AL West title in Game 162

This browser does not support the video element.

PHOENIX -- After the Astros jumped out to a comfortable lead against the D-backs on Sunday afternoon, all eyes in the first-base dugout turned towards the out-of-town scoreboard at Chase Field. The Astros were doing their part, and now they needed the Mariners to beat the Rangers on the final day of the regular season to sew up the division title.

¡°I think we watched the scoreboard more than we watched our game,¡± Astros catcher Mart¨ªn Maldonado said.

When the final score from Seattle flashed in the eighth inning showing that the Rangers had lost, the Astros exchanged high fives and handshakes and then finished off the D-backs to claim their sixth American League West title in seven seasons with an 8-1 win in the regular-season finale.

This browser does not support the video element.

The Astros¡¯ 90th win of the season, combined with the Mariners¡¯ 1-0 win over the Rangers, gave Houston the tiebreaker and the division crown. The Astros, who finished with the same record as Texas (90-72) but owned the tiebreaker thanks to winning the season series, earned the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs and a bye to the AL Division Series, which will begin Saturday with Game 1 at Minute Maid Park.

Houston will play the winner of the Wild Card Series between the Twins and Blue Jays.

? Here's the final 2023 postseason bracket

This browser does not support the video element.

¡°It feels good,¡± center fielder Chas McCormick said. ¡°It feels good to get in the playoffs, especially to win the division. With how hard it was there at the end of the season, with our ups and downs, I think this says a lot about these guys. We never stopped fighting all the way to the finish line.¡±

? Full schedule for 2023 MLB Postseason

The Astros spent the entire summer trying to chase down the Rangers, who were leading the AL West -- a division Houston has ruled in recent years -- by 6 1/2 games in late June. The hierarchy of the division appeared to be shifting towards Arlington.

This browser does not support the video element.

Just a week ago, the Astros were swept at home by the Royals and were 2 1/2 games out of first place before heading out on a six-road road trip to end the season. They won two of three from the Mariners in Seattle before sweeping the D-backs, allowing two runs in three games. Houston went 51-30 on the road.

¡°We had an extremely tough division this year,¡± Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. ¡°Texas had a great year, Seattle had a great year. To be able to prevail today on the last day of the season, it was a really good win for us. Now it¡¯s time to go home and rest the bodies and get ready for October.¡±

Even entering the final two days of the regular season, the Astros still faced the possibility of missing the playoffs. They clinched a postseason berth Saturday with their win and the Mariners¡¯ loss and chose not to celebrate too much. Houston was eyeing the division title.

¡°We set a goal on the plane, and we talked about at least taking two out of three in Seattle,¡± Maldonado said. ¡°We said we need two out of three and then here, as soon as [the Rangers] lost the first two games [to the Mariners], we knew we had a shot. That¡¯s why everybody in the lineup played today.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

The D-backs, who clinched a playoff spot Saturday night and partied accordingly, fielded a lineup Sunday without many of their regular players. The Astros, meanwhile, came out swinging with Jose Altuve hitting a single on the first pitch and Bregman following with a two-run homer on the next pitch to kickstart a four-run first inning.

Bregman tripled and scored in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Tucker. Tucker tripled and scored on a fielder¡¯s choice in the fifth inning on a play that was at one point ruled an inside-the-park homer. Thus, he fell one homer shy of a 30-homer, 30-steal season. He finished with an AL-best 112 RBIs.

¡°We¡¯re never out of it with this ballclub,¡± Tucker said. ¡°I think we have a phenomenal lineup and pitching staff. It wasn¡¯t really how we wanted to do it, but we came back and won it. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

The significance of winning the division and getting the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs is huge for the Astros, who have five days to rest their pitching staff and set up the rotation.

The Astros may be the last team anyone wants to face in the playoffs. They¡¯ve played in 92 postseason games since the start of 2015, which is more than any team in the Major Leagues. They¡¯re experienced, they¡¯re hungry and they¡¯re confident.

¡°We¡¯re the champions, so we¡¯ll see,¡± Maldonado said.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com