​Ed Szczepanski-Imagn ImagesAstros news: Houston wins ugly AL West race on final day of regular season appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.As the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers were in battle for the AL West divisional crown, the former team would come out on top on the final day of the regular season. While it was a competitive AL West between the Astros and Rangers, the former is looking to make their mark in the postseason, despite a middling season.While Houston ended up beating the Athletics on Sunday, the game was still going on at the time of the news, as the Astros would end up winning the division due to the Rangers losing to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, 6-4, according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale.“The Houston Astros are AL West champions once again with the Texas Rangers losing to Minnesota, 6-4,” Nightengale wrote on X, formerly Twitter.Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)With the Astros getting the best of the Athletics on Sunday in the final game of the regular season, 9-0, the team will finish at an 81-81 record, and while that’s a disappointing mark relative to the team’s recent success, it was still good enough to win the AL West.Looking ahead, Houston will host the AL wild-card series against the Chicago White Sox, as reported by league insider Jeff Passan at ESPN.“The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3, to secure the final National League playoff spot. The Phillies play Atlanta on Tuesday,” Passan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The Houston Astros are ahead, 7-0, as they look to lock up the American League West title and host a wild-card series against Chicago.”As for the Rangers, winning the AL West was their last chance to make the postseason, as the loss to Minnesota has them finishing as the first team outside of the wild-card bubble, four games behind the White Sox. At any rate, Houston looks to show in the postseason that they are dangerous despite the record.Related: Astros’ Joe Espada shuts down ‘sense of panic’ amid competitive AL West raceRelated: 2026 AL Standings: Guardians-White Sox, Astros-Rangers division battles still to be decided