It's All Comes Down to This: The Race for the AL West Title

It's the final week of the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season. Some teams have already either clinched playoff berths or their divisions. One division that I've been updating everyone on since May is the American League West. In the 25 years I've been a Rangers fan, I've never seen a division race this tight before. So, here's where it all stands at the moment, as of September 20.

The Rangers currently have a one game lead over the Astros with a record of 78-78, while the Astros are 77-79. The latter team is currently two and a half games back of the Chicago White Sox for the final Wild Card spot. Both teams have the day off Monday before they resume play on their final two series of the season. The Rangers took two out of three from the Toronto Blue Jays while the Astros, unfortunately, were swept by the Atlanta Braves, who clinched a postseason berth Sunday.

So who do the Rangers and Astros play as the final week of the season winds down? Both teams are back in action on Tuesday as the Rangers face the New York Mets in a three-game series and it's also their final home series of the year before heading on the road to face the Minnesota Twins, who are six and a half games behind the White Sox for the last Wild Card spot. The Mets are already eliminated from playoff contention, so the Rangers must win these final two series to keep their playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, the Astros have the Mariners and the Athletics as the last couple of teams they're going up against this season. The latter teams have an opportunity to play the role of spoiler, because even though both teams have underperformed record-wise, it's not going to be a walk in the park for the Astros.

The Rangers are seeking their first American League West title since 2016 and their first trip to the Postseason since winning their first World Series title back in 2023. It's been an up and down year for them, so now's the time for this team to seize the opportunity. Letting their guards down is not an option. The Astros, on the other hand, aren't getting any younger. I feel like their days of dominating the AL West may officially come to an end. They're not the same team they once were in year's past. With Alex Bregman currently playing with the Chicago Cubs and Justin Verlander set to retire at season's end, the remaining denominator on the Astros is Jose Altuve. I'm not an Altuve apologist by any means and I still despise him. All I'm saying is that he's the only player that's trying to keep the Astros together.

By the end of this week, one of these teams will capture the American League West title while the other misses out on the Postseason. No lead in a division is safe, while a Wild Card spot isn't 100% secure either. The division crown is on the line for both the Rangers and Astros. Only one will remain standing.

Which team do you think has it the hardest when it comes to their respective matchups and who are you choosing to win the American League West? Let's get the discussion started in the comments below. In the meantime, please give this story a like if you enjoyed it. Subscribe to my page and follow me on social media. Finally, to show me some love and support me even further, please leave a generous one-off tip, which is located at the end of this story. No matter how big or small of an amount you give, it encourages creators like me to keep writing new stories.