Houston Astros Secure AL West Title with Victory Against Seattle Mariners
Jason Heyward hit a pivotal two-run home run, leading the Houston Astros to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, thereby securing their fourth consecutive American League West title.
Josh Hader achieved a four-out save, helping Houston rebound from a poor start to the season to win their seventh division title in the last eight years. After being 12 games under .500 on May 8 and 10 games behind Seattle in mid-June, the Astros (86-72) have come back strong.
Next week, Houston will have the home-field advantage in a best-of-three AL wild-card series.
The Mariners (81-77) are now trailing 2 1/2 games behind the last wild-card position with just four games left to play.
Heyward’s two-run homer in the fifth inning off Seattle’s Logan Gilbert put the Astros ahead 4-3. This marked Heyward’s second homer in two games, stepping up during the absence of injured star Yordan Alvarez, who missed the series due to a bruised right knee.
Hader took the mound in the eighth with two outs, striking out J.P. Crawford with runners on the corners. He went on to retire the side in the ninth, striking out Julio Rodriguez and igniting Houston’s celebration for the division title.
In addition to Heyward, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker also hit home runs for the Astros. Starting pitcher Framber Valdez (15-7) lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He left the game with two runners on base, but Bryan Abreu managed to get Luke Raley out to maintain Houston’s lead.
Abreu pitched an immaculate seventh inning, but Ryan Pressly faced challenges in the eighth. He walked Justin Turner, allowed a single to Jorge Polanco, and committed a wild pitch that put runners on the corners with one out. He managed to get Mitch Garver to pop out before Hader stepped in.
Gilbert (8-12) pitched six innings, allowing four runs on five hits, which included three home runs, while walking one and striking out six batters.
Bregman gave Houston an early lead with a two-out home run in the first inning, but Polanco quickly equalized for Seattle with a solo shot in the second inning.
In the third inning, Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh both hit singles, followed by Randy Arozarena’s RBI double. Polanco then brought in another run, making it 3-1 with a single that scored Raleigh.
Tucker brought Houston closer with his home run to start the fourth inning, making the score 3-2.