AL West Standings Today: Updated Rankings After Last-Night Thriller Shakes Up Astros, Mariners & Rangers

The American League West has officially become the tightest race of Major League Baseball’s stretch run. After Friday’s games, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are deadlocked atop the division at 80-68 (.541), while the defending World Series–champion Texas Rangers lurk just two games back at 78-70 (.527). The Los Angeles Angels (69-79) and Oakland Athletics (68-80) remain on the fringes, but all eyes are now on the three-team sprint for October. How they got here • Houston held serve in Atlanta, riding seven shutout innings from Framber Valdez to down the Braves 4-0 and notch its fourth win in six games. • Seattle completed a late-night comeback against the Angels, scoring twice in the eighth to win 5-4 and push its record to an AL-best 7-3 over the last 10 contests. • Texas avoided a sweep at Citi Field, edging the Mets 3-2 behind a vintage outing from Max Scherzer. The victory kept the Rangers within striking distance and trimmed Seattle’s and Houston’s margin for error. What’s at stake Only the division winner is guaranteed a postseason berth; the two runners-up are fighting for limited AL Wild Card real estate currently led by the Blue Jays and Yankees. Because Seattle owns the season-series tiebreaker against Houston (8-5) and Texas (7-6), the Astros cannot afford to finish even with the surging Mariners. Key series ahead • Mariners at Astros (Sept 19-22) – A four-game showdown in Minute Maid Park could swing the entire race. • Astros at Rangers (Sept 26-28) – The season’s final Lone Star Series may double as a winner-take-all for both the division and a playoff spot. • Rangers at Mariners (Sept 29-Oct 1) – Seattle closes against Texas, meaning the AL West might not be decided until the final Sunday. Numbers to know • +96: Texas owns the best run differential in the division, evidence that its 3-13 swoon in late August masked a still-elite roster. • +40: Seattle’s bullpen-driven differential since the All-Star break, second-best in MLB. • 21: Houston’s remaining games, tied for the fewest among the three contenders, giving the Astros less time to create separation. Bottom line With three weeks left, every pitch in the AL West will carry postseason weight. Fans should buckle up for nightly leaderboard flips as José Altuve, Julio Rodríguez, Corey Seager and company battle to the wire for the crown—and perhaps for their playoff lives.