Astros take AL West on final day, then finish with 9-0 shutout

Houston entered the last day of the regular season still needing the American League West title settled. Texas' 6-4 loss at Minnesota clinched it for the Astros, who then beat the Athletics 9-0 in West Sacramento on Sunday. Houston finished 81-81, a game ahead of Texas, and will host the White Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card series starting Tuesday.

The Astros made their own final result emphatic. They scored four in the third inning and added runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth. Christian Walker homered for the 29th time this season, while rookie Lucas Spence drove in two with a triple. MLB's official same-game video shows those contributions. Houston collected 12 hits, and its pitchers held the Athletics to five. The official game page records the 9-0 final.

The division win followed a season that began with a 20-31 record in mid-May. MLB's Astros report describes injuries to Hunter Brown, Josh Hader and Jeremy Peña during that stretch. The club recovered to take over first during an 11-1 run from July 20 to Aug. 2. Yordan Alvarez finished with 42 homers and a .316 average, good for the AL batting title, according to that report. His production and the returning players gave Houston enough offense and pitching to win a weak division on the final weekend.

It is Houston's eighth AL West title in 10 seasons and ninth postseason berth over that span. The record is unusual for a division winner, but the seed and series are settled: the No. 3 Astros host the No. 6 White Sox at Daikin Park. MLB's final bracket lists Game 1 for Tuesday at 5 p.m. Eastern on Peacock and NBCSN.

The Astros arrive with two clean final games: they outscored the Athletics 21-2 across Saturday and Sunday. That close does not erase their 81-81 regular season, but it gives them an immediate chance to extend it at home. Watch manager Joe Espada discuss the clinch.