The race for the West is a daily drama. The 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros moved into sole possession of first place for the first time in the second half. The Texas Rangers, who have been in first place all season, slipped out of the top three in the wild card standings.
The Astros cruised to a 14-1 victory over the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) Texas Rangers on June 6 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
On the day, Houston slugger Jose Altuve reached a milestone that has only been accomplished three times in franchise history. Batting first, he homered in each of the first three innings of the Houston onslaught, starting with a leadoff home run. He is the fourth player in franchise history to do so, joining Carl Reynolds in 1930, Manny Machado in 2016 and Mike Cameron in 2022.
With Altuve leading the offense, Houston pounded out 20 hits, both long and short, and scored 14 runs. Starter Framber Valdez pitched seven innings of one-run ball.
Houston improved to 79-61 on the season and moved into sole possession of first place in the AL West over the Seattle Mariners, who lost to the Cincinnati Reds 6-7 on Sunday. They moved into a tie for first place with Seattle with a win over the Boston Red Sox on April 30, but this is the first time this season they’ve been at the top of the standings alone.
Texas, on the other hand, slipped back to the postseason (PS) margins. The Rangers have been in a terrible slump since losing eight straight games against the Los Angeles Angels on March 17. The day before, they had 76 wins and 61 losses to hold the third AL wild-card spot, but the fourth-place Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 7-1 that day, giving them 77 wins and 62 losses.메이저사이트
With both the Angels and Oakland out of contention, the AL West is ultimately a race between Texas, Seattle, and Houston. There’s no way to predict how the race will turn out like Texas’ sudden fall. There’s no telling what will happen in the remaining 22-24 games of the regular season. This race is especially interesting because it’s also tied to Ryu Hyun-jin’s (Toronto) participation in fall baseball.