Sub-.500 Division Champions
AL West Race Could Produce First Full-Season Losing-Record Playoff Team
Anonymous
The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros were tied for first in the AL West at 78-79 late in the season, raising the possibility that a full-season division champion could finish below .500 for the first time. No team has qualified for the playoffs with a losing record outside unusual expanded-playoff seasons, though MLB’s 12-team format has made that outcome more plausible. History also shows that weak regular-season teams can make deep October runs: the 2021 Braves had the worst record among postseason qualifiers but won the World Series, and other low-win teams have reached the Fall Classic.
Key Points
1
The exceptions to the record of no losing-record playoff teams include Milwaukee and Houston, both 29-31 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and the 1981 Royals, who finished 50-53 overall but qualified as the AL West’s top team in the post-strike second half.
2
The Mets’ 1973 team was in last place on Aug. 30, then went 21-8 to win the NL East by 1½ games; they beat Cincinnati in a five-game NLCS before losing the World Series to Oakland in seven games.
3
Entering Tuesday, the AL East had the league’s three top teams—the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox—and they were the only AL teams to have clinched winning records.
4
The Astros had missed the postseason the previous year despite an 87-75 record; no AL playoff team that season had fewer than 87 wins.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
17
Articles
181
Reach
198
A
AnonymousAuthor
