White Sox vs. Astros live updates, news, starting pitchers for Game 1: Hagen Smith, AJ Blubaugh take the mound to open the wild card

For a franchise that has accomplished so much over the past decade, there is something shameful, even humiliating, about raising the AL West 2026 banner. That’s because these Astros are, by record, the worst division winner in the sport’s long history. Before Sunday, no team with a record of .500 or less had ever reached the postseason.

But Houston rewrote history thanks to an MVP-caliber season from Yordan Alvarez and a tidal wave of mediocrity from its AL West counterparts. Their inclusion in the October jamboree is more of an indictment of the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners than anything else, but the Astros at least finished on a high note with their 9-0 win over the A’s on Sunday.

Houston also deserves some credit for turning around its season after a disastrous April. Reaching .500 with the fourth-worst starting staff in ERA — only the Reds, A’s and Rockies were worse — is also an accomplishment worth congratulating, a testament to something. Where would this club be without Peter Lambert, whose 3.87 ERA in 153 2/3 innings provided the only semblance of stability for a team in constant flux?

Things got sad enough, disconcerted enough, that in August, owner Jim Crane relieved general manager Dana Brown of his duties. Skipper Joe Espada is also not expected to return next year. It’s hard to be optimistic about Houston’s very uncertain future. But in the randomness of baseball’s playoffs, anything is possible, especially when you employ the best hitter on the planet.