HOUSTON _ The juxtaposition was stark.
As one team celebrated a division title in front of a cheering fan base, the other team quietly prepared for a long flight home where they could dwell on the distinct possibility that their postseason dream had been crushed by the team they simply couldn't beat this season.
With a 7-1 drubbing of the Mariners on Sunday afternoon, the Houston Astros clinched the American League West title.
The players spilled from the dugout and sprinted in from the bullpen after Carlos Correa caught Kyle Seager's bases-loaded pop out to end the game. A large, jumping group hug formed on the infield grass. It was Houston's first division title since 2001.
That happens to be the last time the Mariners made the postseason _ the longest drought in baseball. And it doesn't appear to be getting snapped this season.
The Mariners lost their sixth straight game to the Astros and dropped to 74-76. The Mariners finished the season 5-14 against the Astros. No team in the AL West had a worse record against the division's best team. The Angels finished 6-13 vs. Houston, while the A's went 7-12. The Rangers still have three games left play against Houston, but have won seven games already this season.
With 12 games left to play, the likelihood of Seattle overtaking the Twins seems improbable. It would require a stretch of baseball from the Mariners that hasn't been typical this season. A comparison of Seattle's remaining schedule to Minnesota's (far easier) makes it seem that much more unlikely.
The Astros' division title celebration has been a foregone conclusion since about June 1 and possibly earlier. Houston sprinted away from the rest of the division, going 38-16 over the first two months of the season and did little to let the rest catch up. Think about this: The Astros had one losing month, going 11-17 in August with much of their starting rotation injured.
That mild swoon has been followed by a September where they are 11-5. While the Indians have obviously garnered much of the national headlines with their 22-game winning streak, the Astros are still quite formidable.
One of the reasons was on the mound on Sunday in his debut at Minute Maid Park. Justin Verlander, acquired to rectify some of the issues of August, was outstanding, pitching seven innings and allowing one run on three hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts.
His only run allowed came in the third inning when Ben Gamel drilled a solo homer to right-center to give the Mariners a brief 1-0 lead. Meanwhile, Mariners starter Andrew Moore worked in and out of trouble for the first four innings against Houston's formidable lineup. It all fell apart in the fifth inning. Moore gave up a leadoff single to Yuli Gurriel and left a fastball at the belt to Derek Fisher, who pounced on the gift pitch, pummeling it off the batter's eye in deep center.
After giving up a single and getting two fly ball outs, Mariners manager Scott Servais went to lefty James Pazos to force switch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez to turn around and hit right-handed. Pazos had struck out five of the last six batters he faced in three previous outings. Gonzalez hammered a sinker on the inside half of the plate to deep center for a two-run homer and a 4-1 lead.
Houston tacked on three more off right-hander Emilio Pagan on a solo homer from George Springer and a two-run homer from Carlos Correa.
