HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are back in the MLB playoffs for the eighth straight season.
With a win over the Mariners in the 158th game of the season, Houston sealed up its fourth straight American League West division title.
The 2024 playoffs begin on Oct. 1 when all four Wild Card matchups will begin. All games of the best-of-three series will be played at Minute Maid Park.
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As the division champs with the worst record, the Astros are locked in as the No. 3 seed in the AL playoff bracket -- the top-ranked Wild Card round team. The Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees will be the top two seeds in the AL and will not have to play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals have also secured their spot in the Wild Card round.
The Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays all remained in the hunt for the Wild Card spots after Tuesday's games. The Red Sox and Rays were eliminated with losses on Wednesday. The Mariners were eliminated when both the Royals and Tigers won on Thursday afternoon. The Twins were eliminated with a loss on Friday.
The Astros will face either the Royals or Tigers.
The Astros are looking to advance to their eighth straight AL Championship Series and their fifth World Series since 2017.