On Monday, the Oakland Athletics clinched the American League West division title, ending a six-season dry spell in the process.
Even though the A’s didn’t actually play on Monday, they were mathematically ensured the division crown after the Houston Astros lost to the Mariners 6-1. The second-place Astros dropped to the .500 mark and they ended 6.5 games behind Oakland. This resulted in the Athletics being the first team to clinch first place in a division in the Majors.
Heading into the season, the Astros were a favorite after they won the division in each of the past three seasons. But, the Athletics surprised many by displacing the 2017 World Series champions from the top of the division.
The Athletics are led by one of baseball’s best pitching staffs and they’ve posted a 3.64 ERA on the season, making them baseball’s best bullpen by ERA.
The upcoming playoffs are set to begin next week and the A’s will be either the league’s 2nd or 3rd seed.
