The Houston Astros are officiallyback in the postseason as American League West division champions after a one-year absence.
It was an absolutely wild season that saw so many ups and downs. Ultimately, the Astros found a way to get into the postseason with an 81-81 record. This is the worst team record that has ever made the playoffs and the worst division winner by record ever. That no longer matters anything can happen in the postseason and the Astros made it in.
The AL Westwas up for grabs the entire year, and the Astros were ones who took it in Game 162 thanks to a crushing 9-0 win over the Athletics. The Astros went 4-2 in the last week of the season to get in over the Texas Rangers by one game.
Now, the Astros are the No. 3 seed in the AL playoffs and will be hosting the No. 6 seed Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park starting on Tuesday for Game 1 of a best of three. The White Sox ended the regular season with an 84-78 record.
Here is the complete Astros Wild Card schedule.
Astros Wild Card Games
Where: Daikin Park in Houston, Texas
The Astros will have home field advantage due to being the No. 3 seed and the division champion. All three games will be at 4 p.m. central. The Astros will be the second series played each day.
The other AL Wild card series is the No. 4 seed New York Yankees against the No. 5 seed Boston Red Sox.
The Astros last made the postseason in 2024 and were also in the Wild Card round as the No. 3 seed. Houston lost the series to the Detroit Tigers, 2-0.
However, the Astros have had success against the White Sox this season with a 5-2 overall record during the 2026 regular season. Houston won the first series 2-1 on the road in Chicago back in late July and then won the home series 3-1 at Daikin Park at the start of Sept.
Houston will like its chances against a team it has handled well this season. However, the starter for Game 1 is completely up in the air.
Maanav Gupta primarily covers Houston sports for On SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jose Altuve, Jeremy Peña, J.J. Watt, and Jim Nantz. Gupta has been writing about the Astros for various publications since 2024. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.
