Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-28 · by Patrick Donnelly The Associated Press
The Texas Rangers missed out on playoff qualification by one game after losing their final regular-season match against the Minnesota Twins and failing to secure a loss by rivals Houston Astros. With a final record of 80-82, the team fell short for the third consecutive year despite entering the season’s last weekend tied with Houston. Manager Skip Schumaker emphasized the need for improvement, particularly noting road game performance issues and losses against weaker teams as key factors in their disappointing finish.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Sunday, the Houston Astros clinched the American League West title despite finishing the regular season with an even record of 81-81. This marks the worst winning percentage for a division winner in non-shortened seasons, breaking the previous mark held by the 2005 San Diego Padres (82-80). The Astros secured their ninth postseason appearance in ten years after beating the Athletics 9-0 in West Sacramento and seeing Texas lose to Minnesota. With this win, Houston will host the Chicago White Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday. Yordan Alvarez led the league with a batting average of .316 but had a modest day at bat, going 1 for 4. The Astros' success comes despite facing significant challenges earlier in the season and dropping to eleven games under .500.
Written for “Astros Win AL West” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
The beer and bubbly stayed on ice, and rather than loud music and cheers, the only sounds in the Texas Rangers clubhouse Sunday evening were of players saying goodbye and wishing each other well in the offseason.
asserted
players → stay → offseason
What could have been a joyful moment for the Rangers turned somber as they fell one game short of a playoff spot.
uncertain
they → turn → spot
Texas entered its season finale Sunday needing a win over Minnesota and a loss by the Houston Astros at the Athletics to win the AL West.
asserted
Texas → enter → West
Instead, the Rangers got neither of their desired results.
asserted
Rangers → get → results
They lost 6-4 to the Twins while the Astros beat the A’s 9-0, leaving Texas (80-82) one game behind first-place Houston (81-81) and on the sidelines in October for the third straight year.
asserted
Astros → lose → year
Since winning their first World Series crown in 2023, the Rangers haven’t finished a season with a winning record, posting victory totals of 78, 81 and now 80 in the past three years.
asserted
Rangers → win → years
“We’ve got to figure out a way to get back,” first-year manager Skip Schumaker said.
asserted
Schumaker → get → way
“The goal is always going to be to win.
asserted
goal → go → ?
We didn’t win enough, and we’ve got to figure out how to do that.”
asserted
we → win → that
The Rangers entered the weekend tied with the Astros, but essentially a half-game back because Houston held the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning their season series.
asserted
Houston → enter → series
Texas needed to win one more game than Houston did over the weekend, but the Rangers lost two of three to the Twins (77-85) while the Astros won two of three against the Athletics.
asserted
Astros → need → Athletics
Texas’ struggles over the weekend were part of a pattern that dogged the team all season.
asserted
that → dog → team
The Rangers finished 35-46 on the road and 33-38 against opponents with a losing record.
asserted
Rangers → finish → record
“We weren’t good enough on the road, and we weren’t good enough against teams we should have beat, and that’s a reflection on me,” Schumaker said.
asserted
Schumaker → beat → me
“And I’ve got to figure out what to do this offseason — look in the mirror and figure out how to move this thing forward, because there’s too good of talent in that room for us to fall short.”
asserted
us → get → room
Right fielder Brandon Nimmo, an 11-year veteran who spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the New York Mets, said falling just short was a painful but familiar feeling.
asserted
falling → spend → Mets
“You can point it any number of two games throughout the season, and that’s a thing that I’ve, unfortunately, got real familiar with over the years,” Nimmo said.
asserted
Nimmo → point → years
“You think of all the times that you maybe let one game slip away.
asserted
game → think → times
I’ve had too much experience with this now, so that’s how I’ve dealt with processing it.”
asserted
I → have → it
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, who hit his 20th home run Sunday but still finished with a career-low OPS of .736, said his offseason will come down to “figuring out that way to pick up that one extra out, one extra run.”
asserted
offseason → hit → out
In the end, the fact that the Rangers were still vying for a playoff spot on the final day of the season was cold comfort.
asserted
Rangers → vie → season
“They gave it everything they had the whole year through 162, and I’m grateful for that,” Schumaker said.
asserted
Schumaker → give → that
“But the goal was to get to the postseason and make a run, and we didn’t do that.
asserted
we → get → that
We fell short, and that’s going to hurt for a little bit.”
asserted
that → fall → bit
The Aporia
