Astros clinch playoff spot: Defending World Series champions return to postseason for seventh straight year (2024)

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Astros clinch playoff spot: Defending World Series champions return to postseason for seventh straight year? ›

Astros Return to Postseason, Clinch Playoff Berth for 7th Straight Year. The Astros defeated the Diamondbacks 1-0 Saturday night at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. With the win, the Astros clinched a postseason berth for the seventh year in a row.

Houston Astros clinch 2023 postseason spot with 1-0 win Saturday night; Diamondbacks also clinch.

This sustained run of success has led commentators to declare the Astros, since 2015, as the top team in the American League and a dynasty. They are the only team to win a postseason series in seven straight seasons.

The Astros have lost 19 of the 26 games they've played this season. After beginning the season with an 86% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, those postseason odds have dropped to 43% following this putrid start. The Astros will likely have to win 89 games to get into the playoffs in 2024.

The 2024 MLB Playoffs have four rounds of play. Each round is a series between two teams playing a “best of” single elimination formatted bracket. If you are new to baseball (or just haven't paid attention in a while), the rounds are: Wild Card, Divisional, League Championship, and the World Series.

But Houston will need to pick up at least three games in the standings as the Rangers now have a magic number of five to win the division. That's a combination of Rangers wins and Astros losses. The good news is that the Astros are still in line to clinch a playoff berth.

Astros clinch AL West: Houston wins division title for sixth time in seven years, pass Rangers on last day - CBSSports.com.

Having all won their respective division titles, the Dodgers extended their playoff streak to 11 seasons, the Astros made it seven in a row and the Braves were part of the postseason field for the sixth straight year. These postseason streaks are some of the longest in MLB history.

According to FanGraphs, the Astros, coming into the 2024 season, had an 85.9% chance of making the playoffs. Now, that figure has tumbled all the way down to 44.9%. It's hard to slough off so much probability in a single month, but the Astros have done just that.

The New York Yankees won three World Series in a row (1998-2000), four in a row (1936-39), and five in a row (1949-53) — the longest championship streak in MLB history. The Oakland Athletics are the only other team that has won three straight World Series (1972-74).

How many times have the Astros made the playoffs? ›

The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and advances to the World Series, MLB's championship series, to play the winner of the National League's (NL) Championship Series. The ALCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to its current best-of-seven format.

2024 World Series odds: Dodgers remain atop oddsboard after sweeping Braves. The MLB season is gaining momentum, and the Dodgers and Braves remain favorites to win the World Series. Los Angeles had a busy offseason.

The 2024 World Series will be held July 21-27 in St. Charles, Missouri.

As of today, the MLB consists of 30 teams evenly divided between the American League and the National League. Each league is further subdivided into three divisions - East, Central and West - with five clubs apiece. Each team plays 162 games during the regular season, which lasts for around six months.

The Oakland Athletics have been a wild card four times, while the St. Louis Cardinals, the Houston Astros, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Orioles, the New York Mets, the Giants, the Chicago Cubs, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Toronto Blue Jays have been a wild card three times each.

2022: AL West

The Sept. 20, 2022, sports front page of the Houston Chronicle after the Astros clinched the AL West title with a win at Tampa Bay.