How the AL West could make ugly MLB history as the Astros and Rangers’ playoff race whimpers to the end

Getty Images The American League West race is still very much in the air, even with mere days — hours, if you’re partial to more difficult arithmetic — remaining in the 2026 Major League Baseball season. This would normally yield a certain amount of taut intrigue, given that a playoff berth and World Series aspirations hinge upon the outcome. Normally. This, though, is the AL West in 2026, and normality is not welcome here. What is intrigue? It is the unknown punctuated by the compelling. The unknown box is checked, as the Rangers and Astros are tied atop the divisional…