HOUSTON, TEXAS — September 20, 2025 — The Houston Astros have surrendered their hold on the American League West. In the opener of a pivotal three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park, the Astros were shut out 4-0, ceding sole possession of first place to their rivals.
All four of the Mariners’ runs came from solo home runs. Julio Rodríguez started the scoring with a solo shot in the first inning. Eugenio Suárez followed suit in the fourth inning with his 47th homer of the season. Late in the game, Victor Robles added a home run in the seventh, and Josh Naylor connected in the eighth, securing his 20th home run of the season and becoming the 14th first baseman in baseball history to achieve a 20-20 season.
Mariners starter Bryan Woo delivered a dominant performance, holding the Astros to just one hit through five innings before exiting with what was later described as pectoral tightness. The Astros’ only real threat came in the fourth inning when they had runners on first and second with one out, but Woo struck out Jose Altuve and Zach Cole to end the inning. Astros starter Hunter Brown also had a strong outing, striking out nine in six innings, but was tagged with the loss.
The defeat drops the Astros to a record of 84-70, while the Mariners, now at 85-69, have a one-game lead in the division. This game was a major turning point in the division race, as the Astros also fell into a tie with the Boston Red Sox for the final two American League wild-card spots. With the regular season winding down, the Astros will need to bounce back immediately to reclaim their position atop the AL West.