Alas, it was not to be.
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The Rangers crushed the Angels 9-2 to win the West title for the first time since 2011. The Angels loss also assured the Halos could not catch the Astros for the second wild-card spot.
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Other games Sunday that affected the postseason picture:
— The Astros lost to the Diamondbacks 5-3, giving the Yankees home field in Tuesday’s American League Wild Card Game;
— The Royals beat the Twins 6-1 to capture the top seed in the AL. Kansas City will play the winner of the Astros-Yankees Wild Card Game while the Blue Jays will take on the Rangers;
— The Pirates beat the Reds 4-0 to assure themselves home field in Wednesday’s NL Wild Card Game for the third straight year;
