The ranking of the American League (AL) 안전놀이터 Western Division is not unusual. 

The AL West maintained first place through June, with the Texas Rangers four games ahead of the second-place group. In July, the Houston Astros recently showed off their strength, and as of the last game in July, they chased Texas, the number one player, by one game. 

As of August 27, the first place is the Texas and Seattle Mariners, who recorded 73-56. Seattle showed a terrifying uptrend by recording 18 wins and 5 losses in 23 games in August, including an eight-game winning streak against the Boston Red Sox on August 3 (Korean time). 

Second place Houston recorded 73 wins and 58 losses, chasing the two teams tied for first place by one game. These three teams are tied for second and third in the AL Wild Card standings. 

Seattle’s progress is eye-catching. Last season (2022), it was a team that ranked 2nd in the Western District and 2nd in the Wild Card with a record of 90-72. It is the first time in 21 years that it has advanced to the postseason (PS). 

This season, through May, they were ranked 4th in the district with 29 wins and 27 losses. However, in the second half, the main beasts wielded heavy blows, and their offensive power improved. Starting catcher Karl Lowry has hit 11 home runs in his last 27 games. Starting center fielder Julio Rodriguez recorded a batting average of 0.386, 5 homers and 27 RBIs in 25 games he played. In particular, from the game against the Kansas City Royals on the 17th to the game against Houston on the 20th, he scored 17 hits in 4 games. This surpassed the previous record of 16 hits (16) in 4 games recorded by Milt Stock, who was a member of Brooklyn (currently LA Dodgers) in 1925. Rodriguez also hit a home run in the game on the 27th, which Seattle won 15-2. 

In addition, outfielder Tetsuoka Hernandez and infielder Eusebio Suarez, two batters recruited as free agents (FA), also performed well, recording 17 RBIs and 22 RBIs, respectively. Here, starting pitchers Logan Gilbert and ace Luis Castillo won 4 wins each, and George Kirby also recorded an average ERA of 2 points (2.48) and realized ‘starting baseball’. 

The Los Angeles Angels, who reinforced their strength ahead of the trade deadline (August 2), are barely maintaining a .500 win rate, although their flagship hitter Mike Trout recently returned from injury rehabilitation. Ace Shohei Ohtani suffered an arm injury and had to fall out of the starting rotation. 

The competition in the Western Division also affects the competition for AL wild cards. Attention is focusing on whether Ryu Hyun-jin, who is showing a good pace after returning from rehabilitation after elbow surgery on the 2nd, will be able to play fall baseball. Ryu Hyun-jin led the team to an 8-3 victory with 3 runs in 5 innings against the Cleveland Guardians on the 27th. Toronto recorded 71-59 as of the 27th, and is the 4th AL Wild Card, behind Houston by 1.5 games.