Verlander, pitching at home for the first time since he was acquired in a trade with the Tigers, struck out 10 batters in seven dominant innings, and the Astros blasted four home runs for a 7-1 win over the Mariners that clinched their first AL West crown.
The Astros won their seventh division title in team history and first since they won four in a five-year stretch in the National League Central from 1997-01. Houston returns to the playoffs for the first time since winning the AL Wild Card Game in 2015 and later dropping a five-game AL Division Series to eventual World Series champion Kansas City.