Worst records to make MLB playoffs: How Astros, Rangers could clinch with losing record

As the MLB playoffs approach, the AL West is guaranteed to have one of the worst division winners in league history.

The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are fighting for the top of the division but are both at risk of doing so with a losing record. While other leagues have produced playoff teams with losing records, MLB has never had many issues with losing teams in the postseason.

Due to the MLB playoff system that guarantees playoff spots to division winners, the Astros and Rangers just have to worry about beating each other out. However, the weaker American League in 2026 makes it so that the AL West winner will also be one of the six best teams in the league.

Here's the history that the Astros and Rangers are facing this week.

Has a team with a losing record ever made the MLB playoffs?

No team with a losing record has ever made the MLB playoffs, but a few have come close. The 2005 Padres made the playoffs at 82-80, putting them just one loss away from a .500 record and two losses away from a losing record.

That Padres team won five of its final six games to finish the year just barely above-.500, but San Diego was still five-games better than the second place Diamondbacks in the NL West. However, the Padres ran into the buzzsaw Cardinals in the NLDS, with St. Louis winning 100 games on the year for the most in the majors that season.

This year, however, either the Astros or Rangers will surpass the 2005 Padres. Both Texas and Houston have 81 losses, guaranteeing that neither will have a winning record on the year, but one of the two will still end up in the playoffs.

Of all the teams to ever win the World Series, the 2006 Cardinals did so with the worst record. St. Louis had a record of 83-78 but won the NL Central, then beat the Padres in the NLDS, Mets in the NLCS and the Tigers in the World Series.

Only once has a team made the playoffs while losing 80 games, as the 2005 Padres hold the record for worst record to ever make the MLB playoffs. San Diego was just two game over .500 when the team won the NL West in 2005, but the Padres were swept by the Cardinals in the NLDS.

Of the next six teams on the list, three were in the last three years thanks to the expanded wild card in both leagues. The 2025 Reds clinched the final wild card spot at 83-79, while the 2023 Marlins and Diamondbacks both made the playoffs with records of 84-78.

However, the team with the worst record to win the World Series is the 2006 Cardinals, who won the NL Central at 83-78 before taking home the title. Due to the division title, that St. Louis team made the playoffs despite not having a top-four record in the National League, while there were eight AL teams that produced better records than the eventual World Series champions.