<P> The Astros clinched their first division title as a member of the American League West division , and first division title overall since 2001 . They also became the first team in Major League history to win three different divisions : National League West in 1980 and 1986 , National League Central from 1997 -- 1999 and 2001 , and American League West in 2017 . On September 29 , the Astros won their 100th game of the season , the second time the Astros finished a season with over 100 wins , the first being in 1998 . They finished 101 -- 61 , with a 21 - game lead in the division , and faced the Red Sox in the first round of the AL playoffs . The Astros defeated the Red Sox three games to one , and advanced to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees . The Astros won the ALCS four games to three , and advanced to the World Series to play against the Los Angeles Dodgers . The Astros defeated the Dodgers in the deciding seventh game of the World Series , winning the first championship in franchise history . </P>
who does the houston astros play in the playoffs
the Red Sox the New York Yankees