The seattle mariners vs houston astros timeline stretches from an interleague meeting in 2002 to a much more significant American League West rivalry today. The teams were not regular division opponents at first. Houston was in the National League, while Seattle played in the American League, so their meetings were limited before the Astros moved to the AL West in 2013.
Since that realignment, the schedule has produced far more meetings and much greater postseason significance. The rivalry has included wildly different stretches of dominance, including Houston’s extraordinary 18-1 advantage over Seattle in 2019 and Seattle’s turnaround in the 2020s. The biggest postseason chapter arrived in 2022, when the Astros swept the Mariners in a three-game ALDS that included an 18-inning classic.
Here is a chronological look at the major stages, turning points and recent results in this matchup.
2002: The First Meeting
The Mariners and Astros did not begin their MLB relationship as regular opponents. Their first documented regular-season meeting came on June 21, 2002, at Minute Maid Park, when Seattle defeated Houston 8-0. Jamie Moyer earned the win for Seattle, while Carlos Hernández took the loss for Houston.
The clubs played three games that weekend. Seattle won the opening game 8-0, Houston answered with a 3-2 victory in 12 innings on June 22, and the Mariners took the finale 10-5 on June 23. Seattle therefore finished their first season series with a 2-1 record.
At that point, however, there was little reason to view the matchup as a major rivalry. The teams belonged to different leagues and only met through interleague scheduling.
2004 and 2007: Occasional Interleague Series
The matchup returned in 2004, when the Astros won two of three games in Seattle. Houston’s two victories included shutouts of 3-0 and 1-0, while Seattle took the opener 5-0.
Their next series came in June 2007, again with Houston taking all three games. The Astros defeated Seattle 5-1, 9-4 and 10-3 at home, producing a three-game sweep.
These early series show why the pre-2013 part of the timeline is better understood as interleague history rather than a division rivalry.
2013: The Rivalry Changes Completely
The biggest structural turning point arrived in 2013.
Houston moved from the National League Central to the American League West, placing the Astros in the same division as Seattle. That change meant the teams went from occasional interleague opponents to recurring division rivals with standings implications attached to their games. The 2013 meeting schedule expanded dramatically, with 19 regular-season games between the clubs.
Seattle won that first full season of divisional competition 10-9. The Mariners won several important matchups, including a 7-1 victory in Houston on April 22 and a 3-1 win there on August 31.
This was the point when the Mariners-Astros timeline became a genuine AL West story.
2015-2017: Houston Takes Control
The middle of the decade brought a clear shift in the series.
Houston won the 2015 season series 12-7 and followed that with an 11-8 advantage in 2016. In 2017, the difference became even larger, as Houston won 14 of the 19 meetings.
The Astros were building the core of the team that would become one of the defining clubs of that era. Houston’s 2017 championship season added another layer to the division competition, while Seattle struggled to keep pace with the Astros over the longer term. MLB’s own Astros history records Houston’s success during this period, including its 2017 World Series championship.
Even though Seattle managed a strong 10-9 edge in 2018, the following season produced one of the most extreme results in the entire history of the matchup.
2018: Seattle Briefly Swings the Series Back
The Mariners finished 2018 with a 10-9 record against Houston. The season included several close games, but Seattle’s overall advantage was narrow.
It was an important reminder that the series could change quickly. After several seasons in which Houston controlled the matchup, Seattle briefly restored balance.
That balance, however, disappeared almost immediately.
2019: The 18-1 Season
The 2019 season stands out as perhaps the most lopsided chapter in the regular-season timeline.
Houston went 18-1 against Seattle, winning 13 consecutive games against the Mariners and becoming one of only a small number of teams in the divisional era to record an 18-1 season-series mark against an opponent. MLB noted that Seattle’s previous worst record against a division opponent had been 2-17.
The results included a 21-1 Astros victory in Houston on September 8 and two additional shutout wins over Seattle later that month.
That 18-1 record became a defining statistic in the history of this rivalry.
2020-2021: A Different Balance
The shortened 2020 season produced another unusual result. Houston won seven of the ten meetings, while Seattle won three. The Astros also took a 7-3 advantage in 2020 after the pandemic-altered schedule reduced the number of games between the clubs.
In 2021, Houston again had the upper hand, winning 11 of 19 games. Seattle went 8-11 against Houston that season.
Yet Seattle was becoming more competitive, setting up one of the most important postseason meetings in the clubs’ history.
2022: Regular Season Leads to a Historic ALDS
The 2022 regular season finished with Houston winning 12 of 19 meetings, but the postseason produced a far more memorable chapter. Seattle qualified for the playoffs and faced Houston in the American League Division Series.
Game 1 became an instant classic. The Mariners built multiple leads, but Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning to give Houston an 8-7 victory.
Houston then won Game 2 by a 4-2 score. Alvarez again played a central role, hitting a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning.
Game 3 delivered the most dramatic moment of the series. The Astros and Mariners went into extra innings tied 0-0 before Jeremy Peña hit a home run in the 18th inning. Houston won 1-0 and completed the sweep. Eight Houston pitchers combined to hold Seattle scoreless for all 18 innings.
That left Houston with the only postseason series victory between the two franchises, a 3-0 ALDS sweep.
2023: Seattle Responds in the Regular Season
The 2023 regular season showed that the balance of power could shift again.
Seattle went 9-4 against Houston, including a strong run of victories during a three-game August series in Houston. The Mariners won those August 18, 19 and 20 games by scores of 2-0, 10-3 and 7-6.
That 9-4 record was a substantial improvement from Seattle’s 7-12 mark against Houston in 2022.
The contrast also illustrates an important point about this timeline: regular-season records and postseason results have not always moved together.
2024-2025: Seattle Builds More Success Against Houston
Seattle continued to perform well against the Astros in 2024, winning the season series 8-5. The clubs split some competitive individual games, while Seattle captured an important three-game road stretch in Houston in early May.
The 2025 season followed the same overall pattern. Seattle again finished 8-5 against Houston. The Mariners swept a September series in Houston, winning 4-0, 6-4 and 7-3.
Houston did avoid a sweep earlier that year with an 11-3 victory in Seattle on July 20, but the overall season series belonged to the Mariners.
2026: Seattle Leads the Series So Far
The 2026 chapter has continued Seattle’s recent regular-season success.
Through the 11 completed meetings before the September series, the Mariners hold a 9-2 record against Houston. Seattle opened the year with four straight victories from April 10-13, winning 9-6, 8-7, 6-1 and 6-2.
The May series in Houston produced three Seattle wins in four games. The Mariners won 3-1, 10-2 and 8-3, while the Astros took a 4-3 extra-inning game on May 13.
The August series was more dramatic. Houston won the opener 10-7 in 10 innings, Seattle responded with a 10-5 victory, and the Mariners won the finale 3-2.
The 9-2 Seattle record was in place heading into the final scheduled regular-season meetings in Seattle on September 22 and 23. Those games are listed at T-Mobile Park, making them the next scheduled chapter of the rivalry as of September 22, 2026.
What the All-Time Record Shows
Despite Seattle’s recent run of regular-season success, Houston still owns the overall regular-season edge.
The current head-to-head record is 137-106 in Houston’s favor, meaning the Astros have won 31 more regular-season games across the matchup’s history. The same historical database records Seattle with a 48-65 home record against Houston and a 58-72 road record.
The postseason record is a separate story: Houston swept Seattle 3-0 in the 2022 ALDS.
Taken together, those numbers explain why the timeline is more complicated than a simple “one team always dominates” narrative. Houston controlled large portions of the 2010s and owns the all-time advantage, while Seattle has posted winning season-series records in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 to date.
Why the Timeline Matters
The history of Seattle and Houston is interesting because the nature of the matchup has changed.
The first phase was occasional interleague baseball. The second began in 2013, when Houston joined the AL West. The third was shaped by Houston’s dominance in the mid-to-late 2010s, highlighted by the remarkable 18-1 mark in 2019. Then came the 2022 postseason meeting, which turned the rivalry into a nationally memorable playoff storyline.
Since 2023, Seattle’s regular-season results against Houston have been considerably stronger. That recent stretch does not erase Houston’s historical advantage, but it adds an important modern chapter to the rivalry.
For readers searching the seattle mariners vs houston astros timeline, the key takeaway is that this matchup has evolved from rare interleague games into a recurring AL West contest with a substantial statistical history and a memorable postseason chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Mariners and Astros first play each other?
Their first recorded regular-season meeting came on June 21, 2002, at Minute Maid Park. Seattle won 8-0.
When did the Mariners and Astros become division rivals?
They became AL West rivals in 2013 after Houston moved from the National League Central to the American League West.
What was the most one-sided Mariners-Astros season?
The 2019 season was particularly lopsided. Houston went 18-1 against Seattle and won 13 straight meetings.
Have the Mariners and Astros played in the playoffs?
Yes. Their most significant postseason matchup came in the 2022 ALDS. Houston won all three games and swept Seattle.
What happened in the 2022 ALDS?
Houston won Game 1, 8-7, Game 2, 4-2, and Game 3, 1-0 in 18 innings. Jeremy Peña hit the deciding homer in Game 3.
Who has the better all-time regular-season record?
Houston currently leads the regular-season head-to-head series 137-106.
Conclusion
The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros have built their history in distinct stages. Their relationship began with a three-game interleague series in 2002, grew substantially after Houston joined the AL West in 2013, and eventually produced one of baseball’s most memorable recent postseason games in the 2022 ALDS.
Houston still holds the overall regular-season advantage, while Seattle has produced a stronger recent run against the Astros. With the 2026 season adding another 9-2 Seattle record through 11 completed meetings, the timeline continues to change rather than ending with one fixed chapter.
The next scheduled meetings were set for September 22 and 23, 2026, at T-Mobile Park, giving the rivalry another current chapter at the end of the regular season.
