Justin Verlander struck out 10 against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday to lead the Houston Astros to a 7-1 win.

The victory clinched the American League West title for Houston.

"The story is almost too good to be true," A.J. Hinch said. "We trade for him for this exact reason to come up in big moments. He was locked in from the very beginning. Nobody better to have on the mound and nobody better to celebrate with."

The Astros acquired Verlander from the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 31, just minutes before the deadline for players to be eligible for postseason play.

"I don't think you could ask for a better introduction for me to the city of Houston than this," Verlander said. "First home start would have been great. First home start and a win would have been great. First home start and to win in a division-clinching game -- you can't make that up. And I'm looking forward to hopefully many more wins."