Yankees win eighth consecutive AL East title

BOSTON (AP) -- The New York Yankees are going to the playoffs. And the Boston Red Sox still have a couple of chances to join them there.

New York won its eighth consecutive AL East title on Saturday, scorching Tim Wakefield for three homers and riding Randy Johnson to an 8-4 victory over Boston.

Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui homered, and Rodriguez had four hits to help Johnson settle down and win his sixth consecutive decision.

When Johnny Damon hit a high chopper back to the mound, Mariano Rivera grabbed it and first baseman Tino Martinez pumped his fist as he caught the final out. The Yankees streamed out of the dugout with purpose -- but not quite joy -- a celebration befitting a 26-time World Series champion that survived its most difficult regular season in a decade.

Players gathered on the mound for just a few minutes, hugging and high-fiving, before returning to the visitors' clubhouse.

"I can't take my glasses off. I'm crying like a baby," Yankees manager Joe Torre said after the final out.

The Yankees' victory, their 16th in 20 games, clinched a playoff berth, and they took the division because Cleveland lost 4-3 to the Chicago White Sox a few minutes earlier. The Red Sox finished second in the division for the eighth straight year, but it's not all bad news for them.

Because of the Indians' loss, the defending World Series champions can do no worse than a tie for the AL wild card -- news that got a medium-sized cheer when it was announced on the Fenway scoreboard.

If Boston loses on Sunday and Cleveland wins, they will meet at Fenway Park on Monday to decide the AL's last playoff berth. If Cleveland loses on Sunday, the Red Sox get the wild-card berth no matter what they do.

Curt Schilling (7-8) is scheduled to go against Mike Mussina (13-8) on Sunday at Fenway, though Mussina might get a rest instead now that the game doesn't matter for the Yankees. If the Red Sox have a one-game playoff against Cleveland, Matt Clement (13-6) would pitch on three days' rest.

Johnson (17-8) allowed three runs, five hits and three walks, striking out eight in 7 1-3 innings. He walked leadoff batter Damon in the first before Manny Ramirez homered -- his first of two homers on the day. The 6-foot-10 left-hander walked a pair in the second, glaring at plate umpire Gary Darling when the calls didn't go his way.

But Johnson retired 16 of his last 18 batters after David Ortiz doubled to start the third. Only Tony Graffanino, who had three hits including a homer, seemed to solve the five-time Cy Young Award winner, acquired during the offseason to anchor their $67 million rotation.

Wakefield (16-12) started on three days' rest for the first time this year and gave up seven runs on seven hits, striking out one in five innings. He had won eight of his last 10 decisions while avoiding the clunker of an outing that the knuckleball seems to produce, only allowing three homers in September.

"I took responsibility for all the guys," he said. "I just told them ride me all the way."

Ramirez's two-run homer in the bottom half cut the deficit to one run. The Yankees scored on a pair of sacrifice flies in the second inning and then made it 5-2 on Matsui's homer in the third.

Rodriguez added a solo shot in the fifth -- his 48th of the year, moving him ahead of Ortiz for the AL lead. Wakefield also allowed one of the more painful homers in Red Sox history when he gave up Aaron Boone's shot that ended Game 7 of the 2003 AL championship series.

The Red Sox recovered the next year and won their first World Series title since 1918. But they'll have to wait at least one more day to find out if they've got a chance to defend their title.

Under baseball rules, the Yankees (95-66) clinched the division over Boston (94-67) because of Cleveland's loss to Chicago in the AL Central. The loss by the Indians (93-68) eliminated the possibility of a three-way tie -- and an unprecedented two-game, three-team tiebreaker -- and gave New York the East because the Yankees clinched the season series against Boston, 10-8.

New York began the year 11-19, its worst start since 1966, and dropped nine games off the division lead. The Yankees trailed Boston by 5½ games on the morning of Aug. 11, but the Yankees went 35-12 the rest of the way. Johnson was a big reason why, going 6-0 in eight starts since Aug. 21.

Game notes Derek Jeter reached the 200-hit milestone for the fourth time. Only Lou Gehrig, who had 200 hits eight times, has more as a Yankee. ... When Boston manager Terry Francona heard that the Yankees had brought in a knuckleball pitcher to pitch batting practice to them Saturday to prepare for Wakefield, he quipped, "we imported a 6-foot-11 guy."... Torre said facing a knuckleballer in batting practice is more to get the Yankee hitters adjusted to the speed of the pitch rather than the movement. "So much today is based on timing to a certain speed of pitch," he said. ... Torre moved Robinson Cano up to sixth in the batting order and Martinez up to seventh largely because of the success they've had against Wakefield in the past.

Re: " Skankee fans would pay to see their team of steroid-shooting cheaters beat up on little leaguers as long as they win."

Can you guarantee 100% that none of the Sox players were clean in the past, clean now?

Trajan88; Plano (Texas) Yankee #23

Sure....I was happy for 7 months each year.

I was interested and checked out box scores and saw all the red, white and blue bunting and special logos painted on the field and all that goes with it.

As I told the other guy...we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I would not trade places with any sports fan since 1991.

91, 92, 93, 95 and 97 had to suck for you.

The first three years (ancient history) absolutely sucked, but '95 and '97 sucked no more and no less than the typical Braves' year -- we made the playoffs and then lost.

In the last ten years the Yanks have made the playoffs ten times and have one four championship while the Braves have made the playoffs 10 times and won one championship.

Braves' fans the more satisfied customers? lol...please.

I have a very large question I need answered.
Here is the background we all know from listening to the hype for the last two days:

Even if Boston wins the regular-season finale against the Yankees on Sunday to draw back into a tie, both teams would go to the playoffs with New York being declared division champion after winning the season series against the Red Sox 10-8.

My qusetion is:
Since when? When did all this NFL type tie breaker crap start? Was there a rule change at the beginning of the season or has it always been this way? I thought if two teams finished the season at the top of the division with identical records, there would be a one game playoff, as there was in 1978. In 1978, at the end of the season, the Red Sox and the Yankes had identical records of 99 wins and 63 losses. There was a one game playoff between the two teams which the Yankes won to finish one game up with a record of 100 wins and 63 losses (as opposed to 99 and 64 for the Red Sox.) Why weren't the Yankees declared the winners that season before the playoff game? They'd beaten the Red Sox in the season series 9 to 7.
Why this year and not in 1978? When was this changed? Anyone know? I'm clueless. And pissed. I wanted the Yankees to be the ones to fall short and have to go to Chicago.

"You probably think Bonds' HR records should stand unchallenged because....well....they're bigger! Doesn't matter how he got there."

I think Bonds is a bum and his stats should be stricken from the record. I am thrilled that he's never won any championships.

Nobody remembers the team with the best regular season record unless they win their last game of the season. Ask St. Louis last year. You don't think they should cancel the playoffs...Do you?

I'm thinking someone took a good look at the rule book, because of the danger of two division and one wild card playoffs.

I went to the Cleveland game today. It was excellent. That team never gave up; they were anxious and popped up balls they should've waited on. They are a good team, and exciting to watch. They just didn't have that "extra notch on the dial" at the end.

The team did itself, its fans, and its city proud. A trip to the World Series would've been such an excellent metaphor about so many things...sigh.

You don't think they should cancel the playoffs...Do you?

No...but you guys sound like you want to cancel the season.

Look....I am not trying to diss the Yankees. Until they drop the DH, I don't care WHAT they do in the Junior League.

We play REAL baseball for 162 games.

The team did itself, its fans, and its city proud.

I've always been a big Indians fan...being from Ohio originally. I've lived near Boston for a lot of years so the Red Slobs are my team. But I'll always have a place for the Red Legs and The Tribe.

BTW, I found the answer to my question. The rule was changed when the Wild Card was instituted to avoid three way ties. There was no wild card in 1978.

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