Covered in bubbly and wearing his new AL East champions hat, Derek Jetersounded almost relieved after the New York Yankees ended a thrilling pennant race at the top of the league.
Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson each hit a pair of homers, powering the Yankees past theBoston Red Sox 14-2 on a raucous Wednesday night in the Bronx for their 13th East title in 17 years.
“This was difficult. Come into the last day of the season, nobody knows what’s going on. We’ve been taking it one day at a time for quite some time,” Jeter said. “It feels good.”
In front of fans poised to party from the first pitch on the final night of the regular season, the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the last-place Red Sox to win their second consecutive division crown. The championship was locked up by the seventh inning, when Baltimore’s 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay went final and prompted a huge ovation from the 47,393 in attendance.
Alex Rodriguez stepped out of the batter’s box, and several players high-fived and hugged in the dugout while coaches shook hands.
“This year we had to fight, scratch and claw,” Nick Swisher said.
The subdued celebration didn’t really start untilFreddy Garcia struck out Ivan De Jesus looking to end it. Players hugged and slapped fives on the field and put on their AL East champion shirts and hats as fans feted them with a standing ovation with “New York, New York,” blaring over the loudspeakers. The team walked off the field to chants of “Let’s go Yankees!”
“Now the real season starts,” Jeter said.
Cano went 4 for 4 and tied a career high with six RBIs as New York (95-67) finished two games ahead of Baltimore and secured home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. The Yankees will open on the road on Sunday against the winner of Friday’s wild-card game between Baltimore and Texas.
“To have the best record and not know where you’re going is strange,” manager Joe Girardi said.
New York led the division by 10 games on July 18, but the pesky Orioles caught up on Sept. 4 and were tied with the Yankees after 10 different days in September. Many players credit Girardi with keeping the clubhouse calm during that stretch.
(Story continues at ESPN)
