After watching their once double-digit lead dwindle alarmingly in recent weeks, the Red Sox finally clinched the AL East title last night with a 5-2 win over the Twins and a loss by the second-place Yankees. Boston players and fans stayed at Fenway park to cheer for the Orioles as they rallied against the Yankees, reports the Boston Globe.
The Red Sox have more than the division title to celebrate: a previously lagging Daisuke Matsuzaka struck out eight in as many innings, and a recharged David Ortiz doubled, singled, and homered. The Red Sox will play the Angels in the first round of the playoffs, while the wild-card Yankees will face Cleveland. This is Boston's first division title since 1995. (More MLB stories.)