And last hope that the Yankees would pull of the comeback of the decade and take the AL East away from Boston ended last night:
BOSTON (AP) - Jonathan Papelbon danced barefoot in the infield. Daisuke Matsuzaka smiled and bowed to a group surrounding him. And the sound system played ”Don’t Stop Believin’.”
Ecstatic fans joined in to savor Boston’s first division title in 12 years, and the end of the New York Yankees ‘ long run on top.
More than an hour after the Red Sox beat Minnesota 5-2, the Yankees lost at Baltimore to make it official. Moments later, Boston players popped champagne corks in the clubhouse while a few thousand fans left at Fenway Park let loose, the echoes of their cheers spreading through the mostly empty stadium.
”I pulled my hamstring jumping off the couch,” said manager Terry Francona , who watched the end of the Yankees game in his office with general manager Theo Epstein and owners John Henry and Tom Werner. ”It’s fun to see grown men act like little kids.”
With Boston’s win, New York’s loss and Cleveland’s 5-3 victory over Kansas City, the AL playoff pairings were set: The Los Angeles Angels will open at Boston, and the wild-card Yankees will start at Cleveland.
The good news is that the Yankees pretty much man-handled the Indians this season, beating them handily each of the six times the teams met. If the Division Playoffs go the same way, and the Red Sox beat the Angels, we could be up for another classic Boston-New York ALCS matchup.
