Yankees vs Red Sox: Bombers Roll 14-2; Win 2012 A.L. East Division Title
October 3, 2012 · Doug Rush · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Having control of your own destiny is an important thing when you’re trying to win a division title.
Heading into Wednesday, all the New York Yankees had to do was beat the Boston Red Sox and they would be crowned the American League East champions.
The Yankees took care of business by destroying Boston in a 14-2 beat-down to wrap up the division, along with securing home field throughout the American League playoffs.
The Yankees got their offense going off of Daisuke Matsuzaka when Curtis Granderson jacked his 42nd home run of the season. A three-run shot that made it 3-1 in the bottom of the second inning.
In the bottom of the third inning, Robinson Cano continued his hot hitting by drilling a two-run shot to give the Yanks a 5-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Cano was at it again when he ripped the ball over the left-field wall again; another two-run shot that made it 7-1.
The two home runs were Cano’s 32nd and 33rd home runs of the season.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Cano hit a two-run single to make it 9-1; a hit that gave Cano six RBI on the night.
In the bottom of the seventh, Granderson hit his 43rd home run of the season, a solo shot, followed by Ichiro Suzuki’s RBI double , Nick Swisher’s RBI single, and Mark Teixeira’s sac fly.
The final score was 14-2.
During A-Rod’s at-bat in the bottom of the seventh, the fans at Yankee Stadium found out that the Tampa Bay Rays had defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-1, which meant that the Yankees had won the division before the game was even over.
When the scoreboard posted it, the crowd in the Bronx broke out in such a thunderous ovation, it startled A-Rod to the point where he had to call time out and step out of the batters box.
Lost in the celebration was Hiroki Kuroda. The Yankee ace pitched seven solid innings and allowed two runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out four, to pick up his 16th win of the season.
With the victory, the Yankees finished the season at 95-67; the best record in the American League.
The Yankees will now await the winner of the Orioles one game Wild Card playoff with the Texas Rangers, who were defeated 12-5 on Wednesday night and lost the A.L. West division title to Oakland.
Overall, it was a great night in the Bronx filled with good pitching and a ton of offense as the Yankees were able to take care of Boston from start to finish.
Now, it’s onto postseason baseball and New York’s quest for a 28th World Series championship.
Playoff baseball in the Bronx is always an exciting time for the Yankees and the fans.
All it takes is 11 more wins to get there.
Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.
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