Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz crosses home plate and scores on Mike Lowell's single as Minnesota Twins catcher Matthew LeCroy awaits the late throw in the first inning of their baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston Friday, Sept. 28, 2007.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Sox beat Twins, clinch AL East
Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz crosses home plate and scores on Mike Lowell's single as Minnesota Twins catcher Matthew LeCroy awaits the late throw in the first inning of their baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston Friday, Sept. 28, 2007.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
BOSTON --The 12-year wait for the Boston Red Sox is over. At last, they're the AL East champions.
Moments after the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees, completing Boston's clinch, Red Sox players popped champagne corks in their clubhouse while thousands of fans jumped up and down in nearly empty Fenway Park.
"I pulled my hamstring jumping off the couch," manager Terry Francona said.
More than an hour earlier, Boston reduced its magic number to one with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
And with those results, coupled with Cleveland's 5-3 win 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 Yankees, who had won the last nine AL East crowns, took a 9-6 lead into the bottom of the ninth at Baltimore. Then former Red Sox outfielder Jay Payton tied it with a bases-loaded triple. And Melvin Mora bunted in the winning run with the bases loaded in the 10th.
Fenway fans who stood to watch the end of that game on the center-field scoreboard shouted as the message board flashed: "CHAMPIONS OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST."
"It's unbelievable," backup first baseman Eric Hinske said. "Hopefully, this is just the beginning."
Daisuke Matsuzaka had set up the celebration with eight strong innings against the Twins. He won for just the second time since early August and David Ortiz homered for the fourth time in seven games.
When the division title was assured, Red Sox players poured from their clubhouse, through the dugout and onto the field.
Ortiz, wearing street clothes just a half-hour earlier, was sporting a white division champions T-shirt. Jonathan Papelbon, who earned the clinching save, stood near home plate in a red T-shirt and dark undershorts, sprayed champagne, then flung the bottle high into the air.
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