Red Sox first to clinch playoff spot

BOSTON 7 TORONTO 2

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox became the first team in the major leagues to clinch a playoff berth and did not celebrate.

“Any time you make the playoffs and give yourself a chance to be that last team, it’s a pretty special thing,” Brock Holt said. “We’re excited by that, but we’ve got more work to do.”

Holt pinch hit in the seventh inning and hit a go-ahead, threerun homer in a 7-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night that guaranteed Boston no worse than a wild-card berth.

At a major league-best 99-46, the Red Sox lead the AL East by nine games with 2 12 ⁄ weeks left. Their postgame celebration was lining up for routine high-fives and heading back to the clubhouse.

“We’re in great position to win the division and then to accomplish other things,” first-year manager Alex Cora said. “As I told the group, I’m very proud of them.”

Starter Chris Sale came off the disabled list and pitched one scoreless inning, striking out two and throwing 26 pitches. Sale has been slowed by inflammation in his left shoulder, and the Red Sox had said they would ease their ace back into action.

“We’re taking care of the guy,” Cora said.

Boston assured its third straight post-season team, matching the Red Sox teams of 2003-05 and 2007-09.

Ryan Brasier (2-0) pitched 1 13 ⁄ hitless innings as Boston used seven relievers.

Toronto led 2-0 in the seventh, when Steve Pearce hit a tying triple and Holt followed with a two-out home run off Ryan Tepera (5-5).

Kevin Pillar had an RBI single for Toronto during a two-run sixth, when Devon Travis scored the game’s first run on a doublesteal and botched defensive play by the Red Sox.

Toronto starter Ryan Boruki, who allowed seven runs and eight hits July 13 at Fenway Park, held an opponent to two runs or fewer in at least six innings for the third time in four starts.

“He was tremendous today,” manager John Gibbons said. “He’s done a tremendous job for a rookie call-up.”

Indians 2, Rays 0

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion are back together again and got a chance to celebrate a home run like old times in Toronto.

Donaldson went hitless in his Cleveland debut, Encarnacion reached 30 homers for the seventh straight season and the Indians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Donaldson was on-deck when Encarnacion went deep and the pair exchanged a high-five afterward.

“We try and have fun out there,” Encarnacion said. “It’s good to have him back in the same lineup together.”

Cleveland lowered its magic number to three for a third straight AL Central title. Secondplace Minnesota was hosting the New York Yankees.

Acquired from Toronto on Aug. 31, Donaldson went 0 for 4 in his first big league game since May 28, a layoff caused by a strained left calf. The 2015 AL MVP flied out to deep centre and deep right, struck out and grounded into a forceout. The third baseman made a nifty backhand grab on C.J. Cron’s sixth-inning grounder.

“He looked to me like Donaldson,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He took some ferocious swings, and he was on so many pitches. He squared up a couple and had nothing to show for it. He’s got time and it gets exciting.”

Jose Ramirez moved from third to second, and second baseman Jason Kipnis moved to centre.

Yan Gomes also homered and rookie Shane Bieber (10-3) struck out a career-high 11 in 6 23 ⁄ innings, allowing three hits.