Red Sox clinch third straight AL East crown
NEW YORK — Sitting on Alex Cora’s desk in the visiting manager’s office at Yankee Stadium were two bottles of chilled champagne and a handwritten note congratulating him.
After waiting a couple of days, the Boston Red Sox finally got to break out the bubbly in the Bronx.
Mookie Betts and the Red Sox won their third consecutive American League East championship Thursday, clinching on enemy turf with an 11-6 victory over the rival New York Yankees.
“It feels good, man. We’re not going to hide it,” said Cora, the rookie manager of the Red Sox. “We’re going to celebrate. We’re going to enjoy it. This is a tough division. That team we just played, they’re amazing.”
Betts homered, doubled twice and drove in five runs, finishing with four hits as Boston overcame Giancarlo Stanton’s go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a tying home run in the seventh and Xander Bogaerts put the Red Sox ahead with a sacrifice fly.
With the best record in baseball and a playoff berth already secured, Boston (104-49) closed out a oncetight division race with nine games to spare. J.D. Martinez and the Red Sox, alone in first place since July 2, will open the postseason at home in Fenway Park on Oct. 5 against an opponent to be determined.
“We haven’t won what we want to win yet,” Betts said in a champagne-soaked clubhouse.
Never before had Boston finished in first place three years in a row. The club needs one victory to match the franchise record held by the 1912 World Series champions.
Boston entered the threegame series needing a single victory to lock up its fourth AL East title in six years, but the Yankees put the party on hold for a few nights with two straight wins.
On their third try, the Red Sox earned a chance to celebrate at Yankee Stadium.
“To be able to do it here — obviously we know the history,” Cora said. “It feels great.”
After starter Eduardo Rodriguez walked a career-high seven in 3 2/3 innings, knuckleballer Steven Wright (3-1) worked three shutout innings for the win. Craig Kimbrel whiffed a slumping Stanton for the final out.
Brock Holt also homered for the Red Sox, and Martinez increased his major league-leading RBI total to 124 in a game that took 4 hours, 2 minutes.
“They just kind of weren’t going to be denied today,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Chad Green (8-3) took the loss.