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NEW YORK (AP) – Two bottles of iced champagne and a handwritten note congratulating him were sitting on Alex Cora's desk in the visiting director's office at Yankee Stadium.
After waiting a few days, the Boston Red Sox finally burst into the Bronx.
Mookie Betts and the Red Sox won their third East Asian championship on Thursday night, winning the match against New York rival Yankees.
"It feels good, man. We will not hide it, "said Cora, the new Red Sox rookie. "We will celebrate. We will enjoy it. It's a difficult division. This team, we just play, they are incredible. "
Betts escaped, doubled twice and led in five innings, finishing with four hits, while Boston defeated Giancarlo Stanton's grand-slam in round four. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a tie in the seventh and Xander Bogaerts put the Red Sox in the lead with a stroke of sacrifice.
With a place in the playoffs already ensured, Boston (104-49) has completed a division race once tight with nine games to play. J.D. Martinez and the Red Sox, the first single since July 2, open the home playoffs at Fenway Park on October 5 against an opponent to be determined.
"We have not won yet what we want to win," Betts said in a clubhouse soaked in champagne.
Boston never finished in first place three years in a row. The club needs a win to tie the franchise record held by the champions of the 1912 World Series.
Boston entered the three-game series with a single win to win its fourth title in six years, but the second-placed Yankees put the game on hold with two straight wins.
On their third try, the Red Sox had the chance to celebrate at Yankee Stadium.
"To be able to do it here, we obviously know the story," Cora said. "He feels good."
Craig Kimbrel insulted a slumped Stanton for the final, and the Red Sox headed for the mound to hug and toast in a muted celebration. They left the field and headed inside to encourage Boston fans behind the third basic canoe.
In a pavilion strewn with corks and covered with protective plastic, players wearing glasses and equipment from the AL East Championship sprayed bubbles, drank beer, posed for photos, and savored for about 30 minutes before heading to Cleveland. .
Two years ago, during the last season of David Ortiz, the Red Sox celebrated at the Yankee Stadium visitors club after finishing at the head of the division in New York. But this happened as a result of a defeat. After Mark Teixeira's grand slam, the Yankees took the win.
"A stab in the heart," said Betts.
About 30 minutes earlier, the Red Sox had won Toronto against Baltimore. So they celebrated their season with a party filled with alcohol.
This time, they did it with style from beginning to end.
"It's only the first step," said outfielder Andrew Benintendi. "We entered the year hoping to win. We knew what kind of team we had.
After starter Eduardo Rodriguez scored seven goals in 3 2/3 during his career, knuckleballer Steven Wright (3-1) played three shutouts to win.
Brock Holt also captured the Red Sox, while Martinez increased his RBI points total to 124 in a match that lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes.
"They were not content to be denied today," said Aaron Boone, Yankees manager.
The New York top-ranked team was reduced to 1½ against Oakland, who led the Angels 21-3. The magic number of the Yankees to clinch a playoff spot is three on Tampa Bay.
A victory in the game of wild cards would probably give the Yankees in Boston another chance in a series of advanced division.
The magic number of Boston is two more than Houston to get the best result in baseball and field advantage all season long.
"They had a good year. You can not deny it, "said Stanton. "You never want it to be there that they get it. We gave what we got. They can celebrate now. We have time to celebrate later.
Betts, one of AL MVP's top contenders, opened the match with a left-back double on Masahiro Tanaka and scored on Martinez's single. Betts added a two-point single in the second, then doubled and scored in the fifth.
Bradley drew 6-all with a first stroke of honor in seventh against Chad Green (8-3). Christian Vazquez chose and Boston charged the bases before Bogaerts delivered his sacrificial flight. Another round scored on the game when center Aaron Hicks was accused of throwing a mistake.
Betts launched his 30th round in the eighth inning, a three-point shot against Aroldis Chapman, who was activated in the injured list on Wednesday.
POWER SOURCE
Luke Voit hit a two-run homer at the start of the game, giving the Yankees a record 12 players with at least 10 home runs this season. Stanton's seventh career left New York with 247 homers, breaking the record of 245 set in 2012.
ROOM OF TRAINERS
Red Sox: INF Eduardo Nunez (left hamstring) has been absent and will probably not play this weekend in Cleveland, said Cora. Nunez left Wednesday night's game in the ninth inning after taking out a single field. … RHP Matt Barnes was available for the first time in weeks. Barnes has not started since September 3rd because of inflammation of the left hip. Cora said that he would not put Barnes in a high leverage situation right away. … Betts was once again the DH, but will return to the field this weekend, according to Cora. Betts was absent Tuesday after tweaking his left side two days earlier. He was the DH on Wednesday. … RHP Austin Maddox underwent rotator cuff surgery on Wednesday in Los Angeles. The expected recovery time is about a year, the team said.
Yankees: Chapman also gave up a shot and a walk on his first outing since August 21st. He had left with tendonitis in his left knee.
FOLLOWING
Red Sox: LHP's Chris Sale (12-4, 1.92 ERA) is expected to throw about 65 shots on Friday night in Cleveland, after missing the game with a shoulder problem. RHP star Trevor Bauer (12-6, 2.22) returns to the AL Center champion Indians mound in anticipation of the playoffs. Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Bauer would play a "series of innings" before giving up rookie Shane Bieber.
Yankees: CC Sabathia (7-7, 3.80 ERA) launches Friday night at home against rookie RHP Yefry Ramirez (1-6, 5.50) and the Orioles last place. Sabathia was scored five points and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings in Saturday's loss to Toronto. He has a win in his last 11 starts.
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