Yankees Clinch AL East Title

A foregone conclusion became reality Wednesday night when the New York Yankees clinched the AL East title, beating the Boston Red Sox 7-5 as Derek Jeter and Paul O'Neill both hit a pair of solo homers.

The Yankees, who have led by 10 games or more since June 24, improved to 102-41 and moved 20 ½ games ahead of second-place Boston. They've won their last two games after losing 11 of 19.

"It doesn't matter if there are three weeks left in the season or three days. We did it," Chuck Knoblauch said.

New York won the AL East for the second time in three years and the seventh time overall. The last time the Yankees clinched on the road was Oct. 2, 1978, when Bucky Dent's home run led them over Boston 5-4 in a one-game playoff at Fenway Park.

When Mariano Rivera got John Valentin on a grounder for the final out, Yankee players trotted from the dugout and bullpen for a subdued celebration in front of second base. There were champagne and cigars in the clubhouse but no wild outbursts of joy.

"We've got to make sure we enjoy this moment because we never know when it'll happen again," Bernie Williams said. "But, at the same time, we have a long way to go."

Boston lost for the sixth time in seven games but remained 4 ½ games ahead of Toronto in the AL wild-card race.

Derek Jeter watches his first-inning solo home run leave the park. (AP)

Jeter's homers in the first and third innings, which raised his total to 19, helped the Yankees build a 5-0 lead. But Scott Hatteberg's first career grand slam cut it to 5-4 in the fourth.

O'Neill homered in the fifth to make it 6-4, but Boston got that run back in the bottom half against Ramiro Mendoza (9-2) on a double by Nomar Garciaparra, a single by Troy O'Leary and Mike Stanley's double-play grounder.

O'Neill then hit his 21st homer in the eighth, making in the 12th multihomer game of his career.

"We haven't been playing that well," O'Neill said. "To win a game and realize what we accomplished is a good feeling."

Tim Wakefield (15-8) allowed five runs and five hits in four innings. New York's Orlando Hernandez gave up four runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings. Rivera got three outs for his 35th save.

Leading 2-0, the Yankees added three runs in the fourth. Williams was hit by a pitch and scored on Tino Martinez's double. Jorge Posada doubled in another run and scored on Scott Brosius' single.

Hernandez, who had won four of his previous five decisions, gave up just one hit through three innings before allowing four runs in the fourth on Hatteberg's 11th homer after walks to Mo Vaughn and Stanley and a single by Garciaparra.

The Red Sox had a shot at a second grand slam in the inning, but Vaughn grounded out with the bases loaded.

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