Al East | featured news

Matt Moore struck out 11 in five innings of his first major league start and the Tampa Bay Rays unloaded on the watered-down Yankees for a 15-8 victory Thursday, a night after New York clinched the AL East title.

Nick Swisher homered off James Shields to key a five-run burst in the first inning and the New York Yankees beat Tampa Bay 8-3 on Tuesday night, opening a 2 1/2-game lead over the Rays in the AL East.

Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer and Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher also went deep for the Yankees, who beat up on Oakland again in a 9-3 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night.

Sean Rodriguez and B.J. Upton hit three-run homers as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 6-4 Tuesday night, winning for the 10th time in 11 games and taking over the AL East lead.

Even before Mariano Rivera fielded the final ball, the party started for the New York Yankees. Catcher Jose Molina leaped up from behind the plate the moment Jacoby Ellsbury tapped softly back to the mound, then the celebration really got going. Absent from the playoffs last year, the Yankees let loose Sunday after clinching the AL East title and home-field advantage throughout the postseason with a 4-2 win over Boston....