New York Yankees win, safe American League East crown as Aaron Choose stays at 60 homers

TORONTO — Gleyber Torres had three hits and three RBIs, Aaron Choose walked 4 instances in pursuit of his 61st residence run, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-2, Tuesday evening, formally securing the American League East crown.

Comfortably in first place a lot of the season, the Yankees received for the eighth time of their final 9 video games, as Jameson Taillon pitched into the eighth inning en path to his 14th win of the season.

Batting out of the leadoff spot, Choose, who prolonged his homerless streak to seven video games, completed 0 for 1 with two runs to go together with the 4 free passes.

However Anthony Rizzo had two hits and an RBI, and Kyle Higashioka had three hits and two runs, supplying sufficient offense to clinch the division 4 days earlier than the calendar turns to October.

The Yankees, who at instances appeared as in the event that they’d run away from the American League pack earlier than stumbling by August, seem headed in the direction of the No. 2 postseason seed behind the Houston Astros. Tuesday’s victory was their thirty ninth away from residence, and their ninety fifth general.

Toronto, nonetheless looking for to safe the AL’s prime wild-card berth, fell to 17-9 in September. George Springer completed 2 for 4 within the loss, with two runs and his twenty fourth residence run of the season.

Choose and the Yankees, who shut out the sequence Wednesday evening in Toronto with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound, will return residence to open a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

The division title is New York’s first since 2019, and twentieth general in franchise historical past.

Earlier than Tuesday’s sport, Choose met and hung out with Toronto Maple Leafs star ahead Auston Matthews, the NHL’s MVP final season. Matthews additionally threw out the ceremonial first pitch earlier than Choose’s first at-bat.

The Related Press contributed to this report.