The New York Yankees clinched a postseason berth Sunday night, as the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels, 8-7, at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The victory helped the Rangers (93-66) clinch the American League West Division crown and eliminated any chance of the Angels (88-71) catching the Yankees (92-67) or Baltimore Orioles (92-67) for one of the two AL Wild Card spots. The Oakland Athletics (91-68) have a three-game lead on Anaheim and the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card berth.
The Rangers' division-clinching win came just hours after the Yankees earned a come-from-behind victory, 9-6, over the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite the post-season berth, New York will be still looking to collect the AL East Division pennant and avoid the one-game (anything-can-happen) playoff that Wild Card teams need to play in to move onto the AL Division Series.
To do so, the Yankees will probably need to sweep their long-time rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in their season-ending three-game series at Yankee Stadium and hope for a loss from the Orioles. On Monday, Baltimore begins a three-game set at the Rays, who will be looking to end the Orioles' four-game winning streak.