Toronto, ON (Sports Network) – CC Sabathia rebounded from a rocky outing to throw into the ninth inning, as the New York Yankees locked up a spot in the playoffs with a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Sabathia (21-7) had given up seven runs in a loss to the Rays last Thursday, but Tuesday limited Toronto to one run, three hits and two walks in 8 1/3 innings, while striking out eight.
The effort helped the reigning World Series champions clinch a playoff berth, as their magic number for that had been one. The Yankees still trail Tampa Bay by half a game in the AL East race because the Rays defeated Baltimore on Tuesday.
Derek Jeter finished with two hits, a walk and scored three times for New York, which dropped the opener of this three-game series on Monday.
Travis Snider homered for Toronto, which had won five in a row. The home run was the Blue Jays’ MLB-best 244th of the season, which ties the 2000 Toronto team for most homers in a season in franchise history.