BOSTON — And just like that, the Yankees have clinched the American League East.
OK, that’s overstating the situation. But a critical, 9-6 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday night at Fenway Park did more than avert a four-game sweep and cease the starting-rotation meltdown that threatened — or at least that’s how it felt — to upend everything this club has overcome.
Thanks to Domingo German, a few timely hits and a generous Red Sox defense, the 2019 Yankees attained a season first: Mathematically, they now control their own destiny.
With an 8 ¹/u2082-game divisional lead over the Rays, whom they play twice more, and a nine-game advantage over the Bosox, whom they face another eight times, the Yankees could lose all of their remaining head-to-head games with their top two challengers and still win their first division title since 2012 as long as they excel in their other contests.