The Yankees defeated the Red Sox, 5-0, on Monday. In the process, they eliminated Boston from AL East contention. With the Rays off, New York increased its lead to nine games over Tampa Bay for the division title. The Yanks’ magic number to clinch the AL East is now also at nine. That means any combination of Yankees’ wins and Rays’ losses equaling nine games will give New York its first division crown since 2012.
James Paxton had another brilliant outing, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings. He allowed just four hits and struck out seven for the victory. Paxton has now won each of his last eight starts, posting a 2.