There is a sliver more than five months left to the baseball season, but somebody always has to be in first place.
After being three games under .500 even nine games into the new season and looking dreadful doing it, not many honest voices envisioned the Yankees being atop the AL East with two games remaining in April.
Yet, after a 4-1 victory over the Rays on Monday night in front of an announced crowd of 34,590 at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees have the AL East penthouse to themselves.
With six wins in seven games and nine in 11, the Yankees are 12-8, which is one length better than the second-place Rays, who are winless in four games against the Yankees and Red Sox.