AL roundup: CC & Company close in on title

NEW YORK — CC Sabathia combined on a two-hitter to become the major leagues' first 19-game winner, Robinson Cano hit a tiebreaking, opposite-field homer off the top of the left-field fence and the New York Yankees closed in on the AL East title with a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Sabathia (19-7) allowed just one hit in seven innings to outduel Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-6) as New York cut to one the magic number for its first division title since 2006. Already assured of no worse than the wild card, the Yankees have won eight of nine against their rival after starting the season 0-8 against Boston.

They can wrap up the AL East title today when they play the Red Sox for the final time this season. Boston's magic number for a playoff berth stayed stuck at three.

Cano homered in the sixth inning, and Johnny Damon added a two-out, two-run single in the eighth off former Mets closer Billy Wagner, who entered to boos in his first game in New York since Boston acquired him last month.

BLUE JAYS 5, MARINERS 4 (10): At Toronto, Adam Lind homered twice, including a game-ending solo drive in the 10th inning, to power the Blue Jays to a victory over the Mariners that included Seattle star Ichiro Suzuki's first career ejection. Suzuki was thrown out by plate umpire Brian Runge for arguing a called third strike in the fifth, the first ejection of the season for the Mariners and the first of the All-Star outfielder's career, including his years in Japan.

TIGERS 12, WHITE SOX 5: At Chicago, Miguel Cabrera got four hits and drove in four runs, giving him at least 100 RBIs for the sixth consecutive season, and Detroit rallied from a five-run deficit to beat Chicago. Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco and Gerald Laird each had three of Detroit's 20 hits, including singles in the decisive seventh inning, to help the Tigers win for the fifth time in six games.

TWINS 11, ROYALS 6: At Kansas City, Denard Span had four hits and a career-high six RBIs, leading surging Minnesota past Kansas City for its 11th victory in 12 games. Joe Mauer added a two-run double in the eighth and went 2-for-4 with a walk to hike his major league-leading batting average to .371.

RANGERS 15, RAYS 3: At Arlington, Texas, Marlon Byrd homered twice, including his sixth career grand slam in an 11-run fifth inning, and Texas beat Tampa Bay to move within six games of Boston for the AL wild card with eight to play.

INDIANS 9, ORIOLES 8: At Cleveland, Jhonny Peralta hit a game-ending single to give Cleveland a wild win over Baltimore, extending the Orioles' losing streak to nine games.

ATHLETICS 15, ANGELS 10: At Anaheim, Calif., Jack Cust homered and doubled in the go-ahead run during a six-run eighth inning, and Kurt Suzuki and Mark Ellis also went deep as Oakland rallied from a seven-run deficit to beat Los Angeles.