The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Mets by an 8-5 final score on Wednesday night, clinching the franchise’s first AL East pennant since 2010 and only the third in the team’s history.

The Rays, who were considered along with the New York Yankees to be the two strongest teams in the division heading into the season, outlasted the big-budget Yankees to claim their spot on top of one of baseball’s toughest divisions.

In a typical Rays game, the team got an excellent starting outing from pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who struck out 8 batters and allowed only 2 runs in 6 innings of work.

Tampa was knotted in a 2-2 pitcher’s duel until the top of the sixth inning, when outfielder Randy Arozarena smacked a two-run homer off of Mets starter Michael Wacha. He hit two home runs on the night.

Rays veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier spoke to the importance of winning the division after the game, saying, “It feels great to win the division, no matter what division you’re in. But especially the American League East—it’s just a different animal.”

The Rays will be the #1 seed in the AL playoffs barring an improbable comeback by the Minnesota Twins or Chicago White Sox and are set to face the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round.

The post Rays Clinch First AL East Division Crown Since 2010 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The New York Yankees have had an excellent season in 2019. They’ve been able to consistently perform, producing wins despite missing key players for large stretches of the season.

Their performance and resilience was awarded on Thursday night after beating the Angels 9-1 and clinching the AL East title.

The Bronx Bombers broke out the bubbly at Yankee Stadium after their win against the Angels. They put the Tampa Bay Rays out of reach of the division crown after winning their 100th game of the season, which was enough to clinch the division with a week and a half left in the regular season.

The AL East crown is the Yankees’ first since the 2012 season, a surprising dry spell for one of the league’s most decorated teams. It is the Yankees’ nineteenth AL East title in 50 years of the division’s existence.

The Yankees, one of the league’s top power-hitting teams, got home runs from DJ LeMahieu, Brett Gardner, Cameron Maybin, and Clint Frazier in a win that’s reflective of what they’ve done all season.

Masahiro Tanaka, the team’s likely Game 1 ALDS starter, threw 7 innings of one-run ball in the Yankees’ win.

New York will begin its pursuit of its 28th World Series title when the playoffs kick off at the beginning of October.

The post Yankees Clinch AL East With 9-1 Win Over Angels appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Mets by an 8-5 final score on Wednesday night, clinching the franchise’s first AL East pennant since 2010 and only the third in the team’s history.

The Rays, who were considered along with the New York Yankees to be the two strongest teams in the division heading into the season, outlasted the big-budget Yankees to claim their spot on top of one of baseball’s toughest divisions.

In a typical Rays game, the team got an excellent starting outing from pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who struck out 8 batters and allowed only 2 runs in 6 innings of work.

Tampa was knotted in a 2-2 pitcher’s duel until the top of the sixth inning, when outfielder Randy Arozarena smacked a two-run homer off of Mets starter Michael Wacha. He hit two home runs on the night.

Rays veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier spoke to the importance of winning the division after the game, saying, “It feels great to win the division, no matter what division you’re in. But especially the American League East—it’s just a different animal.”

The Rays will be the #1 seed in the AL playoffs barring an improbable comeback by the Minnesota Twins or Chicago White Sox and are set to face the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round.

The post Rays Clinch First AL East Division Crown Since 2010 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The New York Yankees have had an excellent season in 2019. They’ve been able to consistently perform, producing wins despite missing key players for large stretches of the season.

Their performance and resilience was awarded on Thursday night after beating the Angels 9-1 and clinching the AL East title.

The Bronx Bombers broke out the bubbly at Yankee Stadium after their win against the Angels. They put the Tampa Bay Rays out of reach of the division crown after winning their 100th game of the season, which was enough to clinch the division with a week and a half left in the regular season.

The AL East crown is the Yankees’ first since the 2012 season, a surprising dry spell for one of the league’s most decorated teams. It is the Yankees’ nineteenth AL East title in 50 years of the division’s existence.

The Yankees, one of the league’s top power-hitting teams, got home runs from DJ LeMahieu, Brett Gardner, Cameron Maybin, and Clint Frazier in a win that’s reflective of what they’ve done all season.

Masahiro Tanaka, the team’s likely Game 1 ALDS starter, threw 7 innings of one-run ball in the Yankees’ win.

New York will begin its pursuit of its 28th World Series title when the playoffs kick off at the beginning of October.

The post Yankees Clinch AL East With 9-1 Win Over Angels appeared first on SportzBonanza.