Division Champs!

The Yankees won their eighth consecutive American League East crown on Saturday by beating the Red Sox 8-4. Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez all homered for the Yankees while Randy Johnson pitched seven and a third innings and struck out eight.

While the win puts the Yankees into the playoffs via baseball’s intricate tiebreaking system, their opponent and the location of their first playoff series will not be determined until the conclusion of play on Sunday at the earliest. The Yankees will likely play the Angels, but a Boston loss coupled with a Cleveland win on Sunday would force the Indians and Red Sox into a one-game playoff on Monday.

Regardless of their opponent, the Yankees are immensely satisfied with winning this title. There were plenty of times this season when it looked like the Yankees wouldn’t make the playoffs at all and rebounding from an 11-19 start is a good accomplishment, but the real work for this team still lies ahead of it.

Photo by AP/Ellse Amendola via ESPN