Solid pitching by Andy Pettitte Sunday led the New York Yankees to a 4-2 win over Boston and their first American League East title since 2006. The win also finished a three-game sweep. Pettitte (14-7) gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings. Closer Mariano Rivera earned his 44th save with a scoreless ninth. Hideki Matsui's two-run single snapped a 2-2 tie with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Melky Cabrera and Mark Teixeira hit solo homers, with both players getting two hits along with Derek Jeter for the Yankees, who have won five in a row. Boston scored on Mike Lowell's first-inning infield single and his double play ground out in the third. Jason Bay and J.D.

Alex Rodriguez drove in four runs Friday, two of them with a third-inning homer, pacing the New York Yankees to a 9-5 victory over Boston. The teams have two games remaining in their weekend series and if the Yankees win both of them, they will claim the American League East title.

Robinson Cano hit a key two-run single Wednesday, leading the New York Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Cano's only hit in the game drove in Hideki Matsui and Shelley Duncan to give New York a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, and then Cano scored on a Melky Cabrera double. Cabrera had two hits for the Yankees, who got their first series win in Anaheim since taking two of three games in May 2004. Wednesday's win came a day after the Yankees clinched an American League playoff berth. Winner A.J.

Mark Teixeira hit two homers and knocked in five runs Saturday, leading the New York Yankees in a 10-1 rout of Seattle. The slugger hit an RBI triple, a three-run homer and a solo shot. Hideki Matsui hit a solo homer. Johnny Damon had three hits and one RBI. Francisco Cervelli had two hits and one RBI. Melky

The New York Yankees erupted for an eight-run eighth inning Sunday on the way to a 13-3 win over Baltimore, averting a three-game sweep. Hideki Matsui hit a three-run homer in the outburst and finished with three hits and five RBI. Melky Cabrera had two hits and four RBI. Mark Teixeira had two hits and two RBI. Three others had one RBI each, while Derek Jeter had three of 20 hits for the Yankees, who had lost two in a row for the first time since Aug.