Blue Jays clinch 1st AL East title since 2015

After 162 games, the Toronto Blue Jays are a first-place team.

Toronto survived a late-season slump to hold off the New York Yankees and clinch both the AL East title and the AL's No. 1 seed with a 13-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

The AL East title is the Blue Jays' seventh division crown and their first since 2015.

Catcher Alejandro Kirk led the way by crushing two home runs, including a first-inning grand slam, and notching a career-high six RBIs to ensure there would be a celebration in Toronto.

The Blue Jays entered Sunday needing just one win to clinch, having already won the tiebreaker from the Yankees via head-to-head record.

The 94-68 Blue Jays now get a bye to the ALDS, where they'll host the winner of the No. 4-versus-No. 5 wild-card series beginning Oct. 4 at Rogers Centre. As the AL's top seed, Toronto also earned home-field advantage through the ALCS.

The Yankees, meanwhile, are now locked in as the No. 4 seed and will host the fifth-seeded Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. The meeting will mark the sixth time the bitter rivals have met in the postseason and the first since the 2021 AL wild-card game.