Aussies feature in Oakland's MLB title win

4 Oct 2012, 2:09 pm   -   Source: AAP
The Oakland Athletics routed the Texas Rangers 12-5 to secure MLB's American League West title. (AAP)

The Oakland Athletics routed the Texas Rangers 12-5 to secure MLB's American League West title. (AAP)

The Oakland A's, featuring Australia's Grant Balfour, have won the American League West title, with the Yankees clinching the best overall AL record.

Australian closer Grant Balfour recorded his 25th save of the season as the Oakland Athletics routed the Texas Rangers 12-5 to secure Major League Baseball's American League West title for the first time in six years.

The New York Yankees were also celebrating on Wednesday night as they claimed their 13th AL East crown in 17 years with a dominating 14-2 victory over the rival Boston Red Sox.

The win also gave New York (95-67) the best record in the AL and home-field advantage throughout the league post-season. The Yankees will face the winner of Friday's wild card contest between Baltimore and Texas in the division series, which starts Sunday.

Oakland stood 13 games behind the Rangers on June 30, but the Athletics have gone a MLB-best 57-26 since then.

That included their three-game season-closing sweep of the Rangers to clinch the 15th AL West crown in team history.

"We knew this is a beast of a team we would have to beat, and to be able to beat them three games in a row and win the division on top of it, really it's a magical type thing," A's manager Bob Melvin said.

The A's feature two Australian players on their roster.

Victorian pitcher Travis Blackley shares the mound with former Tampa Bay World Series campaigner Balfour, who is from Sydney.

Coco Crisp drove in two runs and scored twice in Wednesday's game, while Brandon Moss added three RBIs and a run scored for the A's.

A's pitcher Evan Scribner earned the win after throwing three scoreless innings in relief of starter A.J. Griffin.

Slugger David Murphy knocked in two runs and Adrian Beltre drove in one run for the Rangers, who will continue their quest for a third-straight World Series appearance when they play in a wild card game on Friday against the Orioles.

Baltimore finished second in the AL East after losing to Tampa 4-1 on Wednesday.

The A's are just the third team in MLB history to win a division while spending just one day in sole possession of first, joining the Minnesota Twins (2006) and the Giants (1951).

Japan's Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven solid innings and Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson each homered twice as the Yankees crushed the Red Sox.

Meanwhile, in the National League, Michael Morse, Tyler Moore and Ryan Zimmerman each hit home runs as the Washington Nationals clinched the top seed with a 5-1 win on Wednesday over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The NL East-champion Nationals entered into Wednesday's regular-season finale needing a win, or a loss by the Cincinnati Reds, to get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

"It's quite an accomplishment (to have the best record)," Zimmerman said.

"Obviously, winning the division was a goal, and now we have done that. And now we have a chance to go do some stuff in the playoffs."

No Washington baseball team has made the playoffs since 1933.

Washington next plays on Sunday against the winner of Friday's wild-card game between Atlanta and St. Louis.

Darin Ruf knocked in the only run for Philadelphia, who missed out on the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

Philadelphia was trying to finish with a record above .500 for a 10th straight season.

In Pittsburgh, the retiring Ben Sheets made the 250th and final start of his career as the Atlanta Braves shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 in the last game of the season for both teams.

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