Blue Jays Beat Angels to Close In on Title : Baseball: Toronto can do no worse than tie for first in AL East after 5-2 victory. Winfield hits his 27th home run.

Tonight, the Toronto Blue Jays will become the first major league team to go over 4 million in attendance, and they hope to celebrate that by clinching first place in the American League East.

“To have 4 million fans brought into this ballpark and not clinch in front of them would be a little disappointing,” Duane Ward said after Tuesday night’s 5-2 victory over the Angels assured Toronto of finishing no worse than tied for first.

“We don’t want to start thinking that we’ve got to win. We’ve got four games to play with. We just have to play good baseball, like we did tonight.”

The Blue Jays increased their lead to 4 1/2 games over second-place Boston, which lost, 8-5, to Detroit.

The SkyDome scoreboard regularly updated the Boston score.

“I was turning around to see what was going on,” said Roberto Alomar, who was three for five, scored twice and stole his 52nd base. “I saw that Detroit got ahead of Roger Clemens and that’s good.

“I know Boston has to be disappointed right now. They lost today with their best weapon. You can’t take anything for granted in baseball, but you know they’re down a little bit. You know they’re down a lot. They have to win every game now and we have to win only one,” Alomar said.

Juan Guzman won his club-record 10th consecutive decision, and Kelly Gruber had two run-scoring singles for Toronto.

Guzman (10-2) hasn’t lost since dropping his first two starts in June. He gave up five hits in seven innings, walked one and struck out six in breaking Dave Stieb’s 1988 consecutive victory mark.

Bob MacDonald pitched a scoreless eighth and Jim Acker relieved to start the ninth. Dave Winfield hit his 27th home run to open that inning, and Ward got the last two outs for his 21st save.

Guzman outpitched Mike Fetters (2-5), who gave up six hits and four runs (one of them earned) in five innings. Gruber put the Blue Jays up for good in the fourth. Toronto added three unearned runs in a wild fifth inning.

Pat Borders reached on third baseman Gary Gaetti’s error. Manny Lee bunted and was safe when Fetters’ throw sailed over second baseman Gary DiSarcina, who was covering at first, and Borders took third. Lee and DiSarcina collided on the play, and Lee left with a sore neck.

With one out, Alomar grounded to shortstop Dick Schofield, who threw home. Ron Tingley made the tag before Borders, trying to dislodge the ball, knocked the catcher out of the game with an elbow to the face. Joe Carter, John Olerud and Gruber followed with successive run-scoring singles.

“I wish my catcher had dumped the runner. He had a perfect chance. You dip your shoulder and flip him on his back and he doesn’t wake up until tomorrow morning,” said Angel Manager Buck Rodgers, a former catcher. “That’s something we’re going to have to work on in spring training.”

Schofield’s seventh-inning single made it 4-1, but Toronto scored in its half of the inning when Candy Maldonado was hit by a pitch from Scott Lewis with the bases loaded.