Yankees Clinch at Least a Tie for Wild Card

The New York Yankees clinched a tie for the American League wild card Saturday, moving closer to their first postseason berth since 1981 by beating Toronto, 6-1, on a four-hitter by Scott Kamieniecki.

The Yankees won their fourth in a row and 10th in 11 games. They had a 5 1/2-game deficit in the wild-card standings on Aug. 26, but a 21-6 record in September took care of that.

If they beat the Blue Jays again today, or the Angels lose to Oakland, the Yankees win the wild-card berth.

“Right now, I’m just thinking about trying to stay focused and win this thing,” said Don Mattingly, who has played 1,784 games without reaching the postseason--more than any Yankee player in history and more than any active player in the majors. “We kept this thing in our own hands. We feel good that we took care of business.”