Posada Is Not Around at End of Yankee Win

New York’s latest victory might have cost the Yankees catcher Jorge Posada for a few games.

Posada was ejected for arguing in the ninth inning of New York’s 7-5 victory over the Blue Jays on Monday at Toronto. He appeared to bump plate umpire Andy Fletcher, then went to the dugout and threw his helmet and a bat on the field.

“There’s a history behind it. I overreacted. He overreacted,” said Posada, who argued with Fletcher when he was called out to end a game earlier this season.

Posada said he didn’t bump Fletcher, who wiped his face after the confrontation.

“I never spit on him. I was talking. If I spit when I was talking, I’m sorry, but I didn’t intend to do that,” Posada said.

Alfonso Soriano hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the ninth as the Yankees rallied for their fifth consecutive victory.

New York opened a 91/2-game lead in the American League East, its largest since the end of the 1998 season.

The Yankees rallied from a 5-2 deficit on Derek Jeter’s run-scoring single in the seventh and Enrique Wilson’s two-run double in the eighth against Paul Quantrill.

Billy Koch (2-5) loaded the bases in the ninth on two walks and a hit batter, then gave up the single to Soriano. “That was a ball right down the plate for Soriano,” Koch said.

“I just missed my spots. When you’ve been as ineffective as I’ve been lately, you have to scratch your head.”

Mark Wohlers (1-0) gave up one hit in two innings and Ramiro Mendoza picked up his sixth save.

“We went out and had fun,” Shane Spencer said. “Guys seemed to be in a pretty good mood after the big wins in Boston.”

Coming off a three-game sweep at Boston, the Yankees didn’t arrive in Toronto until 3 a.m.--10 hours before the first pitch.

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Seattle 3, Tampa Bay 2--Stan Javier’s single scored Al Martin with the winning run in the 11th inning at Seattle.

The Mariners became the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season, wrapping up at least the AL wild card with the victory.

They are on pace to match the all-time victory record of 116 set by the Chicago Cubs in 1906.

Seattle became the fastest team to clinch a postseason bid since 1998, when the New York Yankees wrapped up a playoff spot Aug. 29. The Mariners are also chasing New York’s AL record of 114 victories that season.

Seattle’s magic number to clinch the AL West is seven. Any combination of Seattle victories and Oakland losses totaling seven will give the Mariners their third division title in history.

Cleveland 6, Chicago 3--Rookie C.C. Sabathia won his fifth consecutive decision and Ellis Burks hit a three-run home run at Chicago.

Sabathia (15-4) gave up three runs and three hits in eight innings to become the first Indian rookie to win at least 15 games since Herb Score won 16 in 1955. Bob Wickman worked the ninth for his 28th save.

Oakland 4, Baltimore 2--Tim Hudson retired the first 14 batters and pitched eight innings of three-hit ball at Oakland.

Hudson (16-7) won for the ninth time in 11 decisions to move one victory behind teammate Mark Mulder for second place in AL victories.

Hudson struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.