NEW YORK -- Even though Roger Clemens lost his first game since May, and the Yankees were shut out by the Devil Rays, it was a night of celebration at Yankee Stadium. Despite a 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay, New York clinched its fourth straight American League East title after the Boston Red Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles, handing the Yankees the division crown.
"It's strange. It was a wonderful night aside from the fact that we lost the game. It's very satisfying," said Yankees Manager Joe Torre. "That's what we're most proud of, the fact that we win. Even though we celebrate, we don't celebrate to the point of thinking that this is all we want to accomplish. It's very satisfying to come back and defend our crown, and that's what our job is now."
The Yankees, playing their first game at Yankee Stadium since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, took part in pregame ceremonies, joining members of the police, fire department and rescue teams on the field as several songs were sung and a giant American flag covered the outfield.
"I thought it was great standing next to guys that deserved to be honored," said Scott Brosius. "It's very emotional to stand next to someone that you know has probably suffered a loss and has been right in the middle of everything. It was a game that most of us really wanted to win, so there's a little bit of a letdown that we weren't able to."
Clemens, who entered the game with a 20-1 record, allowed two runs in the first inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Ben Grieve and Toby Hall, putting Tampa Bay ahead 2-0 before New York came to bat.
"I'm trying to win every game," Clemens said. "You try to give your guys a chance, I put us behind the eight ball in the first inning going down 2-0, so I knew that I couldn't afford any more mistakes from that point on."
The 33,777 in attendance were also keeping count of Clemens' strikeouts, as he began the night just six strikeouts from passing Bert Blyleven for third place on the all-time Major League strikeout list. The Rocket tied Blyleven in the third inning with a strikeout of Ben Grieve, and surpassed him in the fourth, striking out Toby Hall. Clemens tipped his cap to the crowd, as the fans gave him a standing ovation in honor of his achievement.
"Being a part of this game this evening was special, and while you never plan on it, I was really glad that it happened here if it was going to happen," said Clemens. "To do it here at this stadium in these pinstripes makes it even more special."
Rays starter Tanyon Sturtze held the Yankees off the scoreboard over seven innings, limiting New York to just four hits. The Yankees' biggest scoring opportunity came in the fourth inning, when they loaded the bases with two outs. Sturtze got Jorge Posada to fly out to right field, ending the inning.
"Everyone was just playing for New York," said Sturtze (9-12). "That's the way we all went about it. I think we were playing for New York and they were playing for New York. We just came out on top tonight."
Tampa Bay added two runs in the seventh, chasing Clemens from the game with a 4-0 deficit. Clemens allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings, surrendering eight hits and two walks. Clemens struck out nine, bringing his career total to 3,705 strikeouts. The loss snapped a streak of 16 straight winning decisions, dating back to a May 20 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
"I was pretty pumped up, I let a few balls go," said Clemens (20-2). "That was pretty much how the game broke down. My ball was moving nice, and when I got in trouble, I tried to challenge guys at the belt. I'm disappointed because I want to win, but we've been putting the work in as a team, so to be able to clinch the division, now we can start gearing up for what's ahead."
The Yankees knew in the seventh inning that they had clinched the division title, as Baltimore's 12-7 win over Boston was posted on the scoreboard. The crowd started to cheer wildly, as the scoreboard congratulated the Yankees on their achievement.
"I was sitting next to Derek Jeter at the time, and I said, 'Congratulations, we just won the pennant,'" said Torre. "You want to win. It doesn't have the same feel when you're behind in the ballgame. Everybody got pumped up, but it just wasn't meant to be. Baseball-wise, it's been a great year."
The division title is the fifth in six years for the Yankees, their 10th AL East title and the 39th first-place finish overall for the franchise -- the most of any team in professional sports.
It was a somber celebration for the Yankees in the clubhouse, as players congratulated one another, hugging and shaking hands as they celebrated the division title. No champagne corks were popped, though each player was given a bottle of champagne by the team in honor of the title.
"It feels great, though it's always hard to celebrate after a loss," said Mike Stanton. "By the end of the game, everyone was emotionally drained. With a veteran team, you don't want one day to belittle the whole season. Things are pretty subdued in here, but that doesn't take away from all of the work we've done this year and the goals that we set in February."
The Yankees, who hold a three-game lead over the Cleveland Indians (four in the loss column) for the No. 2 seeding in the AL, would face the Oakland A's in the ALDS if the standings remain in place. If Cleveland were to overtake New York, the Yankees would begin the postseason in Seattle against the Mariners.
"You never stop appreciating the opportunity to play in the playoffs," Brosius said. "Some guys play their whole careers without getting the chance to do that. It would have been more fun to do it with a win tonight, especially under the circumstances, but everyone feels good and is proud of what we've been able to accomplish this year."
