Winning for the second night against the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees are 2 ½ games ahead in the AL East; in addition to lowering their magic number for playoff spot to three and winning the division to 10.Yankees can thank the Boston Red Sox for helping those numbers falling to the Baltimore Orioles for the second nigh tin a row.

It could not come at a better time for New York, as winning the division translates into home-field advantage for the Yankees.

Playing hosts for the first two rounds of the playoffs, especially in the 5-game Division Series could be critical for the Yankees down the stretch.

Being at Yankees Stadium for both these two games, I can attest that the Yankees fans have impacted each player.

The atmosphere rivaled that of the 2009 World Series up in the Bronx the last two nights. Fans even started a round-the-clock wave that circled the stadium three times, spanning from the nosebleeds all the way down to luxury seats.

Unlike last weeks Rays-series, the Bombers are clearly outplaying Tampa Bay this time. More and more, the 2010 Yankees resemble the same group that won the World Series in 2009.

There are only 14 games remaining in the MLB regular season, but the best of baseball gets played in October.

The 2010 post-season is overall on track to be one of the most competitive ever.

*RECENT NEWS: The Minnesota Twins won the AL Central tonight for the sixth time since 2002. It’s the first team to clinch so far. Congratulations to the Twins and their loyal fans!!

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