Bubbling over

"He wrote back, 'We'll see what we can do. I'll do my best for you.' "

It was the prelude to a made-for-TV experience. The Red Sox, whose 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins ended at 9:39 p.m., became champions of the American League East an hour and 17 minutes later, at 10:56, when Millar and the Orioles beat the Yankees, 10-9, in 10 innings, a comeback win the Sox watched from inside their clubhouse while several thousand fans watched on the Fenway Park video scoreboard.

Millar did his part, getting hit by a pitch by Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in the ninth, when the Orioles rallied from three runs down to tie the score on a bases-loaded triple by former Sox outfielder Jay Payton. A third ex-Sox player, Chad Bradford, was the winning pitcher after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the 10th, and Melvin Mora dropped a two-out squeeze bunt to bring home the winning run after Millar looked at a called third strike.

Naturally, the irrepressible Millar was heard from in the midst of a wild Sox celebration that reached its apex when Alex Cora took command of the Fenway Park sound system, blasting "Sweet Caroline" while Jonathan Papelbon, wearing sliding shorts and a T-shirt, did a mad Irish jig on the mound.

"He texted me back and said, 'I told you I'd come through for you,' " Epstein said. "He said, 'I'm still sitting on that changeup, by the way. Congratulations.' "

The Sox had not won a division title since 1995, Last night, they ended a run of nine straight division titles by the Yankees. With Cleveland winning in Kansas City, the Red Sox are assured of opening their Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels next week in Fenway Park. The Indians will meet the Yankees in the other divisional matchup. With two games left, the Sox and Indians are tied for the best record in the league at 95-65; the winner gets to choose to start its first round with a Wednesday-Friday format or a Thursday-Friday schedule, the former favoring a team that would like to pitch its top two starters twice in the best-of-five series.

"Winning the division was important," said owner John W. Henry, who received a shampoo of Korbel California Champagne Extra Dry from Papelbon. "I think we all knew it was important."