Miguel Andujar lead Yankees to 12-1 victory over Rays

Miguel Andujar capped a four-run first inning with a three-run home run Thursday afternoon, helping the New York Yankees reduce their magic number for clinching the top American League wild-card spot to one with a 12-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Yankees (98-61) need just one win in three remaining games at Boston, or one loss by the Oakland Athletics (96-63) in their three meetings with the Los Angeles Angels, to earn the right to host the A's in the single-elimination playoff game on Wednesday.

The Yankees jumped on Rays starter Jaime Schultz (2-2) immediately, with Brett Gardner hitting the seventh pitch of the game for a double.

After Luke Voit and Giancarlo Stanton walked, Gardner scored the game's first run on a wild pitch.

Schultz then got a second out, before Andujar unloaded his 27th home run of the season to left field, making it 4-0.

Schultz was pulled at that point, charged with four runs and two hits in two-thirds of an inning. He walked two and struck out two.

The Yankees added three runs in the fourth, with Voit contributing an RBI double, before blowing the game open with a four-run sixth that included homers by Voit, his 13th, and Stanton, his 36th, to make the score 11-0.

Stanton made it a two-homer game, his fourth of the season, in the ninth, when he hit his 37th homer on the year.

Left-hander CC Sabathia (9-7) worked the first five innings, allowing only two baserunners. He struck out five and did not walk a batter, but he was ejected after he intentionally hit catcher Jesus Sucre in the top of the sixth inning. He would have earned a $500,000 bonus had he pitched seven innings today. He has pitched 153 innings and needs to pitch 155 for the contract bonus to kick in.

The only Tampa Bay run came on C.J. Cron's 29th home run of the season, a solo shot against Luis Cessa in the seventh inning.

Voit finished with three hits, while Gardner, Stanton, Andujar, and Adeiny Hechavarria had two apiece for the Yankees, who won three of four in the series to claim the season series from the Rays 10-9.

Stanton and Gardner each scored three times.

The Rays, who won 8-7 on Wednesday night, were held to two hits.