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BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Andy Pettitte became the latest victim of the New York Yankees' improbable September meltdown. But luckily for the two-time defending world champions, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays remained red-hot. Shooting for his 20th win, Pettitte yielded nine runs in the second inning as the Yankees suffered another embarrassing defeat, 13-2, against the Baltimore Orioles before backing in to their third straight American League East title. The Yankees' September collapse was approaching one of the worst ever. They have lost five straight and 13 of 16 games in their worst stretch of the season. New York has been outscored, 35-6, in the last three games and has yielded at least 10 runs seven times this month. But thanks to the Devil Rays, who swept three games from the Yankees over the previous three days, New York will limp into the postseason for the sixth straight year and 40th time in its illustrious history. Tampa Bay eliminated Boston tonight with an 8-6 triumph. "It was torture," New York manager Joe Torre said of the scoreboard-watching that went on in the dugout as his team took another beating on the field. "There was nothing going on in our game. But I am glad it's over. It takes the tension out of us. It would have gone on tomorrow if this had not happened." "I like the Yanks and I like Torre," Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove said. "They deserve to win the division. They have played well all year long with a rough spell here lately." After the final out, the Yankees sauntered out of the dugout and did not bother to lift even a single bottle of champagne en route to the clubhouse. Upon entering the locker room, however, the players began to celebrate their ninth AL East crown since 1976. "We have reason to celebrate," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said after being beaned twice during the rout. "Not this game or the last couple of weeks, but the whole season. It was a celebration of our season. A hard season." "This is what it's all about, getting into the playoffs," added New York third baseman Scott Brosius. "We earned it. It was not easy, we lost games. But it isn't how many games you win, it's about getting the chance to defend the championship. We won more games than anybody in our division, period." New York clinched the division crown here last year on September 30 with a 12-5 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. Pettitte (19-9) walked Cal Ripken, Melvin Mora and rookie Chris Richard to start the bottom of the second before Brook Fordyce stroked a single to center that gave Baltimore a 2-0 lead. Rookie Luis Matos hit a potential double play ball to shortstop, but second baseman Chuck Knoblauch's relay throw sailed high as Richard crossed the plate. Brady Anderson walked, Jerry Hairston singled in a run and both runners moved up on right fielder Paul O'Neill's errant throw to the plate. Delino DeShields, Albert Belle and Ripken chased Pettitte with successive run-scoring singles to make it 7-0. Pettitte watched from the bench as Dwight Gooden surrendered a two-out, three-run homer to Richard, capping the Orioles' second 10-run inning in as many nights. It tied a team record and all but sealed New York's fate. "Pettitte had a phenomenal year for us," Torre said of his club's leader in wins. "I mean all he did was go out there and win. He wanted that 20th win so bad tonight and he was just trying too hard out there. He overdid it, but he's been our man all year long." Baltimore exploded for 10 runs in the fourth inning of Thursday's 23-1 rout of Toronto, eliminating the Blue Jays from postseason contention. It marked just the second time since 1900 that a team has scored in double figures in an inning in consecutive games. The Houston Astros accomplished the feat in a doubleheader against the New York Mets on July 30, 1969. Pettitte fell to 11-3 lifetime Baltimore, suffering his first loss in eight career decisions at Camden Yards. Chuck McElroy (3-0), making his second straight start after 603 relief appearances, smothered New York's feeble offense with ease. The journeyman lefthander allowed a run and three hits over a career-high six innings for his second consecutive win. He tossed five scoreless frames in a 2-0 victory on September 20 over Oakland. "I can do the job," McElroy responded when asked if he felt comfortable in a starting role. "I have four pitches I can throw for strikes in any situation. It was fun these last two starts." Ripken and Richard hit back-to-back homers in the eighth off rookie Jay Tessmer as Baltimore opened a 13-1 cushion. Richard had his second career multi-homer game and drove in five runs. New York managed to scratch a run against McElroy in the third when Bernie Williams lined a two-out RBI single to left. The Yankees did not score again until the ninth, when Luis Polonia's sacrifice fly scored Williams, who led off with a single to center off Buddy Groom. Groom made his 69th appearance and has two more chances to become the first pitcher to appear in 70 games in five seasons. New York slipped to 13-16 in September. The Yankees have never won the World Series after a losing September. "Now we can focus on the postseason," Jeter said. "We will find out if it is a release for us. I don't care who we play. We won our division. In the postseason, everyone's 0-0."
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