NEW YORK — Robinson Cano capped a five-run seventh inning with a grand slam, Chad Gaudin made a case for a spot on the Yankees' postseason roster and a makeshift New York lineup beat the Kansas City Royals 8-2 Monday night for the team's 101st win.
A day after the Yankees secured their first AL East title since 2006, Ramiro Pena hit his first major league home run and Shelley Duncan had a tiebreaking single in the sixth. New York rested most of its regulars for the opener of a three-game series against the Royals, the last AL squad to visit the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium.
Cano's second career slam was his 25th homer this season and helped set a franchise record for most players with at least 25 home runs in a season.