Hope percolated throughout Yankee Stadium in the early going Sunday afternoon that the Yankees might just be able to close a remarkable September run to cop a most unlikely AL East title.

But eight wins in a row to close the season — which Ben Rice secured with his second home run of the day, a tiebreaking eighth-inning shot that ultimately gave the Yankees a 3-2 victory over the Orioles — wasn’t enough.

After falling behind the Rays 1-0 in the top of the first, the Blue Jays got two home runs and six RBIs from longtime Yankees-killer Alejandro Kirk and clinched the division title with a 13-4 victory in Toronto .

The Blue Jays and Yankees both finished at 94-68, tied for the best record in the American League and the third-best record in the majors. But Toronto's tiebreaker advantage

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