OAKLAND, CALIF. ? Once they had their chance to go head-to-head, the Anaheim Angels showed Oakland which team was best in the AL West.

After chasing the Athletics all September, the Angels scored three times in the eighth inning to beat Oakland, 5-4, Saturday and clinch their first division title in 18 years.

The teams were tied for first place when the series began Friday, and many expected the race to come down to the last day of the season. But Anaheim ended the suspense with two consecutive wins.

“I knew our guys weren’t going to melt,” manager Mike Scioscia said moments before getting soaked in champagne by several players. “We have a lot of very, very talented players.”

That’s for sure.

Darin Erstad hit a tying, two-run double, then scored on Garret Anderson’s single as the Angels earned their first playoff berth since 2002, when they won the World Series as the wild card.

Vladimir Guerrero homered for the Angels, who trailed Oakland by one game Monday. But after beating the A’s, 10-0, Friday night, Anaheim won again to wrap it up. The Angels have won seven of eight overall and are 20-7 in their last 27 road games.

“What we did to be at this point, nobody expected it,” Anaheim leadoff hitter Chone Figgins said. “It’s motivation. We were down four or five games, but we still had to play in our division. When you still have to play in your division, and it’s coming down to the home stretch, you get a little more energy.”

It’s still not clear who the Angels will face in the first round of the playoffs — it will be either the New York Yankees or Boston.

Oakland’s Eric Byrnes grabbed his helmet in disbelief and frustration when he flied out to left to end it, and a celebration by the Angels ensued on the mound. It quickly moved into the clubhouse, where champagne and beer began flowing freely.

The A’s realigned their rotation to have Mark Mulder, Barry Zito and Tim Hudson on the mound for the final weekend, but it didn’t work out.

The A’s dropped to 12-18 in September — a shocking development for a team that has been the best in baseball in the final month the past four years.

Rangers 10, Mariners 4

Seattle — Michael Young had a two-run homer and three hits, spoiling Edgar Martinez Day in Seattle. The sellout crowd of 45,817 received a special treat when Martinez, Seattle’s retiring designated hitter, started the ninth inning at third base. He stayed in for one pitch. Martinez went hitless with a walk in three at-bats.

Red Sox 7-7, Orioles 5-5

Baltimore — Doug Mientkiewicz hit a tiebreaking two-run triple in the seventh inning, and Boston rallied to beat Baltimore for a doubleheader sweep. In the opener, Bronson Arroyo threw three shutout innings in his final tuneup before the playoffs, and Johnny Damon drove in three runs.

Tigers 5, Devil Rays 1

Detroit — Marcus Thames had his first two-homer game and drove in three runs, and Gary Knotts pitched solid ball into the eighth inning in Detroit’s win over Tampa Bay. Craig Monroe also homered for Detroit, which set a major-league record by having 11 players with at least 10 home runs.

Blue Jays 4, Yankees 2

Toronto — Roy Halladay pitched eight strong innings to help Toronto beat Kevin Brown and New York. Brown (10-6), auditioning for a spot in the Yankees’ postseason rotation, held the Blue Jays to one hit — Vernon Wells’ double in the fourth — and one unearned run through five innings.

Twins 5, Indians 5 suspended, 11 innings

Minneapolis — Minnesota and Cleveland were tied after 11 innings when the game was suspended because the Metrodome field needed to be changed over for the later Penn State-Minnesota football game. They will complete the game today.