New York ? With an epic defeat, the New York Yankees’ hold on first place in the AL East became increasingly tenuous.

Omar Vizquel had six hits, tying the American League record for a nine-inning game, and the Cleveland Indians routed New York, 22-0, Tuesday night in the largest loss in the 101-year history of the Yankees.

Cleveland matched the largest shutout win in the major leagues since 1900, set by Pittsburgh against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 16, 1975.

“It’s obviously embarrassing,” Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said in words repeated by several teammates.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner watched his team fall in record fashion, then refused to answer questions as he left the ballpark.

Cleveland’s runs total seemed to spin by on the scoreboard as fast as the symbols on a slot machine. New York’s AL East lead, which stood at 101/2 games on the morning of Aug. 16, was cut to 31/2 games by Boston, which beat Anaheim, 10-7, for its 19th win in 23 games.

“Sure, we’re aware of where they are and what they’re doing, but you can’t lose perspective,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “It really wasn’t much fun watching anything, our scoreboard or theirs.”

Javier Vazquez (13-8) was knocked out in the second inning, Cleveland took a 15-0 lead in the fifth, and Jody Gerut and Victor Martinez hit three-run homers off Esteban Loaiza in the ninth.

New York never had lost by more than 18 runs, falling 24-6 on July 29, 1928, at Cleveland, and 19-1 on June 17, 1925, at home against Detroit. Previously, the Yankees’ biggest shutout loss was 15-0 against the Chicago White Sox on May 4, 1950, at home.

Cleveland's Ron Belliard (20) hugs teammate Coco Crisp after Crisp hit a two-run home run against New York. The Indians dealt the Yankees their worst loss in franchise history, 22-0, Tuesday night in New York.

“The way Cleveland played tonight, we’d better worry about Cleveland, not about Boston,” Alex Rodriguez said.

Jake Westbrook (12-6) improved to 6-1 in his last nine starts, allowing five hits in seven innings. Jeremy Guthrie finished with hitless relief. Cleveland has not allowed a run in 21 innings.

“It’s good to see your offense to that,” Westbrook said. “It’s good for them. It’s great for your team.”

Cleveland, which had season highs for runs and hits (22), set a team record for largest shutout win, topping its 19-0 rout of Boston on May 18, 1955.

Vazquez, his faced bowed and wiping sweat off his face, walked off the field to boos after 11/3 innings, matching the shortest start of his career. Vazquez gave up six runs, and the Indians then scored seven off Tanyon Sturtze and three against C.J. Nitkowski.

Red Sox 10, Angels 7

Boston — Manny Ramirez homered twice, Curt Schilling moved into a tie for the major-league lead with 17 wins, and Boston beat Anaheim.

Boston won its season-high seventh straight game and for the 13th time in 14 games to take a 21/2-game lead over the Angels in the American League wild-card race. Anaheim had won 10 of 11.

The Red Sox cut New York’s lead in the AL East to 31/2 games. Boston has trimmed seven games from its deficit since Aug. 15.

Schilling (17-6) received a huge ovation when he tipped his cap on the way off the field in the eighth inning, and that was the only thing the crowd liked better than the highlights from the Indians’ bashing of the Yankees.

Orioles 10, Devil Rays 6 12 innings

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Melvin Mora and Jay Gibbons homered in the 12th inning, and Baltimore outlasted Aubrey Huff and Tampa Bay. Huff homered twice. He hit a tying home run with two outs in the ninth, then tied it again with an RBI single in the 11th. Mora hit his 23rd homer leading off the 12th against Lance Carter (3-3).

Twins 8, Rangers 5 11 innings

Minneapolis — Torii Hunter hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, leading Minnesota over Texas. Hunter drove in a career-high six runs, and Justin Morneau also homered and had two RBIs for the Twins, who maintained their seven-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central standings.

Juan Rincon (11-6) earned the win after getting two outs in the 11th. Joe Nathan got the first out, but had to leave when he tried to field a ball with his pitching hand and cut his ring finger.

Mariners 7, Blue Jays 5

Toronto — Ichiro Suzuki got three hits to finish with 56 in August, the most in a month by a major leaguer in 68 years, and Seattle rallied past Toronto for its season-high fifth straight victory. The last player to get so many hits in a month was Cleveland’s George Weatherly in July 1936. Suzuki, chasing George Sisler’s major-league record for hits in a season, finished 3-for-5 and has 212 hits. Sisler had 257 hits for the St. Louis Browns in 1920.

Athletics 7, White Sox 2

Chicago — Rich Harden pitched seven solid innings, helping Oakland extend its winning streak to eight games. Adam Melhuse went 3-for-4 with a home run, and Mark Kotsay also had three hits for the A’s, who matched their longest winning streak of the season and won for the 13th time in 14 games.