Chicago ? As Torii Hunter stood in the middle of the Minnesota Twins’ raucous clubhouse, two teammates sneaked up from behind and threw a cooler full of water on him.

Hunter didn’t even flinch. If anything, the grin on his face got a little brighter. After everything the Twins have endured the last couple of seasons, it’s going to take a lot more than cold water to spoil their party.

“Every year we’ve got to go out there and prove to somebody. But you know what? I like it,” Hunter said after the Twins clinched their third straight AL Central title Monday night with an 8-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

“We’re the underdogs, and we’ve got something to prove every day,” he said. “That’s our motivation, to go out there and prove people wrong.”

The game was all but over after the first inning, when Hunter and Corey Koskie each hit a two-run homer off Mark Buehrle. Though they were forced to play host to someone else’s party, the White Sox never put up much of a fight.

The Twins hung over the railing in front of their dugout for the final inning, and manager Ron Gardenhire inserted Jacque Jones, one of the few players left over from the team that was threatened with contraction, as a defensive replacement so the veteran could be on the field.

When Timo Perez popped out to shortstop Cristian Guzman for the final out, the Twins rushed onto the field, turning second base into an impromptu mosh pit.

After bopping around and hugging for several minutes, they walked toward the dugout to shake hands with the coaching staff. Gardenhire stayed at the end of the line, hugging each player as he came off the field.

A few hundred Twins fans stood behind the dugout whooping and hollering, and the scoreboard flashed congratulations. It’s the first time in the team’s 44-year history that the Twins have reached the playoffs in three straight seasons.

Minnesota had to wait for someone else to lose to win its last two division titles; this time they won on the field.

The White Sox, meanwhile, didn’t bother sticking around for the festivities. As if watching Minnesota celebrate in their own park wasn’t bad enough, the loss officially eliminated the White Sox from the playoffs.

Minnesota players and coaches celebrate an 8-2 victory over the White Sox. The win Monday in Chicago clinched a third straight American League Central title for the Twins.

Orioles 9, Red Sox 6

Boston — B.J. Surhoff hit a grand slam, and Baltimore capitalized on the third straight poor start by a Boston pitcher. The Red Sox remained 41/2 games behind AL East-leading New York. Tim Wakefield (11-10) lost his control after three strong innings and fell to 0-3 in four starts.

Blue Jays 6, Yankees 3

New York — Gustavo Chacin became the first lefty starter to win his major-league debut against the Yankees in the Joe Torre era. Chacin (1-0) held the AL East leaders to a mere four hits before leaving in the eighth inning. Javier Vazquez (14-10) took the loss, just the Yankees’ fourth defeat in 15 games.

Tigers 3, Indians 1

Detroit — Mike Maroth pitched splendidly into the seventh, and Dmitri Young and Brandon Inge homered for Detroit. Maroth (11-11) pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits while striking out three.

Angels 5, Mariners 2

Anaheim, Calif. — Dallas McPherson had three hits and an RBI in his first major-league start, helping Anaheim gain ground in the playoff race. The Angels closed within 2 1/2 games of idle Oakland in the AL West and 4 1/2 of Boston in the wild-card chase despite playing most of the night without right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, who was hit in the head by a pitch in the first inning. X-rays at a hospital were normal, and Guerrero returned to the dugout.