NEW YORK (Interstat) — Ben Rice launched two home runs, including a go-ahead solo shot in the eighth inning, to power the New York Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday evening at Yankee Stadium, capping a season-ending eight-game winning streak.

The win, played before a crowd of 45,004 in 2 hours and 42 minutes, gave the Yankees a final record of 94 wins and 68 losses. However, the celebration was muted as the Yankees were on track to finish one win shy of repeating as American League East champions. With the Toronto Blue Jays leading the Tampa Bay Rays late in their game, a Blue Jays victory would create a 94-68 tie, with Toronto winning the division via the tiebreaker due to an 8-5 advantage in the season series. The Yankees were poised to host the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.

The loss concluded a disappointing season for the Orioles, who finished with a record of 75 wins and 87 losses.

Rice provided all the necessary offense for the Yankees, bookending the game with powerful swings. He staked New York to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning, driving a solo home run to center field off Orioles starter Kyle Bradish. After the Orioles surged ahead, Rice delivered the final blow in the eighth, connecting against reliever Rico Garcia for his 26th homer of the year, a decisive blast to left-center field.

The Yankees’ bullpen sealed the narrow victory. Devin Williams earned the win, his fourth of the season against six losses, by pitching a scoreless top of the eighth inning. Closer David Bednar then struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to secure his 27th save of the year.

Baltimore’s offense was limited to just five hits, all of which came from the top of their lineup. The damage was done in the fourth inning against Yankees starter Luis Gil. Jordan Westburg led off the frame with a solo home run to center field to tie the game. Two batters later, Gunnar Henderson followed with a solo shot of his own to right-center, giving the Orioles a brief 2-1 lead.

That advantage was short-lived. The Yankees answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger hit back-to-back singles, and Giancarlo Stanton followed with an RBI single to left field, scoring Judge to knot the game at 2.

Gil settled in after the two home runs, finishing with a solid line of five innings pitched, three hits, two earned runs and two strikeouts. Bradish was effective for Baltimore over four innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out eight Yankees batters.

The game remained deadlocked until Rice’s second heroics in the eighth. The Orioles threatened in the top of the ninth, putting the potential tying run in scoring position after a walk to Adley Rutschman and a fielding error by Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., but Bednar stranded the runner by striking out the final two batters of the game.

The victory extended the Yankees’ winning streak to eight games to end the regular season, though it appeared it would not be enough to secure the division crown. The Orioles, after a promising stretch earlier in the month, lost five of their final six games, all to the Yankees.