Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Russell Martin and Mark Teixeira stepped up the plate, sent the ball over the wall and circled the bases like a conga line in a nine-run second inning.

With record-tying power backing a superb start by CC Sabathia, the New York Yankees have first place all to themselves with two games to go and hope they’ll have a real party before this series against the Boston Red Sox is over.

New York (93-67), which clinched its 17th playoff berth in 18 years on Sunday, would ensure its 13th division title in 17 years by sweeping the three-game series against the Red Sox. Baltimore (92-68) lost 5-3 at Tampa Bay and dropped into second place, prompting cheers from the Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,478 when the final score was posted just before the ninth.

New York tied its record for home runs in an inning, achieving the feat for the third time. Sabathia (15-6), with perhaps his best changeup of the year, allowed two runs and four hits in eight innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. Following a stretch of four shaky outings, he is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last three.

He reached 200 innings for the fifth straight year and stayed in for 103 pitches, with the Yankees wanting to rest their top relievers rather than take him out early. Girardi wouldn’t say whether he’d consider starting his ace on short rest Friday if New York fails to win the division and winds up in the new onegame, wild-card playoff.

Cano homered leading off the second against Clay Buchholz (11-8), a drive off the blue facing below the glassenclosed bar behind Monument Park in center, and hit a two-run double later in the inning. He kept checking for Baltimore’s score.

Cano added another double in the fourth and has seven straight multihit games, raising his average to .308.

Granderson’s two-run, second deck homer to right and Martin followed with a solo shot off the top of the wall above the scoreboard in rightcenter, a drive upheld after a video review.

Teixeira, back in the lineup for the first time since Sept. 8 following his recovery from a strained left calf, greeted Alfredo Aceves with a tworun drive into the second deck in right. Nick Swisher nearly followed with another homer, hitting a foul drive deep down the right-field line before doubling.

Even slumping Alex Rodriguez got in on the offense, hitting a sacrifice fly to end a streak of 11 games without an RBI. He tied Stan Musial for fifth place on the career list at 1,950.

Starting what may be its final series under first-year manager Bobby Valentine, Boston has lost six in a row and 10 of 11, reaching 91 defeats for the first time since dropping 100 games in 1965. In what resembled a spring training lineup, the Red Sox started just two regular position players, Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Six of the starters had uniform Nos. 50 or higher.

Dustin Pedroia was out of the starting lineup because of an injured finger, and Jacoby Ellsbury sat against the lefthander after returning from an injury last weekend.

Notes — Girardi scratched Ivan Nova from his scheduled start Tuesday following a pair of poor outings and replaced him with rookie David Phelps. Hiroki Kuroda starts Wednesday and Andy Pettitte is lined up to start Thursday if a tiebreaker game is needed to decide the AL East. Phil Hughes would pitch on normal rest if there is a game Friday and the Yankees decide not to bring back Sabathia then. … New York has outhomered Boston 38-14 in matchups this season. … The Yankees also homered four times in an inning on June 30, 1977, at Toronto (Cliff Johnson twice, Thurman Munson and Lou Piniella), and on June 21, 2005, against Tampa Bay (Gary Sheffield, Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada). …Buchholz was roughed up for eight runs and six hits in 1.2 innings. The eight earned runs were a career high.