ANAHEIM, Calif. — Torii Hunter put on goggles, got on the clubhouse floor and began doing the butterfly and backstroke in a puddle of beer and champagne.

Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels had plenty to celebrate Wednesday.

They became the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff spot this season by winning their fourth AL West title in five years.

“I love it. I’m Michael Phelps,” Hunter bellowed, invoking the Olympic swimmer who won eight gold medals in Beijing. “This is what it’s all about.”

Francisco Rodriguez earned his 56th save in closing out the Angels’ 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Second-place Texas lost to Seattle 8-7 about an hour later, clinching the division for Los Angeles.

That set off mini-parties as the players emerged from the clubhouse to share their jubilation with several hundred fans who remained to cheer the final out in Seattle.

Hunter, who joined the Angels from Minnesota as a free agent during the offseason, began serving a two-day suspension Wednesday, so he wasn’t allowed on the field or in the dugout. Pitcher Justin Speier wore Hunter’s jersey on the field in his honor.

Stadium scoreboards flashed ‘2008 AL West champions’ and fans held up their own signs, including one that read ‘I want to go to the World Series.’

“It doesn’t get old,” longtime Angels star Garret Anderson said.

Team owner Arte Moreno came on the field, clapping his hands and repeatedly signaling thumbs-up to the red-clad fans. They responded with chants of “Arte! Arte!”

“Right now I’m more interested in how we finish up the season and get prepared to play in the playoffs,” he said. “Obviously, you always like to have home-field advantage.”

Pitcher Jered Weaver was the most exuberant, waving his cap and pumping his arms. A teammate poured beer into his mouth.

A couple players grabbed the hose behind the pitcher’s mound and turned it on, spraying their teammates and fans gathered behind the Angels’ dugout.

The Angels, with the best record in baseball, can now spend their final 17 games resting and setting up their rotation for the playoffs.

“There’s no such thing as too soon to clinch,” Hunter said. “We’ve been going hard to get to this point. It doesn’t matter if we clinch early or late, as long as we clinched.”

Also on Wednesday:

American League

Mariners 8

Rangers 7

SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez both had four hits for Seattle. Roy Corcoran (5-0) got the win and J.J. Putz earned his 13th save. Ibanez hit a tiebreaking RBI single off Kameron Loe in the sixth to make it 7-6 and added another run-scoring single with two outs in the seventh.

Rays 4

Red Sox 2

BOSTON — Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer in the top of the 14th, then Tampa Bay reliever Jason Hammel escaped a major jam in the bottom of the innings. After playing more than five hours, the Rays increased their lead in the AL East to 2½ games over the Red Sox.

Athletics 5

Tigers 2

DETROIT — Ryan Sweeney and Jack Cust hit back-to-back homers in the first inning for Oakland.Sean Gallagher came off the disabled list and pitched four hitless innings for the A’s, who have won four of five. Oakland used six relievers. Huston Street (6-5) worked a scoreless seventh to get the win.

White Sox 6

Blue Jays 5

CHICAGO — Mark Buehrle outpitched Roy Halladay and Chicago stopped Toronto’s 10-game winning streak. A.J. Pierzynski drove in three runs for the White Sox, who stayed one game ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central.

Twins 7

Royals 1

MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Slowey allowed four hits over seven innings for Minnesota, which notched consecutive wins for the first time in nearly three weeks. Jason Kubel had three hits and two RBIs for Minnesota, while Alexi Casilla had three singles.

Indians 7

Orioles 1

BALTIMORE — Scott Lewis allowed three hits over eight shutout innings in his major league debut for Cleveland. Kelly Shoppach hit two solo homers and scored three runs for the Indians.

National League

Dodgers 7

Padres 2

SAN DIEGO — Manny Ramirez hit two two-run homers, giving him 524 for his career, and Los Angeles beat San Diego. The Dodgers, who have won 10 of 11, extended their lead in the NL West to a season-high 3½ games over Arizona.

Giants 4

Diamondbacks 3

SAN FRANCISCO — Eugenio Velez hit a two-out, two-run triple in the ninth inning and San Francisco rallied to beat Arizona to complete a three-game sweep. The Giants matched their season-high win streak of five straight while Arizona lost its sixth straight overall and 10th consecutive on the road.

Brewers 4

Reds 3

MILWAUKEE — Mike Cameron singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and Milwaukee rallied to avoid a three-game sweep. The NL wild card-leading Brewers, who have won three of their last 10 games, trailed 3-1 after six innings.

Cubs 4

Cardinals 3

ST. LOUIS — Ted Lilly pitched eight sharp innings and Chicago capitalized on shaky fielding by injured Troy Glaus’ replacement to beat St. Louis its second win in nine games. Backup third baseman Felipe Lopez made a fielding error and throwing error on consecutive plays in the second inning, helping the Cubs score four runs.

Mets 13

Nationals 10

NEW YORK — David Wright hit a two-run homer and tied a career high with four hits for New York, which blew a six-run lead. Carlos Delgado, whose streak of multihomer games ended at two, hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. NL East-leading New York swept the two-game series and moved 3½ games ahead of Philadelphia.

Marlins 7

Phillies 3

PHILADELPHIA — Ricky Nolasco struck out eight in 7 23 innings and Luis Gonzalez homered for Florida. Josh Willingham snapped a 3-all tie with an RBI double in the eighth and helped the Marlins win the three-game series.

Astros 7

Pirates 4

HOUSTON — Miguel Tejada’s grand slam broke open a close game in the sixth inning and helped Houston to its fifth straight win and 13th in 14 games. Brian Moehler (11-6) went six innings and allowed two runs and five hits.

Braves 9

Rockies 5

ATLANTA — Kelly Johnson homered twice and James Parr pitched six more scoreless innings for Atlanta. Chipper Jones homered for the Braves, who won it with a five-run seventh after the Rockies scored four in the top half to tie the game.