TORONTO -- For the second consecutive year, the Yankees took a different kind of path to the American League East title, but when all was said and done, they were able to call themselves division champs for a ninth straight season.

In 2005, the Yankees dealt with pitching injuries all year, putting themselves in a huge hole by June. New York fought back and climbed toward the top with a big second half, eventually winning the division in a showdown with the Red Sox during the final weekend of the season.

This year, it was the offense that suffered the untimely losses, but unlike the 2005 club, the Yankees never let things get out of hand, falling no farther than four games out of first place at any point in time.

"It never seemed to faze anybody," said Mike Mussina of the injuries. "For whatever reason, it had a different feeling than last year."

"It's been a challenge for us this season, but that's why you play out the year and don't play it on paper," Derek Jeter said. "I'm pretty proud of how we've played."

When Spring Training broke, the challenge had already been posed: Could the Yankees score 1,000 runs this season?

Having added a top leadoff hitter in Johnny Damon to a potent lineup which already featured the likes of Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui, the Bombers looked to be as fierce as any team out there when it came to punishing opposing pitchers.

Opening Day in Oakland only furthered the hype, as the Yanks pounded former Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito and the A's for 15 runs, putting them on a pace to score 2,430 times.

"Tonight was a special night," said Damon, who went 3-for-7 with two runs scored in his first game as a Yankee. "If this is any indication, this is going to be a fun year."

That pace, of course, was a fairy tale. The Yankees actually lost four in a row after the opener, returning home with a 2-4 record before Jeter thrilled the home fans with a game-winning homer in the home opener.

A 13-10 April had the Yankees tied for first place, but Sheffield injured his wrist on April 29, taking one of the big bats out of the lineup. Less than two weeks later, the Yankees would lose Matsui to a gruesome wrist injury of his own, taking the iron man left fielder out of action for four months.

Sheffield tried to return, but after five games, it was clear that his wrist was worse than he thought. Like Matsui, Sheffield underwent surgery on his wrist, removing another powerful corner outfielder from the lineup.

Most teams would have taken a huge step back after losing two All-Star players, but the Yankees marched on, quickly accepting the fact that they would have to get by without them.

"The biggest key was not paying attention to the fact that they weren't there," manager Joe Torre said. "As much as they're a part of the team, you knew they couldn't help you any, so bemoaning the fact that you don't have them, both mentally and emotionally, can play a bad part."

Instead, the Yankees called up Melky Cabrera to replace Matsui in left field and used a mix of several players to stand in for Sheffield in right.

Cabrera, of course, had a disastrous debut in July 2005, lasting less than a week before being returned to the Minors. Would he be ready to assume a major role less than a year later? Even his new teammates were unsure.

"No one really knew what to expect, because people remembered his trial run last year," Damon said. "When he came up and we threw him in the lineup, people were wondering if we could get by with Bubba [Crosby] instead."

Cabrera's first game didn't go well, as he made a two-run error in a 14-3 loss to the Red Sox. Some people described him as looking like a deer in headlights, and the names of potential trade targets began flying around immediately.

But unlike his first stint in 2005, Cabrera didn't let the mistake bring him down. Instead, he went on to become one of the key cogs in the Yankees' machine.

"Melky coming on board and doing what he did, it was pretty incredible for us," Torre said. "Melky fit in to the point where he didn't just fill in; he made an impact."

In 119 games, Cabrera hit .288 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs, hitting in five different spots in the batting order. He also proved to be a solid defensive player in left, tying Detroit's Craig Monroe for the AL lead with 12 assists.

"Cabrera coming up here and stepping up was the key," Damon said. "Melky came up and made a mistake on a fly ball, but from there, he's been pretty awesome. He knew he had to turn it up a notch and he's turned out to be a heck of a ballplayer."

The Yankees were just a half-game out of first place when they acquired Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle from the Phillies at the trade deadline. Abreu proved to be the best midseason pickup for New York since David Justice in 2000, hitting .335 with a .433 on-base percentage and 34 RBIs in 48 games.

More importantly, the addition of Abreu gave the Yankees a big bat to replace their injured outfielders, adding yet another weapon to the lineup.

"When we got Abreu, we were like, 'We can do this,'" Damon said. "We were all pretty exhausted, but when we added Bobby, it took some pressure off the lineup. When you have all these weapons in the lineup, you take the approach of, 'I'll do the best I can, and if I don't get it done, the guy behind me will.' Someone different was getting it done every night."

Since the Abreu acquisition, the Yankees have gone 30-18. After winning his debut, 5-1, the Yankees tied the Red Sox for first place. Two days later, New York moved ahead of Boston, taking over sole possession of first place.

They never gave it up again.

The five-game sweep at Fenway Park from Aug. 18-21 boosted the lead from 1 1/2 games to 6 1/2, as the Yankees took control of the division with a series for the ages.

"In order to win five games in Boston, you have to do something to make you feel like you can do it," Torre said. "The day before, we got our [rear ends] kicked and played horribly, so unless you can dismiss things like that ... we felt pretty good about who we were."

The Yankees didn't carry the momentum of the Boston Massacre with them to the West Coast, where they lost four of six games following the Red Sox sweep. Fortunately for New York, the sweep -- as well as some injuries to David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and several other players -- seemed to suck the life out of Boston. Over the next 3 1/2 weeks, there would be just two days on which the Yankees would lose ground to the Red Sox, pushing the lead up to 11 1/2 games by Sept. 14.

With the Mets ending the Braves' record streak of 14 consecutive division titles, the Yankees now hold the longest active streak. The Bombers have also reached the postseason for 11 straight years, the longest current streak for any team in baseball.

"It's really tough to do; just look at the teams that have won and then had a tough time getting back to the postseason the next year," Jeter said. "It's something you don't take for granted. People assume every year that we're going to be in the playoffs, but it's not an easy thing to accomplish. It says a lot for our organization that we've been consistent every year."

"I think every year has its own story as far as how tough it is to get there," Torre said. "This ballclub never felt it couldn't win. That's something you'd love to bottle and keep for the next group of guys that come in here."