"It's probably too late for Robinson Cano to put himself in the mix for the AL MVP race, but that doesn't mean he's not going to give it a try. Cano continued his incredible August, capping an epic at-bat with a tie-breaking home run in the fourth to lift the Yankees to a 9-7 win over the Royals Tuesday night.

Cano went 2-for-5 with four RBI, giving him a .386 average, five homers and 17 RBI in 14 games this month. He's hitting .306 with 21 home runs and 85 RBI for the season.

"It seems like Robbie was born to hit," Joe Girardi said. "What we've seen the last two weeks or so, it's as good as he's been."

Derek Jeter and Russell Martin each drove in a pair of runs, helping the Bombers to their 16th win in the last 22 games. The Yankees reclaimed first place in the AL East by a half-game over the Red Sox, who split a doubleheader against the Rays.

Ivan Nova gave up a season-high seven runs on nine hits and one walk over 51/3 innings, but the Yanks bailed him out with a pair of big frames, helping the rookie to his 12th win. "He won the game," Girardi said. "He was not as sharp as we've seen him, but he found a way to win the game.""