updated 9:51 a.m. ET Sept. 13, 2006

NEW YORK - Bobby Abreu finished off the Devil Rays all by himself — in the first inning. Hideki Matsui kept getting applause all night.

Abreu hit a three-run homer and a three-run double in a nine-run first and finished with a career-high seven RBIs in the New York Yankees’ 12-4 laugher over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

“It was crazy,” said Abreu, who went 2-for-3 with a third-inning sacrifice fly and fourth-inning flyout to the warning track, just missing a grand slam.

Matsui, returning from the broken left wrist that ended his consecutive games streak on May 11, went 4-for-4 with a walk, earning several standing ovations and tying his major league high for hits in a game. As fans rose before his first at-bat, he showed rare emotion, taking off his batting helmet and waving it at the crowd of 52,265.

“When I got to the plate, I never even imagined I would receive such an ovation,” he said through a translator. “I felt nothing but appreciation.”

Derek Jeter batted in each of the first four innings without getting an official at-bat: He had three walks and was hit by a pitch. He didn’t bat again, and his career-high 21-game hitting streak remained intact under baseball’s rules. With three runs scored, he increased his total to 102 and broke 100 for the 10th time.

Yankees manager Joe Torre at first forgot about the streak when he pinch hit for Jeter in the seventh.

“I apologized,” Torre said. “He said, ‘I wasn’t going to catch him, anyway,’ ” a reference to Joe DiMaggio’s record 56-game streak.

Then Torre found out that Jeter’s streak continued under the rules. Jeter, whose .346 average is second in the AL to Minnesota’s Joe Mauer (.348), can’t avoid the streak these days.

“You notice it because every time you’re on deck, somebody in the stands is yelling to get a hit,” Jeter said.

Special feature Reuters Stretch run: Breaking down MLB playoff races

Mike Mussina (14-6) pitched 6 1-3 shutout innings to win for the first time in six starts, and the Yankees lowered their magic number to nine for clinching their ninth straight AL East title, maintaining a season-high 10½-game lead over Boston.

Pitching on six days’ rest after a stint on the disabled list caused by a strained right groin, Mussina allowed five hits, struck out five and walked none. He had been 0-3 since beating Tampa Bay on July 30.

MORE FROM BASEBALL

Baseball Section Front

A deal on Bradley? You're buying a lemon CTB: Panda attacks conditioning like a jelly donut GMs head out to work on offseason trades Report: Mets, Phillies interested in Figgins MLB blog: Tigers listening to offers for Granderson Blyleven: Pitching to be had beyond Halladay Celizic: MLB needs Cuban to breathe new life into game Jamie McCourt denies having affair Varitek exercises option to remain with Red Sox MLB blog: Mariners are bringing back Griffey ... why? Baseball Section Front   Add Baseball headlines to your news reader: