BOSTON -- The Red Sox clubhouse was quiet after the team clinched its first post-season berth since 2009, about as quiet as the Orioles bats were against John Lackey. Boston has much bigger goals. Lackey pitched a two-hit complete game, Stephen Drew hit a two-run homer and the Red Sox beat Baltimore 3-1 on Thursday night to complete an impressive turnaround from last seasons last place-finish. The win ensured Boston at least a wild-card berth and lowered its magic number to one for clinching the AL East. A year ago, under Bobby valentine, the Red Sox finished 69-93 record -- their worst since 1965. "Weve still got some other goals ahead of us," Lackey said. "Hopefully, here in the next night or two we can get a party going." Earlier in the day, the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to earn a playoff berth when they clinched the NL West. Just before Adam Jones game-ending flyout to right, the crowd chanted, "Lackey! Lackey!" And after Daniel Nava caught the ball, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia embraced Lackey in front of the mound as Red Sox players came out of the dugout and lined up for their usual, low-key postgame handshakes. "The next step is a more important one than this," said manager John Farrell, who has led Bostons turnaround after one disastrous year under Bobby Valentine. "Winning the East, thats been the stated goal since day one of spring training. Thats getting closer and I think that will probably be a little bit more the realization of where weve come from and where we are at that moment." Lackeys resurgence has been just as remarkable. He had a 6.41 ERA in 2011 while pitching with arm trouble, then missed all last season following ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow. Hes just 10-12 this season but has had the least run support among Boston starters. On Thursday, he lowered his ERA to 3.44. "The remake of John Lackey, both physically and getting back on the mound and performing as hes done all year, mirrors that of this team," Farrell said. "Its somewhat fitting that to clinch a spot to get into the playoffs is with him on the mound and to go nine innings the way he did, like I said, very fitting." Lackey held the Orioles hitless until Jones homered with one out in the seventh, his 32nd this season. The right-hander allowed a one-out single to J.J. Hardy in the eighth, struck out eight and walked two in his 16th career complete game. "Theres definitely some satisfaction for sure," he said, "Just with the injury and other stuff, to get back to the playoffs and get back to the way I can pitch has been fun." Baltimore is two games behind in the AL wild-card race after winning two of the three games in the series. "Who cares about this getting two out of three?" Jones said. "At this point in time, winning the series means nothing. We need wins. Good job getting the series if this was June, but its September. We need wins." Chris Tillman (16-7) gave up three runs and seven hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. "Thats the way these games go at the end of the season," he said. "Youve got to be on top of it from the get-go all the way through. I made some mistakes and they made me pay." Boston scored all its runs in the second on Drews homer, his 13th of the year, and Dustin Pedroias RBI single. The Red Sox have led the AL East since after play on Aug. 25 and entered Thursday having topped the AL East in 46 of the previous 49 days. Lackey made it 47 out of 50. "As far as fastball command, keeping the ball down in the zone throughout the game, yeah, that was probably his best game" of the year, Saltalamacchia said. NOTES: Pedroia extended his hitting streak to nine games. ... Baltimore opens a four-game series on Friday at Tampa Bay with Jason Hammel (7-8) pitching for the Orioles against David Price (8-8). ... The Red Sox send Jon Lester (14-8) to the mound against Esmil Rogers (5-7) in the opener of their last home series of the regular season, three games against Toronto. Christian Miller Jersey . Second-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States made lighter work of her day as she beat 2009 champion and Swiss wild card Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3. Two seeds fell: No. 4 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium lost to Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-4, 6-2, and No. Greg Little Womens Jersey . -- The defending Canadian womens curling champions squandered an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the standings Tuesday at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. http://www.shoppanthersonline.us/panther...ls-blue-jersey/. Hes coming back to fulfil them. One of Europes top coaches, Blatt was hired Friday by the Cavaliers, who ended a sweeping, 39-day search with an out-of-the-box selection they hope changes their fortunes. Curtis Samuel Panthers Jersey . Terrance Broadway threw for 227 yards and Hunter Stover kicked three field goals as the Ragin Cajuns won an unprecedented fourth straight New Orleans Bowl with a 16-3 triumph over Nevada. Curtis Samuel Youth Jersey . The 36-year-old Colts receiver is going back to the playoffs as a division champion.RENO, Nev. - John E. Williams III has been a San Francisco 49ers fan since John Brodie was throwing touchdown passes at Candlestick Park in the 1970s. So he was excited about the prospects of scoring a ticket to make the trip to Seattle in January to watch the rivals battle in the NFC Championship Game. But the Las Vegas man says in a $50 million lawsuit against the NFL that his hopes were dashed by the league and others he accuses of engaging in "economic discrimination" with an illegal ticket policy limiting credit-card sales to selected pro-Seattle markets. His lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas says it was part of an effort to keep 49er fans away and further promote the Seahawks boisterous home-field advantage at CenturyLink Field. "Theyre always boasting up there about their 12th player and everything else," Williams told The Associated Press on Friday. "But by allowing the NFL to decide who can or cannot attend the games, you make it an unfair game. Seattle fixed it." Williams, who works as a promoter in the entertainment industry, said that because the NFL relies heavily on public subsidies and money from taxpayers to build stadiums. it should not be allowed to deny ticket sales to individuals on the basis they are "not from an area determined by the team — or the NFL — to be fan of that team." "The practice of withholding the sale of tickets from the public at large and allowing only credit card holders limited to certain areas is a violation of the Federal Consumer Fraud Act and/or common law," according to the lawsuit filed April 15..dddddddddddd In the case of Januarys game, the Seahawks limited ticket sales only to credit cards with addresses in the states of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii, as well as the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. As a result, he said, he suffered "economic discrimination and violation of public accommodation solely" because his credit card was not issued in the restrictive states or Canada — "which is not even part of the United States." "This selected process is contrary to the spirit of the NFL and contrary to public accommodation," said Williams, who is seeking $10 million in punitive damages on top of $40 million in real damages. Brian McCarthy, the NFLs vice-president of communications, said the league has no comment on the lawsuit. Officials for California-based Ticketmaster, which is now part of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., and the Seattle Seahawks did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Williams said he had made up his mind that if San Francisco beat the Carolina Panthers in a semifinal game, he was going to buy tickets to the NFC title game in Seattle for himself, his roommate, a girlfriend who lives in Canada and her daughter. San Francisco beat Carolina 23-10, then lost at Seattle 23-17. "I live in Las Vegas, but Im originally from San Francisco. Ive seen John Brodie back in the day, and Joe Montana. I really wanted to go up there to see the Niners," Williams said. "I think the tickets should be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, not based on who they want in the crowd." ' ' '