TORONTO - The Red Sox left Canada early Sunday night still not knowing their postseason status.

Were they or were they not officially in the playoffs?

The Sox' shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays left them with a magic number of one -- guaranteed at least a tie -- pending the outcome of the final game at Yankee Stadium later Sunday.

That rendered the Sox in a state of suspended animation. Most of the players were to be back home by the time they knew the final score from The Bronx, and thus, the status of their playoff bid.

"The best way to celebrate [clinching a playoff spot] is to [mess] up your clubhouse,'' said David Ortiz, who swatted an opposite-field, two-run homer in the third inning, more than enough to support the stellar pitching of Daisuke Matsuzaka. "I'm not going to be popping champagne at my house [if the Yanks lose], but it's a good thing to get back in [to the postseason].''

Undoubtedly, some of the Red Sox found themselves in an unusual position of rooting for the Yankees, so the Sox can clinch for themselves, at Fenway this week.

But now that their fifth playoff appearance in six seasons is a virtual fait accompli, the Sox aren't about to settle for the wild-card spot if they can help it. Tampa Bay's loss yesterday moved the Sox back to within 1 ½ games of first place, with the division title still in play.

"Absolutely,'' said catcher Jason Varitek, without hesitation, when asked if the Sox were still aiming for a first-place finish. "We really had to win today to put ourselves in the right position for the rest of this week. Either way, it was just important to win this one and win the series.''

After a triple by Jacoby Ellsbury (three hits, two runs scored) and a sacrifice fly from Dustin Pedroia in the first and Ortiz's belt in the second -- his 230th as a member of the Sox, tying him with Mo Vaughn for sixth in franchise history -- the rest was left to Matsuzaka.

He allowed just two hits over seven innings and ran his record to 18-2 for a stunning .900 winning percentage. In major-league history, only four pitchers with 15 or more decisions have recorded a higher percentage, including Cleveland's Cliff Lee (22-2, .917) this season, who faces the Sox on Tuesday night.

The only hits Matsuzaka allowed Sunday were leadoff doubles -- to Vernon Wells in the second and Joe Inglett in the sixth. Both times, Matsuzaka slammed the door, stranding the runners.

But that might have been expected. This year, Matsuzaka has held hitters to a paltry .164 batting average with runners in scoring position.

"I thought all of his pitches had movement through the zone,'' said manager Terry Francona. "With his fastball, slider, cutter and changeup, hitters had to respect all his pitches, because he was throwing them all near the plate.''

"That,'' said Varitek of Matsuzaka's outing, "was phenomenal. That's not an easy lineup to face. He did an awesome job and was executing all his pitches. His location set everything up for him today.''

Though three of Matsuzaka's last five outings before Sunday resulted in no-decisions, he hasn't lost since July 28. Equally impressive, Sunday marked the eighth time this season that Matsuzaka did not allow a run, and the fifth time that he and the bullpen combined to post shutouts.

As further evidence of how dominant he can be when he successfully controls the strike zone, Sunday was the eighth time this season that Matsuzaka has allowed just two hits in a start.

While Matsuzaka shut down the Blue Jays, Ellsbury was the offensive catalyst, with two doubles and a triple. For the six-game trip, Ellsbury was 11 for 27 (.407) with six runs scored in six games. Over his last nine games, he's hitting .410 (16 for 39) and has hit safely in his last 12 games.

The midseason sophomore funk that Ellsbury suffered is apparently over, and he credits some tinkering with his stance and hands.

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable at the plate,'' said Ellsbury. "I went back to my old stance in terms of where my hands were and my positioning. It's minor, minor stuff. It doesn't look like much [of an adjustment]; it's really about how I load and how I stride. More than anything, it's my timing in the box.''

Ellsbury's overall time couldn't be better, either, with the playoffs approaching, wherever that may take the Red Sox.

"We don't take anything for granted,'' said Francona, who assured reporters he would be asleep by the time the Yankees-Orioles game was over. "We never have. The magic number will take care of itself.''