Thursday night's 9-1 win over the Angels was a momentous win for the Yankees in a number of ways. They clinched the AL East title, while winning their 100th game, tied with the Astros for the most in baseball.

But make no mistake. This team wants more.

"One of the things we talked about in spring training was winning the division, and that's a reality now," said Aaron Boone. "You think of a lot of people who contributed to this.

"Obviously, we have bigger goals, but this is an important step and I'm just proud of the guys and the so many people, some who aren't even in that room right now, to us being here."

As the players celebrated the Yankees' first division title since the 2012 season, one of the clear messages that came out of the clubhouse was that this is just the first step in what the Yankees want to accomplish this season.

"It's a team that's hungry. We want to fight," said Aaron Judge. "The past couple of years we've been kicked out of the playoffs too soon. We had a lot of guys on those teams who are hungry. … When you have 25 guys who are hungry and ready to roll, you've got something special.

"We're hungry. We're ready for some more."

Judge and the rest of the Yankees gained some valuable postseason experience over the past couple of seasons, falling to the Astros in seven games in the 2017 ALCS and to Boston in the 2018 ALDS.

The bad taste of those postseason shortcomings isn't lost on veterans like Brett Gardner, who was on the Yankees World Series team in 2009.

"It's been, what, seven years since we won the east? The last couple of seasons we've gained some great experience in the playoffs and obviously come up a little short, but this is step one of our goal and where we want to get to, winning the division," Gardner said after the game.

"That's the reason I re-signed back here 10 months ago, for a chance to be a part of a great team like this and win a championship. Step one, winning the division, it's a great accomplishment. We've got a lot of work left. Just try to stay focused like we have all year."

While Gardner has been through some of the difficult Yankees' postseasons of recent memory, James Paxton is a newcomer to October in the Bronx. The left-hander said after the division-clinching win that this is exactly what he expected after being traded to the Yankees from Seattle.

"This is awesome. This is what you dream about when you come here," Paxton said. "When I think of the Yankees, I think about winning, and that's what we've done on a consistent basis this year in order to get to where we wanted to get to, a division title, and now we're on to the next thing, which is the World Series. We're all going to be focusing on that now.

The 2019 Yankees have been focused on a playoff run from the moment spring training began. Now, with a division title clinched, the team knows that their ultimate goal is still ahead of them.

"That's what we play for, to try to win the whole thing," said Didi Gregorius. "That's what we're always looking forward to."

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