SEATTLE -- At 9:37 p.m. Tuesday, the Rangers cut Oakland's magic number to one by finishing off a victory over the Angels in Anaheim.

Several minutes later, when the score was posted on the out-of-town scoreboard at Safeco Field, the sizable contingent of A's fans in the Emerald City stood and cheered.

And at 10:01, after three-plus days of disappointment with not having their magic number change at all, it shrunk to zero. In closing out a 12-3 drubbing of the host Mariners, their favorite 2006 punching bags, the A's finally punched their ticket to the postseason by clinching the American League West title.

As a lazy fly ball settled into the glove of right fielder Bobby Kielty, catcher Jason Kendall raised his arms in triumph and slowly walked, then ran, toward the joyous pile in the middle of the diamond.

In the champagne- and beer-soaked bedlam of the clubhouse, owner Lew Wolff was doused by a parade of players and foam sprayed in every direction as the A's saluted each other for the organization's first playoff berth since 2003 and fifth since 2000.

"Unbelievable," said Kendall, an 11-year veteran who will be making his postseason debut. "It feels exactly the way I thought it would feel, only better. A lot better."

Third baseman Eric Chavez, who is nursing a bad hamstring but refused to leave the game when the A's went up by 10 runs because he wanted to be on the field for the final out, said his fifth postseason party with the A's was the sweetest yet.

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