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What the Yankees accomplished at the plate in the eighth inning of Monday's 12-5 win in Kansas City was a testament to their resiliency and an emphatic statement to future opponents that this is not a team that ever packs it in before its 27th out.

Trailing 5-1 going to the eighth, New York went to work with a string of intense at-bats against a reeling Royals bullpen and didn't look up until 10 runs had scored in what was its biggest inning since June 21, 2005, when the Yankees put up a 13-spot against Tampa Bay.

Kansas City manager Buddy Bell sent starter Luke Hudson out to warm up for the eighth, but then walked to the mound and took the ball from Hudson's hand. That was the official cue card for the Yankees to start scoring about as quickly as if they were racking up points on a pinball machine.

Four consecutive hitters reached against lefty reliever Jimmy Gobble. And by then, it was apparent to the fans at Kauffman Stadium — many of them rooting for the Yankees — that New York was wide awake after a sleepy seven innings.

Show the Yankees a shaky bullpen and the killer instinct of a club driving for the finish line shows through.

"Ten? That's a stretch," center fielder Johnny Damon said. "But this team is made to win a championship."

The Yankees batted around for the 34th time this season. As is the case with any major rally, they needed a break or two spliced in with the keen plate discipline and the clutch blows.

The big break came immediately when Alex Rodriguez blooped a leadoff single to center. If Rodriguez's popup had found an outfielder, maybe the whole inning would have gone differently for Gobble. But the bloop was followed by a blast, as Jorge Posada launched an opposite-field two-run homer to right.

Trailing 5-3 with nobody out, the Yankees were just getting started. Robinson Cano singled and Melky Cabrera walked against a shaken Gobble. When Bell went to right-hander Scott Dohmann, Yankees' manager Joe Torre countered by pinch-hitting with Bernie Williams. A walk to Williams meant a snowball effect was in full force.

"I think Bernie's (walk) was a key at-bat," Torrie said. "That put a lot of pressure on them. Now, we've got bases loaded and the top of the order coming up."

Double-digit innings don't happen unless the offense wins situational matchups. Damon solved left-hander Andrew Sisco for a two-run single up the middle and Bobby Abreu put the Yankees ahead 7-5 with a ringing two-run double to center. An RBI bloop single by Posada and a coup de grace three-run homer by Robinson Cano put the exclamation point on the 10-run inning.

"Jorge's home run sort of broke the ice," Torre said as he analyzed the season's biggest inning for his club. "There's no way you could predict 10 runs in a inning, but it's one of those snowball things."

Abreu has 12 doubles in a five-week period as a Yankee. The 12th caromed hard off the wall in center as the Yankees took the lead for good.

"He punished that ball, the one that put us ahead," Torre said.

Hudson had thrown 113 pitches through seven innings and had 10 strikeouts, the most by a Royals' starting pitcher since 2001.

The Yankees had gone down in order in the seventh against Hudson, but Torre could understand Bell's thought process when the pitching change was made.

"He's learning about his team," Torre said. "He has a young club that he has to make decisions on. It's a whole different mindset, I've been there. I know it's important to win, but it's also important to find out about people."

What Bell found out on Monday was that his bullpen was no match for the Yankees once the offense hit second gear.

"It's all about confidence," Torre said. "They don't feel there's anything they can't do if they get just a little crack in the armor."

For Damon, who experienced the magic in Boston two years, there's a feeling that the Yankees are on a journey to the land of champions. A 10-run inning can only fortify such exhilarating thoughts.

"We had absolutely nothing going for us," Damon said. "Luke Hudson threw the ball well. We had some opportunities that we squandered. But we just battled. When Posada hit the homer ... now it's a two-run deficit. And we just kept going."

And going ... and going.

A perfect 10 for the Yankees meant a 10-game advantage over Boston in the loss column and a nine-game cushion overall. It was an inning to remember in what has all the earmarks of a truly memorable season.