Eight innings were in books when Joe Girardi tracked down CC Sabathia in the dugout.
“I told him, ‘Finish it,’ ” Girardi said.
Sabathia finished everything at Yankee Stadium — mainly the Indians and the Yankees’ homestand — in delivering his first complete game this season. The lefty ace retired the first 14 batters he faced, earned his second straight victory and lifted the Yankees to a three-game sweep with a 6-4 triumph over the Indians.
Sabathia surrendered seven hits, but walked just one while striking out nine, racking up punchouts on his slider, fastball and changeup. He fired 116 pitches in fashioning his first complete game since last Aug. 3.
In doing so, Sabathia — who logged his 36th career complete game and 10th in pinstripes — spared the Yankees’ entire bullpen. Girardi said David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain were unavailable (both pitched the previous two games), didn’t want to summon Boone Logan and would have used Mariano Rivera (who pitched Monday and Tuesday) but preferred not to.
“[A complete game] means a lot,” Sabathia said, “especially the way our bullpen’s been taxed a little bit.”
Entering the series, the Yankees had dropped seven of eight games to the Rays, Mets and Red Sox. Sabathia was responsible for the lone win during that stretch, hurling a gem against Boston with
7 1/3 innings of one-run, 10-strikeout ball.
Though his velocity earlier this season was topping out in the 91-mph range, he averaged 92 mph against Boston while maxing out at 94 and yesterday hit a bunch of 93s, including in the ninth inning.
“The swings that the guys are taking, they’re not on top of the ball,” catcher Chris Stewart said of the increased velocity. “It’s nothing different than what happened last year. Same thing.”
The Yankees soared to a 6-0 lead through two innings thanks mainly to Travis Hafner’s two-run homer in the first inning and Brett Gardner’s three-run blast in the second.
Though Cleveland ultimately climbed back into the game, Sabathia never truly was threatened. After the Tribe trimmed it to 6-4 in the seventh on Yan Gomes’ two-run homer, Sabathia proceeded to retire seven of the final eight batters, striking out three of them, to end it.
The big lefty was perfect through 4 2/3 innings before serving up Mike Aviles’ bloop single to left field, the perfect game lost on a first-pitch curveball. Sabathia said he wasn’t aware that he was flawless until after the single.
“Everybody started clapping,” he said. “I figured they’re not Indians fans here.”
No, but Yankees fans should be happy to see the Indians.
The Yankees are now 6-1 against Terry Francona’s club this year and 28-24 against the rest of the league.
Sabathia and Co. will now venture to the West Coast for a 10-game road trip against the Mariners, A’s and Angels that begins tonight.
They’ll have a completely rested relief corps and a surge of momentum. Sabathia finished the game as Girardi asked, saving the bullpen and sending his club on the road with a sweep.
mark.hale@nypost.com