MLB

Martin’s homer, solid Sabathia lifts Yankees over Orioles

Russell Martin follows through on a tiebreaking big fly, opening the floodgates for a five-run ninth inning that Ichiro Suzuki and Derek Jeter (above) enjoyed in last night’s 7-2 win over the Orioles in Game 1 of the ALDS.

Russell Martin follows through on a tiebreaking big fly, opening the floodgates for a five-run ninth inning that Ichiro Suzuki and Derek Jeter (above) enjoyed in last night’s 7-2 win over the Orioles in Game 1 of the ALDS. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)

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BALTIMORE — Two baserunning mistakes early were followed by flushing a strong scoring chance late.

Yet no matter how much trouble the Yankees caused themselves, CC Sabathia wouldn’t let them lose Game 1 of the ALDS against the Orioles last night at Camden Yards.

He pitched out of trouble, stranded two runners apiece in the fifth and sixth innings with the score tied. In the eighth, he worked around J.J. Hardy’s leadoff double.

It was enough to get the Yankees to the ninth, where they scored five runs on the way to a 7-2 victory in the best-of-five series in front of 47,841 who had to wait two hours and 26 minutes for the game to start due to rain.

“CC is a bad ass, write that down,’’ Nick Swisher said of the Yankees’ ace, who went 82/3 innings, giving up two runs and eight hits.

So, too, is Russell Martin. He opened the ninth inning against pellet-throwing closer Jim Johnson with a towering home run to left off a 94-mph fastball to break a 2-2 tie. The Yankees added Ichiro Suzuki’s infield-single RBI, Robinson Cano’s two-run double and Swisher’s sacrifice fly.

“You either want to be in that situation or you don’t,’’ said Martin, who also contributed a terrific fielding play on Lew Ford’s dribbler in front of the plate in the fifth. “I love being in that situation.’’

Thanks largely to Martin and Sabathia, the Yankees take a 1-0 advantage into tonight’s Game 2 with lefties Andy Pettitte and Wei-Yin Chen scheduled to start.

“You always want one [win], but now we are greedy and want two,’’ said Mark Teixeira, who drove home a run in the fourth but was thrown out at second attempting to turn a single off the right-field wall into a double. “We want a second one [tonight].’’

If they treat Johnson as they did last night the Yankees will go home up 2-0 with the possible final three games at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

“Made a mistake obviously to Martin,’’ said Johnson, who gave up five runs (four earned) and five hits and was lifted after 17 pitches.

The closer saved 51 games in 54 chances during the regular season.

“We battled all year,” Johnson said. “Why would we make it easy now?”

Nothing about last night was easy for the Yankees until after Martin’s homer. Yet as long as Sabathia was dominating Orioles hitters with sliders and change-ups, the Yankees had a chance despite scoring just two runs against Jason Hammel in 52/3 innings.

The large lefty was never bigger than in the eighth after Hardy’s double inside the first-base bag gave the O’s a terrific scoring chance.

Sabathia responded by striking out Adam Jones on a cutter, breaking Matt Wieters’ bat on a foul out and feeding Mark Reynolds a slider that he hit to Derek Jeter for the final out.

“Joe [Girardi] came out and asked if I wanted to put Wieters on and face the next two guys,’’ said Sabathia, who was battered by the O’s in three regular-season games. “I felt Reynolds was having some good at-bats, so I just wanted Wieters and get two outs and get the grounder [by Reynolds].’’

As Jeter’s throw settled in Teixeira’s glove, Sabathia threw his meaty left arm in the air.

“I normally try not to show a lot of emotion, but it just came out,’’ Sabathia said.

george.king@nypost.com