BACK IN ACTION:CC Sabathia (pictured), pitching in the first inning last night against the Indians, went seven-plus innings in his first outing off the disabled list while (AP)
Rafael Soriano (pictured) escaped a jam in the ninth to record the save in a 3-1 Yankees victory. (AP)
BACK IN ACTION:CC Sabathia (above), pitching in the first inning last night against the Indians, went seven-plus innings in his first outing off the disabled list while Rafael Soriano (inset) escaped a jam in the ninth to record the save in a 3-1 Yankees victory. (
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CLEVELAND — CC Sabathia delivered in his first game in two weeks. Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher did just enough to give the Yankees a chance to snap a three-game slide.
Joe Girardi turned to Rafael Soriano to protect a two-run lead in the ninth and give the Yankees’ their biggest win of the season — even if it’s only late August.
Soriano loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth to make the Yankees’ heart beat faster but stranded three to save a 3-1 victory over the putrid Indians in front of 27,986 at Progressive Field.
“Be able to give us a chance to win, that’s all I was looking for,’’ Sabathia said of his first start since Aug. 8 because of an inflamed left elbow. “It worked out.’’
Coupled with the second-place Rays losing to the A’s, the Yankees’ AL East lead stretched to 3 1/2 games. The Indians are 4-22 in their last 26 games and have dropped nine in a row.
Sabathia, who improved to 13-3 with his sixth-straight win, allowed a run, four hits, walked one and fanned nine in 7 1/3 innings.
Soriano, who posted his 32nd save after surviving a crossed signal in the ninth, wasn’t the only one to cause anxiety in the Yankees dugout. Jeter was hit in the helmet by a 92 mph fastball from Corey Kluber in the second inning.
The shortstop danced away from the plate but never went to the ground. He was, however, angry as Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue escorted him to first.
“I told him to be careful,’’ Jeter said of an exchange with Kluber, who appeared in his eighth big league game and fifth this season.
Jeter, who opened the game with a double and scored on Swisher’s double, made two good plays in the hole immediately after getting drilled.
Sabathia sent a message to everyone in the fourth that if you hit Jeter in the head — even accidently — there is a price to pay. Facing Asdrubal Cabrerra with one out, Sabathia threw behind the All-Star shortstop.
Plate umpire Fieldin Culbreath warned Sabathia and both dugouts.
So what happened with that pitch?
“It got away,’’ Sabathia said with a straight face. “I cut a lot of balls tonight and that was one of them.’’
Cabrera extracted revenge when he hit Sabathia’s next pitch over the center-field fence and tied the score, 1-1.
After driving Jeter in with a double to right, Swisher hit a two-run home run in the seventh that scored Jeter and staked Sabathia to a 3-1 lead.
As he rounded first, Swisher did a cha-cha-cha with his feet and clapped his hand as he looked into the stands behind first.
“It was my family,’’ Swisher said of the target of his celebration that continued after he touched home with his 19th homer of the year and 100th as a Yankee.
After the Yankees left five runners on base in the first two innings and two more in the fifth, Sabathia found himself with very little room for mistakes.
He survived a bases-loaded problem in the fifth and stranded runners at the corners in the sixth when he fanned Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta.
While Sabathia said his elbow felt good, the next couple of days will be a better indicator because he felt discomfort after his previous two starts and was placed on the DL.
“It feels good, we will see in the next couple of days,’’ Sabathia said.
With him the Yankees have a chance to hold off the Rays. Without him? Don’t ask.