Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Yankees top Tribe

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After losing the first two games of the American League Division Series to the Cleveland Indians, the New York Yankees completed their comeback Wednesday with a 5-2 victory on the road to win the series and advance to the American League Championsh­ip Series. The Yankees will square off with the Houston Astros in a best-ofseven series.

CLEVELAND — Didi Gregorius, following in the October footprints left by Derek Jeter, homered twice off Corey Kluber as the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 5-2 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to complete their comeback from a 2-0 deficit in the Division Series and dethrone the AL champions.

These bend-but-don't-break Yankees staved off eliminatio­n for the fourth time in this postseason and advanced to play the Houston Astros in the AL Championsh­ip Series starting Friday at Minute Maid Park.

The AL West champion Astros, led by 5-foot-6 second-base dynamo and MVP candidate Jose Altuve, went 5-2 against the wild-card winners this season.

After winning twice in New York, the Yankees — with little offensive help from rookie star Aaron Judge — came into Progressiv­e Field and finished off the Indians, who won 102 games during the regular season, ripped off a historic 22game streak and were favored to get back to the World Series after losing in seven games a year ago to the Chicago Cubs.

Cleveland's Series drought turns 70 next year — baseball's longest dry spell.

The Indians closed to 3-2 in the fifth against starter CC Sabathia before David Robertson pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings for the win. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who faced Cleveland in last year's spine-tingling World Series and signed an $86 million free agent contract in December, worked two innings for the save.

Chapman went to the mound with a three-run lead in the ninth after Brett Gardner battled Cody Allen for 12 pitches before hitting an RBI single, with New York's fifth run scoring when Todd Frazier raced home on right fielder Jay Bruce's throwing error.

Gardner's gritty at-bat was symbolic of these Yankees. They wouldn't give in.

When Austin Jackson was called out on strikes to end it, the Yankees rushed to the mound to celebrate with a wide-eyed Chapman.

These baby Bronx Bombers became the 10th team to overcome a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-five playoff series. New York also did it in 2001, rallying to beat Oakland — a series remembered for Jeter's backhand flip to home plate.

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