Yankees blow by Indians, advance
Gregorius homers power the victory
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, Wednesday night in Game 5 to complete theircomeback from a 2-0 deficit in the division series and dethrone the American Leaguechampions.
These bend-but-don’tbreak 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 in Houston. The AL West Division 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 in the regular season, ripped off a historic 22-game streak and were favored to get back to the World Series after losing in seven games a year ago to theChicago 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 2⅔ hitless innings for the win. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who faced Cleveland a year ago in a 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
“This team has never stopped fighting and never stopped believing,” manager Joe Girardi said before Game 5. “That’s the mark of a very good team. They know how to persevere and continue to grind out everything.”