YANKEES COMPLETE RALLY, MOVE ON
Shortstop hits two homers as New York wins
New York rallied from two games down to win three in a row, capped with a 5-2 win in Cleveland, and advance to the ALCS against Houston.
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’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.
“It’s just our time,” starter CC Sabathia said.
After winning twice in New York, manager Joe Girardi and 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 22-game winning streak and were favored to get back to the World Series after losing in seven games a year ago to the Chicago Cubs.
The Indians closed to 3-2 in the fifth against Sabathia before David Robertson pitched 2M hitless innings for the win. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who faced Cleveland in last year’s spinetingling 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.