Tanaka gem helps Yankees ace Tribe

Maybe the Yankees are onto something here. Have a player announce a planned retirement, then win a game.

First, it was Mark Teixeira Friday and then Alex Rodriguez on Sunday. The Yankees won both times. So forgive manager Joe Girardi if he starts scanning his clubhouse looking for older guys to hold press conferences before future games.

So in related news Sunday, the Yankees defeated Cleveland, 3-2, as Masahiro Tanaka worked into the seventh inning for what may have been his best start of the season. Add Teixeira aiding with his bat and glove and the Yankees had their fifth win in seven games against the Central Division-leading Indians. “It might have been his

best start of the year. I thought his stuff was really, really good,” Girardi said of Tanaka. “To shut this team down, they hit him pretty hard last time. I thought he was tremendous.”

Tanaka (8-4), whose previous victory on July 17 was followed by two losses and a no-decision, allowed six hits and one run. He struck out a season-high eight and didn’t walk anyone. He left with a 3-0 lead and a runner on second.

“I felt really good out there and yes I do feel that I pitched well,” Tanaka said through an interpreter, noting that “possibly” this was indeed his best start.

If so, it came because of some release-point tweaks made after his 7-1 Subway Series thumping by the Mets. “Adjustments that were made [in] mechanics, just made it so that the re

lease point, I felt much better about where the ball was being released,” Tanaka said. “It all comes down to the mechanics.”

The Yankees gave Tanaka a quick 1-0 lead when Brett Gardner tripled on the first pitch from Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco (7-6) and scored on a sac fly by Jacoby Ellsbury. Didi Gregorius made it 2-0 in the fourth drilling his 13th homer on a 2-2 Carrasco curve. Teixeira joined the assault with an RBI double in the fifth, scoring Ellsbury who walked. That made it 3-0.

But nothing comes easy. The Yankees needed a terrific Teixeira play at first base in the seventh and a four-out save by Dellin Betances (second save) to move back over .500 (56-55).

Tanaka exited after surrendering a seventh-inning leadoff double to Rajai Davis who eventually scored on a Roberto Perez single. With two out and runners on first and second against Adam Warren, Francisco Lindor ripped a shot down the first-base

line. Teixeira

made a sprawling stop, recovered and dove headfirst to the base to barely beat Lindor who tried a headfirst slide.

“I only have a few of those left,” Teixeira said. “Got a big hit which is always fun, made a big play. Sometimes, defensively the plays are more important than offensively. I enjoy playing first base I really do. That’s one of the reasons why I’m hanging them up after this season because it’s tougher and tougher to play first every day.” Made it look easy Sunday. “Just a really impressive play. That’s Tex. He gives everything he’s got,” Girardi said. “He slid headfirst. That’s a huge play.”

But the Yankees were not out of the woods. In the eighth, started by Tyler Clippard, Jose Ramirez walked and stole second as Lonnie Chisenhall fanned for the fourth time — and for the second out. Ramirez continued to third on catcher Austin Romine’s throwing error. Exit Clippard, enter Betances. Ramirez scored on a wild pitch. But Betances fanned Tyler Naquin to end the inning and then survived a leadoff single in the ninth through a nifty double play started at second by Starlin Castro. Betances struck

out Jason Kipnis to end the game.