Sabathia beats former team, Yankees top Tribe

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New York • CC Sabathia took a perfect game into the fifth inning, then hung on to make early homers by Travis Hafner and Brett Gardner hold up for the New York Yankees in a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.

Sabathia gave up seven hits and struck out nine in his first complete game of the year for New York, which swept the Indians in three games to finish a homestand that began with two losses to the Mets and a 1-2 series against Boston. The Indians were swept in their only visit to the Bronx last season, too.

The left-hander went the distance and spared the Yankees bullpen after their top two relievers had pitched on consecutive nights.

Hafner, who was Sabathia's teammate in Cleveland when the Indians beat the Yankees in the 2007 AL division series, hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Corey Kluber (3-4), and Gardner added a three-run shot in the second following Chris Stewart's RBI single.

It was enough for Sabathia, who threw three straight balls to leadoff hitter Michael Bourn, then looked dialed in. He struck out the side in the third, as well as the leadoff hitter in the fourth.