CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) – Roberto Perez hit a two-run homer in his major league debut, Carlos Santana also connected and the Indians scored nine runs in their last two innings at bat for a 9-3 victory over the New York Yankees in Derek Jeter’s final regular-season game at Progressive Field.
The Indians put a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame touch on their going-away gifts Thursday night for the Yankees shortstop, who hit his first major league home run in Cleveland.
Former teammates Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi presented him with a white Gibson Les Paul electric guitar with blue Yankees pinstripes, inscribed with Jeter’s No. 2 and the words, “The Captain.”
Asdrubal Cabrera’s three-run triple and Michael Brantley’s sacrifice fly highlighted a four-run seventh that erased a 3-0 deficit. Brantley, a first-time All-Star this season, added an RBI single in a five-run eighth, when Perez and Santana homered.
On a conference call during the game, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said right-hander Masahiro Tanaka has a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow. The team hopes its rookie sensation will be able to return this season.