Bronx, N.Y., June 5, 2013 — Early on, the Indians/Yankees tilt in the Bronx Wednesday afternoon lent itself to a stark assessment of starting pitching. Yankee ace CC Sabathia was dealing, blanking the visiting Indians through five and retiring 14 of 14 in doing so. Young righthander Corey Kluber, on the other hand, was pounded for five hits, two home runs, and six runs while posting just four outs.

Seeming to pick up where the returning Mark Teixeira left off Monday and Tuesday, when he hit several-run homers in back-to-back third innings, Travis Hafner’s two-run first-inning shot and Brett Gardner’s fence clearer for three in the second had the Yanks up 6-0, and shooting for more. Once Tex bounced into a second-inning-ending double play, however, Kluber began throwing like, well, like Sabathia. Well not “like” really, but with similar results. Pounding 94-mph heat and mixing in an improving cutter, he retired 12 of 14, seven of them on strike outs.

Sabathia, on the other hand, didn’t throw as hard as he had in beating Boston Friday, but his low-nineties fastball with the occasional slider and change had the crowd buzzing with the word “perfect” following one strike out and routine grounder after another. When Gardner retired Nick Swisher in center to end the top of the fourth, it was the first fly ball the visitors hit. Two more flies around a first hit described the fifth, and three singles, two of which could have easily been outs, scored two in the sixth.

Kluber was done after six, but the Yanks failed to retaliate despite receiving three walks and a single in the seventh and eight against four relievers. Cleveland, on the other hand, replaced faux singles in the sixth with hard-hit ones in the seventh, and only a Mike Aviles double play ball kept the Yanks up by two once catcher Yan Gomes homered deep to left, 6-4 Yanks. That was as close as the Tribe would get though, as Sabathia stiffened, retiring seven of eight on three grounders and three strike outs.

After a two-out eighth-inning walk Mark Reynolds lined CC’s 102nd pitch to right, where Ichiro thankfully had replaced new outfielder Lyle Overbay for defense. With speculation rife as a home team rally fizzled in the eighth, Mariano Rivera did not appear, and the big Yankee lefty starter closed his own game.

Despite the fluky sixth and the threatening seventh, Sabathia again proved himself to be the revived ace he showed Friday. He struck out nine and walked just one, and missed with his first pitch just seven times to 34 batters. The 84/32 strikes//balls ratio was superb, and he piled up 14 ground ball outs before it was over.

And Kluber, following a loud early interlude, matched him after 1:51 pm, when he turned it around at the beginning of the third. CC had missed with a fastball to Michael Bourn to start the game at 1:09. The Yanks won this one because of what happened in the next 42 minutes.

42, huh? Something about that number I like.

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!