Chapman saves Yankees' 5-4 win over Indians

CLEVELAND (AP) Aroldis Chapman's footwork was more important than his fastball with the game on the line Thursday night.

Chapman - sprinting to cover first base with two on and two outs in the ninth inning - beat Tyler Naquin to the bag by a split-second and preserved the Yankees' 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

The speedy Naquin hit a shot toward the hole that first baseman Mark Teixeira dived at, then deflected toward second baseman Starlin Castro, who rifled it to Chapman in full stride.

Umpire Tom Hallion initially ruled Naquin safe to load the bases, but the call was overturned on a game-ending challenge by New York manager Joe Girardi.

''I thought the ball was by (Teixeira), but he made a great play for us,'' Chapman said through an interpreter. ''I felt the guy was out all along, but we had to wait on the call.''

Didi Gregorius had two hits and scored twice for the Yankees, who are 3-4 on their 10-game trip. The veteran shortstop hit his career-high 10th home run.

Chase Headley added two singles and drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth, while Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and an RBI apiece.

American League Central leader Cleveland lost its second straight home game after winning 13 in a row at Progressive Field.

''I think we kind of knew that call at the end was going against us,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''You kind of brace for it.''

Girardi felt the same way, as did the thousands of Yankees fans who celebrated loudly when the announcement was made.

''Chappy can make that play because he's a great athlete,'' Girardi said. ''That's why you work on it every day. I was a little worried when he hit it, but Tex made a great play to keep it in there.''

New York right-hander Ivan Nova (6-5) stopped a two-game losing streak and earned his first road victory since June 3, against Baltimore. He struck out six in 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs, in the opener of the four-game series.

Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller followed and combined for 2 2/3 scoreless frames. Chapman gave up a single and a walk in the ninth before picking up his 17th save, hitting 100 mph on 16 of his 28 pitches.

''You want to get our bullpen the lead because if you do, it's almost a sure win,'' Nova said. ''It was good tonight because we beat a team that's in first place.''

The Yankees scored three times in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead. Headley and Ellsbury had RBI singles, while Rob Refsnyder delivered a sacrifice fly that chased Indians starter Trevor Bauer (7-3).

Naquin and Jason Kipnis homered in the third to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead. New York tied the game in the fifth when Gregorius went deep and Gardner had an RBI single.

A-ROD UPDATE

Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez, who has 695 career home runs, was not in the lineup for the second straight game. The three-time AL MVP is batting .220 with eight homers and 28 RBIs in 50 games. ''It's been a struggle, especially against right-handers, for him,'' Girardi said. ''Alex has been doing it for a long time and he's been a very productive hitter. It's not easy.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: DH Carlos Beltran (right hamstring tightness) did not play the field as Girardi attempts to manage his injury. Beltran was initially hurt on June 29, against Texas.

Indians: RHP Zach McAllister (right hip discomfort) was placed on the 15-day DL. He allowed four runs in 1/3 of an inning Wednesday in a 12-2 loss to Detroit.

UP NEXT

Yankees: RHP Chad Green earned his first major league win in his last outing, going six innings in a July 3 start at San Diego.

Indians: RHP Corey Kluber is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees. He last faced them on Aug. 9, 2014.