NEW YORK _ Andrew McCutchen had a mostly quiet debut in pinstripes and Gary Sanchez's return didn't produce much in the way of noise, either.
On this Saturday afternoon, though, it didn't matter _ nor did the Yankees' hit total of two.
With Masahiro Tanaka throwing seven terrific innings and a suddenly resurgent Gleyber Torres hitting a two-run homer, the Yankees squeezed out a 2-1 victory over the Tigers in front of 42,816 at Yankee Stadium.
Tanaka (10-5, 3.83 ERA) allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, pitching out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the first with only one run scoring and escaping a second-and-third, none-out situation in the seventh without allowing a run. Tanaka walked one and struck out seven.
The Yankees (86-50), now 3-3 on a seven-game homestand that ends Sunday afternoon, trailed 1-0 before Torres' two-run homer with one out in the fifth made it 2-1. It was the Yankees' first hit (their only other hit was an infield squibber by Aaron Hicks in the sixth). They had been held hitless for 51/3 innings by Jordan Zimmermann on Friday night before hitting three home runs in the sixth.
Jonathan Holder pitched a scoreless eighth and Dellin Betances, who blew the save and took the loss Thursday night when he allowed back-to-back homers in the Tigers' three-run ninth, rebounded with a scoreless ninth to earn his second save.
Daniel Norris, activated from the disabled list earlier in the day and making his first start since April 29, was perfect through four innings before walking Hicks to start the fifth. After Sanchez, who was activated from the disabled list Saturday morning, flied to the warning track in left-center, Torres hammered a 1-and-0 slider to left for his 22nd homer and a 2-1 lead. He came into the day 9-for-14 with two homers on the homestand and 22-for-54 with three homers in his previous 15 games.
Norris left the game a batter later when, after throwing a ball to Luke Voit that evened the count at 2-and-2, he experienced cramping in his left calf.
Tanaka immediately faced a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the first after allowing three soft hits. Mikie Mahtook started with a grounder into the hole at short that went as an infield single and Jim Adduci followed with a squibber to the left of the plate. Nicholas Castellanos then flared a single to left to load the bases.
Victor Martinez's sacrifice fly to short left made it 1-0 and Tanaka kept it there, striking out Niko Goodrum and getting Ronny Rodriguez to fly to left.
Tanaka didn't get into trouble again until the seventh. Grayson Greiner led off with a double into the right-field corner and JaCoby Jones dumped a single to center before stealing second. But with runners on second and third, Dawel Lugo grounded to first and Tanaka struck out Mahtook and Adduci to end the threat.
