NEW YORK _ Before Aroldis Chapman came on for the ninth inning, the Yankees were saved twice _ by Tommy Kahnle and Brett Gardner.
Kahnle struck out two batters to end the seventh inning, preserving a one-run lead.
And Gardner's sensational running catch along the warning track in center field robbed Francisco Lindor of a game-tying extra-base hit in the eighth.
Chapman officially saved the Yankees' 3-2 win against the Cleveland Indians before 45,015 fans at Yankee Stadium, flushing the memory of Thursday night's blowout loss to Cleveland.
Coming off an eight-inning, scoreless gem at Toronto in his last start, Masahiro Tanaka was mostly in control again.
In 6 1/3 innings, Tanaka yielded just two runs _ on solo shots by Jose Ramirez and Yasiel Puig.
Puig had already given the Yankees a run with some ragged right-field defense in the fifth, misplaying Gio Urshela's two-out single and allowing Aaron Judge to score from second base, giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead.
He made up for it by drilling a seventh-inning homer, bringing the Indians back within a run.
Tanaka had left Friday night's game to an appreciative standing ovation, and with the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead.
Now, he was part of the crowd at Yankee Stadium, watching along as Kahnle entered.
Watching at the dugout railing, Tanaka saw Kahnle strike out both batters he faced _ Jason Kipnis and Franmil Reyes _ to strand the tying run at second base.
As Kahnle spun off the mound in celebration, Tanaka's stoic expression transformed into a smile.
But after quickly loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh, with none out, the Yankees failed to score _ thanks to two medium fly balls hit to Puig in right.
The Yankees wouldn't test his arm this time; Cameron Maybin tried in the second inning and was thrown out easily at the plate, trying to tag up on a D.J. LeMahieu fly.
The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on two-out, RBI singles by Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres.
But right-hander Aaron Civale, making just his fourth MLB start, settled in and pitched six innings.
